Ask Trains from November 2006

Q On the front of a typical diesel locomotive are six “hoses.” Please define their purpose. Further, above the coupler is what appears to be a shorting hose. What is that? – Howard Beard, New Port Richey, Fla. A What you’re seeing is two sets of three hoses that are part of a train’s air-brake […]

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Quick and easy Flextrack

topper tape flextrack

Instead of using spikes or contact cement, Model Railroader contributor Chuck Hitchcock shows you how to use DAP adhesive caulk and topper tape (a material used to insulate pickup truck caps) to lay track. Quick and easy Flextrack […]

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Testors Aztec AC500 Airbrush Compressor

Dennis H. Murphy Boy, what a difference a day can make. Let me back up a bit and fill you in on a big change in my life. Well, at least my “hobby life”. I model N-Scale, and really enjoy the building of models for my layout. I use an airbrush to paint most everything, […]

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Walthers HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H-10-44 diesel switcher

Walthers HO scale Fairbanks-Morse H-10-44 diesel switcher A semi-streamlined carbody developed by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy made the Fairbanks-Morse H-10-44 a distinctive entry into the diesel switcher market. Many H-10-44s had careers that spanned 40 years. The new Proto 2000 from Walthers HO scale H-10-44 is available in a version that includes a dual-mode […]

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Athearn trains HO scale spine car

Athearn Trains HO scale spine car A highly detailed 57-foot three-unit all-purpose spine car with die-cast metal spines, etched-metal end platforms, and separately applied brake detail is now available from Athearn. The Ready-to-Roll car, based on the prototype produced by Trinity, is decorated for TTX Co. and is available in six road numbers and painted […]

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Kato U.S.A. N scale GG1 electric locomotive

Kato GG1 (N scale)

Kato U.S.A. N scale GG1 electric locomotive For 49 years GG1 electric locomotives hauled premier passenger trains as well as some freight traffic across the electrified territory of the Pennsylvania RR and its successors. This N scale Kato model accurately captures all the curves of the Raymond Loewy-streamlined carbody and has a smooth and powerful […]

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O gauge Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4 by Lionel

O gauge Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4 by Lionel

LET’S CUT RIGHT TO THE CHASE. This is the finest steam locomotive that Lionel has ever made. Period. End of discussion. Insert photo of me puckering up to give this steamer a big old smooch. Whew. OK, I’ve taken a deep breath. I’ve cooled down. Now, on with the rest of the review. This Lionel […]

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Atlas O Industrial Rail Line Pennsylvania Steam Starter Set

Atlas O industrial rail starter set

ATLAS O’S PEDIGREE includes the Atlas product lines in N and HO scales. The same attention to detail and overall quality that goes into the Atlas product line is the foundation of Atlas O’s three product groupings: The Master line of rugged, high-end, superbly detailed O scale locomotives and rolling stock; the Trainman line of […]

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MTH Premier line P5a O gauge locomotive

FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES, the center of electric-powered railroading in North America was the Pennsy. Oh sure, you might have had a little out west or on the New Haven, but the Pennsylvania RR’s electrified operations were the pinnacle of high-speed and high-tonnage operations in the United States. The Pennsylvania had an eclectic mix of […]

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O gauge starter-set 0-8-0 by Lionel

OKAY, SO THE BRASS IN LIONELVILLE was trying to come up with a new engine for starter sets. Or, better said, they were trying to develop a new value-priced locomotive that could be sold separately or in starter sets. Of the gazillions of prototypes out there, Lionel settled on the USRA 0-8-0 steam locomotive. That […]

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Superstreets sets by K-Line by Lionel

OKAY, THE SUPERSTREETS STUFF IS, well, kinda starter-set material – but not quite in the sense of there being a train involved. Both of these sets have a powered unit and track with metal rails, and even a power supply. And oh, yes, trains can run on the track, too. But strictly speaking, they aren’t […]

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