Blackstone Models ProTraxx HOn3 snap-together track Price: $18.25 (4-pack), $89.95 (20-piece set) Manufacturer Blackstone Models 210 Rock Point Dr. Durango, CO 81301 www.blackstonemodels.com Comments: Blackstone Models is making narrow gauge modeling, once the province of hand-laid track, easier with its line of snap-together HOn3 ProTraxx. The code 70 track features attached plastic roadbed molded to […]
The new HO scale Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquette streamliner from Walthers features EMD E7A diesel-electric locomotives equipped with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) decoders. The passenger car models feature overhead interior lighting. See and hear this detailed HO scale passenger train as it makes a run across the Model Railroader staff’s layout. […]
January issue reviews are always a bit sad for me. While the on-sale date of the magazine may still be before Christmas, the cover date means we’re moving past the high point of the toy train year. So I still like to get some Christmassy goodness in the January issue, even though some holiday curmudgeons […]
European outline O gauge trains are no stranger to modern operators and collectors. In recent years, we’ve seen three-rail gear exported to the U.S. from Europe by Ace Trains, Basset-Lowke (now a division of Hornby), and our friends at ETS. For several years, however, MTH Electric Trains has been busy cultivating the European market by […]
Atlas N scale 4-4-0 steam locomotive An icon of American history is now available in N scale from Atlas. The old-time American 4-4-0 comes in a variety of road names and is equipped with a straight or flared smokestack, depending on the prototype. The model is designed with a tender-mounted motor and traction tires to […]
Bachmann HO scale Porter switcher Equipped with a dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder, this Porter 0-6-0 from Bachmann is equipped to handle HO scale industrial chores. The model is an accurate reproduction of its side-tank engine prototype and operates on direct-current (DC) as well as DCC layouts. The H.K. Porter Co. carved out a […]
Walthers HO scale Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquette Michigan’s Pere Marquette streamliners are rolling along HO rails thanks to Walthers. Introduced by the Pere Marquette Ry. in 1946 as America’s first postwar streamliners, two identical 7-car trains provided daily service between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich. A 1947 merger made the PM part of the […]
Model Rectifier Corp. Prodigy Advance Squared Elite DCC system Price: $549.98 Manufacturer Model Rectifier Corp. 80 Newfield Ave. Edison, NJ 08837 www.modelrectifier.com Comments: Fans of Model Rectifier Corp’s Prodigy Advance Digital Command Control (DCC) system now have a super-size version that’s a perfect fit for club-size layouts of the smallest to the largest scales. The […]
Athearn HO scale NACC 50-foot insulated boxcar Price: $31.98 Manufacturer Athearn Trains 1600 Forbes Way, Ste. 120 Long Beach, CA 90810 www.athearn.com Era: 1964 to 2000sRoad names: Dresser Magcobar, Brown Co., Pearl Brewing Co., and Western Pacific (three road numbers per scheme) Comments: After a 3-year hiatus, Athearn has re-issued its HO scale 50-foot North […]
This HO scale Norfolk & Western Y6b from Broadway Limited Imports features Digital Command Control, realistic sound, and puffing smoke. The 2-8-8-2 also has pulling power worthy of its prototype. See and hear this HO steam locomotive as it hauls a freight train on the Model Railroader staff’s club layout. […]
Prewar trains are delightfully uncomplicated and remind us of the fun that can be had just running around a circle of track on the floor. The Lionel Corp. Tinplate line no. 269E freight set by MTH is a great example of a prewar-style O gauge train that delivers quality performance. It’s a swell introduction to […]
If the no. 269E freight in the previous review epitomizes a hotshot train of the olden days, this O gauge RailKing freight set from MTH shows off the best side of modern railroading as well as the high-tech side of the three-rail game with nicely detailed rolling stock pulled by a RailKing Imperial line locomotive. […]
