Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability. Ron Flanary Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have […]
Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division F7A and F7B diesel locomotives HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F7A and F7B diesel locomotives. New paint scheme: Burlington Northern. Two differently numbered A-B sets available. Five-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels, prototype-specific details, and McHenry scale magnetic knuckle couplers. Direct-current models: A unit, $169.98; A-B set $309.98; with Digital […]
Bowser HO scale Alco C-630 diesel locomotive All-wheel electrical pickup, newly tooled Alco Hi-Ad or Tri-Mount trucks, and many separate brass, wire, and photo-etched detail parts are some of the highlights of this HO scale Alco Century 630 from Bowser. The model is an upgraded version of the Stewart Alco C-630 reviewed in the March […]
If you’ve been in model railroading long enough, you may recall back in the 1960s seeing ads from the Wm. K. Walthers Co. showing some cute little heavyweight passenger cars all resting on a single truck. Even though dyed-in-the-wool rivet counters might scoff, you could tell by the crook at the corners of their mouths […]
The Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP40-2(W) includes a QSI Quantum Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala runs the locomotive on our model train layout. […]
The Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP40-2(W) includes a QSI Quantum Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala runs the locomotive on our model train layout. […]
Q Why do modern locomotive throttles still use notches?— Ben Redl, Williams Lake, B.C. A The primary reason is to help the locomotive’s engineer direct a specific response from the locomotive. Engine RPM speed must be increased gradually during normal operation. As the engineer demands more power from the locomotive by moving a notch at […]
Union Pacific’s Desert Victory and United Way tribute locomotives were the first to receive special paint schemes, in 1991 and 1994, respectively. John C. Benson Q I understand that Union Pacific ES44AC No. 7400 is the railroad’s 15th specially painted locomotive. What are the other 14 commemorative locomotives?— Wesley Chen, Irvine, Calif.A According to Union […]
HO scale locomotives Baldwin AS-16, AS-616, and DRS 6-6-1500 diesel locomotives. Lehigh Valley (AS-16, two road numbers), National Ry. of Mexico (AS-616), Norfolk Southern (pre-1982 company, AS-616), Pacific Electric (DRS 6-6-1500 with trolley pole), Peabody Coal Co. (AS-16), Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (AS-16), Union Pacific (AS-616). Four road numbers each except as noted above. Can motor […]
A trio of General Electric-built GEVO locomotives powers an intermodal rain past North Guam, N.M., on April 11, 2011. The first two diesels belong to the class ES44C4, an A1A-A1A-trucked A.C. traction model built to perform to six-motor D.C. designs. Photo by Steven M. Welch […]
GenSet diesel locomotives are revolutionary in that they have multiple lower horsepower prime movers that kick in as more power is needed. A GenSet seemingly upsets the conventional wisdom of four or five decades that a switcher needs to have at least 1,000 horsepower for one-size-fits-all switching duties. A GenSet has the same concept, but […]
The MTH O gauge GenSet is immaculately detailed from the brake air line on the pilot to the air conditioner on the roof. […]
