Athearn Genesis HO scale FEF-3 Now is a good time to be a fan of HO scale Union Pacific steam power. Along with the many ready-to-run Big Boys and Challengers, UP steam fans can also add an FEF-class Northern to their roundhouses. The new Athearn Genesis FEF is a powerful puller and features sounds in […]
Märklin HO class 218 On the prototype, the superior traction of AC motors has allowed railroads to haul more freight with the same horsepower. Märklin’s new HO scale model of the German Railway’s class 218 diesel applies that same technology to model railroading. It illustrates the potential of locomotives that are optimized for digital operation. […]
The new Industrial Rail 4-4-2 Atlantic by Atlas O is the firm’s first attempt to bring a nicely detailed, smoothly operating steam locomotive to the O gauge entry-level market. Its direct competition in the marketplace is Lionel’s 4-4-2 starter set and MTH’s old RailKing 2-6-0 starter set. All three are designed to provide a reliable, […]
We’re amidst another pop-culture craze, this one involving the adventures of a group of young student wizards. I’ve never seen the Harry Potter movies or read the books, but to me, the important thing about Lionel’s new O gauge Hogwarts Express set, based on the train from the movies, is that it is tied into […]
BLMA Models HO signal bridge An HO scale model of a lineside structure vital to modern-day railroading is the latest product from BLMA Models. The firm’s modern cantilever signal bridge is an accurate representation of a prototype seen alongside main lines all over the country. The model comes fully assembled, wired, and ready to install […]
Aristo-Craft Trains 1:29 E8 diesel Fans of large-scale model railroading can now add a sleek E unit to their passenger-hauling fleets. The Aristo-Craft E8 is an accurate 1:29-proportion model that comes within scale inches of prototype drawings in the Model Railroader Cyclopedia Vol. 2: Diesel Locomotives (Kalmbach Publishing Co., out of print). The model has […]
Athearn’s HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD40T-2, first released in 1984, has received an extensive makeover with railroad-specific details, see-through air intakes and dynamic brake fans, and Celcon handrails. The Ready-to-Roll direct-current model has a Quick Plug for conversion to Digital Command Control (DCC). Prototype history. When Southern Pacific commissioned EMD to build the SD40T-2 in […]
Kato USA HO Amtrak passenger car An Amtrak Superliner coach and a material handling car are the initial releases in a new line of contemporary HO passenger cars from Kato. Both models are well-detailed and finished in Amtrak’s phase 3 paint scheme of the 1980s with equal-width red, white, and blue stripes. The coach includes […]
THIS PRODUCT, part of American Model Builders’ Laserkit line, offers an early 20th-century grain elevator kit in O scale. This is appropriate for the steam and early diesel eras, but driving around the countryside, you could probably find similar structures still in operation today. The kit, modeled on a “Northwestern Line Elevator” plan from a […]
I’M ON RECORD for both lauding the concept of the Atlas O Trainman line and enjoying its basic, no-frills diesels. Why? Since the Trainman line’s O scale products are very affordable, I think that post-starter set newbies with an interest in scale-sized trains might be likely to plop down their hard-earned bucks for a Trainman […]
THE SUBJECT OF our attention today is a little steamer that helped us beat the Kaiser and soldiered on through the end of the steam era, providing commendable service to the railroads that operated it: the USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher. America entered World War I in April 1917. In December of that year the U.S. […]
Athearn HO GP40X An Electro-Motive Division GP40X with railroad-specific detail is offered by Athearn Trains. The Ready-to-Roll model, which features an upgraded Rail Power Products shell, is based on the short-lived EMD prototype manufactured from December 1977 through June 1978. Only 23 units were built, all for railroads in the United States. The GP40X was […]
