When the long-anticipated “Hill Lines” merger finally created the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it was time not to mourn the loss of a favorite, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, but to embrace and record the details of the changeover. I had been through this six years before, when the Norfolk & Western […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | C&O, Clinchfield, NYC, and other eastern railroads, J. David Ingles Reel 0045 – Follow along with former Classic Trains Senior Editor J. David Ingles’ trackside treks in the 1960s. Here, you’ll see Eastern Tennessee & Western North Carolina standard gauge steam, the famed Clinchfield Railroad, Chesapeake & Ohio in Kentucky […]
Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its related products. Malcolm Furlow’s HOn3 San Juan Central layout first appeared in a multi-part series in the pages of Model Railroader between 1983 and 1984. Adam Palmer’s San Juan Central V2 […]
Rolling through Marengo, Iowa, in May 1979 was this Rock Island freight with GP38-2 No. 4305 leading. This Davenport–Des Moines section of the Omaha main was one of the road’s busiest, but this portion was still train order territory. The railroad’s precarious financial condition is reflected in the depot’s upkeep. R.B. Olson photo […]
News & Products for the week of March 10th 2025 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 March 10th, […]
The City of Miami was a vibrant orange and palm green streamliner of the Illinois Central Railroad. Operating between 1940 and 1971, the train provided service from Chicago to Miami, and was powered by a single EMD E6 diesel locomotive. The first jaw-dropping feature of Lionel’s latest rendition of the set isn’t the locomotive itself, […]
A sample of the Rapido HO General Electric C30-7 diesel locomotive recently arrived at our offices. In this product review video, Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno shares a brief history of the six-axle road unit and Union Pacific 2415; highlights the various factory-applied detail parts; and demonstrates some of the sound and light effects […]
A sample of the Rapido HO General Electric C30-7 diesel locomotive recently arrived at our offices. In this product review video, Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno shares a brief history of the six-axle road unit and Union Pacific 2415; highlights the various factory-applied detail parts; and demonstrates some of the sound and light effects […]
News & Products for the week of March 3rd 2025 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 March 3rd, […]
Well, I left everybody hanging with the end of my last story, the Cascade Tunnel adventure. The adventure continued even after my conductor, Chris, and I left our freight train inside the 7.9-mile-long Cascade Tunnel after the ventilation failed and hurried our light engines to daylight — and fresh air. Once outside, Chris and I […]
When created, Burlington Northern had a greater extent than any other U. S. railroad: Vancouver, British Columbia, to Pensacola, Fla. If you crossed North America from east to west, you had to cross BN rails or get your feet wet in the Gulf of Mexico or find your way around the north side of […]
Today, model railroaders are blessed with a wide variety of commercial track in most popular scales. It wasn’t all that long ago that off-the-shelf track was largely one-size-fits all, with oversized rail, bulky ties, and little detail. Now, mass-produced track is available in different rail heights (called codes) with simulated wood or concrete ties, prototypical […]
