I read a lot of pleas for help from beginning garden railroaders, both in the form of letters to Garden Railways and queries on Internet discussion groups. Building a railroad can seem a daunting task, especially if you compare your patch of dirt with the finished showpieces featured in the magazine. Whenever I’m asked this […]
Section: News & Reviews
Athearn and PCM HO scale 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotives
Athearn’s model has a highly detailed plastic superstructure that’s nearly filled with a two-piece weight that supports and encloses the mechanism. Precision Craft’s locomotive is made of die-cast metal with excellent detail throughout. This model includes a smoke unit and engine crew. Two impressive new HO scale models of the Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 […]
N scale MRC and Aztec sound and DCC system
N MRC and Aztec sound and DCC system The wait is over for N scale modelers who’ve been dreaming of miniature sound decoders for Digital Command Control (DCC) operation. Model Rectifier Corp. (MRC) has teamed up with Aztec Manufacturing to offer a one-two punch for easy installation of a DCC sound decoder in most Atlas […]
Walthers HO scale Empire Builder ACF coach passenger car
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iHobby Expo 2006 preliminary show report
Electro-Motive Division SD38 and SD38AC diesel locomotives HO scale locomotivesElectro-Motive Division SD38 and SD38AC diesel locomotives. SD38 decorated for Elgin, Joliet & Eastern and McCloud River; and Grand Trunk Western. SD38AC painted for Bessemer & Lake Erie and Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range. Ex-Rail Power Products shell with Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder Quick Plug, […]
MTH Premier line O gauge R-1 subway train
MTH HAS STEPPED BACK in time in an exciting way with an O gauge model of New York City’s rumbling R-1 subway cars. Until now, MTH has offered more contemporary models of mass transit equipment, in both its Premier and RailKing lines. The R-1 changes all of that. Between 1930 and 1931, American Car & […]
Weaver O gauge VO-1000 diesel
THE VO-1000 IS one of my favorites of the early diesel years. Baldwin Locomotive Works built more than 500 of these 1,000-horsepower locomotives between 1939 and 1946. The VO-1000 was replaced in 1946 by the outwardly similar DS-4-4-10, which came equipped with a different diesel engine. The VO-series switchers were exemplary at their job. As […]
Weaver O scale refrigerator car
THE FREIGHT TRAINS that I run on my layout are probably typical of most three-railers: a mix of road names and freight car types. Add to that list of runners Weaver’s 57-foot mechanical refrigerator car with sound.What? Sound in a big box? Yep. Weaver’s reefer is as nice as they come. Weaver has delivered plenty […]
Walthers HO scale Proto 2000 EMD GP20 with sound and DCC
Walthers HO Proto 2000 EMD GP20 with sound and DCC A high-nose version of Electro-Motive Division’s GP20 road switcher is now available in the Proto 2000 series from Walthers. The ready-to-run HO scale model is offered with and without Digital Command Control (DCC) and QSI Quantum sound, and it features railroad-specific detailing. Though production of […]
Walthers HO AT&SF heavyweight chair car
Walthers HO AT&SF heavyweight chair car The distinctive look of Santa Fe heavyweight passenger cars is accurately represented in this HO chair car from Walthers. The assembled car includes a detailed interior, six-wheel trucks with metal wheels and sideframes for electrical pickup, and a removable clerestory roof to allow installation of a lighting kit (not […]
Broadway Limited HO F7s are powerful performers with sound
Broadway Limited HO F7 A ready-to-run sound-equipped HO replica of Electro-Motive Division’s classic bulldog-nosed F7 has been released by Broadway Limited Imports. The hard-pulling, well-detailed model also features a dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder that operates on DC or DCC layouts. The prototype. Electro-Motive manufactured approximately 7,500 Fs, starting with the FT in 1939 […]
SoundTraxx HO Tsunami DCC decoder
SoundTraxx HO Tsunami DCC decoder The Tsunami line of 16-bit DC/DCC sound decoders from SoundTraxx is the latest group of sound systems to join the HO scale market, and it’s a formidable entry. Its very robust set of features includes 22 steam sounds and a full range of motor and other operating controls. The decoder […]
