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Transporting finished automobiles in boxcars was inefficient, causing railroads to lose business to highway carriers. Before the development of two- and three-level auto rack cars, railroads tried piggybacking highway trailers loaded with autos on flatcars. Here, a pair of carriers rides an 85-foot car in 1960. J. David Ingles collection […]
Beginning in 1964, the Rio Grande began attaching a car or two of piggyback trailers to the rear of the Salt Lake City–Denver Prospector in order to boost the train’s bottom line, as seen here at East Rocky, Colo., in April 1964. Nevertheless, the train was discontinued in 1967. Richard Steinheimer photo […]
Facts & features Name: Pacific Railway & Navigation Co.Scale: Proto:48 (O fine scale)Size: 4 x 38 feet (Palouse), 40 x 60 feet (entire layout) Prototype: Great Northern; Northern Pacific; PR&N; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle (elsewhere on layout)Era: mid-1950sLocale: Pacific NorthwestStyle: walk-in multi-deckMainline run: approx. 1,200 feetMinimum radius: 84″Minimum turnout: No. 7 (spurs), No. 8 […]
A Pacific Fruit Express mechanical car stands out among Santa Fe and PFE 40-foot ice-bunker cars in this early 1960s train. Mechanical cars were developed for frozen goods but began hauling more fresh produce by the 1960s, eventually pushing ice cars out of service in the 1970s. J. David Ingles collection […]
Facts & features Name: Pennsylvania RR, Central RegionScale: O (1:48)Size: 43 x 60 feetPrototype: Pennsylvania RRLocale: central PennsylvaniaEra: 1952Style: around-the-wallsMainline run: 355 feetMinimum radius: 60″ (main), 50″ (branch)Minimum turnout: No. 8 (main), No. 5 (secondary)Maximum grade: 2.2% (main), 3.5% (branch)Benchwork: open gridHeight: 47″ to 76″Roadbed: Homasote Track: code 148 and 125 flextrackScenery: plaster cloth and […]
by Eric White Although he wasn’t the first editor of Model Railroader (that was Al Kalmbach), Linn Westcott was for many years the face of Model Railroader and model railroading. Besides guiding Model Railroader as a monthly magazine, Linn was also an innovator, always looking for a better way to do things. His most enduring […]
The fireman of Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 4913 has descended the cab-side ladder to snag a train-order hoop from the operator at Odenton, Md., in October 1953. A blocked track ahead at Baltimore has necessitated orders for the Tuscan red electric, which today is preserved at the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. H. N. Proctor photo […]
Knowledgeable hobbyists will likely tell you the line Lionel cataloged for 1954 represented the pinnacle of post-World War II production. In their opinion, the roster of steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and operating accessories was unsurpassed in terms of design, creativity, appearance, and operation. The No. 2219W five-car freight train headed by […]
According to a document saved by Maury H. Romer, who supervised production of the postwar S gauge line, the A.C. Gilbert Co. intended to make a No. 24068 Mr. Peanut boxcar in 1962. It received a five-digit catalog number on Sept. 7, 1961. For unknown reasons, the project was abandoned after two prototypes were created. […]
The Lionel No. 6407 flatcar with missile and removable Mercury capsule was cataloged for one year only, in 1963. It was offered as both a separate-sale item (priced at $4.95) and a component of two O-27 outfits: the Nos. 11341 Space Prober diesel freight set and 11385 Space Conqueror diesel freight set. Author John W. […]
I have a set of Lionel No. 2379 Denver & Rio Grande Western F3s from 1957 that do not run. I have taken both motors apart, cleaned the grease out of the gearboxes, and put in new grease. I have taken off the brush covers and cleaned the armature faces and the brush wells. I […]
Transcripted from the CTT video series Truck’s Toy Trains. Trains.com members can watch it here. The Lionel Corp. released its first operating barrel car in 1954, which was two years after it brought out the No. 362 barrel loader. Contents of the box included the car and an insert that held a box of barrels […]
