No. 3170 rests outside the paint shop at Debutts Yard in Chattanooga, Tenn., prior to its return to service. Norfolk Southern CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Norfolk Southern has unveiled a new addition to its vaunted heritage fleet: Southern Railway SD40 No. 3170. The locomotive was recently saved from the back lot; rebuilt into operating condition at […]
PHILADELPHIA – Steam impresario Ross E. Rowland is promoting a steam-hauled exhibition train that he hopes will visit 125 cities and towns in the U.S. between 2017 and 2020. The idea is an updated version of his highly acclaimed 1975-1976 American Freedom Train. “It’s a clone of the Freedom Train,” Rowland says. That train, bearing […]
Kevin Strong Remote-controlled coupler Phoenix Sound Systems, Inc. 3514 West Liberty Rd. Ann Arbor MI 48103 Price: $47 Website: www.phoenixsound.com Large scale, remotely controlled coupler; online instruction manual Pros: Simple installation and hook-up; compatible with a variety of manufacturers’ couplers Cons: Available in truck-mounted configuration only Kevin Strong With today’s advanced electronic controls (DCC, battery […]
Alan Olson 2.4Ghz R/C system for track-powered trains G-Scale Graphics 4118 Clayton Ct. Fort Collins CO 80525 Price: $209 + s&h Website: www.GScaleGraphics.net RailBoss 4 Trackside; 2.4Ghz system for controlling track-powered trains via radio; includes transmitter, receiving base station, online instruction manual Pros: 10amp power; pocket sized transmitter; easy-to-program features; excellent range; smooth operating […]
Kevin Strong Remote coupler-control board Phoenix Sound Systems, Inc. 3514 West Liberty Rd. Ann Arbor MI 48103 Price: $75 Website: www.phoenixsound.com DCC and R/C-compatible control for remote-controlled couplers Pros: Able to control two couplers independently; controls both servo- and solenoid-based uncouplers Cons: Programming (fine-tuning) controls via DCC interface only Phoenix Sound Systems, long known for […]
Marc Horovitz 1:20.3 scale, gauge-1 wheelsets The Train Department 26 Coral Drive Hazlet NJ 07730 Price: $9.50 per axle Website: www.thetraindepartment.com Cast metal, gauge-1 wheelsets; stainless-steel axles; raised letters on face and back of wheels; raised fins on inside of wheels; coned tread; long or short journals available (see text); wheels insulated at hub. Dimensions: […]
A 700-ton crane lifts lead SD70ACe locomotive No. 522 out of the icy Moisie River on Wednesday. Transportation Safety Board of Canada Finally on land, the locomotive shows the scars from its icy encounter. Transportation Safety Board of Canada SEPT-ILES, Quebec – The lead locomotive involved in a fatal November 2014 derailment on the Quebec […]
A photo illustration shows what No. 2132 might look like restored. Photo illustration by Ron Flanary BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – The Bainbridge city council has voted to transfer ownership of former Louisville & Nashville C-1 class 0-8-0 No. 2132 to the city of Corbin, Ky. Also included is former L&N caboose No. 30, built at South […]
Senior editor Dana Kawala installed a SoundTraxx Micro Tsunami Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder into a Kato N scale Union Pacific FEF-3 steam locomotive. See and hear the N scale 4-8-4 haul the new Kato Union Pacific excursion train around the Model Railroader staff’s Salt Lake Route layout. […]
ACL caboose No. 0635 shows off its fresh paint. North Carolina Transportation Museum SPENCER, N.C. – Volunteers from the North Carolina Transportation Museum have repainted former Atlantic Coast Line caboose No. 0635 to its original ACL orange scheme with black lettering. It is the second restored Atlantic Coast Line caboose at the museum. According to […]
No. 643 at McKees Rocks in summer 2014. Steve Glischinski PITTSBURGH – The saga of Bessemer & Lake Erie 2-10-4 No. 643, which has long languished in outdoor storage in McKees Rocks, may finally be coming to a close. According to a report in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the locomotive may be put on display in […]
One of the few big steam locomotives that railfans can see in action, Union Pacific no. 844, joins Kato USA’s N scale roster. The dimensionally accurate plastic model features a coreless-motor drive that can be converted to Digital Command Control. The prototype. Union Pacific no. 844 is the last steam locomotive delivered to the UP. […]
