Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine

22/12/2024

Managing Editor Otto Vondrak is visiting New York City to ride the New York Transit Museum Holiday Nostalgia Train! These cars were built in 1932 and are maintained by volunteers. Are you traveling this holiday season? Are trains involved?

18/12/2024

Railroading is an activity that captures the imagination. Often this propels us into model railroading in an effort to create in miniature the aspects of the full-size operations we find most captivating, whether it is memories from our younger days or capturing the present day...

It’s 1982 in Western Maine on Mike Confalone’s proto-freelanced HO layout that captures scenes of northern New England in early spring.

18/12/2024

JANUARY 2025: This month, we turn back the clock to 1982 and pack our winter clothes for a visit to Mike Confalone's proto-freelanced Allagash Railway. Set in western Maine, this model railroad is focused on realistic scenery, a plausible roster, and engaging operations. Trevor Marshall shows us how he converted a shelf into a multi-gauge test track, while Jim Martin shows how he turned old plans from RMC into a detailed mill for his S scale layout. We hit the streets of Salina, Kansas, for realistic street-running as modeled by Craig Chandler. All this and more in the January issue of Railroad Model Craftsman!

18/12/2024

Diesels for dayyyss... from ScaleTrains!

10/12/2024

We are busy putting together the 2025 O Scale Trains Annual, and we want YOU to be a part of it! We're looking for articles that showcase the best of 1:48 fine scale modeling, whether it's scenery, structures, rolling stock, or layout tours! Payment for articles is made upon publication. Email [email protected] with your article ideas! The submission deadline is January 5, 2025.

01/12/2024

Name your favorite song that has trains in the title!

27/11/2024

Facebook live with Model Railroad News and Rapido Trains Inc.!

26/11/2024

Enjoy this special live stream with RMC editor Otto Vondrak, Model Railroad News editor Tony cook, and our friends from Rapido Trains Inc.! Watch us LIVE tonight at 7:30pm ET!

We are hosting a livestream TONIGHT! Don't miss out on what is sure to be a great chat with Jordan and Bill from Rapido Trains and Tony Cook and Otto Vondrak from White River Productions. We will be chatting about new products and announcements, updates and all sorts of model train chatter. As usual, this live will likely off the rails, so please tune in to keep them on track. Join us on Facebook to be a part of the discussion, ask questions and show your support!

https://bit.ly/4eMPSUz

25/11/2024

We want your contributions for the 2025 O Scale Trains Annual, showcasing the best in 1:48 fine scale modeling! Email [email protected] with your article ideas! Submission deadline is January 5, 2025.

We are busy putting together the 2025 O Scale Trains Annual, and we want YOU to be a part of it! We're looking for articles that showcase the best of 1:48 fine scale modeling, whether it's scenery, structures, rolling stock, or layout tours! Payment for articles is made upon publication. Email [email protected] with your article ideas! The submission deadline is January 5, 2025.

25/11/2024

Check out these new Union Pacific and Chicago & Northwestern business car models from Broadway Limited Imports, LLC!

24/11/2024

This special live YouTube event is starting in just a few minutes! Visit https://www.lisakentertainment.com/traintalkwithlisa for details!

For the possibility of sponsoring an episode,  having your event /  club / train destination etc. featured in the list further down this page, and / or mentioned in a Conductor's Chat episode,

21/11/2024

Maybe you’ve always suspected that the narrow gauge guys are having more fun, and you’d be right! The 2024 HOn3 Annual is loaded with exciting layout tours, in-depth construction projects, and plenty of detailed prototype information, sure to keep your workbench full and your modeling fires stoked all year.

The HOn3 Annual 2024 from White River Productions is packed with 116 pages dedicated to great HO scale narrow gauge model railroading!

20/11/2024

This Sunday, join editor Otto Vondrak for a special private live YouTube event with Lisa K as part of her "Train Talk with Lisa" series! Attendees will receive a discount code to redeem on products in the White River Productions online store. Reserve your tickets now!

For the possibility of sponsoring an episode,  having your event /  club / train destination etc. featured in the list further down this page, and / or mentioned in a Conductor's Chat episode,

20/11/2024

PERSPECTIVE: The subtle psychology of semantics and word choice can be fascinating. Often we make very telling word choices without even knowing it. Case in point: the terms “just” and “only.”

Make your layout format decision based on the operational style you prefer and the amount of time you want to allocate to the hobby.

19/11/2024

HO Collector now comes to you in a new, expanded annual format, covering all of your favorite vintage model trains and accessories. Rediscover old favorites, and uncover new treasures. It’s all in here, waiting for you. Get on board!

HO Collector Annual 2024

18/11/2024

What would a Louisiana swamp logging railroad be without the towering iconic bald cypress tree? I asked myself that question back at the beginning of my On30 model railroading journey when the concept for the Mosquito Creek Lumber Company, a deep south bayou swamp logging railroad, was born...

An easily adaptable technique to create massive cypress stumps for swampy scenes in O scale (or any scale you wish).

15/11/2024

Welcome back to Barchester, Pennsylvania! If you enjoyed the first visit we made in March 2023, I’ve made numerous changes and improvements since then. Barchester, you may remember, is my fictional rural branch line terminal on the Pennsylvania Railroad. My layout represents the stub end of a branch line that meanders through a fictional county in the Susquehanna Valley...

A proto-freelanced approach to a rural Pennsylvania branch line terminal in HO scale, based on a track plan by Robert Chant.