Backdating the MR&T locomotive fleet

Color photo of HO scale steam switcher on scenicked base

Q: The historic cars for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy featured in the January 2025 episode of Ask Trains were very interesting (I grew up in Spokane, Portland & Seattle territory and am modeling some of that). What sort of steam and early diesel power would have been used to go with the cars of […]

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News & Products for the week of March 3rd 2025

An orange model scale test car

News & Products for the week of March 3rd 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 3rd, […]

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The Rio Grande’s Farmington Branch

Low-angle photo of smoking black steam locomotive with large snow plow

  It was an oddball branch line with a just-as-odd history that is still worth recounting.   The Rio Grande’s Farmington Branch was built in 1905 to connect Carbon Junction, Colo. (just outside of Durango to the southeast), and Farmington, N.M. It was a modest, 47.68-mile standard gauge line (later narrow gauge) that followed the […]

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Classic Toy Trains new products for March 2025

model of red flatcar with two trailers on top

Locomotives & rolling stock METCA offers an MTH custom-run 4-Bay Hopper as part of the RailKing line. The cars feature O-27 operation and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey graphics (30-75762 shown).  Expected delivery in March 2025. Price: $64.95. Order from metca.org Public Delivery Track is selling a custom-run MTH RS1 locomotive as part of the RailKing […]

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Maine two-footer special

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Bridgton & Harrison 2-4-4T No. 8 creeps around a rock outcropping at the head of a special train in 1940. The second-to-last Maine two-foot road to operate, the B&H closed the following year. Robert B. Adams photo […]

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