The Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts are alive with color on October 11, 1997, as Conrail freight SELA rolls through Chester, Mass., behind C30-7A locomotives. Matt Van Hattem There are countless opportunities to enjoy the colors of fall from trackside public parks and railroad museums, and aboard special fall foliage train excursions. The U.S. Forest […]
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M.T.H. HO scale 4-12-2 steam locomotive An HO model of the world’s largest rigid-wheelbase locomotive is available from M.T.H. Electric Trains. The HO 4-12-2 has realistic sounds and smoke that make it a lot of fun to operate, especially on a Digital Command Control (DCC) or M.T.H. Digital Command System layout. And the engine can […]
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Walthers HO scale “Michigan” ore cars Price: 12-car limited-run sets, $169.98 ManufacturerWm. K. Walthers Inc. P.O. Box 3039 Milwaukee, WI 53201 www.walthers.com Era: 1942 to present day Comments: These short ore cars were designed and built in large numbers to haul heavy loads of iron ore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Even though their 24-foot length […]
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Atlas N scale GE Dash 8-40CW N scalers who model the modern day should be happy with Atlas’ new release, General Electric’s Dash 8-40CW road engine. Atlas’ offering is a well detailed, crisply painted model with a smooth, flywheel-equipped drivetrain and an optional Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. The prototype. Seen by some railfans as […]
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Rapido N scale Canadian National lightweight passenger cars Price: $47.95 each ManufacturerRapido Trains Inc. 140 Applewood Crescent, Unit A Concord, Ont., Canada L4K 4E2 www.rapidotrains.com Era: 1952 to present day Comments: These new N scale lightweight passenger cars from Rapido Trains are some of the best-detailed commercial models I’ve seen. Each plastic car comes assembled […]
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BLMA Models HO and N scale Norfolk Southern class G85R Top Gon coal gondolas A Norfolk Southern class G85R Top Gon coal gondola is the first freight car offering from BLMA Models. The ready-to-run cars are available in HO and N scales and have road number-specific load limit, light weight, and “rebody” date stencils. Prototype […]
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Train Control Systems drop-in N scale Digital Command Control decoder Price: $39.95 ManufacturerTrain Control Systems P.O. Box 341 Blooming Glen, PA 18911 www.tcsdcc.com Comments: This drop-in Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder from Train Control Systems fits the Kato N scale SD70ACe, GG1, and SD40. The TCS K1D4-NC decoder controls motor and lighting functions and has […]
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THE TARGET OF OUR ATTENTION HERE is another addition to the locomotive lineup for the Atlas O Trainman series of value-priced, scale-dimension, three-rail products. Our Atlas model is a General Electric U23B, a four-axle freight-hauler. Don’t let the model number fool you. The General Electric U23B came after the venerable U25B. Of course, the original […]
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ON THE CUSP OF ALCO’S DECLINING YEARS, the Schenectady, N.Y. locomotive builder fielded the 1,800 horsepower RS-11 as a replacement in the catalog for its popular RS-3 (and its cousins). The new Alco locomotive could be purchased in low- or high-hood versions and was suitable for both freight and passenger operations. Its natural target was […]
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In the November 2009 issue, Norm tells you how he built his locomotive servicing terminal to showcase big steam power. The cover story in CTT’s November 2008 HI-RAIL SPECIAL issue was on the stunning 19 x 22-foot layout created by Norm Charbonneau. A weathered Lionel New York Central L2a 4-8-4 Mohawk spins on the Bowser […]
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Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher David Schoedel This is an okay locomotive from Model Power. It can’t haul very much and it runs kind of bad. It has no illuminated headlight, and the detailing on it is rather lame. It is driven by a worm gear attached to a cheap motor. The electrical […]
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In the November 2009 issue, Norm tells you how he built his locomotive servicing terminal to showcase big steam power. The cover story in CTT’s November 2008 HI-RAIL SPECIAL issue was on the stunning 19 x 22-foot layout created by Norm Charbonneau. A weathered Lionel New York Central L2a 4-8-4 Mohawk spins on the Bowser […]
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