ScaleTrains.com N scale GE C39-8 diesel The model has many prototype-specific details, including a retrofitted vertical handrail on the end of the long hood. For the first time in N scale, a General Electric C39-8 is available as a ready-to-run plastic model. Produced by ScaleTrains.com as part of the firm’s Rivet Counter series, the N […]
Price: $54.99 Manufacturer ExactRail 525 E. 1860 S. Provo, UT 84606 www.exactrail.com Era: 1966 to present (depending on paint scheme) Road names: Rock Island (six road numbers); Burlington Northern (18 numbers); and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (nine numbers). Comments: A General Steel Industries (GSI) 53′-6″ bulkhead flatcar is the latest addition to ExactRail’s HO scale […]
Atlas N scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive Sound or no sound has been one of the basic questions when buying new locomotives. If you bought an engine without sound, but later wanted to add a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder, one of the hurdles was finding a place for the speaker, especially in N scale. […]
Athearn Ready-to-Roll HO scale SD40T-2 More prototype-specific detail and a dual-mode SoundTraxx Econami decoder highlight this HO scale SD40T-2 “tunnel motor” diesel from Athearn Trains. The plastic model has many enhancements compared to the previous Athearn Ready-to-Roll SD40T-2 that we reviewed back in the January 2008 issue. Prototype. In 1972, General Motors Electro-Motive Division and […]
Kadee HO scale early PS-1 boxcar Price: $39.95 Manufacturer Kadee Quality Products Co. 673 Ave. C White City, OR 97503-1078 www.kadee.com Era: 1947 to 1980s Road names: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; New York Central; New York, New Haven & Hartford (with 7-foot door); Southern Ry.; and Union Pacific Comments: Kadee has released an early-production […]
Wm. K. Walthers, which added easy-to-build HO scale railway bridges to its Cornerstone line a few years ago, is now doing the same in N scale. The single-track arched Pratt truss bridge kit is the latest in that line. I assembled and painted the bridge along with its matching pier and abutment kits, which are sold […]
WalthersMainline HO scale Budd 85-foot dome coach Price: $39.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Era: 1954 to present Road names: Amtrak (phase 3); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Southern Ry.; Union Pacific; and VIA Rail Canada. Also available undecorated. Comments: Wm. K. Walthers Inc. has added an […]
Broadway Limited Imports N scale PRR T1 4-4-4-4 The T1 is equipped with magnetic knuckle couplers. Details like wire grab irons and train-phone system antenna add to the realism. I recently reviewed two N scale diesel locomotives from Broadway Limited Imports (BLI) featuring Paragon3 Digital Command Control (DCC) decoders with Rolling Thunder (March and May […]
ScaleTrains.com HO scale GE C44-9W diesel With its myriad roadname- and roadnumber-specific detail variations, this HO scale General Electric C44-9W diesel-electric locomotive from ScaleTrains.com ensures that there’s plenty for all the “rivet counters” out there to scrutinize. And they won’t be disappointed. For this review I tested a Rivet Counter-series model that came factory- equipped […]
Arrowhead Models HO scale ‘Committee Design’ hopper The slope sheets with their steeper ends are clearly visible on Arrowhead Models’ Committee Design 70-ton hopper. Design by committee isn’t usually a ringing endorsement, but these new HO scale 70-ton coal hoppers from Arrowhead Models could certainly turn the tide. The committee in question included Pennsylvania RR, […]
Walthers Cornerstone HO scale American Bungalow kit Price: $29.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Era: 1910s to present Comments: The American Bungalow is the latest addition to the Walthers Cornerstone series. The HO scale plastic kit measures 35⁄8″ x 611⁄32″. Introduced more than a century ago, the […]
Bachmann HO scale test weight car Price: $39 Manufacturer Bachmann Trains 1400 East Erie Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124 www.bachmanntrains.com Era: 1930s to present Road names: Burlington Northern, Baltimore & Ohio, Canadian National, and Union Pacific. Also available painted black but unlettered. Comments: Used for calibrating track scales, test weight cars (also called scale test cars) […]
