FOR THOSE OF US who attempt to repair trains without the benefit of all the special tools and hardware used by authorized service stations, the brakeman’s riveting set from Carl’s Toy Trains is a long-standing dream come true. Where were you 25 years ago? No more fooling around with makeshift backing rigs and hit-or-miss riveting […]
FOR MANY YEARS, manufacturers have been tempting the once-a-year train-running crowd as well as tinplate regulars with gaily decorated sets. These outfits usually reflect the holiday spirit more than they reflect real railroading, even by the liberal standards of the three-rail crowd. K-Line’s latest addition to the holiday railroad is the no. K-1409 Santa’s Christmas […]
AS THEY SAY, nothing succeeds like success, and the EMD F40 is nothing if not a winner. In the early days of Amtrak in the 1970s, it became clear that the railroad’s aging fleet of mismatched locomotives inherited from various passenger railways needed both standardization and modernization. First out of the gate to power Amtrak’s […]
The Simpsons are the titular stars of the longest-running animated series on television. Their TV-time fun has now come to O gauge! So why toy trains? Why now? Simple. To make money, of course. If Mickey Mouse was the cat’s meow back in the prewar era, Homer and his dysfunctional family are the cartoon of […]
SCOTT’S ODDS-N-ENDS has come up with a bright idea – mate modern LED technology with old-fashioned screw- and bayonet-base bulbs. The result is as successful as mixing chocolate with peanut butter. LEDs are “light-emitting diodes.” As electricity flows through these specialized semiconductors, photons are released and focused through a lens, creating light. LEDs don’t have […]
Marc Horovitz 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, 24′ flatcar kitHartford Products, Inc.18 Ranch Rd.Cedar Crest NM 87008Price: $89.95 + $8 s&hWeb site: www.hartfordpr.com Laser-cut wood and cast white-metal kit for West Side Lumber Company 24′ flatcar; includes trucks; instructions with assembly photosPros: Most parts pre-cut, pre-drilled, and notched as needed; assembly and alignment jigs supplied; high […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:29 scale, Amtrak diesel LGB of America6444 Nancy Ridge DriveSan Diego CA 92121Price: $399.99Web site: www.lgb.com Mostly plastic model of Amtrak Phase III Genesis diesel (#20490); two motors; eight powered wheels; sound ready; DCC ready; constant-voltage LED directional lighting; swinging pilots for tight curves; two traction tires; sliding windows and opening […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:20.3-scale Heisler Accucraft Trains 31112 San Clemente St Hayward CA 94544 Price: $2,199 Web site: www.accucraft.com All metal, painted, electrically powered model of the West Side Lumber Company’s No. 2 Heisler geared locomotive; unit is DCC ready, sound ready, and smoke-unit (not supplied) ready; eight-wheel electrical pickup; instructions provided for maintenance, […]
Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge-1 rail diesel carAristo-Craft Trains698 S. 21st St.Irvington NY 07111Web site: www.aristocraft.comPrice: $300 Description: Model of a Budd rail diesel car (RDC); extruded-aluminum body; two powered trucks; each truck equalized; ball bearings on axles and gearboxes; knuckle and hook-and-loop couplers supplied; directional headlights and marker lights; R/C ready; DCC ready; battery […]
Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, Gauge 1, live-steam 2-8-2 kit Aster of Japan (For further information and US dealer list contact: Hyde-Out Mountain Live Steam) 89060 New Rumley Road Jewett OH 43986 Prices: kit, $3,995; built up, $4,675 All metal, prepainted, screwdriver-assembly kit for a USRA light Mikado; internally-fired boiler; working Walschaerts valve gear; alcohol burning. […]
Marc Horovitz 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, 25-ton Class B Climax Bachmann Industries. 1400 E. Erie Ave. Philadelphia PA 19124 Price: $799.95 Highly detailed plastic-and-metal model; accurate representation of the prototype; all-wheel electrical pickup; ball-bearings on axles; many metal details; two five-pole motors; directional lighting; cab and firebox lighting; smoke unit; opening doors and windows; engineer […]
Dave Goodson 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, 38-ton ShayBachmann Industries, Inc.1400 E. Erie AvenuePhiladelphia PA 19124Price $799.95Web site: www.bachmanntrains.com Since this is a reissue (#82194) of an older model, I’m going to dispense with the usual description and pros and cons, and concentrate on the differences between this new Shay and the older one. (The original […]
