92 day inspections changed to 184 days; cab locks, both part of new locomotive safety rules NEWSWIRE

WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration today published a final rule updating its locomotive safety standards. The agency says the rule “incorporates existing industry and engineering best practices related to locomotives and to the electronics in them.” Among the changes are for new and remanufactured locomotives to be equipped with a lock to prevent unauthorized intrusions. […]

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New products for March 29, 2012

Classic Metal Works HO scale 1953 Ford Sedan courier cars

HO Scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F3A and B diesel locomotives. New paint scheme: Denver & Rio Grande (passenger scheme). Five-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels, separately applied prototype-specific details, and magnetic knuckle couplers. A unit: Direct-current model, $169.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoder, $269.98. A-B set: DC models, $309.98; with DCC and sound, […]

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Atlas HO scale trash flatcar

Atlas HO scale trash flatcar

Atlas HO scale trash flatcar Modern era HO modelers can now add a trash train to their operating scheme with this flatcar and containers from Atlas Model Railroad Co. The prototype. Specialized 85-foot flatcars and high-cube 20-foot containers have been hauling trainloads of solid waste since the 1980s. This railroad business came from opposition to […]

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Bowser HO scale C-630M diesel locomotive

Bowser HO scale C-630 diesel locomotive

Bowser HO scale C-630 diesel locomotive Modelers of Canadian roads in HO scale will be pleased with Bowser’s latest Executive Line locomotive release. The manufacturer has modified its Alco C-630 model with prototypically accurate details to represent C-630M locomotives built by Montreal Locomotive Works, Alco’s Canadian division. The M designation indicated that the engine had […]

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Bachmann HO scale Baltimore & Ohio EM-1 2-8-8-4 steam locomotive

Bachmann HO scale Baltimore & Ohio EM-1 2-8-8-4 steam locomotive A Baltimore & Ohio EM-1 2-8-8-4 is available for the first time as an HO scale ready-to-run plastic model. The Bachmann Spectrum series EM-1 includes a dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder that operates on direct-current (DC) and DCC layouts. To add sound effects and […]

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New products for March 15, 2012

Bachmann HO scale Alco S-4 diesel locomotive

Bachmann HO scale Alco S-4 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Alco S-4 diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (zebra stripe paint scheme); Erie RR; New York Central (Pittsburgh & Lake Erie reporting marks); Southern Pacific; Union Pacific (“Dependable Transportation” slogan); Western Maryland (speed lettering). Directional headlights; die-cast metal chassis, fuel tank, gear tower, and […]

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O GAUGE 4-6-0 BY WILLIAMS BY BACHMANN

PR0512_Williams-4-6-0

I’ve rarely been predisposed to like a locomotive quite as much as I have the 4-6-0 from Williams by Bachmann. From the ads it appears to be a nice, moderately sized model – a sort of utility infielder that would look good running either freight or passenger ops, yet sized to fit with scale or […]

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S GAUGE 4-6-6-4 FROM AMERICAN FLYER BY LIONEL

PR0512_S-gauge-4-6-6-4

This S gauge model is a major step forward for American Flyer enthusiasts. The arrival of the Union Pacific Challenger clearly affirms Lionel’s intention of marketing die-cast metal steam locomotives that are both esthetically and operationally the equal of anything in O gauge, but in 1:64 scale, of course. The Union Pacific Challenger needs no […]

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Rail Yard Models closes

Rail Yard Models, a manufacturer of HO scale resin model railroad freight car kits, ceased operations on March 1, 2012. In a statement on the company’s website, owner Gene Fusco wrote, “I have had a great deal of satisfaction designing, manufacturing, and selling my kits to some of the best modelers in the railroad hobby. […]

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