Five details you can add to transition-era cabooses

Black-and-white photo of steel caboose with rooftop antenna

We’ll take a look at five details you can add to transition-era cabooses. Some details are railroad-specific, while others apply to many railroads. When in doubt, refer to prototype photos. The steam-to-diesel transition era, roughly 1940 to 1960, is the most popular modeling era. There are several reasons for this. Many people who model this […]

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HO scale number 6 turnouts

Group photo of HO scale No. 6 turnouts

HO scale number 6 turnouts HO scale number 6 turnouts. Running trains in a circle or oval may hold your attention for a little bit, but eventually you’ll want your trains to go somewhere beyond that basic loop. That’s where turnouts enter the scene. Turnouts let you split one line into two, design yards, model […]

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Model an enginehouse scene

Photo of metal single-track enginehouse with supplies stored along right side

Model an enginehouse scene. Last year, I wrote about an old 40-foot insulated boxcar being used as a storage shed on the Sisseton Milbank RR (SMRR) in Milbank, S.D. I thought it would be fun to take another look at the 38-mile line, a subsidiary of the Twin Cities & Western RR, this time focusing […]

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Wall-mounted billboard three-pack

Model of billboard on the side of a brick wall

Wall-mounted billboard three-pack Scale: N (1:160) Price: $17.98 Era: 1920s to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Wall-mounted billboard three-pack features: Newly tooled Parts to build three complete billboards Models a billboard without any lights Printed color signs Release date: Winter 2023 News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com […]

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34-foot 100-ton two-bay hopper from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.

Model of orange two-bay hopper

34-foot 100-ton two-bay hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $31.98 (undecorated, $29.98) Era: 1970s to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com 34-foot 100-ton two-bay hopper features: Factory-applied door and brake details Heavy die-cast metal underframe 36” metal wheelsets with RP-25 contours Proto-Max metal couplers Road names: Gifford […]

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Electro-Motive Division GP9 diesel locomotive from WalthersProto

Drawing of black and yellow diesel locomotive

Electro-Motive Division GP9 Phase II diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin plug, $219.98; with dual-mode ESU LokSound 5 sound decoder, $319.98. Era: 1954 to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Electro-Motive Division GP9 Phase II diesel locomotives features: Road-specific details Wire grab irons […]

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Wall-mounted billboard three-pack from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.

Model of billboard on the side of a brick wall

Wall-mounted billboard three-pack Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $17.98 Era: 1920s to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Wall-mounted billboard three-pack features: Newly tooled Parts to build three complete billboards Can be built with vintage- or modern-style platforms and nonworking lights Printed color signs Release date: Winter 2023 News & Products is […]

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Gunderson rebuilt all-purpose 53-foot well car from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.

Model of red intermodal well car

Gunderson rebuilt all-purpose 53-foot well car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $44.98 Era: Mid-2000s to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Gunderson rebuilt all-purpose 53-foot well car features: Carries 20- to 53-foot intermodal containers Etched-metal see-through walkways Heavy die-cast metal body Body weld line details Factory-installed wire grab irons, brake gear, […]

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City of San Francisco is the latest WalthersProto name train

Model train passing mountainous terrain during a sunset

City of San Francisco The City of San Francisco will be the next train in Walthers’ line of name trains. This offering will feature equipment from the various railroads that jointly operated this streamliner from Chicago to San Francisco, including Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Union Pacific, and Texas & New Orleans. Electro-Motive Division E9A and […]

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WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper

Model of gray hopper car in front of white background

WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 walthers.com Era: 2007 to present (as decorated) Road names: Trinity Industries Leasing (gray and black [75th anniversary] schemes), Archer Daniels Midland (gray with modern logo), Bunge North America Inc. (gray), Cenex Harvest States Cooperative (gray), CIT […]

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WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper

Model of gray hopper car in front of white background

WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 walthers.com Era: 2007 to present (as decorated) Road names: Trinity Industries Leasing (gray and black [75th anniversary] schemes), Archer Daniels Midland (gray with modern logo), Bunge North America Inc. (gray), Cenex Harvest States Cooperative (gray), CIT […]

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Walthers HO scale stop signs

City street scene with yellow stop sign

Stop signs Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: 10-pack, $14.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Stop sign features: Factory-painted and printed Two versions: Yellow and black (1924-1954) and red and white (1954-present) Release date: Winter 2023 News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com for model railroad operators and builders to get […]

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