LIONEL’S CLASSIC GANTRY cranes combine realistic looks with unmatched accessory action. I’ve wanted one for years, and when Lionel announced that it would include an updated version of the last postwar crane (the no. 282R) in its Postwar Celebration reissue series, I made a place on my layout for one. Then I waited, not always […]
MIKE WOLF SAID it: He wants to make one of virtually every locomotive that has ever run the rails of America. He and MTH have offered such unusual locomotives as the Baldwin AS616, the EMD BL2, and the Alco RS-27. Add to that list the AEM7 electric locomotive. This engine differs from the others, however. […]
IN THE WORLD of prototype railroading, these are exciting times indeed. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to be in a railroad yard and see a modern Dash-9 or SD60, 70, or 90 resting next to an elderly Geep, you can easily see how far railroading has progressed in the past 30 years. These new […]
EVER NOTICE THAT when you visit a layout that has some sort of subway system designed into it, when you peek into the subterranean station, 9 times out of 10 you’ll see a trolley car darting through the dim light? Since 1998 MTH has had a remedy for this: a modern subway train can now […]
ONE OF THE BIG SURPRISES of the past holiday season was MTH’s Pennsylvania RR starter set (no. 30-4023-1). You buy a starter set with certain entry-level expectations. The kick in the pants with this set is how those expectations have been exceeded. Scoring big points on all counts, the Pennsy set packs plenty of attention […]
IN THE MODERN era few locomotives have been as successful as the EMD SD45. This 3,600-horsepower, C-C truck diesel took America’s railroads by storm, and more than 1,600 of all versions of this unit were sold between 1965 and 1975. If the unit had an undoing, it was its high-maintenance 645-series prime mover – a […]
PECOS RIVER BRASS has turned its scale-like attention to three-rail locomotives and now rolling stock. The company has produced a rugged, well-detailed 50-foot boxcar that is exactly what many modelers want: a large freight hauler and a great platform for railroad graphics, too. The model itself is a superb rendering of a car that is […]
A NEW ENTRANT into the three-rail market, Pecos River Brass has stuck its toe in the water of the three-rail pond, found it inviting, and has dived in with an exceptionally sharp-looking Santa Fe Hudson. The Santa Fe rostered just 16 4-6-4 Hudson locomotives, but don’t let the low number suggest that they didn’t leave […]
CABOOSES ARE HISTORY. They’re dead, gone, finito, kaput. They symbolize featherbedding rascals sleeping at the rear of the train rather than at the controls of an engine generating revenue for the parent company! Then if that’s the case, why are so many utterly fantastic caboose models making their way to market? Guess there must be […]
In his article “Nine Decades in the Service of Steam” in the Summer 2004 issue of Classic Trains magazine, James A. Brown looks at the final, glorious years of Stratford Big Shop, Canadian National’s last steam-locomotive overhaul facility. Below is a PDF that includes the layout of the Canadian National Stratford Shop. Please note that […]
CTT PUBLISHED A pair of crossing track wiring diagrams in the March and July 1999 issues. Since then our office has received a minor deluge of calls about wiring diagrams to prevent trains from colliding at crossings. If you’ve always wanted a protected crossing on your layout but are intimidated by wiring and electrical relays, […]
INDUSTRIAL RAIL, a relative newcomer to the ranks of O gauge manufacturers, has added some spice to its commendable line of O-27 rolling stock – its first motorized unit. The Industrial Rail handcar is a spunky little gizmo crewed by two small guys who spend their whole day cruising layouts looking for track to repair […]
