TO ACCURATELY DESCRIBE the steam-era classic 4-6-6-4 Challenger, you’d have to use words right out of a luxury car ad: powerful, fast, sleek, and big. Conceived as a fast companion to the Union Pacific’s mighty 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, the Challenger was a heavy-hauling speed demon. Its success can be measured in numbers: 252 were built […]
HO scale locomotivesGeneral Electric U25B diesel locomotive. Pittsburgh & Lake Erie (early cab). Büehler can motor with flywheels; brass m.u. hoses, air hoses, and windshield wipers; steel grab irons and coupler lift bars; and operating headlight. $149.95. Ready-to-run. Executive Series. Bowser Pennsylvania RR GG1 electric locomotive Pennsylvania RR GG1 electric locomotive. Tuscan Red. Die-cast metal […]
System Five-O HO DCC uncouplers AN MR quick look Price: $49.95 for single uncoupler, $69.95 for double uncoupler Manufacturer: System Five-O18165 Manorwood WestClinton Township,MI 48038www.dccuncoupling.com Description: HO scale boxcars equipped with one or two DCC-operated automatic uncoupling mechanisms Comments: Ever wished you could drop any car any place on your layout with the push of […]
Atlas N U23B Atlas Model Railroad Co. has released a smooth-running and accurate N scale model of General Electric’s U23B, a 2,250-hp four-axle road switcher introduced in 1968. The ready-to-run model has roadname-specific cab, headlight, and truck styles and is available in both traditional DC and Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder-equipped versions. Last of the […]
MRC’s Prodigy Advance Squared and Drop-in Sound Decoder Two waves of Digital Command Control’s future are 28 functions and N scale sound, and Model Rectifier Corp.’s latest offerings feature both. The firm let us try its new upgraded DCC system, the Prodigy Advance Squared, and two of its new N scale sound decoders – all […]
Bachmann HO 4-4-0 Steam fans now have a superdetailed American-type to add to their HO scale rosters. Bachmann’s Spectrum modernized 4-4-0 American comes equipped with a factory-installed dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder, so the model is ready to run on DC or DCC layouts. American Standard. By the latter half of the 1800s, locomotives […]
ST CONSTANT, Quebec – Once a staple of the Canadian railway landscape linking towns and cities from coast to coast, the Budd Rail Diesel Car has all but vanished from the scene. Those that remain in service in Ontario and British Columbia have undergone numerous modifications to meet the travel needs of Canadians today. Between […]
An ad for the Florida Marlins baseball team shows off the concept promoted by Cleveland-based Freight Train Media. Freight Train Media CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the first half of the 20th century, it was common practice for companies, particularly major shippers, to use freight cars as “billboards” to advertise their products. Meatpackers, fruit growers, oil […]
Walter P. Gray III SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Walter P. Gray III, the longtime former director of the California State Railroad Museum and most recently a prominent state parks cultural official, died today in Sacramento after a long battle with cancer. He was 54. A graduate of California State University at Sacramento, Gray was instrumental in […]
The Trains Web site forums have been expanded and split into several discussion forums. The new forum topics will include steam and preservation, locmotives, transit, and passenger. These discussion pages will allow participants a broader opportunity to discuss these specialized topics with more depth than they could in our general discussion pages. General discussion will […]
We reviewed the Athearn N scale Challenger in the June 2007 issue of Model Railroader. Watch a video clip of this 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive in action. If you would like to view the video and are a Model Railroader subscriber, please log in below. […]
Alan Siegwarth SUNOL, Calif. – The Golden Gate Railroad Museum has announced that its Southern Pacific 4-6-2 No. 2472 has been successfully steam-tested as mandated by federal regulations under the 1,472-day inspection rules. Locomotive reassembly is continuing, and the group expects the locomotive to be complete in the near future. The Golden Gate Railroad Museum […]
