O gauge bridge by American Made Steel Bridge

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Bridges. If you don’t need one now, as just about every model railroader knows, you will eventually. And there’s no shortage of options for the S or O gauge modeler, whether you want a steel, a plastic, or a wooden bridge. I recently had a chance to check out a pre-production sample of a good, […]

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SMR Trains O gauge 4-4-0

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Okay, let’s give a big shout-out to the Union Army for giving Johnny Reb what for! And one of the things that helped make Atlanta “Hotlanta,” was the United States Military Railroad (USMRR). The USMRR provided strategic direction and operational management to the North’s transport efforts. Col. Daniel C. McCallum, former superintendent of the Erie […]

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Illinois city celebrates station upgrades NEWSWIRE

MATTOON, Ill. – A four-year, $3 million project to stabilize and then improve the three-story former railroad office building and passenger station in Mattoon was celebrated last week by Amtrak and Illinois DOT. Six daily Amtrak trains use the station, which is sited about 130 miles northeast of St. Louis. The Coles County Historical Society […]

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BCH International HOn2-1/2 MiniTrains set

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BCH International HOn2-1/2 MiniTrains set On one hand, the MiniTrains set is a nostalgic novelty. On the other hand, the narrow gauge Plymouth switcher and short freight cars may be the right train for an industrial line on your layout. This HO scale set was originally sold by Associated Hobby Manufacturers (AHM) in the 1960s […]

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Walthers HO scale American Car & Foundry 85-foot baggage car

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Walthers HO scale American Car & Foundry 85-foot baggage car An 85-foot baggage car has been added to the Union Pacific “City train” series of HO scale passenger cars from Walthers. It represents one of the 33 cars (series 5631-5663) built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It’s a ready-to-run model with factory-installed handrails. […]

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Broadway Limited Imports HO scale T-1 4-8-4 steam locomotive

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Broadway Limited Imports HO scale T-1 4-8-4 steam locomotive You’ve probably seen an HO scale model of a T-1 class before. Precision Craft Models released one that we reviewed in the April 2006 Model Railroader. Now Broadway Limited Imports has released this version equipped with its Paragon2 Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder, and the […]

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Athearn Trains HO scale Union Pacific Veranda Turbine

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Athearn Trains HO scale Union Pacific Veranda Turbine The Union Pacific’s gas-turbine era saw some distinctive locomotives, such as the “Veranda” B-B-B-B locomotive modeled in HO scale by Athearn. The ready-to-run model operates smoothly on DC layouts and includes provisions for adding Digital Command Control (DCC) and sound. The prototype. Delivered by General Electric in […]

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Lionel’s O gauge jet-powered rail diesel car

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In the declining years of private passenger haulage, one of the illusions held out for consideration was that the public might be drawn back to the rails if passenger trains ran at or near airline speeds. In the caveman days of the 1960s, high-speed rail was pretty much just finding a way to match the […]

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O gauge Peter Witt trolley car by Williams

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Although horse-drawn trolleys could be found in many American cities, rapid movement of commuters really became practical when the routes were electrified. Interestingly, many vintage photos show trolleys running along dirt streets in relatively large cities, with pedestrians, horse-drawn wagons, carts, and even a few carriages being their only competition for the roadway. As time […]

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