Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotive

AthearnTrainsHOscaleEMDSDP42diesellocomotives

Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotives For the first time, a General Motors Electro-Motive Division SDP45 rumbles down HO scale rails as a ready-to-run plastic model. Part of Athearn Trains Genesis series, this HO scale SDP45 rivals the finest brass locomotives in terms of roadname- and road-number specific detail. I tested a version […]

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Spring Mills Depot HO scale NACC PD3000 covered hopper

SpringMillsDepotHOscalecoveredhopper

Spring Mills Depot HO scale covered hopper Spring Mills Depot has released an interesting three-bay, 100-ton covered hopper that’s offered in 22 paint schemes. Of particular note, the model comes in numerous variations that have specific detailing to match the prototype paint schemes. Each of the cars is also offered in a variety of correct […]

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San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car

SanJuanCarCoOscaleframelesstankcar

San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car Price: $89.95 Manufacturer San Juan Car Co. 190 Turner Drive, Unit C Durango, CO 81303 www.sanjuancarco.com Era: 1910s to mid-1960s Road names: Union Tank Car Lines (UTLX, eight road numbers), Milwaukee Road (four road numbers), Pioneer Oil (four road numbers) Comments: As a follow-on to its […]

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Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 photos

FULL SCREEN Drew Halverson Hill 852, Cajon Pass – April 28, 2014 FULL SCREEN Drew Halverson Hill 852, Cajon Pass – April 28, 2014 FULL SCREEN Drew Halverson Hill 852, Cajon Pass – April 28, 2014 FULL SCREEN Drew Halverson Barstow, CA – April 28, 2014 FULL SCREEN Drew Halverson Cajon Pass – April 28, […]

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Fastest hogger on the slim-gauge

DRGW485engr

A predecessor of this Rio Grande engineer made a daring Chama–Durango run in 1923. A. C. Kalmbach My grandfather, Marvin Rhodes, lived for almost a century, and he spent more than half of his long life working out of Durango, Colo., on the narrow-gauge lines of the Denver & Rio Grande Western. He hired out […]

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PDF: Build a 1:20.3-scale railbus

Build a 1:20.3-scale railbus

Download the PDF of this project here. Note: This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Also, despite […]

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Small town railroading in the early 1950s

Smalltownrailroadingintheearly1950s

For many years small towns were a major source of traffic for railroads all across the country. Long before anyone ever heard of freeways, the railroads moved all sorts of carload and less-than-carload lot (LCL) freight that kept the local businesses and nearby agricultural economy going. A local station agent-operator was the railroad’s representative who […]

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Add wear and tear to a steel gondola freight car models

Addwearandteartoasteelgondola

A few dents and weathering add “years” of hauling rough, heavy loads to the pair of gondolas on the right. Compare Tony’s well-worn older cars with his fresh, new car at left. It’s relatively easy to simulate normal wear and tear on a plastic model of a steel gondola. I begin by clamping a medium-wattage […]

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