Gary Raymond Vital statistics 1:32 scale, working knuckle couplersAmerican Model Supply33268 Central AvenueUnion City CA 94587Price: $10/pairWeb site: www.amstrains.com Working knuckle couplers and sprung draft-gear boxes for 1:32 scale Pros: Prototypical, working drop pin; Kadee #1-scale #820/920 mounting-hole compatibility; perfect size for 1:20.3 cars using three-quarter-size couplers Cons: Slightly oversize for 1:32 scale American Model […]
Bachmann Lumberjack set Marc Horovitz Bachmann Prospector set Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, large-scale starter setsBachmann Industries1400 East Erie AvenuePhiladelphia PA 19124Price: Lumberjack, $350; Prospector, $375Web site: www.bachmanntrains.com Large-scale starter sets; each set has a 1:20.3-scale Davenport diesel-outline locomotive, loop of track, power supply, accessories, DVD, and instruction book; “Prospector” (#90070) includes four side-dump ore cars; […]
Massoth Electronics DiMax Reverse Loop Module Kevin Strong iMax Reverse Loop ModuleMassoth Electronics6585 Remington Dr. Suite 200Cummings GA 30040Price: $128.50Web site: www.massoth.com 15-amp capacity, automatic reverse-loop detection and direction-control system for DCC or DC operation Pros: Non-shorting detection eliminates arcing and pits that can damage wheels and track; works with DCC and analog DC (with […]
Download “Making them go,” Kevin Strong’s 2003 article describing how large-scale locomotives are powered. Look for an updated version of this article in the April 2010 issue. […]
Bob Porges has a rudimentary case of nostalgia backwards. Bob’s layout isn’t a reflection of the toy trains of his childhood – rather, it is a reflection of his life. In virtually every corner of his O gauge layout, you’ll find vignettes of Bob’s childhood, his family, his career, and even his financial portfolio, all […]
What’s that? This is the summer when you visit every NASCAR track and Elvis memorial in Dixie? Forget it. Your passports are ready so you can take the kids to Six Flags over Cambodia? Put ’em away. There’s a family reunion in Wisconsin and you promised to bring the cheese curds and bratwurst? Let the […]
Tourists motor to Horseshoe Curve to watch the cavalcade of trains. When Don was young, the headliners were aluminum cars on the Pennsy’s Broadway Limited. Don and Karen Williams share their layout with visitors, including grandsons Jacob and Zachary. Iron horses in the Korber roundhouse watch a 3rd Rail Pennsy Atlantic 4-4-2 steam locomotive take […]
Route 66 – the two-lane highway that winds its way from Chicago to Los Angeles – has been immortalized in popular music, literature, and television. Who doesn’t remember the Joads making their way west on the Mother Road of the U.S. in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath or Tod and Buz tooling along in […]
Bachrus speedometer If you want to run your locomotives together in a consist, you need to be sure they will go the same speed at the same Digital Command Control speed step. The new Model Train Speedometer from Bachrus Inc. can help you do this. Speed matching involves programming your locomotives so they can run […]
Kato N scale N scale El Capitan From their sleek, silver, fluted sides to their detailed interiors, this N scale El Capitan is an accurate model of one of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry.’s most famous long-distance trains. The ready-to-run Kato passenger cars make it easy to operate a full Hi-Level El Capitan […]
Athearn HO scale FP7 diesel locomotive Whether hauling a passenger train at speed or rumbling along with a local freight, this new HO scale FP7 sounds as good as it looks. Part of Athearn’s high-end Genesis line, the FP7 features many roadname-specific details. The model is available with a SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control (DCC) […]
Walthers HO scale Pullman 4-4-2 sleeper car The Union Pacific’s classic City trains are the next series of HO scale passenger cars coming from Walthers, and the first car to arrive is this Pullman-Standard 4-4-2 luxury all-room sleeper. Unlike earlier releases of this car, this ready-to-run model features factory-installed handrails. Built in 1942, this lightweight […]
