Set aside all your prototype railroad reference books. This outfit is from the fun era of toy trains, when trains were actual toys and what people bought were representations of the real thing, not scale models. You get the prewar Lionel heritage, except the trains are made better! LocomotionThis may be anathema to most train […]
For some reason, most starter sets seem be named using a very narrow list of railroads: New York Central, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific. I guess you can toss Amtrak into the mix, too. So for us to receive a Lionel starter set in the color of the Minneapolis & St. Louis is a […]
Broadway Limited HO scale Pennsyvania RR Q2 4-4-6-4 A Pennsylvania Q2 made of 95% brass, said to be the most detailed model of the locomotive ever built. Broadway Limited has done a great job, yet again, on the 2nd release of the PRR Q2. The models crisp paint and smoke that it produces, make this […]
Fox Valley Models B&O Wagon Top Boxcar If you receive the monthly NMRA Magazine, you may have noticed the Fox Valley Models announcement of a Baltimore & Ohio M53 “Wagon Top” Boxcar in HO & N scale. I have very clear memories of this car from my very early childhood so I asked my local […]
Frisco 4501, one of the road’s three 4500-series 4-8-4s assigned to passenger service, rolls the Meteor into St. Louis. Ben F. Cutler About midnight on a Saturday in 1944 on the station platform in Neosho, Mo., are 500 guys with suntans, each carrying a one-day pass and probably a railway ticket tucked in his wallet. […]
Athearn Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD70ACe HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD70ACe. New paint schemes: Montana Rail Link, CSX, Ferromex, and Union Pacific (Missouri-Kansas-Texas heritage scheme). Five-pole skew-wound motor with two flywheels, factory-installed detailed parts, and detailed cab interior. Direct-current models, $189.98. With SoundTraxx Digital Command Control and sound, $289.98. Genesis series. Athearn Trains, […]
Athearn Trains HO scale U50 diesel locomotive The Union Pacific RR is a pioneer in the use of high-horsepower diesel-electric locomotives, such as the General Electric U50 accurately modeled in HO scale by Athearn Trains. The direct-current model has a smooth-running mechanism that’s designed for the easy installation of a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound […]
Atlas HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train Master diesel locomotive Price: $159.95 (direct current), $269.95 (DCC sound) ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad Co., Inc.378 Florence Ave.Hillside, NJ 07205-1102atlasrr.com Era: 1962 to 1964 (as decorated) Comments: The HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train Master diesel from Atlas is now available in this late version Wabash paint scheme. We reviewed the […]
Kato USA N scale Amtrak intercity set Just in time for the 40th anniversary of America’s national passenger rail service, Kato USA is offering a sharp-looking, smooth-running Amtrak intercity express train set in N scale. The set’s General Electric P42 Genesis locomotive, Heritage baggage car, Amfleet lounge and coach, and twin Viewliner sleepers are decorated […]
This 55-ton twin hopper is a recent addition to the MTH line of HO freight cars. The model has a molded plastic body with a die-cast metal underbody, metal wheelsets, many add-on details, and knuckle couplers. Our sample was smoothly painted and neatly lettered.The prototype for this car was one of five standardized freight car […]
This graph shows the calculated drawbar horsepower curves for five classes in the first wave of 4-8-4s: Lackawanna Q-1, Canadian National U-2-a, Northern Pacific A, Santa Fe 3751, and Canadian Pacific K-1. Neil Carlson In the days of steam it was a normal practice to estimate the horsepower potential of a locomotive. Baldwin Locomotive Works […]
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 4-8-4 No. 602, named Governor Thomas Jefferson, rushes an 18-car passenger train toward Washington, D.C., near Four Mile Run, Va., in June 1940. C. W. Whitbeck Back pressure Back pressure is caused by the resistance of the exhaust steam exiting the cylinders. Overcoming this resistance represents negative work done by the […]
