WalthersMainline HO scale 40-foot boxcar

boxcar

A ubiquitous freight car that rode America’s rails from one World War to another, the 40-foot double-sheathed wood boxcar developed by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), is the latest HO scale offering from WalthersMainline. A war baby. The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was formed in 1917 to nationalize the nation’s railroads, which were […]

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Menards HO scale Sprecher Brewing Co.

Brewery building

Sprecher Brewing Co., a Milwaukee fixture famous for craft beers and many flavors of fire-brewed sodas, is coming to HO and O scale model railroads nationwide thanks to another Wisconsin com- pany, Menards. The model. Menards’ structure is meant to resemble a generic brewery of the steam-to-diesel transition era. The era I listed in the […]

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Bachmann HO scale SC-44 Charger diesel

Amtrak train

The Siemens SC-44 Charger is built in California. The first units are in Amtrak- supported state and regional service. Chargers have been pulling trains in California (CalTrans, North County Transit District, and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission), Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin (IDOT), Maryland (MARC), and Washington state (WSDOT) since 2017. Amtrak has ordered 75 similar […]

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Athearn N scale PS 4427 covered hopper

boxcar

A Pullman-Standard (PS) high-side 4,427-cubic-foot-capacity three-bay covered hopper is now available from Athearn Trains. The N scale model features an injection-molded plastic body, wire and etched-metal details, and screw-mounted roller-bearing trucks with 36″ metal wheelsets. The prototype. Pullman-Standard introduced the 4,427-cubic-foot-capacity covered hopper in 1964. For the first two years of the production run, the […]

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Product Review Kitwood Hill Models 36-foot On30 turntable

wooden turntable

Steam-era operation typically requires additional infrastructure items, such as coaling towers and water cranes, but perhaps the most interesting of these is the turntable, used for turning locomotives and sending them back out in the opposite direction. Kitwood Hill Models offers several laser-cut wood kits for gallows-style narrow-gauge turntables in an assortment of lengths, all […]

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Product Review Atlas HO scale RSD-4/5

Atlas HO locomotive

Atlas Model Railroad Co. has released a new run of HO scale Alco RSD-5 diesel locomotives in its Classic line. The six-axle road switcher features a dual-mode ESU LokSound decoder, improved tooling on the turbo exhaust stack (air- and water-cooled versions), and factory-installed and painted wire grab irons. The prototype. Alco produced the RSD-5 from March […]

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Jacksonville Terminal Co. N scale 53-foot well car

two well cars

Jacksonville Terminal Co., a relatively new manufacturer that’s been making a name for itself with a line of N scale intermodal containers, is now offering its first freight car, a modern, 100-ton, double-stack well car. The die-cast-metal N scale car features etched-metal end platforms, separately applied brake gear, and body-mounted knuckle couplers. Prototype and model. […]

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ScaleTrains.com HO scale EMD SD45

Whether you’re a Rivet Counter or an Operator, ScaleTrains.com has an SD45 for you. These HO scale models are available now with every last detail installed, or just the highlights, and with dual-mode sound decoders, or as direct- current models with a provision to add your favorite Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. General Motors’ Electro-Motive […]

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Atlas N scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive

Atlas N scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive

A new run of N scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotives is now available from Atlas Model Railroad Co. The Master Line models are offered in two versions. Silver series models have a factory-installed speaker, while Gold series locomotives have a dual-mode ESU LokSound Select sound decoder. The prototype. Electro-Motive Division produced the GP38 from […]

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Trix HO scale Union Pacific Big Boy no. 4014

Trix HO scale Union Pacific Big Boy no. 4014

The excitement created by Union Pacific when it brought Big Boy no. 4014 back to life can now reach your HO scale layout with this specially detailed locomotive model from Trix, the two-rail, DC subsidiary of Märklin. The prototype. Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotives are some of the most famous in the world. […]

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Walthers HO scale wood coaling tower

Walthers HO scale wood coaling tower

If your steam-era railroad needs a compact locomotive servicing terminal, Walthers has a new HO scale structure that will fill the bill (and your locomotive’s tender). The compact Wood Coaling Tower (item no. 933-4202) is big enough to keep a handful of steam locomotives fueled without taking up a lot of layout space. Its short […]

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