Behind the Christmas tree train set tradition

sepia picture of kids around a tree playing with toy train set

Christmas tree train set The history of the “putzen” In as early as the 18th century, Protestants immigrating to America were making miniature Nativity scenes in their homes around Christmastime. The Moravians, who at the time settled in the Lehigh Valley (eastern Pennsylvania), are recognized for consistently doing this activity. The term “putzen” is a […]

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News & Products for the week of December 18th 2023

A model locomotive on model rail track

News & Products for the week of December 18th 2023   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 December 18th […]

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BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt assist in Wreaths Across America

bicentennial loco with people standing in front of it

BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt To honor fallen veterans during the holidays a number of companies regularly partner with Wreaths Across America to deliver wreaths for placement on headstones.  Among them are BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. This year the two transportation giants together moved 46 container loads of wreaths — that’s 314,000 […]

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On the radar: Metra service to O’Hare airport

Commuter train rounds curve at junction

Metra It’s likely many passengers don’t realize commuter rail operator Metra serves Chicago O’Hare International Airport. But then, “serves” may be generous. What the commuter operator provides is more akin to a cameo appearance. In 2022, the airport handled almost 664,000 commercial flights and more than 68.3 million passengers. Metra addresses this with 12 trains, […]

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Sweet alyssum

model passenger train passes by flowers on garden railway

Common name: Sweet alyssum Latin name: Lobularia maritima Plant size: Under 6″ Plant type: Annual USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-11; grown as an annual in colder Zones Cultural needs: Almost any well-drained soil; full sun to part shade Originally from southern Europe, sweet alyssum has naturalized throughout the US as a hardy annual, reseeding year after […]

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Lionel’s perfect postwar train set

vintage toy train catalog art

Lionel’s perfect postwar train set The perfect postwar Lionel train set should have a great locomotive, exciting and attractive pieces of rolling stock, and maybe an operating accessory. There would be plenty of track, too. Which engine and cars would you choose if you were able to assemble a perfect outfit from the post-World War […]

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Build rocket component loads for your flatcars

model rocket piece on large-scale flatcar

Have you ever considered making rocket component loads for your flatcars? Over the years I’ve seen some interesting flatcar loads on full-size trains, but I wanted to build something I’ve never seen before. I’m interested in watching rocket launches, so I decided to scratchbuild SpaceX rocket component loads. The rocket I built isn’t modeled after […]

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Sound Transit to switch to flat-fee fares for light rail

Sound Transit logo

SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s light rail system will begin charging a flat fare of $3 next fall for rides anywhere on the system under a plan approved Friday by the transit agency’s board. Riders currently pay fares ranging from $2.25 to $3.50 based on distance, with the majority paying $2.75 or less, the Seattle Times […]

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