Branchline Trains’ NYC passenger car In an editorial on the state of the art in passenger car modeling (January 2000 Model Railroader), I wrote that we were still missing the passenger equivalents of the best plastic mass-produced freight car kits. The new HO scale heavyweight coach kit from Branchline Trains is an answer to that […]
Rivarossi HO UP Streamliner passenger cars Two new Union Pacific streamlined passenger cars of the 1950s have been released by Rivarossi. These classic smooth-side coach and dome-observation cars come ready-to-run with interior details, free-rolling plastic and metal trucks, and magnetic knuckle couplers. The book Union Pacific Streamliners, by Harold Ranks and William Kratville, includes UP […]
Athearn HO scale BethGon Coalporter Modern unit-train coal gondola has great detail If you want to model a modern unit coal train, you’ll want to check out Athearn’s Ready-to-Roll BethGon Coalporters. The models are based on the aluminum-and-steel coal gondolas built by Johnstown America in the 1980s and ’90s. The Coalporter’s interior details include the […]
Lux-Modellbau HO scale powered wheel cleaner Wheel cleaner saves time and effort This cleaning machine effectively cleans oil and dirt off all types of rolling stock wheels. It can be used with all control systems including two-rail DC, three-rail AC, and Digital Command Control (DCC). It’s manufactured by Lux-Modellbau in five sizes for permanent installations […]
Life-Like Proto 2000 HO scale Pere Marqette Berkshire 2-8-4 The motor is concealed in the boiler so the firebox can be filled with weight to help balance the locomotive. Twin air pumps are mounted on the pilot deck behind a pair of shields. DCC plug Click the chart for a larger version. HO 2-8-4 has […]
Kadee HO scale PS-2 two-bay covered hopper The roof hatches can be opened. The molded ladder rungs measure only a scale 1″ in diameter HO PS-2 covered hopper is superbly done A great-looking Clinchfield 70-ton covered hopper is the first model introduced in Kadee’s new line of Pullman-Standard PS-2 two-bay covered hoppers. It comes ready […]
Athearn HO scale CF7 The unusual-looking CF7 road switcher is the latest ready-to-run plastic locomotive released by Athearn, and it’s the third Ready-to-Roll locomotive to feature a modified Rail Power Products shell. The model is based on a prototype rebuilt by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in the 1970s. An oddball is bornIn late […]
Rivarossi HO Union Pacific 4-8-4 Northern steam locomotive Click on chart for a larger image Improved HO 4-8-4 has looks and power This HO 4-8-4 from Rivarossi is a welcome upgrade to an accurate and attractive model originally introduced in 1980. The new engine features RP-25 wheels, improved electrical pickup, flywheel drive, increased weight for […]
Lionel HO 4-6-6-4 Challenger Click on the chart for a larger image Challenger marks Lionel’s return to HO “Challenger” is one of the more dramatic names given to any steam locomotive wheel arrangement, and the new HO scale 4-6-6-4 from Lionel lives up to that moniker. It’s a well-executed model of a well-known group of […]
HOn3 Goose gallops along Click on the chart for a larger image First a bit of history. Let’s roll back the calendar to the early 1930s. The Rio Grande Southern was about to go under unless management could cut costs drastically. Necessity, or in this case desperation, can indeed be the mother of invention. The […]
SD50 delivers good looks and great performance An EMD SD50 with all six axles powered to deliver exceptional tractive effort is the latest addition to Life-Like’s Proto 2000 line of modern locomotives. It’s a heavy-duty, six-axle, diesel-electric locomotive originally designed to haul unit coal trains. The Proto 2000 model has a highly detailed plastic body […]
Athearn HO scale EMD GP60 diesel locomotive HO GP60M is a runner This colorful HO Electro-Motive Division GP60M locomotive comes ready to run in post-merger Burlington Northern Santa Fe colors and three other prototypical paint schemes. The assembled models come with Bachmann E-Z Mate magnetic knuckle couplers and are part of Athearn’s Ready-to-Roll line. EMD […]
