National Train Show 2009 preliminary report

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 […]

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A look back in time: November 1958

Rock Island buys GM’s two Aerotrains for suburban service out of Chicago, where they join RI’s own Jet Rocket Talgo train, powered by an Aerotrain-style locomotive. . . . Illinois Central buys eight sleeping cars (four 10-5’s, four 4-4-2’s) from New York Central for City of Miami service. . . . Pullman-Standard’s first 85-foot flatcar […]

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News & Products for September 4, 2008

HO scale locomotives Northern Pacific Electro-Motive Division F7 diesel locomotives. “Main Street of the Northwest” slogan. Five-pole skew-wound motor with flywheels, prototype-specific details, and magnetic knuckle couplers. Sound-equipped units have individual sound boards installed in both A and B units. A unit only: without sound, $139.98; with sound, $209.98. A-B set: without sound, $279.98; with […]

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Atlas N scale GP30

Atlas N scale GP30 Built by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, the GP30 diesel locomotive was known for its good looks and great performance. This new N scale GP30 lives up to its prototype. Part of the Atlas Classic series, the N scale model is available in a DC or Digital Command Control (DCC) version. The […]

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A look back in time: July 1958

July 1958 in railroad history One of steam’s greatest chapters comes to a close July 2 when class S-2 No. 746 makes the last revenue freight trip of a Nickel Plate Road Berkshire, Bellevue-Conneaut, Ohio. . . . Fan trips: Burlington Route assigns O-5A 4-8-4 No. 5618 to a July 4th weekend Railroad Club of […]

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News and products for the week of May 15, 2008

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division FP9 and F9B diesel locomotives. Algoma Central (two numbers available for A unit, one for B unit), Canadian National (A and B units, four numbers each), Chicago & North Western (A unit only, four numbers), and CP Rail (A and B, four numbers each). Etched-metal details, wire grab irons, and […]

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Factory Direct Trains HO scale Trackmobile

Factory Direct Trains HO scale Trackmobile A ready-to-run die-cast metal Trackmobile 4850TM with a three-pole can motor, detailed cab interior, and acetal handrails is available from Factory Direct Trains. The bi-modal vehicle is the firm’s first model and is offered as a direct-current model and with Digital Command Control (DCC). The latter uses a North […]

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Walthers N scale 0-8-0

Walthers N scale 0-8-0 In the steam era, an 0-8-0 shifting back and forth in a freight yard was a common sight on many North American railroads, and now an accurate depiction of such a yard goat is available in N scale. This Heritage Steam Collection by Walthers N scale United States Railway Administration (USRA) […]

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Rapido HO scale lightweight passenger cars

Rapido HO lightweight passenger cars These new HO passenger cars from Rapido Trains are among the best-detailed mass-produced models we’ve ever seen. Each plastic model comes assembled and ready-to-run with McHenry magnetic knuckle couplers, interior and underbody details, lighting, removable marker lights, and an end gate across the vestibule. The two samples reviewed here are […]

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iHobby Expo 2006 preliminary show report

Electro-Motive Division SD38 and SD38AC diesel locomotives HO scale locomotivesElectro-Motive Division SD38 and SD38AC diesel locomotives. SD38 decorated for Elgin, Joliet & Eastern and McCloud River; and Grand Trunk Western. SD38AC painted for Bessemer & Lake Erie and Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range. Ex-Rail Power Products shell with Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder Quick Plug, […]

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Micro-Trains Line Z scale EMD GP35 diesel measures up in every way

Micro-Trains Line Z scale EMD GP35 diesel This extremely accurate model of an Electro-Motive Division GP35 is detailed enough for even the most demanding modeler. Rivets are visible (with a magnifying glass, unless you have young eyes), dimensions are right on, and the delicate, etched-metal handrails are accurate down to the number of stanchions. Micro-Trains […]

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Own a caboose

At 17 feet, 5 inches, the caboose cleared all bridges and power lines on its 20-mile road trip. Steve Hendrix Preserving a 25-ton caboose in my backyard wasn’t something that I had always planned on. Sure, I liked trains as a kid and even have a small model railroad layout. But an HO-scale train circling […]

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