News & Products for the week of January 29th 2024

A model caboose in a red paint scheme with a black roof

News & Products for the week of January 29th 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 January 29th […]

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From starter train set to layout

A printout of a simple HO scale 4x8 track plan, highlighted in three colors

Many model railroaders get their start during the holiday season, with a train set either wrapped in colorful paper or already set up and circling under the tree on Christmas morning. But after a while, even a starry-eyed kid can get bored watching that train go around and around in an endless loop. It would […]

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Guide to N scale metal wheelsets

Color photo of N scale wheelsets in packaging

Last month, I wrote about metal wheelsets offered in HO scale. In this guide to N scale metal wheelsets, I’ll cover the options available for those who model in 1:160 proportion. The case for metal wheelsets N scale wheelsets have come a long way since the 1960s and 1970s. For many years, Micro-Trains N scale […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler

Photo of HO scale steam engine with title bar in lower corner of image.

The Rapido Trains HO scale Ten-Wheeler recently paid a visit to our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout. The model, part of the company’s Icons of Canadian Steam line, is based on a Canadian Pacific class D10 prototype. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he talks about the features on the 4-6-0 and demonstrates […]

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Model Train Stuff announces closure

Future of M.B. Klein: a logo featuring a steam train in front of a red circle with a yellow banner bearing text which reads "Model Train Stuff"

M.B. Klein, also known as Model Train Stuff, has announced their closure after 111 years in operation. This announcement was released on their website as well as on their social media channels. Uncertainty has surrounded Model Train Stuff following the closure of Hattons Model Railways, a United Kingdom-based model railways manufacturer and distributor which owned […]

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How do I label and patch out leased locomotives?

Close-up of a rectangular patch of trim film being applied to an HO scale diesel’s cab

Q: I would like to know how to patch out leased locomotives. I model a bridge line connecting the Nickel Plate (NKP) at Wheeling, W.Va., with the Norfolk & Western (N&W) at Bluefield, W.Va. I roster several EMD GP30s and some Alco units, all in NKP livery. Most of my steam power is lettered for […]

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In Memoriam: Bill Neale

Bill Neale

A friend to many model railroaders and a leader in operations, track design, and the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Bill Neale passed away on December 28,2023 after a brief illness. He was 74. Bill started his model railroad career at an early age. He became a lifelong member of the National Model Railroad Association […]

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Learning to use a track template

A translucent green track-planning stencil is surrounded by notes and diagrams

Sketching with Steve Introduction to track templates Learning to use a track template was among the first tasks I gave myself as a model railroader. You may have seen one of them hanging next to the register in your local hobby shop. Perhaps, in these days of point-and-click track-planning software, you thought it was a […]

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