Athearn DCC-sound-equipped N scale F45 Price: $199.98ManufacturerAthearn Trains1550 Glenn Curtiss St.Carson, CA 90746www.athearn.comEra: 1966 to 1990sComments: I reviewed the DC-only Athearn N scale F45 and FP45 in the February 2009 issue. This DCC version includes a dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control decoder. The decoder and a single downward-facing speaker are on top of the […]
Below, you can watch a streaming video of this “Blast from the Past” as Lionel revisits the olden days with the O gauge “Thunderbird” set, part of the “Lionel Postwar Authentics – Conventional Classics” series. […]
BLI’s model of the New York Central’s 4-8-2 Mohawk is a very good representation of the original. It delivers great performance mechanically and sounds superb due to QSI/DCC sound from two 1.1″ speakers. Right out of the box, you know BLI did their homework. This locomotive looks like it was meant to run and it […]
Watch us run this upgraded Rivarossi locomotive. Along with factory-applied weathering the model includes a dual-mode ESU LokSound Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. […]
Hornby America, Inc. HO scale Big Boy steam locomotive With a coat of factory-applied grime and rust, this HO scale Big Boy looks like it’s seen years of hard use. Since the late 1960s Rivarossi has manufactured Big Boy 4-8-8-4 locomotives in HO scale. This is the first Rivarossi Big Boy to be weathered and […]
Con-Cor International N scale Aerotrain Following the success of the HO scale Aerotrain, reviewed in the May 2008 issue of Model Railroader, Con-Cor now offers this articulated passenger train in N. The ready-to-run model is designed for direct-current layouts, but provisions are included for adding Digital Command Control and sound. Prototype history. The two nine-car […]
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Broadway Limited HO scale Paragon2 Hudson J1e steam locomotive Out of the box, this is a good looking locomotive. It appears to match very closely with pictures that I have of similar locomotives. One negative that immediately grabbed my attention was the lack of heft of the locomotive in my hand. This will be problematic […]
“The Chopper” by NorthWest Short Line Photo by Dennis Murphy I have a lot fun with my model railroading hobby. I find the different aspects to be the most enjoyable part. And lately, I’ve been working a lot with wood kits (buildings and bridges mostly).You can never have too many models on your layout, especially […]
ANYONE WHO HAS READ MY REVIEWS OVER TIME knows I have one simple mantra about reproductions of vintage trains. Simply put: “New is better.” So starts Bob Keller’s review of Lionel’s no. 2219W Lackawanna “Thunderbird” set, one of the new “Lionel Postwar Authentics – Conventional Classics.” Older trains (postwar or even prewar) are simple, rugged, […]
AMONG THE FIRST SIX-AXLE LOCOMOTIVES that caught my eye were the big General Electric U-boats, notably the U30C and its kin. The U30C was, of course, a six-axle 3,000-horsepower titan fielded by GE, and it has been credited with helping to push GE into the number two slot in “dieseldom.” More than 590 were built, […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Alco HH600/660 diesel locomotive An excellent HO scale model of an Alco HH600/660 switcher is the latest diesel locomotive released by Atlas. It’s a model of an early diesel engine that dates to the 1930s. This ready-to-run model has a powerful, smooth-running, dual-flywheel drive fitted into a superbly detailed […]
