Today, home insulation is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you hear people talk about spray-on foam. But in the 1960s and ’70s, railroads wanted to see if the material’s insulating properties could be leveraged on rolling stock. Would foam-coated freight cars change the way perishable materials were transported by rail? Might […]
Built by Others in an article series showing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its associated products. The Soo Line Red Wing Division originally appeared in the December 1994 issue. In this installment on Cody Grivno’s Red Wing Division, MR’s senior editor shares how he adapted […]
When I first got into model railroading, I tried handlaying my own track and quickly discovered that it wasn’t that hard. One benefit is that buying rail, spikes, and ties in bulk is considerably cheaper than purchasing ready-made track. Handlaying also lets me to duplicate unusual track arrangements found on full-size railroads. In addition, it […]
Model Railroader was among a handful of outlets to receive a review sample of the Athearn HO scale GE AC4400CW diesel locomotive. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of Chicago & North Western No. 8801, points out the many prototype-specific details on the six-axle road locomotive, and demonstrates some of […]
News & Products for the week of March 25th 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 25th […]
Mountains have long been a popular scenic feature on model railroads. Sometimes they’re incorporated to accurately re-create a prototype location. Other times they’re used to help conceal a tunnel, helix, or turnback curve. Regardless their purpose, there is no denying mountains are dramatic and add visual interest to a model railroad. All of the methods […]
Fox Valley Models, a ScaleTrains company, has released an HO scale 55-ton two-bay hopper. The model, based on a United States Railroad Administration (USRA) prototype, features plastic and die-cast metal construction, 33” metal wheelsets, and semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers. Prototype information With railroads facing equipment shortages during World War I, the USRA designed five […]
Electrification of railroads North American freight trains are powered by diesel locomotives. Before the diesels, steam engines did the work. Electric trains have a niche hauling passengers in the Northeast. Everyone knows this short history of motive power development, but it’s not quite the whole story. Early electrification of railroads “Diesels,” of course, are properly […]
Tips for keeping your model railroad layout clean: A clean layout is fun to run, fun to work on, and fun to look at. Unfortunately, the three D’s – dust, dirt and debris – are in season all year long and can make keeping a layout clean a constant, time-consuming job. Here are a few […]
Jim Hediger, a member of the Model Railroader staff for 43 years, passed away on February 9, 2024. His family generously donated his slide collection to Kalmbach Media. While going through the images, I found several slides featuring Jim’s HO scale Detroit Western RR. The layout was the successor to the 5 x 9-foot NJ&E […]
The Atlas N scale Fairbanks-Morse Train Master, a part of the Master Line since 2000, is the subject of our latest Product Review video. Senior Editor Cody Grivno kicks things off by sharing a brief history of Erie-Lackawanna H24-66 No. 1854. Then he points features on the injection-molded plastic shell and demonstrates some of the […]
News & Products for the week of March 18th 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 18th […]
