Trains LIVE — Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston Trains LIVE — 08-24-2022 — this week, Bob Lettenberger talks with Trains Magazine’s own Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston to talk about the best and brightest of Amtrak during Trains.com’s #amtrakweek! Trains LIVE is a regular video segment, recorded live and unscripted from Kalmbach Media. The series began in July […]
These LGB Santa Fe F7 locomotives are nice looking and good runners, too. The powered A unit (no. 21576) has many separately applied details and cab doors that can be opened. Both trucks are driven by Bühler motors with ball bearings and the wheels have traction tires. The locomotive has a built-in mfx/DCC decoder with […]
20 Amtrak locomotives featured in Model Railroader As we celebrate Amtrak week at Trains.com, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at 20 Amtrak locomotives featured in Model Railroader magazine over the past two decades. As I was compiling this list, I was surprised just how many Amtrak models were produced […]
Christmas train starter set Scale: Large scale (1:22.5) Price: $425 Manufacturer: LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 1406 Creek Trail Dr., Ste. 100, Jefferson City, MO 65109; 800-321-8811; lgb.com Features: Tank engine with Bühler motor, headlight, and smoke unit Two passenger cars in Christmas paint scheme 48” circle of track Electrical hookups Power supply Locomotive controller Release date: […]
Annual Christmas car Scale: Large scale (1:22.5) Price: $189 Manufacturer: LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 1406 Creek Trail Dr., Ste. 100, Jefferson City, MO 65109; 800-321-8811; lgb.com Features: Positionable doors Solid metal wheelsets Clear window glazing Plastic icicle detail Hook-and-loop couplers Release date: Third quarter 2022 Paint scheme: Christmas 2022 News & Products is a regular feature of […]
A northwest mountain garden railroad: The Pacific Northern Railway was formed when the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railroads merged in the early 1960s. I chose the name “Pacific Northern” because it included parts of the names of both of the original railroads. The two-tone green passenger-train colors were used because famous designer Raymond Loewy […]
The 2022 National Garden Railway Convention saw a grandfather and grandson take home prizes in a modeling contest. Here’s a report from the former: I attended the 2022 National Garden Railway Convention in Denver in June with my son and his family. Both me and my grandson entered models in the convention’s contest this year. […]
Cheap lighting for passenger cars: I had kitbashed an LGB No. 3080 passenger car into an observation car and wanted to add interior lighting. Instead of track-powered lighting, I opted to install battery-powered light emitting diodes (LEDs). For around $20 in supplies, you can have flicker-free lighting in your car too. I cut the roof […]
Church garden railroad display: During the Kansas City Garden Railway Society tour, I met the pastor of the Heartland Community Church in Olathe, Kansas, Dan, and his father, Mike who was from California and had his own railroad garden. Dan told me his church had an enclosed area in the lobby called a “light box” […]
Common name: Trost’s Dwarf cutleaf birch, Dwarf European birch Latin name: Betula pendula ‘Trost’s Dwarf’, synonym: Betula platyphylla Plant type: Shrubs & small trees Plant size: 3-4′ high by 3′ wide before pruning USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 (10, given moisture) Cultural needs: Sun; moist, drained, slightly acidic One day a horticulturist noticed a finely divided […]
Shay No. 7 and the log operating train Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Title: The E.V. Wheeler Timber Company Description: “The E.V. Wheeler Timber Company” – EVWT Shay #7 and log train operating on […]
Large-scale rolling stock decals: Unlike modeling scales with specific definitions like HO scale (1:87.1) or N scale (1:160), the term “large scale” actually encompasses a variety of modeling proportions (generally from 1:13.7 down to 1:32). This segments the market into small pieces. Because of the limited customer base, there are few commercially made decal options […]
