Bachmann Trains announced that it will be releasing a limited-edition HO scale ALC-42 Charger locomotive decorated as Amtrak no. 301, wearing the passenger carrier’s 50th anniversary “Day 1” paint scheme. The model, item no. 68303, will be available only by pre-order through Bachmann retailers. The ALC-42 will feature a dual-mode TCS WOWSound sound decoder with […]
Donald E. (Don) Fiehmann of San Jose, Calif., passed away from complications due to heart failure in December. He was 86 years old. Don wrote more than 60 articles for Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. In addition, he was the author of three Kalmbach books: Basic Electricity for Model Railroading (1988), The DCC […]
Broadway Limited Imports announced its new Paragon4 sound and control system with Rolling Thunder. The first two models with the new technology will be an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 2-8-2 steam locomotive and Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP20. Features of the dual-mode Paragon4 system include a built-in GoPack capacitor that’s automatically disabled on the programming […]
ScaleTrains.com recently donated $30,000 to five of CSX Transportation’s “Pride in Service” signature charity partners. The money is from the proceeds of the sale of the company’s HO scale Rivet Counter line CSX General Electric ES44AH diesel locomotives decorated in the Spirit of our Law Enforcement, Spirit of our First Responders, and Spirit of our […]
Also in this issue: FROM THE EDITOR, pg. 6 Big results from modest-sized layouts NEWS & PRODUCTS, pg. 10 Hobby industry news ASK MR, pg. 18 What kind of food goes in what kind of car? REHAB MY RAILROAD, pg. 22 A compact yard office for Jones Island DCC CURRENTS, pg. 44 Adding sound to […]
A Pullman-Standard/Trinity Back-packer 5-unit articulated well car is the first intermodal car to be offered in ScaleTrains.com’s HO scale Rivet Counter line. The newly tooled car features die-cast metal and plastic construction, Barber S-2 trucks with rotating bearing caps, and detailed interior sidewalls. The prototype. Our sample, DTTX no. 64005, is decorated in Trailer Train’s […]
A boxcar built by the tens of thousands for dozens of North American railroads has been released in new paint schemes and road numbers by Atlas O. Part of Atlas’ Steam Era Classics series, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) 1937 40-foot boxcar was first issued in 2004. The model features free-rolling trucks with blackened […]
The layout at a glance Name: Eagle River Lines Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 17 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: Detroit area Era: 1950s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 55 feet Minimum radius: 36” (main), 24” (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (spurs and branch) Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: sectional Height: 42”-46” Roadbed: […]
The layout at a glance Name: Canadian National Ashcroft Subdivision Scale: N (1:160) Size: 7 x 10 feet Prototype: Canadian National Locale: British Columbia Era: modern Style: around the walls Mainline run: 28 feet Minimum radius: 15” See a PDF version of this track plan by clicking here. […]
The 20th Century Limited was the top train of New York Central’s (NYC) Great Steel Fleet. The train made its 16-hour trip between Chicago and New York City overnight, with trains arriving in the opposite city at 8 a.m., ready for the new day’s business. Inaugurated in 1902, the Century became a streamliner in 1938. […]
It’s a good time to be an Amtrak modeler. Rapido’s new Horizon passenger cars are here to fill out your contemporary medium-distance trains. Amtrak started its existence with a hand-me-down fleet of passenger cars and locomotives. In 1988, Amtrak ordered its first new short-haul cars, initially referred to as Amfleet III (Amfleet II came in […]
It’s important to mount couplers at the correct height and to do so consistently on all cars. Because of their length, passenger cars magnify the chance for unwanted uncouplings when track isn’t perfectly level. Of course, having made the car height accurate, I don’t want to change that, so to adjust coupler height I move […]
