BEING A PROUD AMERICAN MODEL RAILROADER, I love our great heritage of O gauge 4-8-4 Northerns, and 4-8-2 Mountains, and the endless line of 4-6-4 Hudsons rolling along North American main lines. So let me note that it is really, really conflicting for me to say that the most intricately detailed die-cast metal locomotive that […]
THE POSTWAR-STYLE GG1 IS A FAVORITE IN SOME THREE-RAIL CIRCLES. Back in the day, it was an impressive model of the nation’s premier electric-profile locomotive. The fact that it had a die-cast metal shell and possessed 10 wheelsets to noisily clank and chunk through switches certainly appealed to everyone’s inner kid. This model gets my […]
Back in the day the postwar-style GG! was an impressive model of the nation’s premier electric-profile locomotive. This Lionel model is a well-made rendering of a postwar icon. […]
you want an all-round utility engine that looks great, performs better, and can do every job from commuter hauler to work train, the Atlas O GP7 is the locomotive for you. […]
Back in the day the postwar-style GG! was an impressive model of the nation’s premier electric-profile locomotive. This Lionel model is a well-made rendering of a postwar icon. […]
you want an all-round utility engine that looks great, performs better, and can do every job from commuter hauler to work train, the Atlas O GP7 is the locomotive for you. […]
Once again, Model Railroader magazine is reporting from the National Train Show, which this year is being held in Hartford, Conn., from July 10-12. What follows is a list of new products being announced by model railroad manufacturers exhibiting at the show. This is a preliminary list, including items revealed to Model Railroader before the […]
David Schoedel photo This is a very nice engine made by Mantua. It has a black die-cast metal shell and a working headlight. It is very heavy so naturally, it pulls a ton! It also has electrical pickups in the tender and a working valve gear. It does unfortunately take a lot of power to […]
A supplement to the Classic Trains Online Look Back e-mail newsletter Canting grandly to the gentle curve, E units break the quiet of a late fall day as they roar through Georgetown Junction with B&O’s Capitol Limited. Paul Seidenman photo Late fall encounter at Georgetown Junction By Paul Seidenman It was especially beautiful, that fall […]
Railroad History in a Nutshell Two coal trains in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming illustrate the astonishing growth of railroad freight in the U.S. and Canada. Matt Van Hattem North American railroading has a rich past. How can it all be encapsulated? Where can you go to learn its roots? The Center for Railroad […]
Rail comes in many different sizes and materials. Here’s a little background information to help you chose the one that’s right for you. Rail sizes The size of model-train rail in any scale is referred to by “code.” For instance, in large-scale railroading we commonly use code-332, code-250, or code-215 rail, although code 197 is […]
Annual refers to a plant that lives for only one season and must be replanted each year. Ballast is the medium, usually gravel of some sort, that provides a firm underlayment for track, helps to hold it in place, and drains water away from the ties. Battery power is another way of operating electrically powered […]
