Railroad cranes may be among the least known rail vehicles. This subject, reserved for specialists, has rarely been covered in magazines and books. Udo Kandler has rolled up the history of German rail cranes in his book published by EK-Verlag and compiled spectacular pictures.

News agencies, TV stations and newspapers are reporting today what Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bahn have published as a press release: "By 2026 at the latest, there should no longer be any gaps in coverage along rail lines in long-distance and regional transport." This refers to mobile communications coverage on trains, which network operators and Deutsche Bahn have been working on since 2008 with little success. 16 years of moderated (not only transport policy) standstill in Germany thanks to the Merkel governments have turned one of the most important industrialized countries into a snail-like dawdler that foreign countries can only laugh at.

Thirty years ago, on June 2, 1991, the ICE train service of the Deutsche Bundesbahn or Deutsche Bahn AG started with high-speed trains of class 401. Information and a large picture gallery with views from outside and inside.

50 years ago today, Amtrak, the national passenger transportation company, operated its first trains in the United States. Latest news.

The rustic original for a bridge diorama or module in 1:32 scale still needs to be supplemented with suitable rolling stock. Here are 49 year old photos and some new ones for inspiration. They show an amazing range of locomotives, railcars and passenger cars.

There are settings that you can't invent. Eventually you will find a believable accumulation of details that inspire a modeler to a diorama. Here comes a bridge scene for gauge 1 that has it all and could be realized on a compact footprint for epochs I to VI.

The freight line near Hanover always offers surprises. A picture gallery with 45 photos taken in storm, rain and sunshine.

Red Hummer, Black Buffalo and BR 01 202: Infantilization and lack of expertise go hand in hand in model railroading.

Snow and sunshine are good reasons to spend a few hours outside and photograph trains. 61 photos give an impression of what you can discover there. A current snapshot from two main lines east of Hanover.

Hans and Walter Ziegler show how they patinated an 01 from KM1 with simple means. This gives courage to try it yourself. Some prototype photos from the end of the steam era give suggestions how far you should (not) go.

Because Covid-19 has significantly affected the whole season, the first German museum railroad is operating for the first time in autumn.

Journalists are dumb. Not all of them, and rarely does this apply to the trade press. But if you look at the former top product of German magazines, DER SPIEGEL, you often encounter journalistic incompetence. With the current Vectron order of DB Cargo, for example.

The Italian pointed roof cars, which Dingler has announced for gauge 1 now, were part of many freight trains. A glance into my archives – and at a preserved car in South Tyrol, Italy.

Wunder's makeshift baggage cars have provoked more reactions than any previous meeting - consistently positive ones. Since 1967, the models of these cars have been appearing in front of my camera time and again.

What have we done without the Internet? If you're still bored, I have something for you.

Gauge 1 usually suffers from too long vehicles and too short tracks. But you can, strictly following the example of the DB Regio, extend the journey time with a trick. German TV satirical program Extra3 showed the method again yesterday.

They are extremely rare on model railways - especially not on 1-gauge. They have also been removed in many places: safety points or trap or catch points.