New model trains for the week of April 2, 2020

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD24 and SD26 diesel locomotives

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD24 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD24 and SD26 diesel locomotives. New paint schemes. SD24 (low short hood unless otherwise noted): Burlington Northern (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy patchout with high short hood), Southern Pacific (scarlet and gray, three road numbers), and Union Pacific (Armour Yellow […]

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New model trains for the week of March 26, 2020

Tangent Scale Models HO scale General American 4,180-cubic-foot-capacity Airslide covered hopper

HO scale freight cars American Car & Foundry two-bay Center Flow covered hopper. New paint schemes: BNSF Ry. (gray with black circle-cross herald, five road numbers) and Cemex Mexico (gray with reporting marks only). New road numbers: Burlington Northern (Cascade Green with large herald), Chicago & North Western (yellow), CSX (tan), Norfolk & Western (gray), […]

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Santa Fe oddity

20200318

SD39 No. 4007 works freight on the Santa Fe at Las Cruces, N.Mex., in 1970. Only 59 of this 12-cylinder, turbocharged model were built for the Santa Fe; Illinois Terminal; Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern; and Southern Pacific. Chris Raught photo […]

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Sign of the times

20200325

A New York Central switcher pulls a string of loaded open-rack cars in the early 1960s. The auto rack car, introduced in 1960, quickly became popular and regained finished-auto traffic for railroads. J. David Ingles collection […]

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Convertible cowl

20200304

Santa Fe requested the custom U30CG from General Electric, offering 3,000 hp and a steam generator in a distinctive cowl body considered more aesthetically suitable for passenger service than a road-switcher. The railroad carried six such units on its roster, Nos. 8000–8005, which went into freight service following the 1971 transfer of passenger service to […]

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Katy critter

20200309

Missouri-Kansas-Texas MP15AC No. 58 is a 1980 product of EMD. The locomotive’s model designates the use of an alternator and rectifiers instead of the traditional generator to produce D.C. power for the traction motors. Other major U.S. buyers included Long Island Rail Road, Louisville & Nashville, Milwaukee Road, Seaboard Coast Line, and Southern Pacific. Lee […]

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ScaleTrains.com HO scale GE C39-8 diesel

MRRPR0520_04

ScaleTrains.com HO scale GE C39-8 diesel An HO scale General Electric C39-8 diesel-electric locomotive gets the ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter treatment. As with the N scale version that I reviewed in the August 2019 issue, this HO scale locomotive features ­roadname- and road number-specific detail. Our review sample also came equipped with an ESU LokSound V.5 decoder […]

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MRC Throttlepack 9950

MRRPR0520_10

MRC Throttlepack 9950 The green plug on the back of the cabinet features terminals for track power and accessories. The Throttlepack 9950 isn’t a new face in the Model Rectifier Corp. power pack lineup. However, the train controller, designed for N, HO, O, and G scales, now has the ability to operate Digital Command Control […]

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Locomotive profile: Alco’s C630 diesel electric locomotive

Norfolk & Western C630 No. 1134 at Roanoke, Virginia.

Norfolk & Western C630 No. 1134 at Roanoke, Virginia. Rick Johnson C630 •YEARS BUILT: 1965-1969 •MANUFACTURERS: Alco, Montreal •OPERATED ON: Atlantic Coast Line, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Chesapeake & Ohio, Louisville & Nashville, Norfolk & Western, Pacific Great Eastern, Pennsylvania Railroad, Reading, Southern Pacific, others •NAMES: C630, M630 •QUANTITY: 133 •HORSEPOWER: 3,000 •KNOWN FOR: The […]

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