A month in the life of 4 freight cars

Dayinthelife

This map shows how four freight cars, threading their way through the North American railroad network, can take about two weeks to cross half the continent. The shippers using these four cars enjoyed tremendous efficiencies by sharing the costs of train crews and locomotives, track and signaling, classification yards, and overhead expenses with the other […]

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Trainfest 2014 show report

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Athearn Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division FP45 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F45 and FP45 diesel locomotives. F45: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (pinstripe scheme); BNSF Ry. (ex-Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe yellow bonnet), Burlington Northern, and Montana Rail Link. FP45: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Super Fleet warbonnet) and Milwaukee Road. Railroad-specific […]

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2014 iHobby Expo show report

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Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Alco C-424 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Alco C-424 and C-425 diesel locomotives. New paint schemes. C-424 (Phase II): Erie Mining (one road number); Springfield Terminal (Guilford); and Toledo, Peoria & Western (two numbers). C-424 (Phase III): Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Morristown & Erie (two numbers). C-425 (Phase […]

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Erie milk and express car drawings

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The Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum near Rochester, N.Y., took delivery of an Erie-Lackawanna RR steel-bodied milk car, no. 6603, in 1987. It was built by the Greenville Steel Car Co. for the Erie RR in June 1935. At first glance, the car looks like a standard steel refrigerator car. But since it was […]

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First Look: WalthersMainline HO scale Budd passenger cars

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Model Railroader recently had a chance to look at hand-painted, pre-production samples of the HO scale WalthersMainline Budd 85-foot passenger cars, scheduled for release in January 2015. The newly tooled cars, which can operate on 18” radius curves, will feature truck-mounted couplers, 36” turned-metal wheelsets, sprung diaphragms, and Proto-Max knuckle couplers. The gap between the […]

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Walthers HO scale Amfleet coaches and club cars

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Walthers HO scale Amfleet passenger cars Walthers, like prototype builder Budd Co. before it, has built on its Metroliner multiple-unit cars to bring newly tooled Amfleet equipment to HO. The cars are offered in both Amfleet I and II body styles. The Amfleet I models depict an 84-seat coach and an Amcafe. The Amfleet II […]

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Fox Valley Models N scale RD-4 hopper

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Fox Valley Models N scale RD-4 hopper Price: $18.95; 12-pack, $227.40 Manufacturer Fox Valley Models P.O. Box 1970 Des Plaines, IL 60017 www.foxvalleymodels.com Era: 1990s to present Comments: A modern-era coal hopper has been added to the Fox Valley Models N scale freight car lineup. The car, based on a Trinity Industries prototype, accurately features […]

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Atlas HO scale 40′-6″ postwar boxcar

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Atlas HO scale 40 ft 6 inch postwar boxcar Price: $27.95 Manufacturer Atlas Model Railroad Co. 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 www.atlasrr.com Era: 1945 to late 1970s Comments: Atlas now offers a transition-era 40-foot boxcar in its Master Line of ready-to-run rolling stock. The Association of American Railroads 40′-6″ postwar boxcar, originally offered as […]

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Bachmann HO scale Bethlehem Steel 100-ton 3-Bay hopper

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Bachmann HO scale Bethlehem Steel 100-ton 3-bay hopper The HO scale Bethlehem Steel 100-ton-3-Bay Hopper is a release from the “Bachman Silver Series” rolling stock line. The car I am reviewing is decorated for the regional railroad of “Wheeling And Lake Erie Railway.” The paint is crisp and the colors match the rail colors exactly, […]

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Young Model Railroader reader meets favorite author

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Model Railroader reader Derrick traveled all the way from California to visit contributing editor Pelle Søeborg at his home in Denmark. Model Railroader contributing editor Pelle Søeborg welcomes occasional visitors to his home in Denmark, and among the most memorable was Derrick of California. Derrick is a Model Railroader subscriber. According to Derrick’s mother, he […]

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