We call dibs on the first Martian railroad. pic.twitter.com/YaGUnbpvhO — Union Pacific (@UnionPacific) September 28, 2016 MARS (the planet) — Union Pacific called “dibs” this week on building the first Martian railroad. The surprise announcement came just hours after SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk unveiled his dreams of building a fleet of spaceships to put […]
Section: News & Reviews
FCC fines clandestine train tracking company NEWSWIRE
What’s in a picture? In this one, a brown-painted automatic equipment identification, or AEI, reader barely pokes out of a slope along a Conrail right-of-way in New Jersey. A company that installed this reader received a $195,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commissions for having incorrect licensing for tracking freight trains near rights-of-way. WASHINGTON D.C. […]
Alstom unveils hydrogen-powered train at InnoTrans
BERLIN — Touting its arrival as “a blockbuster; I think it will revolutionize the railway industry,” Alstom Chairman and CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge highlighted the company’s first train powered by hydrogen fuel-cell technology during a Tuesday press conference at InnoTrans, the world’s largest rail industry conference. As part of an overview of the state of his […]
‘Two-wheelers’ now welcome on Amtrak trains NEWSWIRE
Amtrak Assistant Conductor Tony Brey punches a bicyclist’s ticket for the eastbound Empire Builder on Monday. Amtrak will now accept bicycles without disassembling at most station stops for long-distance trains. Steve Glischinski Amtrak Assistant Conductor Paul Trossen loads a bicycle into a baggage car on the Empire Builder Monday. Steve Glischinski A bicycle loaded on […]
New toy train products from the November 2016 issue of Classic Toy Trains
THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE IN O: Lionel has created a salute to both the American bicentennial celebration held in 1976 and one of the most famous locomotives of Lionel’s MPC-era. The no. 82427 Patriot LionChief Remote U36B diesel freight set is powered by a colorful U36B saluting Lionel’s no. 1776 Seaboard Coast Line. Also […]
Atlas HO scale GP38 diesel locomotive
Atlas HO scale GP38 diesel locomotive I heard the realistic rumble of the Electro-Motive Division 645 diesel engine when I set the Atlas HO scale GP38 on the rails of our test track. The biggest upgrade of this latest release of the GP38 is that it now comes factory-equipped with an ESU LokSound Select dual-mode […]
Kato HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive
Kato HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive All the detail parts, including grab irons and windshield wipers, are factory applied on the Kato HO scale mid-production SD40-2. The Kato SD40-2 features well-defined molded detail are prototypically placed detail parts. The Kato mid-production Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 features notable enhancements over the early-production SD40-2 reviewed in our August […]
Quick Look: Second Generation EMD Sound Card for Kato Sound Box
Second Generation EMD Sound Card for Kato Sound Box Price: $29.99 Comments: The Kato Sound Box is an analog sound controller that connects to a direct-current (DC) power pack and works with any manufacturer’s locomotives, since the sound plays through the device. The Sound Box uses plug-in cartridges, called Sound Cards, that have sound files […]
Quick Look: Bachmann Trains N scale heavyweight coach
Price: $79 Manufacturer Bachmann Trains 1400 E. Erie Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124 www.bachmanntrains.com Era: 1930s to 1980 Comments: Looking to add a night train to your N scale passenger fleet? Bachmann Trains has released a ready-to-run N scale heavyweight coach with factory-installed overhead interior lighting. The model is an N scale version of the HO […]
Quick Look: Walthers HO Gunderson rebuilt 40-foot all-purpose well car
Walthers HO Gunderson rebuilt 40-foot all-purpose well car Price: $39.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Road names: TTX (DTTX reporting marks with and without “Forward Thinking” slogan under modern TTX logo) and Northwestern Oklahoma (two road numbers). Three numbers per scheme unless noted. Era: 2008 to present […]
Railroad Line Models HO scale Pete’s Garage kit
Railroad Line Models HO scale Pete’s Garage kit The kit contains laser-cut parts in many materials: matboard, plastic, wood, cardboard, and paper. The Railroad Line Models kit is available in O, S, HO, and N scales. Pete’s Garage, one of the initial offerings from Railroad Line Models, is an easy-to-assemble kit that would fit on […]
First Look Review: Walthers Mainline HO scale Plymouth ML-8 switcher
The Walthers Mainline HO scale Plymouth ML-8 switcher is available with a SoundTraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) motor decoder with a CurrentKeeper capacitor cluster. Small switchers such as the Plymouth ML-8 toiled away for decades at various trackside industries and railroad shops. Walthers is releasing an HO scale model of a Plymouth ML-8, and I […]
