New ownership for the Choo Choo Barn

three people standing next to a red sign

New ownership for the Choo Choo Barn Gary Russell of Stevens, Pa. purchased the Choo Choo Barn’s model train layout along with the adjoining Strasburg Train Shop in late April. Russell plans to increase the shop’s online presence, and expand the selection of large-scale trains in the shop. He also plans to upgrade the electronics on […]

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U.S. themed garden railroad in Australia

model locomotive crossing steel bridge

Garden railroad in Australia: I have been a model railroader in both N and HO scale, and then I discovered large scale. My other pastime is the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting, so I knew my theme would be the Wild West. Space was limited on my inner-city block, so I set up a basic […]

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LEGO City 60197 Passenger Train – Part 1: Building the locomotive

Model Railroader‘s Bryson Sleppy and Rene Schweitzer review the LEGO City 60197 Passenger Train set. Follow along as they build the station platform, signal, and the train’s locomotive. They go through the set book by book, bag by bag, and show tips, tricks, and building techniques along the way. This is Part 1: Building the locomotive. Look […]

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Mid-Continent Museum prepares for 60th Anniversary celebration

Diesel locomotive and heavyweight passenger cars

NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The Mid-Continent Railway Museum will mark its 60th anniversary with a day-long celebration on Saturday, May 27. Along with the museum’s regular 55-minute train ride aboard Delaware, Lackawanna & Western steel passenger coaches, the museum will also run a second train consist of its two wooden Copper Range Railroad passenger cars […]

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An N scale layout in a coffee table

A pencil sketch of an N scale model train layout in a coffee table

Over the years, I remember reading articles in Model Railroader about model train layouts built into furniture, like cabinets, dining tables, and coffee tables. I always thought this was a great idea, allowing modelers to bring their hobby out of the cold, lonely basement and into the welcoming atmosphere of the family room. It was an especially intriguing […]

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LEGO Trackwork basics

LEGO trackwork basics: An image of two people standing behind a table

Trains.com staffers Bryson Sleppy and Rene Schweitzer review LEGO trackwork basics, and the history of LEGO trains and trackwork. Looking for more information on LEGO trains? Watch Bryson and Rene unbox a LEGO City trainset! […]

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Install a Blunami Decoder in a LEGO locomotive

Model Railroader‘s Bryson Sleppy loves LEGO! And of course, he loves “digital” interests in model railroading too! So why not put the two together? That’s exactly what he’s done by adding a SoundTraxx Blunami decoder to control his LEGO 10219 Maersk Train Set locomotive fitted with a battery-powered, motorized truck part. Follow along, and you’ll […]

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Modeling Conrail in the UK

two blue model locomotives on track of garden railroad

Modeling Conrail in the UK The genesis of the Bishopstown Sub is tale that involves a chance encounter and a leap of faith. In 2003 I found myself in Kuwait with the UK Military and one day I found myself in a USAF Headquarters. Walking through an office area I saw a screensaver image of […]

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