Norm is back, and in our November 2009 issue he shows you the latest addition to the realistic modeling on his home railroad. […]
Norm Charbonneau’s locomotive servicing terminal
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Kent Johnson’s O gauge hi-rail layout
Subscribers can watch these scenes filmed on location at Senior Editor, Kent Johnson’s O gauge hi-rail home layout. […]
Demystifying railroad accounting, page three
Go to page 1 Go to page 2 The second component of car hire is the mileage payment. Each car has an assigned mileage rate, which is multiplied by the number of miles it runs over other carriers to determine payments. Railroad-owned cars (whose reporting marks are railroad initials) are subject to both per diem […]
TrainsExpress: Railroad Electrification, Transportation Technology Center, and Bill Withuhn
The biggest possible change in motive power to come to railroading has been a part of TRAINS for years. See how TRAINS covered electrification and the Transportation Technology Center Inc., plus learn how Bill Withuhn at the Smithsonian covered steam power, and even tested it for TRAINS. This TRAINS Express PDF download is free to […]
Demystifying railroad accounting
Click the image to download a PDF of this article as it would appear in TRAINS magazine. A boxcar sits idle behind a warehouse. Its contents have been unloaded and the doors are closed. The only movement that can be seen is the heat waves rising off the hot rails in the summer sun. Despite […]
The Warbonnet visits … Austria?
Eichholz Rail V170 No. 1125, a Swedish-built diesel, shows off its “Warbonnet” markings on an excursion train at Traiskirchen, Austria. Raimund Wyhnal BNSF may have given up the famous “Warbonnet” scheme it inherited from predecessor Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, but a German company is keeping the classic scheme alive. Eichholz Rail, a German railroad […]
Wired up: The stages of U.S. railroad electrification
U.S. railroad electrification In 1939, the United States was the global leader in railroad electrification, with over 20% of the world’s total. Today, electrification is a non-factor on almost all American railroads outside the Northeast Corridor. How did this happen? The heady projects from the early 20th century that propelled the U.S. to world leader […]
Locomotive 2009 rosters
Arkansas & Missouri Railroad roster Legendary among Alco operators, the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is an independent Class III railroad operating 139-miles of onetime Frisco trackage between Monett, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark. In addition to freight service, the road also operates passenger excursions. The road’s all-Alco fleet is dominated by 16 C420s of various […]
Atlas HO scale code 100 #8 Mark IV Turnout
Atlas offers number 8 HO scale turnouts with code 100 and code 83 rail. This review considers its appearance and functionality. Appearance On the plus side, the turnout is made of Nickel/Silver rail with black plastic ties which have molded spikes on every tie (the code 83 turnout comes with brown plastic ties). Simulated wood […]
Fall foliage hotlines and online reports
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 […]
M.T.H. HO scale 4-12-2 steam locomotive
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 […]
Walthers HO scale “Michigan” ore cars
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 […]
