Feed aggregator

After six years with White River Productions, Associate Editor Justin Franz will be departing the staffs of Railfan & Railroad and Railroad Model Craftsman to accept a full-time position with the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Justin will continue serving as a contributor to our monthly news columns.

During his time with R&R and RMC, Justin has helped develop engaging feature stories, manage our news coverage and regular contributors, support our online reporting, and bring the excitement of railroading to our readers each month. His knowledge of the railroad industry, strong journalistic instincts, and enthusiasm for telling meaningful stories have made him an important and valued member of our small editorial team.

While we are sorry to see Justin go, we are also excited for him as he begins this next chapter and continues his work documenting and sharing railroad history and photography. We are grateful for everything he has contributed to our magazines and wish him every success in his new role.

—Steve Barry and Otto M. Vondrak

The post Justin Franz Departs Railfan & Railroad for New Position appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Marklin 'A lot of circus yesterday at Cologne Main Station. In front of the wonderful cathedral atmosphere, Roncalli proudly showed off the new locomotive. Alongside TV teams, radio stations, and a lot of audience, even an unfinished hand pattern got lost.' 

Curtain up for Circus Roncalli - The circus is coming… by rail!

To mark the 50th anniversary of the famous Circus-Theater Roncalli, a very special locomotive is rolling across Germany. Locomotive 185 537, owned by SRI (Scherer Rail Invest) and leased to RBL (Rail Bavaria Logistik), now sports an exclusive livery celebrating the Roncalli anniversary and its accompanying tour. Naturally, ZIPPO—the ring’s secret star—had to be included; the clown character portrayed by Roncalli founder Bernhard Paul lends his famous red nose to the locomotive. Circus-Theater Roncalli was reinvented in 1975 by Bernhard Paul and co-founder André Heller as a "Gesamtkunstwerk" (total work of art) interpretation of the circus. The world premiere of the program "Die größte Poesie des Universums" (The Greatest Poetry of the Universe) followed in 1976, capturing the traditional flair of a classic circus. From costumes, uniforms, and tents to the colorful circus wagons, Paul created a magnificent atmosphere. Despite the adversities and challenges of its early years, Roncalli has since evolved into a major brand for circus and variety entertainment. To this day, Roncalli remains the only circus in Europe to tour the country by rail, relying primarily on private railway operators for transport. Happy 50th anniversary!
The "Roncalli locomotive" is being christened today, August 5, 2026, at Cologne Central Station; it will henceforth transport Roncalli’s living quarters and equipment to venues across Germany and Europe.
The model of the SRI Class 185 locomotive is being released exclusively by Märklin and TRIX in 1:87 / H0 scale (Item Nos. 36659/T22469). The model features an mfx/DCC decoder and is equipped with numerous lighting and sound functions. Suitable wagons for this theme are currently still in the planning stage.

Expected delivery 4th Qtr. 2026. Reserve yours today by simply placing a preorder.

This year, we can proudly celebrate 66 years of ROCO. Udo Jürgens already sang: „Life begins at 66“ – following this motto, we stand for progress, innovation and a wide range of international products. In short, everything to make the miniature version of the world a bit more detailed for our fans around the globe.

Reason enough for us to send our brand out on the "real" rails and make it even mor visible! What could be a better way to do that than with almost 10.000 HP and a record-holding Taurus 3?

In cooperation with ÖBB and our designer Markus Huber, we are dressing a 1216 in a particularly striking livery. One side of the branded locomotive allows a look into its interior: its technology. But wait a second: Are we looking at the real Taurus here or the technology of a ROCO miniature Taurus? It's up to our fans and passengers to solve the riddle.

The legend of Europa riding the bull symbolizes strength, confidence and the courage to set out on a new journey. Zeus approaches Europa in the form of a gentle bull and carries her across the sea to Crete - a journey that symbolizes change, union, and the beginning of a new story. The name of our continent originated from this myth, and its cultural diversity is characterized by it to this day. This timeless symbol lives on in the electric locomotive Taurus, whose name deliberately evokes the mythical bull. With its confident strength, it brings together people, regions and stories throughout Europe - reason enough to dedicate the second side of the themed locomotive to the Taurus and this artistic vision.

 The H0 version of this remarkable locomotive will be part of the ROCO range this year as a one-off edition and will be available in time before the Christmas trade. There is also a N Scale version that is part of the Fleischmann range this year as a one-off edition and will be available in time before the Christmas trade. 
Just like with our last themed locomotive in 2024 on occasion of the European Football Championship, it pays off to be fast! 

Just in time for the Intermodellbau trade show in Dortmund, we are pleased to present additional, previously unannounced H0 novelties in our News Express 2026-04.

 A total of 11 cars will be introduced, all of which are expected to be available from stock within the coming weeks. Highlights include the DR H0 passenger coaches “Städteexpress”, an H0 G10 Persil car as well as a weathered H0 GS UIC car.

 For the first time at the Intermodellbau in Dortmund, we are showcasing a special trade show model from the “BRAWA Signature Edition”: The DB H0 Gmhs35 “Deutz” freight car is a strictly limited-edition model and will initially be available exclusively at our trade show booth, in our factory outlet, and via our online shop.

UPDATE: April 2026 - Brawa has sent us an updated factory clearance list. This is their largest clearance of discontinued items yet with fantastic savings. See the link below for all the sale items.

Brawa is clearing out factory discontinued and end-of-production items at discounts up to 35% off. This is a fantastic chance to add an exquisitly detailed Brawa model to your collection or layout at a great price.

We have posted sale prices for dozens of Brawa DC and AC locomotives and rolling stock in both HO and N scale. These are great prices and only a few of each product are available from the factory so order now to make sure you get the items you are after! 

Please note: Most products in this special sale are not in stock at our store and need to be ordered from the factory. Due to the nature of the sale we cannot guarantee items are still in stock at the factory - please order ASAP for the best selection. We will do our best to remove sold out items as we are notified by Brawa. All factory clearance item sales are final and of course, locomotives will have their 2 year warranty.