• by Sara Guaglione , October 8, 2019

Enthusiast publisher Kalmbach Media is launching a digital home for its train-focused brands: Trains.com.

“Launching in 2020, Trains.com will become the ultimate digital destination for people who are passionate about all things train-related,” stated Dan Hickey, Kalmbach CEO. 

It will serve as the umbrella site for Kalmbach’s Model Railroader, Trains, Classic Trains, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railways brands.

The site will include modeling how-to and railroading news, information and history. It will also feature stories and photos of layouts and collectibles, as well as rail travel stories and tours. 

David Popp has been promoted to the newly created role of executive producer for Trains.com. Content staff for all Kalmbach’s train-related brands will now report to him.

Popp launched Kalmbach’s Model Railroader Video Plus (MRVP), the company’s digital video subscription product, in 2013. It now has more than 11,000 paid subscribers and roughly 30,000 unique visitors per month. 

Popp is also an editor at Model Railroader.

Kent Johnson has been promoted to producer for Trains.com video. He will also lead Kalmbach’s corporate video services department. 

Johnson will oversee developing, hosting, directing, filming, editing and programming instructional and entertaining video content for Trains.com, as well as other brands in the Kalmbach portfolio.

Veteran editor Carl Swanson will move from his role of editor at Classic Toy Trains magazine to editor-in-chief at Model Railroader. Current MR editor Hal Miller will now helm two Trains.com properties: Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railways. 

Swanson and Miller will report to Popp.

Kalmbach Media also publishes Astronomy, Discover and Bead & Button.