CABIN FEVER: Get away for a weekend in the woods with the O gauge no. BR5869 Rustic Cabin from Woodland Scenics. The features board and batten siding, a shake shingle roof, woodpile, and a covered porch with two rocking chairs. A pre-installed LED porchlight, compatible with Woodland’s Just Plug lighting system, is included. Price: $99.99. Visit www.woodlandscenics.com for more details.
AS SEEN ON TV: Lionel’s O gauge no. 12345 wide vision caboose offers a conductor’s-eye view of your layout thanks to a small video camera built into the cupola. The camera uses a Wi-Fi connection to stream live video to a smart phone or other connected device. The scale-dimensioned caboose is priced at $124.99. It features die cast metal trucks, operating couplers, and an LED illuminated interior with two crew figures. See your Lionel retailer or go to www.lionel.com.
MAKING MILWAUKEE FAMOUS: The fully assembled no. 279-4493 Sprecher Brewery is the latest rail-served business in the Menards line of fully assembled and illuminated O gauge structures. Inspired by a Milwaukee-area regional brewer, the building is 91/2 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 131/2 inches tall. The model has interior and exterior LED lighting and a multi-colored, sequentially illuminated Sprecher electronic sign. The loading dock features three workers, hand-trucks, beer kegs, beer cases, and Jack the German shepherd. The lights require a 4½-volt Menards no. 279-4061, -4062, or -4050 power supply (sold separately). The brewery costs $99.99 plus shipping, or select free shipping to a local Menards store. Order at www.Menards.com/trains.
BACK FROM THE BONEYARD: Kalmbach Media, PO Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187-1612 has released Big Boy – Back in Steam. This DVD covers the history of the Big Boy, the 2014-2019 restoration of No. 4041, and the May 2019 inaugural runs of Union Pacific’s No. 4014 on its original operating territory between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Ogden, Utah, across famous Sherman Hill and Wasatch Grade. Run time is approximately 110 minutes. Price: $29.95 Website: KalmbachHobbyStore.com
