The Wolf Creek Central RR in HO scale

A model railroad trackplan

Facts & features Name: Wolf Creek Central RRScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 8′-1″ x 13′-1″ Prototype: freelancedLocale: southeast North CarolinaEra: 1990sStyle: peninsulaMainline run: 81 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: no. 4Maximum grade: 2.7%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 48″Roadbed: HomasoteTrack: code 70, 83, and 100 flextrackScenery: Woodland Scenics ground foamBackdrop: Painted tempered hardboardControl: Digitrax DB150 DCC   Download a PDF of this […]

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Lionel No. 2240 Wabash F3 A-B duo

blue and silver model train

Overlooked during the prewar era and for the first decade of the postwar, it inspired four O gauge diesels and an operating boxcar in the space of four years in the second half of the 1950s. Let’s focus on the No. 2240 F3s. Introducing the Wabash The Wabash Ry. was one of several lines crossing […]

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Lionel no. 2460 crane car

black and silver model crane

Lionel no. 2460 crane car During the prewar decades, crane cars became one of the hallmarks of the Lionel roster, with the No. 500 derrick car added to the 2 7/8-inch gauge roster in 1903. However, the Standard gauge line that followed did not boast a crane until the No. 219 made its debut in […]

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Lionel No. 44 missile launcher

blue and white model missle launcher

Lionel’s engineers reached greater heights in 1959 when the firm introduced the No. 44 U.S. Army mobile missile launcher. Lionel offered an example of motive power that could pull cars and carry out a task worthy of a separate toy. To this moment in Lionel’s history, the best that its locomotives could offer were lights, […]

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Miniature trees for warmer climates

elfin herb

Miniature trees for warmer climates Since I seldom travel to parts of North America in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 and 10, it’s easier for me to write about plants adapted to more temperate climes. A number of you who have garden railways in those warmer regions have asked for more information about plants suited to […]

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Now in vogue: Class I railroads buying short lines and regionals – Analysis

Canadian National and lease locomotive with Iowa Northern locomotives on bridge

It’s hard to say when a trend becomes a trend. But yesterday’s announcement that Canadian National will acquire the 253-mile Iowa Northern Railway suggests that short lines and regionals getting gobbled up by Class I railroads is now a thing. Since 2020, Class I railroads have reached a half-dozen deals with short lines and regional […]

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Greg Hurd’s Central Division of Glacier Gorge RR in S gauge

A toy train layout trackplan

Greg Hurd’s Central Division of Glacier Gorge RR Gauge: SDimensions: 14 x 31 feetTrack and switches: Gilbert American Flyer, GarGraves, K-Line (diameters range from 40 to 62 inches)Motive power: American Models, Gilbert American Flyer, Lionel American Flyer, Rex Engineering, S-Helper ServiceRolling stock: Ace Trains, Ambroid, American Models, Gilbert American Flyer, JC Models, Kinsman, Lionel American […]

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Steve Metken’s O gauge layout

A toy train layout trackplan

Dimensions: 9 x 17½ feetTrack: Lionel tubular (diameters range from 31 to 72 inches)Switches: K-Line, LionelMotive power: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Electric, Trains, WilliamsRolling stock: K-Line, Lionel (post-war, modern), MTHControls: Lionel postwar type-ZW transformers (3)Accessories: American Flyer, Colber, Lionel, MTHStructures: Lionel, Menards, MTH     See the layout in action on Trains.com […]

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Lionel No. 3672 automatic refrigerated milk car

Lionel’s no. 3672 Bosco automatic refrigerated milk car

Lionel’s automatic refrigerated milk car model No. 3672 is an updated version of the path-breaking car that Lionel enthusiasts of all ages loved when it debuted as the No. 3462 in 1947. The evolution of the milk car that culminated with the 3672. It is known among collectors of postwar trains as the “Bosco car.” […]

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When the reindeer are off, Santa Claus rides the rails

train wrapped in holiday lights on tracks

Santa Claus rides the Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division Have you ever wondered what happens when Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, his traditional form of transportation, needs its regularly scheduled inspection and servicing? Let’s face it; over the millennium the jolly guy in the red suit has circumnavigated the world more times than Magellan. He and […]

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Pittsburgh-Harrisburg route improvements to receive $143.6 million federal grant

Passenger train with blue and red locomotive passes freight train

WASHINGTON — Infrastructure improvements to accommodate a second daily round trip of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa., will receive more than $143 million in federal funding, the state’s two U.S. senators have announced, while the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia corridor is among those selected for the Corridor Identification and Development program for a study of increased […]

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MBTA completes Green Line work, eliminating 12 speed restrictions

Maintenence workers in tunnel

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has eliminated 12 speed restrictions on the rapid-transit Green Line following nine days of maintenance that began Nov. 27 and concluded on Tuesday, Dec. 5, the agency announced Wednesday. The total of 12 restrictions eliminated is two more than had been planned. Another two restrictions were reduced in […]

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