The ScaleTrains HO scale EMD GP30 is the subject of our latest product review video. Join Editor Eric White as he discusses the history of the Electro-Motive Division four-axle road switcher and Conrail No. 2229; highlights the various separate, factory-applied details on the Rivet Counter line model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions. Then […]
The MTH Premier EMD SD35 was announced in September of 2022. Previously run in 2020, these models again feature ProtoSound 3.0 technology and the great detailing we’ve come to expect from MTH. The prototype was produced by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division from mid-1964 through 1966. More than 350 of the 2,500 hp locomotives were built, […]
Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024) Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024): It’s never too early to start planning for a magical train ride with family and friends — especially when tickets go on sale during the spring and summer for some venues. Purchasing a ticket for a holiday ride on […]
News & Products for the week of May 20th 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 May 20th […]
Are you ready to rock? In our latest Product Review video, Senior Editor Cody Grivno takes a look at the Atlas HO scale EMD GP38 decorated for Mississippi’s Rock Island Rail. In the video, Cody provides a brief history of the full-size 4310, points out the various details on the model, demonstrates the sound and […]
Are you ready to rock? In our latest Product Review video, Senior Editor Cody Grivno takes a look at the Atlas HO scale EMD GP38 decorated for Mississippi’s Rock Island Rail. In the video, Cody provides a brief history of the full-size 4310, points out the various details on the model, demonstrates the sound and […]
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 […]
Rumors of the death of railroad fiction are greatly exaggerated. The veteran railroad journalist Fred Frailey made that clear a year ago with his “Seldom Willing,” an absorbing tale of an ambitious 1980s Midwestern regional railroad that outmaneuvered a far larger rival. When Fred told me his novel was coming out soon, I wasn’t sure […]
Locomotives & rolling stock MTH has a series of Halloween items as part of their RailKing line. The O gauge ES44AC Imperial Diesel Engine (20-21237) has Proto-Sound 3, 2 handpainted cab figures, illuminated LED number boards and ditch lights, O-31 operation, and more. Price: $439.95. Also available is a Bump-n-Go Trolley (30-5243), which features LED […]
Diesel-electric locomotive technology has advanced significantly since World War II. Experience leads me to list these eight technological breakthroughs as the most important in the postwar period. Important technology developments preceded World War II, but we began with the era after General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division introduced “The Diesel that Did It,” the FT [see “FT […]
For railroading, the EMD SD40, was a stellar standout. Between January 1966 and August 1972, more than 1,250 units were built, with orders coming from most major railroads. Through upgrades and rebuildings, many are still working today, some still on mainline trains, others rebuilt and earning their keep on short lines. So well […]
Electrification of railroads North American freight trains are powered by diesel locomotives. Before the diesels, steam engines did the work. Electric trains have a niche hauling passengers in the Northeast. Everyone knows this short history of motive power development, but it’s not quite the whole story. Early electrification of railroads “Diesels,” of course, are properly […]
