How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce

forest with station in garden railway

How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce In an effort to model conifer trees, garden railroaders usually go to the nearest garden center and find dwarf Alberta spruce shrubs. This classic, Christmas-tree-shaped evergreen has a nice, green color and a densely packed growth habit, giving it a fuzzy look. Picea glauca conica (aka. P.g. var. albertiana […]

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Bachmann long caboose

1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, long cabooseBachmann Industries1400 East Erie AvenuePhiladelphia PA 19124Price: $275Web site: www.bachmanntrains.com Plastic-and-metal model of a D&RGW long caboose; DCC ready; complete interior; working marker lights and table lamps; 8-wheel power pickup from track; complete underbody detail; sliding windows in cupola; sprung, diecast trucks; diecast couplers and other parts; working knuckles; two […]

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Welshpool & Llanfair 3rd-class coach

16mm scale, gauge 0/1, Welshpool & Llanfair 3rd-class coachAccucraft Trains33268 Central Ave.Union City CA 94587Price: $610 for 2-car setWeb site: www.accucraft.com Mostly plastic model of a W&L “Pickering” 3rd-class coach; complete interior; truck-mounted chopper couplers; die-cast trucks; supplied with blackened, gauge-0 and gauge-1 wheelsets. Dimensions: Length over end beams, 22″; width, 41/8″; height, 63/8″. In […]

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A Tour Conductor’s trains

Train No., Name — To-From — Accommodation WESTERN TOURSAtchison, Topeka & Santa Fe19, The Chief — Chicago-Williams, Ariz. — Roomette17, El Capitan — Williams-Los Angeles — Coach74-77, San Diegans — Los Angeles-San Diego round trips — Coach123, Grand Canyon Limited — Chicago-Grand Canyon-Riverside, Calif. — Coach63, Golden Gate — Bakersfield-Merced-Richmond, Calif. — Coach1, San Francisco […]

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Santa Fe nights

The Grand Canyon was a stop on several of the tours I conducted in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Our groups would ride Santa Fe Railway trains to Williams, Ariz., then chartered motor coaches to the Canyon. After dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon, the passengers and luggage were aboard […]

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2009 iHobby Expo preliminary report

M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale “Little Joe” electric locomotive

M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale “Little Joe” electric locomotive HO scale locomotives “Little Joe” electric locomotive. Milwaukee Road; Chicago, South Shore & South Bend; and General Electric demonstrator. Features to be announced. $399.95. Ready-to-run. M.T.H. Electric Trains M.T.H. Electric Trains HO scale 2-8-4-Berkshire steam locomotive 2-8-4 Berkshire steam locomotive. Nickel Plate Road. Features to be […]

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Bachman N scale DDA40X Locomotive

Bachmann N scale DDA40X Locomotive

Bachmann N scale DDA40X Locomotive The Bachmann Company just came out with another wonderful “Must Have” N scale locomotive. This time they developed a superb model of Union Pacific’s huge DDA40X locomotive. The Union Pacific developed these locomotives to take the place of at least two of their regular road diesel units. In fact, these […]

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Railroads and Industry

Aliquippa & Southern switcher

Freshly made coke still smokes in company hoppers as an Aliquippa & Southern switcher hustles empty slag pots back to the blast furnaces on May 10, 1981. The pots have been sprayed with a release agent at the slag dump to prevent the molten slag from sticking in them. Otherwise, it’s jackhammer time! Kevin Tomasic […]

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Athearn discontinues Blue Box model kits

Athearn, manufacturer of N scale and HO scale model train products as well as 1:50-proportion die-cast models, has announced that it will discontinue its line of Blue Box kits. This action is effective immediately. In a press release the firm cites that increased manufacturing and labor costs have caused it to no longer be able […]

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Walthers HO scale Hulett unloader

Walthers HO scale Hulett unloader

Walthers HO scale Hulett unloader This strange looking machine is a model of a Hulett unloader that transferred iron ore from ore boats to railroad cars. Invented in 1899, these machines were a common sight in ports throughout the southern Great Lakes. Huletts were normally built in pairs that worked together to unload a single […]

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Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control Pro Box

Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control Pro Box

Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control Pro Box The Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control (DCC) system features intuitive programming, operating menus displayed on the handset’s liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, and wireless infrared communication between the handset and an infrared receiver. The basic system, reviewed in the July 2008 Model Railroader, works fine for a small […]

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