Hattons legacy to live on under Rails of Sheffield

An illustration of two hands shaking against an orange background with text which reads "Hattons is now part of the Rails family!"

Rails of Sheffield has announced that it has bought the Hattons brand, allowing the famed company’s legacy to live on for years to come. Per a statement released by Rails of Sheffield: “We are pleased to annnounce that we have now brought ‘Hattons Model Railways’ into the Rails family! It was a shock to the […]

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News & Products for the week of March 11th 2024

A model house structure with scenery

News & Products for the week of March 11th 2024   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 11th […]

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OS block control using an Arduino microcontroller

A railroad dispatch schematic with a train passing another on a siding

The following project is an update of Gary D. Patterson’s “Simplified CTC signals” in the July 1988 issue of MR. Bringing the project up to date was a large endeavour. The block control project now incorporates “all” solid-state components controlled by an Arduino microcontroller. I refer to this updated article as “CTC Signals 2.0.” The […]

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Alcohol stain fogs Dullcote; but what if the stain is dry?

A model of a wood-sided hopper with chalky, faded paint

Q: I’m aware that India ink-alcohol stain fogs Dullcote and similar dulling lacquer products. But I’ve not been able to find anything on the internet that discusses what happens if you spray Dullcote onto something that has previously had an alcohol wash applied, but the alcohol has completely evaporated and is dry. I assume there is no effect, […]

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Athearn HO General Electric AC4400CW

Color photo of HO scale Athearn HO General Electric AC4400CW on scenic base.

A General Electric AC4400CW diesel locomotive has joined the Athearn Genesis lineup. And no, this isn’t just an upgraded version of the “blue box” kit from the 1990s. The newly tooled six-axle road locomotive is offered with railroad-specific details, a full cab interior, and light-emitting-diode lighting, among other features. The prototype The sample we received […]

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Warning: Railroad tell-tales ahead

Men loading baggage behind steam locomotive

Railroad tell-tales At one time, railroad tell-tales were placed along the track on either side of low structures such as bridges and tunnels to warn crew members on top of the cars that they could not remain in a standing position while passing under the structure. Before the adoption of the air brake, and for […]

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Transfer locomotives demonstrated

Transfer locomotives Transfer runs are trains that move cars from one freight yard usually to a nearby yard of another railroad (but not always). Early in dieselization, three of the major builders marketed locomotives built specifically for such service, called transfer locomotives, which demanded a lot of pulling power but not much speed. Transfer units […]

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March 2024

A magazine cover depicting a model train in a western setting

Also in this issue: ON TRAINS.COM, pg. 6 The latest features on our website FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 8 Why we weather our models NEWS AND PRODUCTS, pg. 10 Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35reviewed, plus the latest new products ASK MR, pg. 16 Model steel strapping for an open-top load STEP BY STEP, pg. 19 […]

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News & Products for the week of March 4th 2024

A model caboose in a green and yellow paint scheme

News & Products for the week of March 4th 2024   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 4th […]

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