Atlas N scale GE Dash 8-40CW

Atlas N scale GE Dash 8-40CW

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 […]

Read More…

Rapido N scale Canadian National lightweight passenger cars

Rapido N scale Canadian National lightweight passenger cars

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 […]

Read More…

Train Control Systems drop-in N scale Digital Command Control decoder

Train Control Systems drop-in N scale Digital Command Control decoder

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 […]

Read More…

Review: Atlas O O gauge GE U23B diesel

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 […]

Read More…

Review: MTH O gauge Alco RS-11 RailKing line diesel

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 […]

Read More…

Norm Charbonneau’s Hi-rail Layout

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 […]

Read More…

Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher

Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher

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 […]

Read More…

Norm Charbonneau’s Hi-rail Layout

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 […]

Read More…

A line-up at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum

The Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum held its annual night photo shoot on June 13, 2009, at Willimantic, Conn. Framed by the museum’s six-stall roundhouse, the six pieces of equipment arranged for the photo are (from left) a GE 44-tonner (built in 1950 for the Long Island Rail Road), a Narragansett Railway speeder, a GE 45-tonner […]

Read More…

Ask Trains from September 2009

Q How do railroads figure how much power is necessary for a train?– Richard Panarese, Mesa, Ariz.A Railroads determine power needed for a train based on the route, and the train’s weight and priority. BNSF, for instance, considers the “horsepower per ton” required based on what officials call the train’s “transportation service plan.” The transportation […]

Read More…