Atlas N scale S4 diesel locomotive

Screen capture from video with N scale locomotive in blue and yellow paint.

The Atlas N scale Alco S4 diesel locomotive recently paid a visit to our N scale Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno and associate editor Bryson Sleppy as they discuss the features on this newly tooled model, demonstrate some of the sound and light functions, and […]

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Athearn HO EMD SD39

Screen shot of title page for HO scale SD39 review video.

We’ll head down to Larson Stone on our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout to check out a model from the latest run of HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD39 diesel locomotives produced by Athearn Trains. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno as he points out the features on the six-axle road locomotive, demonstrates some of […]

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Polar Express five-day layout build

scene of toy train on holiday layout

The Classic Toy Trains staff built the Polar Express layout over a five day period, from benchwork to final scenery. The layout features scenes from the beloved movie, including the Hero Boy’s house, the train crossing the frozen river, and the city scene where the First Gift of Christmas is given. Staffers Hal Miller, Roger […]

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Trains LIVE — Durango & Silverton all-female engine crew

TV screen image with two women and a man in an interview

Trains LIVE — Durango & Silverton all-female engine crew — 8-30-2023 — What was the Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge line between Durango and Silverton, Colo., has been in existence for 142 years. In that time, across all of it operators, including the current Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, there has never been […]

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Atlas HO scale EMD GP40

Title screen of Atlas HO scale EMD GP40 review video.

The Atlas HO scale EMD GP40 is back for another run, this time with ditch lights on select road names. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno as he points out the features on the four-axle road switcher, demonstrates some of the light and sound features, and switches cars on the Jones Island section of […]

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Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands

Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands. Two men talking during a TV interview.

Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands — 8-16-2023 — It was a good idea, no great idea, at first. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2016, the Merrill (Wis.) Historical Society began gathering books and ephemera, for a railroad library within its local history collection. The library was unique in North Central Wisconsin […]

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Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands

Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands. Two men talking during a TV interview.

Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands — 8-16-2023 — It was a good idea, no great idea, at first. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2016, the Merrill (Wis.) Historical Society began gathering books and ephemera, for a railroad library within its local history collection. The library was unique in North Central Wisconsin […]

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Bachmann HO scale J-3A Hudson

Screen capture from Bachmann HO scale J-3A product review video.

A Bachmann HO scale J-3A Hudson steam locomotive visited our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout to lead an employee special. Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno talk about the features on the New York Central prototype, demonstrate some of the sound and light functions, and run the train between Troy and […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Coal Hauling Trains

Tons of Black Gold rides the rails under Big Skies. Tom Danneman is frequently there to capture these unit trains, so we’ve compiled this video of heavy haulers working the western main lines. These big trains and even bigger skies are all part of what makes Tom’s brand of contemporary railfanning so compelling to view […]

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Building Trees

As work on the HO scale Freemont Mills model railroad continues, Eric White shares his technique for making realistic trees from scratch! The Super Trees natural product is at the root (pun intended) of all his work. After he shows how to model these trees, Eric also demonstrates helpful hints for installing them on a […]

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Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division F59PHI

Screen capture of title screen from Athearn HO scale EMD F59PHI review video.

Athearn recently released a new run of its HO scale Electro-Motive Division F59PHI. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they talk about the features on the streamlined diesel locomotive and pull a short commuter train over the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. The Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division F59PHI is […]

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Trains LIVE — East Broad Top

Trains LIVE — East Broad Top. Two men in black shirts.

Trains LIVE — East Broad Top — 7-26-2023 — Next to the restoration of Union Pacific No. 4014 — Big Boy — the re-birth of the East Broad Top Railroad has been one of the most talked about rail preservation events in recent years. The EBT, located around Rockhill Furnace, Pa., was built beginning in […]

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