East Coast Circuits HO scale traffic barrels announced

Road scene with construction workers behind orange traffic barrels

Traffic barrels Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Standard version (12-pack) and lighted version (six-pack), $20 each Manufacturer: East Coast Circuits LLC, P.O. Box 25412 Providence, RI 02905; 401-400-0668; eastcoastcircuits.com Features: Lighted version works on 9-12V AC or DC power Figures and display not included Release date: October 2022 News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com for model railroad […]

Read More…

Arrow stick board kit from East Coast Circuits

Railroad crossing scene with truck with arrow stick board blocking middle.

Arrow stick board kit Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $30 Manufacturer: East Coast Circuits LLC, P.O. Box 25412 Providence, RI 02905; 401-400-0668; eastcoastcircuits.com Features: Seven selectable patterns Circuit remembers pattern if power is lost On/off pattern switch included Works on 9-12V AC or DC power Vehicle not included Release date: October 2022 News & Products is a regular feature of […]

Read More…

N scale American Car & Foundry PD3500 Flexi Flo hopper

Drawing of 14 covered hoppers

American Car & Foundry PD3500 Flexi Flo hopper Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $44.95; two-pack, $89.90; three-pack, $134.85; and six-pack, $269.70 Era: 1964 to 2010s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features Early and late body styles 125-ton Barber S-2 […]

Read More…

Rapido 3,800 cubic-foot capacity cylindrical covered hopper

Drawing of 11 different cylindrical hoppers

3,800 cubic-foot capacity cylindrical covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; six-pack, $329.70 Era: 1965 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features Round-hatch or trough-hatch design as appropriate Dofasco S-2 100-ton trucks 6- or 11-side panel body […]

Read More…

Oldest Amtrak locomotives

Black electric locomotive in profile

Amtrak inherited a menagerie of power at startup in 1971, but what were the oldest Amtrak locomotives?   During the period leading up to the advent of Amtrak in May 1971, it wasn’t uncommon to see passenger train equipment, both locomotives and cars, of significant seniority. Regarding what came behind the locomotives, heavyweight (typically pre-World […]

Read More…

20 Amtrak locomotives featured in Model Railroader

Photo of HO scale A-B set of cab units on scenicked base

20 Amtrak locomotives featured in Model Railroader As we celebrate Amtrak week at Trains.com, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at 20 Amtrak locomotives featured in Model Railroader magazine over the past two decades. As I was compiling this list, I was surprised just how many Amtrak models were produced […]

Read More…

Model Train Association Lionel 6464 boxcar hunt

Lionel MTA 6464 timken boxcars

The Model Train Association Lionel 6464 boxcars are the subject of many collectors’ searches. Interest in the near-scale postwar series never flags. Newcomers to the hobby continue to discover the 29 cataloged entries and start tracking down examples. Longtime hobbyists hunt hard-to-find variations. Among the sought after are the Train Collectors Association models sold as […]

Read More…

Bachmann HO scale transfer caboose

Red transfer caboose

Transfer caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: To be announced Era: Varies depending on paint scheme Manufacturer: Bachmann Trains, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124; 215-533-1600; bachmanntrains.com Features: New and existing tooling E-Z Mate Mark II couplers Blackened metal RP-25 contour wheels Release date: 2023 Paint scheme: CSX (gray, blue, and yellow), Missouri Pacific (red […]

Read More…

HO scale AC4400CW from ScaleTrains

Gray and red diesel locomotive

General Electric AC4400CW Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $204.99; with dual-mode ESU LokSound 5 sound decoder, $299.99 Era: 1995 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 7598 Highway 411, Benton, TN 37307; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com Features: Road-number-specific details Factory-installed wire grab irons, m.u. clusters, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, and more […]

Read More…

Bachmann 52’-6” drop-end gondola

Red gondola freight car

52′-6″ drop-end gondola Scale: N (1:160) Price: To be announced Era: Varies depending on paint scheme Manufacturer: Bachmann Trains, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124; 215-533-1600; bachmanntrains.com Features: Positionable drop-end gates E-Z Mate Mark II couplers Blackened metal RP-25 contoured wheels Release date: 2023 Paint scheme: Great Northern (Vermillion Red), New York Central (black), […]

Read More…

ClassOneModelWorks.com announces Electro-Motive Division GP40

Black and gold diesel locomotive

Electro-Motive Division GP40 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: To be announced Era: April 1966 to present (varies depending on paint scheme Manufacturer: ClassOneModelWorks.com, 8610 NW 107th Terrace, Kansas City, MO, 64153; 816-243-0044; ClassOneModelWorks.com Features: Road- and unit-specific body styles Flat cap 48” fans Diamond mesh radiator intake screen Early triangular fuel tank mounts Ribbed cab base […]

Read More…

Bowser Alco RS3 “Hammerhead” diesel locomotive

Tuscan red diesel locomotive

Alco RS3 “Hammerhead” diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current, $249.95; with sound decoder, $349.95 Era: 1953 to 1979 Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754; 570-368-2379; bowser-trains.com Features: Can motor Light-emitting diode lighting Blackened, nickel-plated wheels Separate, factory-applied detail parts Release date: Fall 2023 Paint schemes: Pennsylvania RR (as-delivered with […]

Read More…