Build a 1950s O scale freight car from Athearn: One day a few months ago, I opened my email to find a message from David Popp of Trains.com. David asked if I would be interested in building an O scale freight car from Athearn. He indicated that the staff of Model Railroader’s sister publication, Classic […]
Magazine: Model-Railroader
News & Products for the week of December 25th 2023
News & Products for the week of December 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 December 25th […]
More snowy model railroad scenes
If it’s December, it must be time to put on a crackling fire, pour a hot chocolate, and explore some snowy model railroad scenes compiled from the pages of Model Railroader. If you’d like to see last year’s gallery of snowy model railroad scenes, follow this link. […]
Model steel strapping for an open-top load
Q: I’m putting together some loads for flatbed and open gondola cars consisting of objects like pipe, wood, basically long straight pieces about half a car length in length. What would I use to model steel strapping to hold the loads together? I work in HO scale. — Rich Bond A: The easiest and best-looking solution […]
Guide to HO metal wheelsets
For many years, HO scale modelers debated whether to use plastic or metal wheelsets on freight cars. That discussion has quieted down over the past two decades, largely because most new models come with metal wheelsets. However, as evidenced by the number of offerings available today, there’s still a strong demand for aftermarket metal wheelsets. […]
Behind the age of streamliners
Breakdown of Streamliners What are streamliners? Essentially, it’s a sleek design for lightweight passenger rail equipment that once had a faster schedule with fewer stops than other trains on the same route. They often included nicer amenities like stewardess service, reserved coach seating, barber shops, and libraries. Before 1970, three major manufacturers built passenger cars […]
Eastern Seaboard Models N scale mill gondolas
The Pennsylvania RR class G26 series of mill gondolas has returned to the Eastern Seaboard Models Corp. product lineup. The G26 car, last released in 2009, is now joined by class G26A and G26C gondolas, as well as Norfolk & Western class G3 cars. All of the ready-to-run gondolas have screw-mounted draft-gear box covers, Micro-Trains […]
Basic tunnel building for beginner model railroaders
Basic tunnel building: Building a tunnel for your layout can be a daunting task, but it’s not nearly as difficult as it may seem! The first step is to determine where on your layout you want the tunnel, a step which you have likely already completed. From there, determine the end points of the tunnel, […]
News & Products for the week of December 18th 2023
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 […]
Aunt Sandy’s train
By Ari Sandel Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always loved miniatures, whether I was making models or painting toy soldiers. And though I always appreciated trains, I never had an actual train set because it seemed so intimidating. Flash forward to me in my 40s, when I convinced my best friend to […]
Official Railway Equipment Register: What is it and why do I need one?
Q: I am inquiring about the Official Railroad Equipment Register (ORER). It’s been mentioned in Model Railroader articles from time to time. Where can you purchase it? Is it a subscription? And if so, how often is it? What is the pricing? How can it help model railroaders and/or railfans? What kind of information does it […]
Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP35
The Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP35 visits our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout in this Product Review video. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on our Paragon4-equipped Chicago, Burlington & Quincy sample. Learn more about the sound and light functions on the four-axle road locomotive, see it […]