The 2026 edition of Amherst Railway Society’s renowned Railroad Hobby Show delivered yet another exciting year of new releases, demos, and incredible layouts. Below are the highlights from some of the booths I visited and a few pictures from the multitude of excellent layouts (as well as some of my favorite T-Trak modules).
Bachmann
My first stop of the day was the Bachmann booth. I was largely disappointed with their lack of new announcements in N this year beyond a couple of paint schemes, and as such, may have forgotten to snag some photos of the display. Oh well, we can always hope for better next year!
Kato
Kato has always been one of my favorite N scale manufacturers, and truly deserve their excellent reputation for quality and affordability. Their booth this year highlighted some of their releases from 2025 (including some new NW2s pictured above and the Pacific Surfliner), as well as their upcoming 2026 production of newly tooled Greenbrier tank cars (DOT-117).
Bethlehem Car Works
Stopping by the White Rose Hobbies booth was a joy as always, with painted samples of the upcoming “Flying Yankee” HO scale kit on display (above). The kit will retail at $399.99 ($599.99 DCC/Sound & Lighting), unpainted but including decals, with production by 3D Central. Also at the booth were unpainted prototypes of the upcoming HO Boston and Maine “Sacred Cow” RDC.
Rapido Trains
Honestly, I was so excited by these Toronto Transit Commission subway cars and the sample of the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle in HO scale that I forgot to scour the rest of the booth!
Atlas
Atlas recently completed their acquisition of Micro-Trains, to plenty of mixed emotions in the N scale community (and that’s certainly putting it lightly). It was good to see them continuing the lineup, especially the pre-weathered offerings, with these samples of upcoming weathered boxcars and gondolas. Pre-weathered offerings seem to be a trend this year, with multiple manufacturers offering them in a variety of scales.
Broadway Limited Imports (BLI)
In addition to announcing AT&SF 2900 Class Northerns, New Haven R3a Mountains, and a Conrail/CSX theater car (all in HO scale), Broadway Limited had some of their newest offerings on display. Pictured above is one of my favorite locomotives, a pre-production model of their upcoming HO scale Pennsylvania Railroad S1. Now if only they would make one in N!
Custom Model Railroads (CMR)
As always, Custom Model Railroads had an excellent display, featuring their wide lineup of both HO and N scale buildings. Their trademark use of acrylic really stands out to make excellent city structures, such as their new Hudson building with its art-deco vibes, as exemplified in the N scale version depicted above. You can even make these tall city structures taller with their add-on floors!
Lionel
As someone who spent endless hours browsing Lionel catalogs as a kid, I’m always happy to stop by their booth. This year, they had plenty of Star Wars and Harry Potter branded trains, as well as samples of their upcoming models (including Pennsy K4s, my all-time favorite engines) on display (above).
Layout Pictures
The wealth of layouts at Amherst are one of my favorite features of the show. From Free-Mo to NTrak, and everything in between, I absolutely had a wonderful time taking photos of the many exquisite scenes on display. Below are some of my favorite shots!
An HO scale Boston and Maine locomotive 1722 rumbles toward the camera.
The driver of this N scale 4x4 is taking no chances as they cautiously look both ways from a safe distance before continuing through the unprotected grade crossing.
As a huge fan of the Pennsy’s electrified locomotives (see my N Scale Pennsy site or upcoming B1 project if you need proof), I found the Northeast Corridor Historical Society’s layout depiction of the electrified main line I grew up near incredibly detailed. Here a pair of Penn Central workers discuss next steps adjacent to their work truck.
Favorite T‑Trak Modules
Here are some photos of a selection of my favorite T-Trak Modules.
I’ve seen this module a couple of times already but every time I do, I appreciate its craftsmanship more and more.
As a New England transplant, I’ve adopted a love of covered bridges and fall foliage.
Something about the warm glow of the lighting in this station just makes the scene so cozy.
Final Notes
Thanks to everyone at the Amherst Railway Society for putting on an excellent show and to the vendors and all those displaying their layouts! I look forward to returning next year!