Meet John Morrison

Meet John Morrison How did I get started in the hobby? I’ve been a model railroader as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I would tie all my wheeled toys together with string, pull them around the house and call it a “train.”  I grew up in Sydney, Australia and couldn’t afford […]

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Beyond the byline with Mike Wilson

What was your first byline in Trains? Mike Wilson: My first byline in Trains was “Winter in Coal Country,” published in January 2022  featuring an in-depth look at the former Norfolk & Western, now Norfolk Southern, Pocahontas Division within the backwoods of southern Virginia and West Virginia. In my humble opinion, the Pocahontas Division serves […]

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Rapido Trains UK Titfield Thunderbolt-inspired wagon 3-pack

Available from rapidotrains.co.uk. List price £99.95 (approximately $121.50 as of this writing) Item no. 922004 Pluses Highly detailed models of standard British railroading wagons (freight cars) decorated for fictional privet-owner cars inspired by the 1953 Ealing Studios film, The Titfield Thunderbolt. Models feature NEM coupler pockets with hook and loop couplers, free-rolling metal wheels, separately […]

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Meet Steve Bittinger

How did you get started in the hobby? I was born into railroading. My mother was pregnant with me while she was working as a freight clerk for the Western Maryland Railway. When I was a bit less than a year old, my mother returned to work and the wife of the railroad’s chief freight […]

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Reader’s choices: Lionel’s perfect postwar train set

Lionel’s perfect postwar train set features a classic steam engine and a whistle tender pulling five different and very colorful freight cars or five streamlined passenger cars. How, you may be wondering, do we at Trains.com and Classic Toy Trains know this fact? Because a good number of loyal and experienced readers, familiar with the […]

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Preview April and May Trains 2024 content

Up in April … We’re always adding new content to our website! Here’s a sneak peek at a few items coming up soon. ‘Be the Engineer’ for a day: An unforgettable ride The words “Be the Engineer!” drew my attention to a Nevada Northern Railway advertisement in Trains Magazine. This opportunity is a fundraiser for […]

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Lionel Legacy No. 82276 SD40

The SD40 could well be the most recognized face of second generation diesel power. Whether in the original version, or the Dash-2 with the extended front and rear pilots, or the Dash-2T tunnel motors with their extended body for air flow, they could be seen just about everywhere coast-to-coast. The Lionel Legacy No. 82276 SD40, […]

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Fox Valley Models HO 55-ton hopper

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 […]

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Meet Steven Otte, Q&A with the Editors

Meet Steven Otte, Model Railroader Senior Associate Editor in this Q&A with the Editors. Trains.com Unlimited Members can see the video in the Trains.com Video section. Steve Sweeney: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Q&A with the Editors. Today, we are so pleased to welcome Steven Otte from Model Railroader. Steven, welcome. Steven […]

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Model Railroader Hall of Fame April nominees

By now, you may have heard that we’ve been creating a Model Railroader Hall of Fame. Why? It’s the 90th anniversary year of Model Railroader magazine, and we wanted to honor those who have contributed so much to our hobby. Editor Eric White inaugurated the Hall of Fame in January’s issue, along with the first […]

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