THE VO-1000 IS one of my favorites of the early diesel years. Baldwin Locomotive Works built more than 500 of these 1,000-horsepower locomotives between 1939 and 1946. The VO-1000 was replaced in 1946 by the outwardly similar DS-4-4-10, which came equipped with a different diesel engine. The VO-series switchers were exemplary at their job. As […]
THE FREIGHT TRAINS that I run on my layout are probably typical of most three-railers: a mix of road names and freight car types. Add to that list of runners Weaver’s 57-foot mechanical refrigerator car with sound.What? Sound in a big box? Yep. Weaver’s reefer is as nice as they come. Weaver has delivered plenty […]
Walthers HO Proto 2000 EMD GP20 with sound and DCC A high-nose version of Electro-Motive Division’s GP20 road switcher is now available in the Proto 2000 series from Walthers. The ready-to-run HO scale model is offered with and without Digital Command Control (DCC) and QSI Quantum sound, and it features railroad-specific detailing. Though production of […]
Walthers HO AT&SF heavyweight chair car The distinctive look of Santa Fe heavyweight passenger cars is accurately represented in this HO chair car from Walthers. The assembled car includes a detailed interior, six-wheel trucks with metal wheels and sideframes for electrical pickup, and a removable clerestory roof to allow installation of a lighting kit (not […]
Broadway Limited HO F7 A ready-to-run sound-equipped HO replica of Electro-Motive Division’s classic bulldog-nosed F7 has been released by Broadway Limited Imports. The hard-pulling, well-detailed model also features a dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder that operates on DC or DCC layouts. The prototype. Electro-Motive manufactured approximately 7,500 Fs, starting with the FT in 1939 […]
SoundTraxx HO Tsunami DCC decoder The Tsunami line of 16-bit DC/DCC sound decoders from SoundTraxx is the latest group of sound systems to join the HO scale market, and it’s a formidable entry. Its very robust set of features includes 22 steam sounds and a full range of motor and other operating controls. The decoder […]
HO scale locomotivesBNSF Ry. diesel locomotives. Electro-Motive Division GP35, GP50, and GP60M and General Electric C44-9W. Two road numbers per locomotive. 2005 paint scheme. $84.98 to $99.98 each. January 2007. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains Electro-Motive Division F7 A and B HO scale diesel locomotives. Great Northern (Omaha Orange and Pullman Green). F7A ($129.98 without sound, $199.98 […]
One of the complaints heard from hobby curmudgeons is that O gauge railroading is too expensive. And if you mention to them some of the lower priced Lionel products, MTH’s RailKing line, and K-Line’s high-value semi-scale steamers, you often hear the retort: “Well, I mean scale-sized trains.” Atlas O has stepped up to fill this […]
LIONEL’S PREWAR no. 263E steam locomotive was the last of its kind. The tinplate O gauge 2-4-2 locomotive was everything that its die-cast metal successors were not. It was glossy and bold and featured plenty of smooth sheet-metal surfaces accentuated by stamped rivets, nickel ladders, railings, and domes, with a red cow-catcher thrown in too. […]
I’VE LONG THOUGHT that the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s E-27-class 2-8-0 Consolidations were some of the most attractive, balanced-looking products the steam era ever produced. They were powerful, sure-footed, and reliable. The B&O at one time had more than 400 of the E-27-class 2-8-0 locomotives. The flexibility and utility of those locomotives led them to […]
I’VE OFTEN HEARD that we should be careful what we wish for – even if it is a good thing – because we just might get it. When reviewing a riveting tool set in the January 2006 issue, I mused about having something equally helpful to assist with the repair of old Lionel reversing units. […]
Ernst Paul Lehmann Patentwerk, parent firm of LGB, has transferred ownership of LGB of America to a new firm, U.S.-based G45. “In these changing times you have to keep moving forward,” said Rolf Richter, managing general partner of E.P. Lehmann Patentwerk. “This move forward provides new opportunities for us, for LGB of America, and for […]
