SPECIAL EXPANDED REVIEW: ScaleTrains.com HO scale Union Pacific GTEL

ScaleTrains.com HO scale Union Pacific GTEL

ScaleTrains.com HO scale Union Pacific GTEL The GTEL includes (from left to right): a fuel tender, a B (turbine) unit, and an A (control) unit. The Museum-Quality series B unit features sliding access doors that reveal an accurate model of the General Electric gas turbine within. The detailed fuel tender includes a directional backup light […]

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MTH HO scale EMD GP38-2

MTH HO scale GP38-2

MTH HO scale GP38-2 diesel locomotive The HO scale locomotive’s die-cast metal frame encloses the motor, flywheels, and gear towers. The printed-circuit board is attached to the top. The MTH Ready-2-Rail model’s molded detail is well-defined and matches the prototype. The handrails are flexible plastic to resist breaking. A four-axle road switcher that would look […]

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Bachmann N scale passenger cars

Bachmann Trains N scale passenger cars

The new Bachmann N scale streamlined passenger cars include (from bottom, clockwise): a baggage car, observation car, and coach. The N scale streamlined observation car features a rounded end. All the cars feature one-piece detailed interiors (coach shown). The coach and observation car have overhead LED lighting. If it’s time to streamline the passenger service […]

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Quick Look: ANE Model Lococruiser DCC decoder

ANE Model Lococruiser DCC decoder

ANE Model Lococruiser DCC decoder Price: $28.95 Manufacturer ANE Model Ltd. Distributed by Heartland Hobby Wholesale 6929 Seward Ave. Lincoln, NE 68507 www.hhwonline.com Comments: For those looking for a straightforward to use, easy to install Digital Command Control (DCC) motor decoder, the Lococruiser line from ANE Model provides some reliable options. I tested the LC-201 […]

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Quick Look: Rivarossi HO scale 50-foot boxcar

Rivarossi HO scale 50-foot boxcar

Rivarossi HO scale 50-foot boxcar Price: $19.99; four-pack, $69.99 Manufacturer Hornby Hobbies 3900-C2 Industry Dr. E Fife, WA 98424-1829 www.hornbyamerica.com Road names. Sliding-door car: Great Northern; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Illinois Central; and Louisville & Nashville. Plug-door car available in five road names. Era: 1963 to 1976 (as decorated) Comments: Hornby Hobbies has released newly […]

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Digitrax DCS240 Command Station

Digitrax DCS240 Command Station

Digitrax DCS240 Command Station It isn’t often that a DCC manufacturer releases a new command station, so the new Digitrax DCS240 has drawn interest. After all, their DCS100 and DCS200 command stations have been around for 20 and 16 years, respectively. The big attention grabber is the statement the unit can “run up to 400 […]

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Walthers HO scale SD45 diesel

Walthers HO scale SD45 diesel locomotive

Walthers HO scale SD45 diesel locomotive From its flared radiators to its Flexicoil trucks, the HO scale SD45 from WalthersProto captures the look of this second-generation diesel. All the versions offered also feature roadname- and era-specific detailing. I tested a Wisconsin Central Ry. version that came equipped with a SoundTraxx Tsunami decoder. The prototype. With […]

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Quick Look: TCS WOWSound Steam Version 4 DCC sound decoder

TCS WOWSound Steam Version 4 DCC sound decoder

TCS WOWSound Steam Version 4 DCC sound decoder Price: $129.95 (decoder with Keep-Alive), $109.95 (decoder only) Manufacturer Train Control Systems P.O. Box 341 Blooming Glen, PA 18911 www.tcsdcc.com Comments: The WOWSound steam decoder, first reviewed in the October 2014 Model Railroader, is now better than ever with this Version 4 release. Our test sample included […]

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Atlas N scale General Electric B36-7 diesel

Atlas N scale B36-7 diesel

Atlas N scale B36-7 diesel Packing 3,600 hp under its hood, the General Electric B36-7 was just what Seaboard System wanted when it placed an order for 120 units in 1985, more than doubling the production total of the locomotive. Now, Atlas Model Railroad Co. has re-released its line of B-B truck Dash-7s in new […]

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Quick Look: Moloco HO General American 50-foot insulated boxcar

Moloco HO General American 50-foot insulated boxcar

Moloco HO General American 50-foot insulated boxcar Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Moloco 302-5025 Harvard Rd. Mississauga, ON L5M 0W6 Canada www.molocotrains.com Road names: Conrail, Milwaukee Road (Hydra-Cushion), Missouri Pacific, Rock Island, and Wabash. Four road numbers per scheme. Era: 1987 to late 1990s (as decorated) Comments: Moloco has released a new run of highly detailed HO […]

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Atlas HO scale GP38 diesel locomotive

Atlas HO scale GP38 diesel locomotive

Atlas HO scale GP38 diesel locomotive I heard the realistic rumble of the Electro-Motive Division 645 diesel engine when I set the Atlas HO scale GP38 on the rails of our test track. The biggest upgrade of this latest release of the GP38 is that it now comes factory-equipped with an ESU LokSound Select dual-mode […]

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Kato HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive

Kato HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive

Kato HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive All the detail parts, including grab irons and windshield wipers, are factory applied on the Kato HO scale mid-production SD40-2. The Kato SD40-2 features well-defined molded detail are prototypically placed detail parts. The Kato mid-production Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 features notable enhancements over the early-production SD40-2 reviewed in our August […]

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