Req 7a4 — Makers and Magazines

This requirement asks you to explore the commercial side of the hobby — the companies that make the trains, the track, the scenery materials, and the publications that document it all. You will visit four websites, gather information, and be ready to discuss what you found.

The Two Categories

You can choose any combination of manufacturers (companies that make physical products) and magazine publishers (publications that cover the hobby). You need four total — they can all be manufacturers, all be magazines, or any mix.

Major Manufacturers

These are well-established companies whose products you are likely to find at any hobby shop:

Locomotives and rolling stock:

• Athearn (athearn.com) — HO and N scale locomotives and freight cars; one of the largest American manufacturers
• Atlas Model Railroad (atlasrr.com) — Locomotives, freight cars, and track in HO and N scale; also makes track and accessories
• Kato USA (katousa.com) — Known for exceptionally smooth-running N and HO scale locomotives; Japanese heritage
• Bachmann Trains (bachmanntrains.com) — A wide range of scales from N to large G; popular entry-level and mid-range products
• Broadway Limited Imports (broadway-limited.com) — High-end HO and N scale steam and diesel locomotives with sound

Track and structures:

• Woodland Scenics (woodlandscenics.com) — The industry leader in scenery materials: ground foam, rock castings, trees, water effects, and more
• Walthers (walthers.com) — Structures, scenery, and locomotives in HO scale; also the largest model railroad catalog/retailer

DCC systems:

• Digitrax (digitrax.com) — One of the two dominant DCC system manufacturers in North America
• NCE (ncedcc.com) — The other major DCC system brand; popular with club layouts

Model Railroad Magazines

• Model Railroader (modelrailroader.com) — The world’s largest model railroad magazine; published monthly with layout features, product reviews, and how-to articles
• Railroad Model Craftsman (rrmodelcraftsman.com) — Long-running monthly with emphasis on scratchbuilding and fine craft
• Classic Toy Trains (classictoytrans.com) — Focused on O gauge and G gauge, including Lionel, Marx, and MTH
• N Scale Magazine (nscalemagazine.com) — Dedicated entirely to N scale modeling

What to Print or Save

The requirement says to “print information on their products and services.” You can:

• Print a product catalog page or a specific product description
• Save a PDF of an article or product guide
• Screenshot and print a key page

What to look for on each site:

• What scale(s) does this manufacturer produce?
• What is their flagship product line?
• What price range are their products?
• Do they offer resources for beginners (instructions, tutorials, FAQs)?

Discussing With Your Counselor

For each of the four sites you visited, be ready to explain:

• What the company or magazine makes or publishes
• Who their target audience is (beginners, advanced modelers, a specific scale)
• One specific product or article that interested you and why
• How the product or publication connects to something you have done or want to do in the hobby