During the original incarnation of the Industrial Rail line, one of the nicest products offered was that trolley car (see my review in the May 2001 issue). It was an authentic-looking, traditional-sized (O-27) model that ran quietly, had the popular bumper-activated reverse unit for point-to-point operation, and was offered in three paint schemes. Industrial Rail […]
Burlington Northern SD9 6234 shows off its new coat of paint at Minnesota Transportation Museum’s ex-Great Northern Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul, Minn. Ralph Back ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Transportation Museum has restored former Burlington Northern SD9 No. 6234 to its Cascade Green paint scheme. The unit emerged from the Wisconsin & […]
HO scale locomotivesElectro-Motive Division F7A diesel locomotives. Western Pacific. Five-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels, screw-mounted chassis, and operating headlights and Mars lights. A-A set without sound $279.98, with dual-mode sound decoder $419.98. April 2008. Ready-to-run. Genesis. Athearn Trains HO scale freight carsEvans 50-foot double-plug-door boxcar. Wisconsin & Southern Strides Against Cancer. RP-25 contour metal […]
Tag Gorton’s Live Steam WorkshopPublished by Atlantic PublishersAvailable in the US from:Carstens PublicationsAttn: John Earley108 Phil Hardin RoadNewton NJ 078608¼” x 11½”, softbound, 82 pagesISBN: 1-902827-15-5Price: £11.95Web site: www.atlanticpublishers.com In this book, Tag Gorton takes us on a good-natured ramble into the world of cosmetically fixing up commercial live-steam models. The title is actually a […]
I thought of “Portrait of the Rails” by Don Ball, Jr. immediately when reading Jim Wrinn’s editorial about favorite railroad books. As a child I spent hours gazing at the photos it contained of steam trains billowing smoke and funny looking streamliners while my dad would tell me stories about the trains of the 40’s […]
MRC Prodigy Wireless DCC throttle A powerful full-duplex wireless throttle is now available for users of Model Rectifier Corp.’s Prodigy Digital Command Control (DCC) system. Part of MRC’s Total Control Radio System (TCRS), this wireless version of the firm’s 28-function Prodigy Advance Squared throttle works with other Prodigy components. The wireless throttle can do anything […]
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 […]
