Kato N scale ACS-64 with Amfleet I cars The first prototype Cities Sprinter locomotives have been on Amtrak property for little more than two years, and now N scale modelers can get their hands on one from Kato. Also known as the ACS-64, these locomotives will pull all non-Acela trains on Amtrak’s electrified Northeast Corridor. […]
Price: $249.99 (subwoofer and receiver), $99.99 (receiver only) Comments: The physical size of the on-board speakers of locomotive models limits their ability to reproduce the low-frequency bass sounds of the prototype. The Broadway Limited Imports Rolling Thunder system wirelessly synchs an under-the-layout subwoofer with the firm’s new Paragon3 line of locomotives to reproduce the missing […]
The Athearn Ready To Roll SD40 is also available decorated for Burlington Northern Santa Fe. There’s a lot to like about this newly tooled Athearn Ready-to-Roll HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD40. From its road-specific details to its SoundTraxx sound decoder, this model ticks many of the boxes on many modelers’ wishlists. The prototype. The six-axle […]
With the layout scenery shaking from the low-bass thumps of each exhaust stroke, and perfectly timed puffs of white smoke rising above the stack, I half-expected to smell cinders as Broadway Limited Imports’ latest HO scale model of the Pennsylvania RR M1a 4-8-2 rolled by. The model uses the same tooling as the BLI M1a […]
The BLMA HO scale model features many prototype-specific separately applied detail parts. A well-detailed injection-molded plastic model of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s class BX-166 62-foot insulated boxcar is the latest offering from BLMA Models. The ready-to-run car features double plug doors framed by canted exterior posts, an assortment of separately applied details, and Kadee […]
Price: $33.95 Manufacturer ExactRail 251 W. River Park Drive, Suite 300 Provo, Utah 84604 www.exactrail.com Era: 2004 to present Comments: It’s not all flatcars and intermodal for the TTX Corp. The freight company’s vast fleet includes thousands of 6,275 cubic foot, 50′-6″ boxcars, such as the prototype for this new ExactRail N scale model. Built […]
Broadway Limited Imports Paragon2 N scale Baldwin Centipede in the Pennsylvania RR 5-stripe passenger scheme Recently I had a chance to examine and operate an early production sample of an N scale Baldwin DR-12-8-1500/2 “Centipede” diesel-electric locomotive. The detailed model is part of Broadway Limited Imports’ Paragon2 series. Best of all, the model features a […]
Bachmann Trains HO scale USRA light 2-8-2 Mikado The engineer’s side of the Bachmann USRA light Mikado shows off some of the model’s separately applied detail parts. One of the most common locomotives of the late steam era, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) light 2-8-2 Mikado, is now available as a sound-equipped HO scale […]
NCE DCC Twin Price: $159.95 Manufacturer NCE Corp. 82 East Main St. Webster, NY 14580 www.ncedcc.com Comments: For model railroaders who want to run Digital Command Control (DCC) equipped locomotives, but still want the familiarity of a direct-current (DC) power pack, the NCE DCC Twin provides a solid option. The unit is as easy to […]
Rapido Trains HO scale FL9 diesel locomotive We also received a version detailed and decorated for a Metro North prototype. No, this is not yet another F7. Yes, Rapido’s HO scale FL9 is an F unit, but it’s unlike any other that was built. This diesel-electric locomotive had third-rail pickup shoes to operate in the […]
Walthers HO scale 40-foot boxcars Three all-new ready-to-run boxcars from Walthers make it easy to model common post-World War II prototypes. Although not as detailed as a top-of-the-line WalthersProto model, these WalthersMainline cars feature accurate, molded details and are each available in about a dozen road names. Prototypes. Whether built by a freight car manufacturer […]
Pre-production sample of Broadway Limited Imports’ HO scale Brass-Hybrid series Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 steam locomotive. The HO scale locomotive includes the Paragon3 sound system and supports the new Rolling Thunder subwoofer system. Recently I got a first look at a museum-quality HO scale model of one of the original 2-10-4 “Texas” type steam locomotives. […]
