When I was growing up, the face of the Florida East Coast Ry. was pretty much F units and rusty-around-the-louver GP7s and 9s. Then one momentous day I was at a grade crossing (probably going home from Ernie’s Hobby Shop in Melbourne, Fla.) and it happened: Wham! It was an FEC GP40 blazing down the […]
Broadway Limited Imports N scale PA-1 and B units One of the most striking locomotives of the steam-to-diesel transition era hits the rails in N scale thanks to Broadway Limited Imports’ new release. The Alco PA-1 and PB-1 are offered separately in multiple road names, or as a set of a powered PA-1 with a […]
Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotives For the first time, a General Motors Electro-Motive Division SDP45 rumbles down HO scale rails as a ready-to-run plastic model. Part of Athearn Trains Genesis series, this HO scale SDP45 rivals the finest brass locomotives in terms of roadname- and road-number specific detail. I tested a version […]
Spring Mills Depot HO scale covered hopper Spring Mills Depot has released an interesting three-bay, 100-ton covered hopper that’s offered in 22 paint schemes. Of particular note, the model comes in numerous variations that have specific detailing to match the prototype paint schemes. Each of the cars is also offered in a variety of correct […]
San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car Price: $89.95 Manufacturer San Juan Car Co. 190 Turner Drive, Unit C Durango, CO 81303 www.sanjuancarco.com Era: 1910s to mid-1960s Road names: Union Tank Car Lines (UTLX, eight road numbers), Milwaukee Road (four road numbers), Pioneer Oil (four road numbers) Comments: As a follow-on to its […]
Senior editor Dana Kawala installed a SoundTraxx Tsunami KT-1000 Digital Command Control sound decoder into an HO scale Kato USA General Electric P42. Watch the DCC-sound-equipped locomotive as it hauls an Amtrak passenger train around the Model Railroader staff’s club layout, the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. […]
Walthers HO scale USRA 0-8-0 steam locomotive An HO scale model of one of the most successful steam engines ever built, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA)-designed 0-8-0 switcher, is now being offered equipped with a Soundtraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. The locomotive is an upgraded WalthersProto reissue of a Life-Like Proto 2000 […]
Kato General Electric P42 locomotive with a SoundTraxx DCC decoder Smooth Digital Command Control (DCC) performance and a long list of features make the TSU-KT1000 from SoundTraxx the perfect complement to Kato USA’s outstanding HO scale General Electric P42. I installed the decoder into one of the direct-current (DC) models used in my September 2013 […]
Kato USA Inc. N scale auto rack A contemporary bi-level auto rack is the latest N scale offering from Kato USA. The ready-to-run plastic model is based on a Johnstown America (now FreightCar America) prototype. The accurately detailed model features sharply molded grab irons and prototype-specific detail. Johnstown America dubbed its bi-level auto racks Aluminum […]
Atlas O Trinity 25,500 gallon tank car Price: $99.95 Manufacturer Atlas O LLC 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 www.atlaso.com Era: 1986 to present Comments: If you’re into modern railroading in O scale, this TrinityRail 25,500-gallon general-service tank car from Atlas O might be what you need. The design was introduced in 1986 and continues […]
Check out the Walthers HO scale Metroliner as it makes a run on the Model Railroader staff’s model train layout. Each of the cars features prototypical interior and exterior lighting as well as a SoundTraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. […]
Say, 1066 sounds familiar. I wonder why? Norman Conquest? Nope. Haley’s Comet? Nein. Battle of Hastings? Negative. End of the Dark Ages? Uh-uh. 1066? Oh, yeah, how could I forget! 1066 is the number of the Norfolk Southern’s New York Central Heritage unit. Oh, New York Central diesel no. 1066 was an Alco FA-2. What’s […]
