Review: Atlas O O gauge GE U23B diesel

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 […]

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Review: MTH O gauge Alco RS-11 RailKing line diesel

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 […]

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Norm Charbonneau’s Hi-rail Layout

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 […]

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Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher

Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher

Model Power HO scale Plymouth Industrial Switcher David Schoedel This is an okay locomotive from Model Power. It can’t haul very much and it runs kind of bad. It has no illuminated headlight, and the detailing on it is rather lame. It is driven by a worm gear attached to a cheap motor. The electrical […]

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Norm Charbonneau’s Hi-rail Layout

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 […]

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A line-up at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum

The Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum held its annual night photo shoot on June 13, 2009, at Willimantic, Conn. Framed by the museum’s six-stall roundhouse, the six pieces of equipment arranged for the photo are (from left) a GE 44-tonner (built in 1950 for the Long Island Rail Road), a Narragansett Railway speeder, a GE 45-tonner […]

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Ask Trains from September 2009

Q How do railroads figure how much power is necessary for a train?– Richard Panarese, Mesa, Ariz.A Railroads determine power needed for a train based on the route, and the train’s weight and priority. BNSF, for instance, considers the “horsepower per ton” required based on what officials call the train’s “transportation service plan.” The transportation […]

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Atlas HO scale track cleaning car

I bought the product from Trainworld. While reading the instructions, I noticed it needed a decoder for working on a DCC layout. I wrote Atlas for a hint regarding a suitable decoder and was informed that the circuit board had a fault so for the present the best thing I could do was not to […]

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M.T.H. HO scale Challenger steam locomotive

I received my first of two MTH Challengers a few days ago. I’m amazed at the features and quality of this locomotive! It far surpasses my other Challenger (Genesis). The unit runs perfectly and the sound is outstanding. I especially like the two engines going in and out of synch with one another, and the […]

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Build a 1:22.5-scale W&Q boxcar PDF

Build a 1:22.5-scale W&Q boxcar

Download the PDF of this project here. Note: This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our […]

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