Electric and diesel locomotives’ top speeds are governed by gear ratios and safe operations, like this Union Pacific westbound near Franklin Grove, Ill. Brian Schmidt Q What determines the theoretical top speed of a diesel locomotive? Is it the gear ratio? What other factors enter in? – Mike Pedersen, North Berwick, Maine A The maximum […]
Get the source code for Detlef Kurpanek’s Arduino-controlled model train signal system described in the December 2016 Model Railroader. In the December 2016 Model Railroader, Detlef Kurpanek describes how designed an operating model railroad signal system that uses Arduino microcontrollers. As an online bonus, you can download Detlef’s source code for the project by clicking […]
Click on the links to the left to download the image sized appropriately for your computer screen. Snow has melted along the right-of-way, making roads muddy, on this bright April day in Maine as Forney engine no. 9, with Ed West at the throttle, passes South Strong station. Lou Sassi, a frequent contributor to Model […]
Senior editor Dana Kawala recently installed a WOWSound Steam Version 4 decoder and 28mm high-bass WOWSpeaker with enclosure from Train Control Systems into an HO scale 2-8-2 Mikado. The upgraded TCS decoder includes a new Calibrated Proto Chuff feature. Hear the new decoder in action as the HO scale steam locomotive speeds along the main […]
Senior editor Dana Kawala recently installed a WOWSound Steam Version 4 decoder and 28mm high-bass WOWSpeaker with enclosure from Train Control Systems into an HO scale 2-8-2 Mikado. The upgraded TCS decoder includes a new Calibrated Proto Chuff feature. Hear the new decoder in action as the HO scale steam locomotive speeds along the main […]
At the National Train Show 2016 held in Indianapolis, Ind., the Model Railroader staff came across a line of professionally built test tracks from Good Deals DCC. Gary Cohn, president of Good Deals DCC, custom-built a 15-foot long version for the Model Railroader workshop. Follow along as Gary shows senior editor Dana Kawala how to […]
Digitrax DCS240 Command Station It isn’t often that a DCC manufacturer releases a new command station, so the new Digitrax DCS240 has drawn interest. After all, their DCS100 and DCS200 command stations have been around for 20 and 16 years, respectively. The big attention grabber is the statement the unit can “run up to 400 […]
Walthers HO scale SD45 diesel locomotive From its flared radiators to its Flexicoil trucks, the HO scale SD45 from WalthersProto captures the look of this second-generation diesel. All the versions offered also feature roadname- and era-specific detailing. I tested a Wisconsin Central Ry. version that came equipped with a SoundTraxx Tsunami decoder. The prototype. With […]
TCS WOWSound Steam Version 4 DCC sound decoder Price: $129.95 (decoder with Keep-Alive), $109.95 (decoder only) Manufacturer Train Control Systems P.O. Box 341 Blooming Glen, PA 18911 www.tcsdcc.com Comments: The WOWSound steam decoder, first reviewed in the October 2014 Model Railroader, is now better than ever with this Version 4 release. Our test sample included […]
Atlas N scale B36-7 diesel Packing 3,600 hp under its hood, the General Electric B36-7 was just what Seaboard System wanted when it placed an order for 120 units in 1985, more than doubling the production total of the locomotive. Now, Atlas Model Railroad Co. has re-released its line of B-B truck Dash-7s in new […]
Moloco HO General American 50-foot insulated boxcar Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Moloco 302-5025 Harvard Rd. Mississauga, ON L5M 0W6 Canada www.molocotrains.com Road names: Conrail, Milwaukee Road (Hydra-Cushion), Missouri Pacific, Rock Island, and Wabash. Four road numbers per scheme. Era: 1987 to late 1990s (as decorated) Comments: Moloco has released a new run of highly detailed HO […]
At the National Train Show 2016 held in Indianapolis, Ind., the Model Railroader staff came across a line of professionally built test tracks from Good Deals DCC. Gary Cohn, president of Good Deals DCC, custom-built a 15-foot long version for the Model Railroader workshop. Follow along as Gary shows senior editor Dana Kawala how to […]
