Three-truck logging Shay

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Meadow River Lumber Co. No. 7 is a good example of a three-truck, standard-gauge, coal-burning Shay with a Radley & Hunter stack. The West Virginia company used steam locomotives into the mid-1960s. Matt Coleman collection […]

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Young Guns in Preservation: Ryan Gerhardt

Young crew member posing in front of steam locomotive.

Ryan Gerhardt has taken on multiple management roles on the Chesapeake & Delaware, LLC, and the Black River & Western Railroad in New Jersey. He serves as the Steam Committee Chairman who oversees the maintenance and operation of the latter tourist railroad’s Great Western 2-8-0 No. 60. Still in his 20s, Gerhardt – like many […]

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Who built the steam locomotives

A steam locomotive rolls along under a dense black cloud of exhaust smoke

Who built the steam locomotives? In the transportation business of today, “Big Three” invariably means General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, the dominant U.S. domestic automakers. But just a few decades ago, when the manufacture of steam locomotives was a bellwether American industry, “Big Three” could only have meant Alco, Baldwin, and Lima. Maybe these great […]

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Must-See Big Steam for Fall 2023

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Labor Day has concluded and so has – unofficially – the 2023 summer. The busy season for museums and tourist railroads may be wrapping up, but as cooler weather begins to roll in you can still add some steam to the mix! These are the big locomotives scheduled to operate when the foliage changes colors […]

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Durbin & Greenbrier Valley acquires Heisler built in 1929

Rusted steam locomotive

CASS, W.Va. — Cass Scenic Railroad operator Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has acquired a two-truck Heisler locomotive, Builder’s No. 1589, from Stuart Thayer of Thomas, W.Va., bringing to three the number of Heisler locomotives on Cass and DGVR property. Built in September 1929 for Fisher Lumber Co. of Holly Grove, Ark., as its No. […]

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News & Products for the week of September 25th 2023

A set of three reefer cars in different paint schemes

News & Products for the week of September 25th 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 September 25th […]

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Meet Marc Horovitz

black and red model live steam engine on track

In a paragraph, how did you get started in the hobby? Like many model railroaders, I got started in the hobby with toy trains: first with Marx clockwork, then with Lionel when I was six. In my teenage years I moved up (or down, depending on your point of view) to HO, then HOn3. I […]

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Swiss Spectacular, Part 13: Steaming up the mountainside

Steam locomotive and one car on curving line on mountainside, as seen from above

LUCERNE, Switzerland — We went up another mountain today. Once again, our view from the top was almost completely obscured by clouds. And once again, no one minded much. This time around, the Trains/Special Interest Tours “Majestic Switzerland” tour made its way up the Brienz-Rothorn Bahn, a 7.6-kilometer, 800-mm gauge, steam-powered rack railway (that’s 4.7 […]

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Five mind-blowing facts about steam locomotives

Smoking steam locomotive leads freight train. five mind-blwoing facts — Steam locomotives

From the smallest narrow-gauge locomotive right up to Big Boy, steam locomotives capture the imagination and occupy a significant place in world history. The steam locomotive’s story runs far, wide, and deep. It continues to unfold today through preservation and restoration. Around every curve, there is another facet of the story waiting to be discovered. […]

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A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train

pink tender on an orange and blue box

A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train I couldn’t have imagined the excitement that year would bring to me as a collector and a new father. Chasing after postwar Lionel trains for about four years, I had amassed a decent collection. [Anthony’s superb collection was profiled in the special Kalmbach publication, All-Star […]

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