News & Products for the week of June 5th 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 June 5th 2023. […]
Scale: HO Scale
The Norfolk & Western layout in HO scale
Facts & features Name: Norfolk & Western Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 12 x 25 feetPrototype: Norfolk & Western with Baltimore & Ohio and Chesapeake & OhioLocale: Virginia and West Virginia Era: 1950sStyle: Around-the-wallsMainline run: 240 feetMinimum radius: 22″Minimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: 4%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 38″ to 66″ Roadbed: corkTrack: Atlas code 100 flextrackScenery: Plaster-impregnated paper […]
Short Amtrak consists of the 1980s
Throughout the past few months, I have shown you how different small Amtrak trains can be modeled with only a few pieces of equipment. If you’ve read those previous articles, you might have noticed a pattern. Amtrak trains that operate between a big city and a much smaller city or town, such as Chicago and […]
How to operate steam locomotives on your modern layout
If you model the modern era like me, you may still have some equipment in your collection that doesn’t fit the era. Maybe you are a fan of one of the famous steam locomotives operating today, such as Nickel Plate Road No. 765 or Union Pacific’s Big Boy. Or maybe you have another steam engine […]
Create a multiple-unit consist using Digitrax
Running a locomotive around a layout is fun, but eventually you may want to make your train to be powered by more than one engine. On the railroad this is called “multiple-unit operation.” If you have two or more DCC-equipped locomotives, you can run your own multiple-unit locomotive consists. This article will explain how to […]
Five industries for small spaces
Do you need some industries for small spaces on your model railroad? If you ask modeler railroaders something they’d like to have more of, space will be a common answer. Everything in our hobby takes up space – benchwork, track, structures, and scenery, among other items. When I kick around layout plans for my basement, […]
Model a merger-era caboose fleet
When the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; Northern Pacific; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle merged to create the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, the new railroad had an interesting fleet of cabooses. While there were plenty of cars built by commercial builders, mainly International Car Co., BN’s fleet was also filled with cabooses […]
News & Products for the week of May 30th 2023
News & Products for the week of May 30th 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 May 30th 2023. […]
Dave Wendt’s Norfolk & Western in HO scale
Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]
Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels
The Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels recently arrived in hobby shops. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they talk about the features on these newly tooled HO scale six-axle diesels and then operate an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe passenger train with the U28CG on our Milwaukee, […]
Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels
The Atlas General Electric U28C and U28CG diesels recently arrived in hobby shops. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they talk about the features on these newly tooled HO scale six-axle diesels and then operate an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe passenger train with the U28CG on our Milwaukee, […]
Dave Wendt’s Norfolk & Western in HO scale
Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]