Rapido Electro-Motive Division E8 Amtrak No. 4316 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: With dual-mode ESU LokSound sound decoder, $399.95 Era: 1971 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Electro-Motive Division E8 Amtrak No. 4316 features: Plastic and etched-metal details Unique nose with missing MU door Correct back ends, […]
The Menards Beta 4 Santa Fe locomotives are the latest version of the company’s foray into motive power. A year or so ago Menards tested the waters with a diesel locomotive in Santa Fe paint. Let’s take a look at this set and see what’s changed with this latest release. In this Beta 4 version, […]
HAMILTON, Ontario — After 68 years of service, National Steel Car’s venerable GE centercab switchers will soon be replaced by former Korail EMD SW1001s from National Railway Equipment. Freight car manufacturer National Steel Car has received three locomotives. Delivered as NREX 2109, 2114, and 2118, and are now numbered 8504, 8604, and 8704, all three […]
STOCKTON, Calif. — The Altamont Corridor Express locomotive fleet is now running solely on renewable diesel fuel, the commuter service’s parent agency, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, has announced. The agency says the switch will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99% and is a key step toward its goal of net-zero-emission operations. “Our commitment […]
Weathering N scale locomotives: Our Canadian Canyon N scale layout just wasn’t complete without locomotives and rolling stock to bring it to life. Running through rugged mountain terrain, the bright red Canadian Pacific road units quickly accumulate a layer of grime. Road dust on the trucks, fuel tank, side frames, and pilots; soot around the exhaust […]
Conrail diesels in large scale: Mark Bottrill’s Bishopstown Subdivision is designed to summon up memories of Conrail’s heyday in the Northeast, but it’s located in the Buckinghamshire county in the south of England! The railroad has a 600-foot double-track mainline, and features a number of rail-served industries, including a steel recycling facility and a large […]
Electro-Motive Division tunnel motor diesels Electro-Motive Division tunnel motor diesels solved a tricky problem. Locomotives operate in all climates, from scorching desert heat to frigid Canadian winters. An ample supply of fresh air is always required for cooling and combustion purposes but when trains operate through long tunnels or snowsheds at slow speeds, the ability […]
BREDA, Netherlands — Alstom says it has demonstrated fully autonomous operation for a switching locomotive in the Netherlands — with starting, movement, stopping, and handling of unexpected obstacles without involvement of on-train staff. The company says this week’s announcement concludes a series of tests that are part of a partnership with Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail and […]
Similar to the EMD RS1325, the Alco S5 locomotive is one of those locomotive designs that seemed like a good idea at the time, was engineered well, ran well, but almost no one wanted to purchase. The manufacturer needed to update its aging lineup of 660-hp S3 and 1,000-hp S4 end cab switchers […]
The best-selling first-generation Electro-Motive diesel locomotives came from the switcher, cab unit, and road switcher product lines. The company that would dominate locomotive construction from the 1940s through the 1970s had humble beginnings, contracting the construction of motor cars at other companies’ plants in the 1920s. The Electro-Motive Corp. was purchased by General Motors in […]
Missouri-Kansas-Texas locomotives were modernized under the watch of President Matthew Sloan in the 1930s. They were mostly built before World War I, with higher boiler pressures and superheaters. As a light-rail granger road set in mostly prairie country, Katy needed only modernized engines. Premier mainline power was 154 Mikados and 62 Pacifies, with yard work […]
Also in this issue: Introducing Lionel Trains of the 1940s Our comprehensive look at a significant and not-so-segmented decade. Momentous and meaningful decade for Lionel Modernizing in many wonderful ways. Breakthrough year in realism for locomotives and cars Looking forward with many glances at the recent past. Colorful and fanciful cars still rode the Lionel […]
