Atlas HO scale General Electric U33B diesel

MRRPR0418_01

Atlas HO scale General Electric U33B diesel locomotive The Rock Island was a mighty fine line, but by the time General Electric’s U33B locomotives were delivered in the late 1960s, the Rock was in a hard place. The 3,300hp diesels were designed for fast freight, but the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific was a granger […]

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Quick Look: Lowell Smith N scale sleepers

MRRPR0418_09

Lowell Smith N scale sleepers Price: $54 each Manufacturer Lowell Smith Signature Series P.O. Box 219 Gresham, OR 97030 www.lowellsmith.net Car names: Death Valley and Grand Canyon Era: late 1940s to early 1950s Comments: The Lowell Smith Signature Series has launched a new line of N scale passenger cars, the Pullman Park Series. The first […]

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Quick Look: Woodland Scenics HO trailer homes

MRRPR0418_11

Woodland Scenics HO scale Double Decker Trailer Price: $74.99 Manufacturer Woodland Scenics P.O. Box 98 Linn Creek, MO 65052 www.woodlandscenics.com Versions: Sunny Days, Grillin’ & Chillin’, and Double Decker trailers Era: 1950s to present Comments: Modelers looking for downscale housing for their trackside towns should check out this Landmark Structures offering from Woodland Scenics. The […]

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Book Review: Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives

DieselLocomotives

Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives By Jeff Wilson Kalmbach Books; 350 pages, 400+ photos, softcover, 8.25 x 10.75 inches; $27.99. www.kalmbachhobbystore.com Back in the late 1950s/early 1960s, many “old guard” railfans held the opinion that the hobby of train watching would gradually die out concurrently with the demise of steam. In 1963, Lucius Beebe, […]

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Two big engines that couldn’t

MP080KirkwoodHill

After a 2-10-2 and 4-8-4 stalled on MoPac’s Kirkwood Hill, an 0-8-0 and caboose couple up to render assistance. Joe Collias Heading west from St. Louis, Missouri Pacific trains faced the 6-mile-long, 1-percent grade known as Kirkwood Hill. Normal train length was 100 cars, powered by one of the rebuilt 2101-class 4-8-4s and led by […]

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New model trains for the week of February 8, 2018

Bachmann Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP30 diesel locomotive

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. CSX (Norfolk Southern patchout), Pennsylvania RR (four road numbers), Southern Pacific (no. 7342 in orange and Daylight Red and orange), and Southern Ry. (as-delivered scheme and Norfolk Southern heritage unit no. 3170). Three numbers per scheme unless noted. Prototype-specific details, factory-installed and painted wire grab irons, and […]

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O gauge U.S. Air Force SW8 switcher by MTH Electric Trains

blue model switcher

O GAUGE SW8 DIESEL FROM MTH Price: $329.95 (no. 30-20408-1) Min Curve: O-27 Cmd Low: 2.9 smph Cnv Low: 3.1 smph High: 73.6 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb., 2 oz. Features: Two can-style motors, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, coil couplers Current-production road names: Chicago & North Western, GM Diesel Division (Canada), Nickel Plate […]

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Woodland Scenics O scale mobile homes

model trailer house

O SCALE MOBILE HOMES BY WOODLAND SCENICS Price: $94.99 each Features: Fully assembled and decorated, interior decoration and illumination, made for the Just Plug lighting system The three Built-&-Ready mobile homes from Woodland Scenics prove that astonishing things can come in relatively small packages. I will confess to some confusion with the idea, but when […]

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Ahead of the rest

AcelaExpressPerryvilleMD

A southbound ‘Acela’ races across a stretch of positive train control trackage on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor at Perryville, Md., on June 5, 2011. Michael T. Burkhart This story first appeared in the October 2011 issue of Trains Magazine. The Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System highlighted here was not active at the time of the of […]

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