N&W’s eastbound Pocahontas descends Christiansburg Hill toward Roanoke on April 21, 1971 – ten days before Amtrak. J. David Ingles The air was chilly and damp as I stood beneath the eaves of the weather-beaten depot in Lynchburg, Va. I was waiting for the train that would take me back to Cincinnati one last time. […]
Name: C&O Mountain Subdivision Layout designer: Bernard Kempinski Scale: N (1:160) Size: 30 x 30 feet Prototype: Chesapeake & Ohio with interchange connections to the Norfolk & Western and Southern Ry. Locale: Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Era: 1950 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 175 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 […]
The evolution of modern diesel locomotives has been continual, and it is always a surprise to realize that something you might have that was modern is now so old-school that it is mostly out of service. The SD35 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) falls into that category. The “I shot one […]
Trains Magazine looks at passenger trains per day across the United States in its May 2010 issue. Our “Map of the Month” compares today’s train volumes with those Amtrak was running on its first day of operation, May 1, 1971, and what was running the day before. Check out the May issue and see which […]
HO scale locomotives United States Railroad Administration heavy and light Mikado steam locomotives. Heavy: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Chicago & North Western; Missouri Pacific RR; New Haven; Nickel Plate Road; Southern Ry.; and Western Pacific. Light: Canadian National, Florida East Coast, Lehigh & Hudson, Maine Central, National Ry. of Mexico, New York Central (Indiana […]
In the early 1970s, economic growth was transforming the South and West, and Western railroads surpassed Eastern roads in ton-miles carried for the first time in 1971. Traffic declines in the East heped trigger a rash of bankruptcies, which spurred Congress to commission detailed studies of railroad lines and operations. The results warned that, absent […]
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F7 A-A and A-B diesel locomotive sets. Atlantic Coast Line, Kansas City Southern, Minneapolis & St. Louis (A-A set), New York Central, and Southern Pacific (Daylight paint scheme). Powered lead unit with dummy trailer; all are A-B sets unless noted. Metal wheelsets and McHenry scale magnetic knuckle couplers. $89.98. March […]
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 diesel locomotive. BNSF Ry., CSX, Illinois Central, Iowa Interstate, Louisville & Nashville, and Penn Central. Two road numbers each. Factory-installed wire grab irons and McHenry scale magnetic knuckle couplers. $69.98. November 2009. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains Bachmann HO scale Union Pacific Electro-Motive Division DD40ax Centennial diesel locomotive Union Pacific Electro-Motive […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
