Working with wire cutters

Working with wire cutters - A pair of hands next against a wooden table comparing two pairs of tools with the caption reading "crimper and stripper"

Working with wire cutters – Trains.com director David Popp demonstrates the application of wire cutters, crimpers and strippers in model railroading. A pair of wire cutters are an invaluable tool in wiring your model railroad, and David demonstrates the different usages for each tool as they relate to model railroading. You can read more about […]

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How to use heat-shrink tubing

Package of small-diameter heat-shrink tubing next to box of multi-colored, pre-cut tubing

Heat-shrink tubing is something you need to have in your wiring toolkit. This material makes neat, insulated soldered joints simple and fast.   What is heat-shrink tubing? As the name implies, the material shrinks when it’s heated. It comes in multiple sizes, some of which are somewhat specialized and are most likely to be found in […]

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Trains LIVE – In the traces

Trains Live image of two people

Trains LIVE — 11-23-2022 — There is no doubt that Ted Rose ranks in the upper echelons of railroad artists. Rose, born in Milwaukee in 1940, rendered hundreds of watercolor paintings and monotypes during his career. Sadly, he passed in 2002, however, the artistic legacy he left behind gives us the opportunity to explore his […]

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End of the Line | Back on Track, Episode 25

Man in front of a model train layout, gesturing.

In this episode, Gerry wraps up work on his model train layout and encourages everyone to start watching Spaces to Places. Getting to know Gerry Leone Back on Track host Gerry Leone is just as clever as he is comedic! But even better, he’s a masterful model railroader who’s knowledgeable in numerous areas of the […]

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Finishing Scenery | Back on Track, Episode 24

Man standing in front of a model train layout.

In this episode, Gerry finishes up scenery work and gives a tour of final touches he’s making to his railroad.   Getting to know Gerry Leone Back on Track host Gerry Leone is just as clever as he is comedic! But even better, he’s a masterful model railroader who’s knowledgeable in numerous areas of the […]

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Broadway Limited Imports HO SD45

Screen shot of product review video

Add some flair to your layout with the Broadway Limited Imports HO SD45. The six-axle road locomotive, based on an Electro-Motive Division (EMD) prototype, is offered in both high and low short hood versions in eight paint schemes. The Broadway Limited Imports HO scale SD45 has an injection-molded plastic body, a die-cast metal frame, all-wheel […]

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Trains LIVE — Mid-Continent Railway Museum (Part 2) Montana Western No. 31

black and white railcar

Trains LIVE – Mid-Continent Railway Museum (Part 2) Montana Western No. 31 Trains LIVE — 11-9-2022 — It is the fulfillment of an idea that revolutionized railroad motive power — using an internal combustion engine to drive a generator, feeding electricity to a traction motor. In the 1920s, this was heady stuff. This was unknown […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale E8

Screen capture of product review video

The Rapido Trains HO scale E8 diesel locomotive decorated as Amtrak No. 4316 paid a visit to Model Railroader’s Milwaukee, Racine & Troy layout. The six-axle passenger locomotive is decorated in Amtrak’s “day one” paint scheme. Features on the Rapido Trains HO scale E8 diesel locomotive include an injection-molded plastic body; a passenger pilot; separate, […]

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Challenger, preparing for move to Silvis, takes a ride on Cheyenne turntable (video)

Black steam locomotive on turntable

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 took one final ride on UP’s turntable at Cheyenne on Tuesday, as the locomotive prepares for its move to Silvis, Ill., in a trip beginning later this week. The locomotive is paired with the original tender for Big Boy No. 4014, since No. 4014 has been using […]

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Mineral Range railroad of Michigan

Mineral Range railroad of Michigan:Rust red colored locomotive crosses a bridge over a road in an autumnal scene.

The Mineral Range railroad of Michigan is a family-owned and -operated railroad in the state’s Upper Peninsula. It’s actually the second railroad of the same name. The “original” began as a north-south, 14-mile narrow gauge mineral hauler, connecting the Osceola Mining Co.’s Osceola copper ore mine near Calumet, Mich., and the company’s stamp mill at […]

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