In the December 2014 Model Railroader, Seth Neumann and Chris Drone wrote an article about using radio-frequency identification (RFID) and a computer to track rolling stock and new possibilities for operation. Prototype railroads have been using scanning technology since the late 1960s. Automatic Car Identification (ACI) used an optical reader and a color-coded plate to […]
Handsome 4-8-2 No. 4018 marches away from Chicago’s Grand Central Station with Soo Line train 17 for Duluth, Minn., with cars for Minneapolis and Ashland, Wis., in May 1949. Harold Stirton photo […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Paul B. Scoles was an inspired modeler with remarkable talents. This video showcases his freelance Sn3 (narrow gauge) layout set in coastal northern California in 1895. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page This Tracks Ahead layout visit highlights Bill Kachel’s HO scale depiction of the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad running under catenary between New York City and Pittsburgh. […]
The engineer of a Gulf, Mobile & Ohio RS1 eyes the photographer as his locomotive clatters across the Rock Island diamonds at Joliet, Ill., in 1951. The Alco and a caboose are bound for GM&O’s South Joliet yard. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
The 1951 edition of Great Northern’s flagship train, which the road called the Mid-Century Empire Builder at the time, included a 60-seat coach for short-haul passengers. GN photo […]
In September 1955, workers at the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Renovo (Pa.) engine terminal prepare L1s 2-8-2 No. 8426 for service as a stationary steam supply at the road’s giant Sunnyside Yard in New York City. The Mike has been converted to oil-firing for this duty, most likely its last assignment. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
After days on the road, this “epic” Trackside Adventure finally settles into a heavenly patch of Big Sky country, otherwise known as Lombard Canyon, Montana. Drew Halverson and the MRVP crew make the most of their time here by capturing MRL main line action from several panoramic vantage points in and around the canyon. […]
In this episode of Drew’s Trackside Adventure, the “epic” trek for 2014 heads back home to Wisconsin. Mike and KJ peel off quickly, leaving Tom and Drew to pilot along I-94 and the BNSF main line through North Dakota and Minnesota. The two show there’s just as much railroad action and stunning scenery in the […]
Take a tour of a live steam outdoor railroad club located in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area. The railroad accommodates a wide variety of trains fueled by coal, oil, propane, gasoline, and batteries. […]
Some men go to war for their country. Others build railroads. In both ventures, there is sacrifice, struggle, and honor. The driving of the Canadian Pacific’s final spike at Craigellachie, B.C., in 1885 marked a defining moment in Canada’s transformation from a vast swath of land into a nation — a political and economic engine […]
CSX train Q509 joins the east-west main line in Deshler while train Q365 prepares to depart for Cincinnati in the distance. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
