Engine Driver screenshot Smartphone apps such as Engine Driver or WiThrottle have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional Digital Command Control (DCC) throttles. In addition to downloading the app, to turn a smartphone or tablet into a DCC throttle usually involves setting up a computer running Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) software and a […]
Kato N scale Olympian Hiawatha train set Hiawatha is the name the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific, also known as the Milwaukee Road, used for its first streamlined passenger trains in 1935. By the late 1940s, there were Hiawathas providing fleet passage between many cities of the upper Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The […]
Athearn HO scale SDP40F with Tsunami2 Athearn HO scale Amtrak SDP40F and Santa Fe SDF40-2 Athearn HO scale Santa Fe SDF40-2 Athearn SDF40-2 interior and mechanism (DC version) Amtrak’s first all-new passenger diesel joins the Athearn Genesis line of superdetailed HO scale locomotives. This model is also the first that we’ve tested to come factory-equipped […]
Walthers HO scale 89-foot channel-side flatcar Walthers HO scale 89-foot channel-side flatcars Price: $27.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Era: 1963 to present Road names: TTX (yellow and 1960s brown for 40-foot trailers, Twin 45 with KTTX marks in yellow and brown for 45-foot trailers, and general […]
Menards O gauge illuminated vehiclesO Price: Autos 24.99, trucks, $29.99, No. 279-4062 4.5-volt three-outlet adapter $9.99, No. 79-4035 Plug and Play adapter kit $9.99 Features: Die-cast metal and plastic construction, front and rear lights, each vehicle has a male barrel plug connector pre-wired to the frame. I believe the first illuminated vehicles I saw were […]
MTH O gauge Union Pacific 4-6-2 Price: $499.95 (no. 20648-1) Min Curve: O-31 Cmd Low: 6.1 smph Cnv Low: 7.7 smph High: 64.1 smph Drawbar pull: 2.1 lb. Features: Two can-style motors, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, smoke unit, coil coupler on tender Current-production road names: Baltimore & Ohio, Lehigh Valley, Norfolk & Western, […]
Bowser Trains HO scale GMDD SD20-2F The plastic body shell features many separate metal and plastic detail parts. Engineer’s side of the Bowser Trains HO scale SD40-2F For the first time in plastic, a cowl-body SD40-2F rolls along HO scale rails thanks to Bowser Trains. Dubbed “Red Barn” by railfans, the cowl body locomotive is […]
Menards HO scale Fire Station 12 Price: $69.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 www.menards.com/trains Era: 1960s to present Comments: Fans of the 1970s-era TV show “Emergency!”, still seen in syndication on some cable channels, will recognize the architectural style of the latest HO scale factory-assembled structure from Menards. Fire Station no. […]
ScaleTrains.com HO Airslide covered hoppers The Rivet Counter version (right) features factory-installed separate detail parts, while the value-price Operator version (left) does not. Both versions feature plastic bodies that accurate model their prototypes. ScaleTrains.com has added a pair of General American Airslide covered hoppers to its HO scale freight car line-up. The first is a […]
Atlas Bulkhead Flatcar with pipe load Price: $36.95 Manufacturer Atlas Model Railroad Co. 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 www.atlasrr.com Era: 1970s to 2000s Comments: A new removable pipe load and more road names highlight the latest run of this HO scale 68-foot bulkhead flatcar from Atlas. An earlier release was reviewed in the April […]
Kato N scale Operation North Pole set The basic Operation North Pole set includes the top three cars, the bottom two make up the add-on set. Allstate Arena and Donald E. Stephens are cab cars. The cab cars have switches to turn the headlights and marker lights on or off. Kato F40PH with shell removed […]
Menards O gauge World Headquarters building Price: $119.95 (No. 279-3792) Dimensions: 13 inches wide, 16 inches deep, 23 inches high Features: Interior illumination, Starbucks has tables, chairs, counter, server, and customers. Base is decorated Power: Requires a 4.5-volt 5000-mA AC to DC power adapter sold separately Order: www.Menards.com/Trains When I was a kid, I knew […]
