Books and Magazines

From the track itself, through the roadbed, and out into the weeds at the edge of the right of way, Jeff Wilson shares the details that keep railroads running, and how to incorporate them into your...

Enjoy a guided tour of Illinois Central’s network of lines south of the Ohio River, from the 1960s to acquisition by Canadian National in 1999. From southern Illinois, through Kentucky, Alabama,...

Some railfans wish they lived in southern California. Others were fortunate enough to have been born there. Tom Gildersleeve, Gordon Glattenberg, and the late William H. "Hank" Mills are among the...

Stephen M. Timko The massive fleet of over 560 GP7s and ‘9s, to the modest purchases of Baldwin and Alco models, including the late first-generation SD18s are featured! Includes the Pere...

Model Realistic Freight Car Loads will guide you in making your models more realistic by following prototype practice in securing loads and operating them. Included are a lot of photos of real loads,...

Have an extra spare room in your house? Downsizing your layout? Building The Right-Sized Layout is the perfect book to help with planning a room-sized layout for your home. This new book features 5...

Woodland Scenics Complete Guild to Model Scenery

Stephen M. Timko Continued coverage of Canadian National’s motive power fleet with a focus on switchers! General Electric industrial-size units are featured along with the standard fare of...

Join author Chip Syme as he hires on with the Penn Central in 1969 as a fireman through the end of Conrail during his days as an engineer! A lot of good miles and smiles and they're recounted here in...

Greg Stout Featuring Alco freight and passenger cab units, road switchers, EMD freight and passenger cab units, yard power, first and second generation roadswitchers; Baldwin Lima Hamilton yard...

James Kinkaid and Ken Donnelly The 1950s are arguably the classic era for freight cars, pre-dating the mergers that would erase many venerable roads and leave us with new names such as Penn Central,...

Build Your First Layout from Kalmbach is perfect for anyone getting started in model railroading or looking to build a simple, compact layout. This informative book features the small, easy to build...

Model Railroader's Guide to Iron Ore Railroads from Kalmbach is an exploration of the iron ore industry and the role played by rail. Noted author Jeff Wilson details the history and evolution of the...

Applying Lessons From the Prototype from Kalmbach is perfect for modelers looking to design and build a new layout, or those who just want to take their existing layout to the next level by...

A book about cabooses Kalmbach Guide to North American Cabooses

Filled with tons of information and inspiration that you can use today, Modeling Cities and Towns from Kalmbach is a great guide to making your layout more realistic! Noted author Jeff Wilson covers...

Follow along with experienced model railroader Dave Abeles as he delves into signal systems and interlocking plants. Guide to Signals and Interlockings, the newest book from Model Railroader, will...

How much aisle space is needed? How deep can benchwork be? What's a good minimum radius for curves? How do I best use yards and staging tracks? How to Design a Model Railroad by Lance Mindheim will...

In Realistic Layouts: Use the Art of Illusion to Model Like a Pro from Kalmbach Publishing, you'll learn how to blend various elements so they all work together to create a feeling that your models...

The late steam and steam-to-diesel transition era remain very popular with model railroaders. This book offers modelers a single reference guide for upgrading, detailing, modifying, and maintaining...