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Better than most railroads, perhaps, the Union Pacific understood fast freight service. With an expansive network of lines spread across the western states, the railroad had to maintain fast schedules in order to remain competitive. Mindful of this, UP purchased the first heavy fast freight locomotives: unique three-cylinder 4-12-2s, built by Alco from 1926 to […]
The proving ground for Union Pacific’s locomotives was a 75-mile portion of its busy main line between Ogden, Utah, and Evanston, Wyo. Eastward trains faced a climb through the Wasatch Mountains on grades of 1 percent or better. It was an expensive line to operate, particularly given UP’s practice of running big trains that typically […]
Norfolk & Western’s Jawn Henry (named for the legendary “steel-drivin’ man”) was the last of a handful of U.S. experimental steam turbine locomotives, which appeared as a response to the diesel-electric locomotive’s overall superiority to conventional steam power. Turbines first came into use for steamships and power plants around 1900, and their advantages over reciprocating […]
A cranky, old toy train locomotive with a terrible growl, a hot-running motor, and anemic power may be trying to tell you something. Before deciding to retire it, though, check the clearance in the armature brushplate bushing. A worn or defective bushing often results in one or more of these locomotive maladies. The solution is […]
Fig. 1: Pry off the original smoke unit cover with a screwdriver to gain access to the inside. Fig. 2: Remove the heater coil and smoke unit lining, both of which will be replaced in the conversion. Fig. 3: After scrapping and cleaning out all the pellet residue, make sure the air hole is not […]
Pennsylvania HO K4 Pacific This powerful HO scale model of the Pennsylvania RR’s classic K4 Pacific is MTH Electric Trains’ first HO scale locomotive. It has a long list of features, including properly timed smoke and sound effects and an automatic electronic system that operates on layouts using DC, Digital Command Control (DCC), or the […]
THE CTT WHIMSEY Department is always looking for new products, and this cute little American-made “Duchess” 2-4-0 fits the bill. Indiana-based Hartland Locomotive Works has been quietly laboring to build a good reputation in the large scale market. Its goal seems to be to produce well made, fun to operate trains made in the United […]
ONE OF THE MOST often asked questions in the hobby is “Do we really need another New York Central Hudson?” And our answer? Sure! The prototype J-class engines had a clean, well-balanced appearance that suggested speed, even without streamlined shrouding. A J-class Hudson at the front of the 20th Century Limited symbolized grace and style […]
THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC Daylight 4-8-4 locomotive is one of railroading’s most easily recognized steam locomotives. Its black boiler, silver nose with over-and-under headlights, and gaily colored streamlined sides make it a hard engine not to notice. The concept for the new Daylight passenger train was born in the middle of the Great Depression. Southern Pacific […]
THIS IS JUST what toy train folks have wanted for some time: a locomotive packing some offensive firepower. Trust me, the snowplow gives this engine a whole different personality from your run-of-the-mill light steamer. At last we have a locomotive that just begs to have Lincoln Log obstacles built across the track, herds of large […]
ALTHOUGH PRE-1900 railroading has never caught on with fans in S or O gauges, there are plenty of enthusiasts of the “olden days” in large scale. Old timey engines are available from several manufacturers and there is plenty of rolling stock for just about every type of railroad, whether a mining or logging road or […]
THIS LOCOMOTIVE will dominate your fleet. The end. What? Okay, okay, the review can’t be that short. The Southern Pacific General Service (GS) 4 -class 4-8-4 Northerns, nos. 4430-4457, graduated from the Lima Locomotive Works and entered service in 1941. They were top notch high performance machines that cost $175,000 each. The Northerns were capable […]
