An on-time eastbound Empire Builder pauses at Minot, N.D., for servicing on Aug. 20, 2014. Bob Johnston RUGBY, N.D. — Snow and ice are burying much of North Dakota this week, but Amtrak’s Empire Builder soldiers on. While national TV news and published reports recounted how thousands of flights were cancelled, trucks jackknifed all over […]
Union Pacific 4-8-4 Northern-type No. 844 pictured at LaSalle, Colo., in 2009. The famed locomotive made a triumphant come back in 2016 after repairs and a 1,472-day overhaul. Bruce A. Daugherty WAUKESHA, Wis. — When Union Pacific 4-8-4 No. 844 returned to the rails under its own power this year, we were reminded of what […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:20.3 scale, live-steam Heisler Accucraft 33268 Central Avenue Union City CA 94587 Price: $3,150 Website: http://accucraft.com All metal live-steam model of West Side Lumber Co. Heisler Nº 3; manual control; two double-acting D-valve cylinders; working cylinder drain cocks; reversing from cab via working Stephenson’s valve gear; hinged roof; pressure gauge; water […]
Gauge 1, 1:20.3 scale, steam-outline 2-6-0 Bachmann Industries 1400 E. Erie Ave Philadelphia PA 19124 Price: $1,250 Website: www.bachmanntrains.com Plastic and die-cast metal, steam outline, 1870s-era Baldwin 8-18 D class Mogul; all-metal gears; “plug-and-play” socket in tender for the addition of R/C or DCC control; authentic paint scheme. Dimensions: length, 26 1/2″; width, 4 1/2″; […]
Marc Horovitz Passenger cars Gauge 1, 1:22.5-scale coach and combine Bachmann Trains 1400 East Erie Avenue Philadelphia PA 19124 Price: $139 Website: www.bachmanntrains.com All plastic gauge-1 coach and combine; insulated metal wheelsets; truck-mounted working knuckle couplers; hook-and-loop couplers also supplied; track-powered interior lighting; interior details; sliding door on the combine Pros: Attractive passenger stock; good […]
Kevin Strong 1:24- and 1:16-scale styrene architectural pattern sheets JTT & Partners Available from: Model Rectifier Corporation 80 Newfield Ave. Edison NJ 08837 Price: $6.50/pack (2 sheets) Website: www.modelrec.com 7.5″ x 12″ vacuum-formed styrene pattern sheets for model building Pros: Crisp detail molded into sheets Cons: Small size of sheets may make covering larger surfaces […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge-1 gang car LGB Märklin Inc. PO Box 510559 New Berlin WI 53151 Price: $329.99 Website: www.lgb.com White Pass & Yukon gang car (#L20060); gauge 1; loop couplers; link-and-pin couplers also provided; all wheels powered; power pickup from all wheels and skates; interior detail; ball-bearing motor; directional headlights/marker lights; DCC ready. Dimensions: length […]
Ron Ziel as he appeared in 1975 for a wedding announcement. The announcement includes a note that he and his wife, Elizabeth McAtic, had no time for a real honeymoon since they were about to spend six weeks in Africa imaging steam locomotives. Ron Ziel IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Ron Ziel, whose book “The Twilight […]
SPECIAL VALUE CARS: Three new cars have been added to the Menards line of O gauge rolling stock. The nos. 279-3178 Chesapeake & Ohio flatcar with die-cast metal concrete mixer and 279-3476 Pennsylvania RR flatcar with excavator. The excavator has lights and sounds that activate with the press of a button. The latest addition to […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — Progress Rail is shipping the first two production SD70ACe-T4s to Union Pacific this week. They will be the first EMD Tier 4 units ordered by a customer to be placed in revenue service. The locomotives, UP Nos. 3012 and 3014 were shipped from Bombardier’s Sahagun, Mexico, plant, arriving in Laredo on […]
Pro Grass Micro Applicator, $109.99; static grass, $6.99 (.7 ounce bag) to $22.99 (3.5 ounce bag); grass tufts, $8.99 to $10.99 Peco, a manufacturer long known for producing track in Z, N, HO, O, and large scales and structures in N, HO, and O, recently entered the scenery market. The initial offerings in the Peco […]
Kato HO scale GE C44-9W For more than 20 years, the General Electric C44-9W, the most popular locomotive of GE’s Dash 9 series, has maintained a dominating presence on North American main lines. The prototypes were only a couple years old when Kato released its first HO scale Dash 9, reviewed in the September 1996 […]
