Arkansas & Missouri Railroad roster Legendary among Alco operators, the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is an independent Class III railroad operating 139-miles of onetime Frisco trackage between Monett, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark. In addition to freight service, the road also operates passenger excursions. The road’s all-Alco fleet is dominated by 16 C420s of various […]
Atlas offers number 8 HO scale turnouts with code 100 and code 83 rail. This review considers its appearance and functionality. Appearance On the plus side, the turnout is made of Nickel/Silver rail with black plastic ties which have molded spikes on every tie (the code 83 turnout comes with brown plastic ties). Simulated wood […]
The Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts are alive with color on October 11, 1997, as Conrail freight SELA rolls through Chester, Mass., behind C30-7A locomotives. Matt Van Hattem There are countless opportunities to enjoy the colors of fall from trackside public parks and railroad museums, and aboard special fall foliage train excursions. The U.S. Forest […]
M.T.H. HO scale 4-12-2 steam locomotive An HO model of the world’s largest rigid-wheelbase locomotive is available from M.T.H. Electric Trains. The HO 4-12-2 has realistic sounds and smoke that make it a lot of fun to operate, especially on a Digital Command Control (DCC) or M.T.H. Digital Command System layout. And the engine can […]
Walthers HO scale “Michigan” ore cars Price: 12-car limited-run sets, $169.98 ManufacturerWm. K. Walthers Inc. P.O. Box 3039 Milwaukee, WI 53201 www.walthers.com Era: 1942 to present day Comments: These short ore cars were designed and built in large numbers to haul heavy loads of iron ore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Even though their 24-foot length […]
Atlas N scale GE Dash 8-40CW N scalers who model the modern day should be happy with Atlas’ new release, General Electric’s Dash 8-40CW road engine. Atlas’ offering is a well detailed, crisply painted model with a smooth, flywheel-equipped drivetrain and an optional Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. The prototype. Seen by some railfans as […]
Rapido N scale Canadian National lightweight passenger cars Price: $47.95 each ManufacturerRapido Trains Inc. 140 Applewood Crescent, Unit A Concord, Ont., Canada L4K 4E2 www.rapidotrains.com Era: 1952 to present day Comments: These new N scale lightweight passenger cars from Rapido Trains are some of the best-detailed commercial models I’ve seen. Each plastic car comes assembled […]
BLMA Models HO and N scale Norfolk Southern class G85R Top Gon coal gondolas A Norfolk Southern class G85R Top Gon coal gondola is the first freight car offering from BLMA Models. The ready-to-run cars are available in HO and N scales and have road number-specific load limit, light weight, and “rebody” date stencils. Prototype […]
Train Control Systems drop-in N scale Digital Command Control decoder Price: $39.95 ManufacturerTrain Control Systems P.O. Box 341 Blooming Glen, PA 18911 www.tcsdcc.com Comments: This drop-in Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder from Train Control Systems fits the Kato N scale SD70ACe, GG1, and SD40. The TCS K1D4-NC decoder controls motor and lighting functions and has […]
THE TARGET OF OUR ATTENTION HERE is another addition to the locomotive lineup for the Atlas O Trainman series of value-priced, scale-dimension, three-rail products. Our Atlas model is a General Electric U23B, a four-axle freight-hauler. Don’t let the model number fool you. The General Electric U23B came after the venerable U25B. Of course, the original […]
ON THE CUSP OF ALCO’S DECLINING YEARS, the Schenectady, N.Y. locomotive builder fielded the 1,800 horsepower RS-11 as a replacement in the catalog for its popular RS-3 (and its cousins). The new Alco locomotive could be purchased in low- or high-hood versions and was suitable for both freight and passenger operations. Its natural target was […]
In the November 2009 issue, Norm tells you how he built his locomotive servicing terminal to showcase big steam power. The cover story in CTT’s November 2008 HI-RAIL SPECIAL issue was on the stunning 19 x 22-foot layout created by Norm Charbonneau. A weathered Lionel New York Central L2a 4-8-4 Mohawk spins on the Bowser […]
