Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its associated products. The Georgia Southern layout originally appeared in the pages of Model Railroader in 2001. Mike Tuminella converted the layout to N scale to better fit the space he had available and made […]
Era: 1946 - 1970
Western Maryland 2-10-0 pusher
Engine 1126, one of Western Maryland’s colossal class I-2 Decapods, assists a train upgrade at Helmstetter’s Curve west of Cumberland, Md., in May 1952. Ed Theisinger photo […]
Rio Grande tripleheader
Three locomotives – a 2-8-2, 2-8-8-2, and 4-8-4 – start the Rio Grande’s eastbound Royal Gorge out of Minturn, Colo., on Aug. 30, 1947. Ahead for the 18-car train: Tennessee Pass. C. L. Carson photo […]
Guide to N scale metal wheelsets
Last month, I wrote about metal wheelsets offered in HO scale. In this guide to N scale metal wheelsets, I’ll cover the options available for those who model in 1:160 proportion. The case for metal wheelsets N scale wheelsets have come a long way since the 1960s and 1970s. For many years, Micro-Trains N scale […]
Late era railroad dining car meals
In the past, railroad dining car meals were something to write home about, positively. A notable summary of this can be found in the lyrics of the popular song Chattanooga Choo-Choo, with its assertion that “dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer.” As private-railroad passenger service declined in the 1960s, however, this […]
Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive
The Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive resulted from the railroad’s desire to increase fuel capacity. “Customer modifications to production units aren’t all that unusual, don’t usually result in more than minor engineering and construction revisions, and seldom are dignified by a separate builder’s class,” wrote former Trains Managing Editor Wally Abbey in the January […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Midwestern and Eastern U.S. cities, J. David Ingles Reel UNK2
Classic Trains Film Archive | Midwestern and Eastern U.S. cities, J. David Ingles Reel UNK2 – Ride along with J. David Ingles in this first installment of Classic Trains Film Archive! Through his vintage color footage, you’ll see Amtrak action in southeast Wisconsin and central Illinois, then ride along eastbound on the Amtrak National Limited […]
American Flyer No. 647 Northern Pacific refrigerator car
Glancing at the catalogs put out by the A.C. Gilbert Co. and the Lionel Corp. from 1952 or ’55 or ’58, you notice how similar the product lines were. Both Gilbert, which developed the American Flyer line of S gauge trains, and its rival marketed train sets at various price points to entice households with […]
Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler
The Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler recently paid a visit to our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout. The model, part of the company’s Icons of Canadian Steam line, is based on a Canadian Pacific class D10 prototype. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on the 4-6-0 and demonstrates […]
Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler
The Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler recently paid a visit to our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout. The model, part of the company’s Icons of Canadian Steam line, is based on a Canadian Pacific class D10 prototype. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on the 4-6-0 and demonstrates […]
Troop train Pullman porter
At Fort George G. Meade, Md., the porter assigned to the rear Pullman of a troop train watches as supplies are loaded aboard the kitchen car of another train. It’s May 1953 — two months before the end of the Korean War. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Super C on Cajon Pass
Santa Fe train 100, the Los Angeles–Chicago Super C, climbs the west side of Cajon Pass with four Flexi-Van containers and four trailers trailing an SD45 and F45 on January 26, 1970. Joe McMillan photo […]