Should I quarter the drivers on my Lionel steam locomotive?

Should I quarter the drivers on my Lionel steam locomotive? Q: I have a Lionel No. 1615 steam switcher that runs well, but sometimes I wonder if the drivers are quartered correctly. They are not lined up together on opposite sides. What should I do? – James Thompson, Los Angeles, Calif. A: James, prototype steam […]

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The Lionel Brass Hybrid Challenger

Lionel Brass Hybrid Challenger front detail

The Lionel Brass Hybrid Challenger is the latest offering in this program for the train maker. First announced in the 2022 Vol. 2 catalog, it’s all-new tooling. This Legacy model is based on Union Pacific’s CSA-2-class 4-6-6-4s, which were the railroad’s earlier, lighter versions. When built in 1937, they were numbered into the 3900 series […]

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CP No. 2816 continues break-in runs

View from cab of steam locomotive

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific No. 2816 has now been run for about 700 miles since returning to operation, CPKC’s Jonathan J. Morris, manager, operating practices-steam, says in a post on the locomotive’s Facebook page, and is “running like the wind.” The locomotive was returned to steam June 18 and made its first short run June […]

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Doubleheaded K4’s on the Northern Central

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Two Pennsylvania Railroad class K4s Pacifics hurry a train from the Midwest south on the old Northern Central Railway between Harrisburg, Pa., and Baltimore, Md., in about 1940. The first engine, No. 2445, was on the commuter train that derailed at Woodbridge, N.J., on Feb. 6, 1951, killing 85 people. Frank Clodfelter photo […]

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D&H Challenger on the move

Delaware and Hudson Railway 4-6-6-4 in New York

Delaware & Hudson 4-6-6-4 1527 is 8 miles out of the terminal of Oneonta as it passes a milk plant at Otego, briskly rolling through central New York State with freight RW-6 on the morning of October 13, 1951. Ed Theisinger photo […]

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News & Products for the week of August 7th 2023

August 7th: An image of multiple model freight cars in different color scheems

News & Products for the week of August 7th 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 August 7th 2023. […]

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The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson was prominent in the parade of 4-6-4 steam engines in O-27 outfits from 1950-56. Others in that notable group, including the 2046, 2056, and 2065, thrilled the many kids who received freight and passenger outfits at the peak of the postwar era. When the editorial staff of Classic Toy Trains […]

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N&W 611 to run on Buckingham Branch’s Virginia Scenic Railway

NW611JamestownNCWrinnSept2018

Norfolk & Western No. 611 has a new place to run. The Virginia Museum of Transportation and Virginia Scenic Railway — the excursion operation of the short line Buckingham Branch Railroad — have announced the Class J 4-8-4 will run weekend excursions this fall on the Virginia Scenic Railway. The steam-powered Shenandoah Valley Limited will […]

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