Restoring an old toy train can be great fun, and once the project’s done, it can give you a great feeling of accomplishment. Restoring your own items also can save money when compared with buying an original or a completed restoration in equivalent condition. One of the keys to a successful restoration, though, it picking […]
Finding older Lionel and American Flyer cars in good shape at a bargain price can be a challenge, because over the years, collectors have scooped up many of the really clean pieces. That’s no reason to despair, though – many of those grimy $5 and $10 cars you find at shows and shops are actually […]
Caboose For more than a century, the caboose was a fixture at the end of every freight train in America. Like the red schoolhouse and the red barn, the red caboose became an American icon. Along with its vanished cousin the steam locomotive, the caboose evokes memories of the golden age of railroading. There are […]
The Association of American Railroads has 11 basic classification of freight cars. Most of the major classes have subclasses, and you’ll find them by clicking on the links below. The following was taken from the July 2002 Official Railway Equipment Register, published by Commonwealth Business Media. The National Model Railroad Association also offers reprints of […]
Conrail. Milwaukee Road. Santa Fe. Rail Box. Anyone who watches freight trains is familiar with these and other names blazoned across the sides of freight cars. But that’s just advertising, which some companies omit for economy’s sake. And if a car changes hands, its new owner may not even bother to paint out the old […]
Car trucks and carbodies Do you remember running boards and full-height ladders on box cars? They are known in the railway supply trade as freight-car components, and while running boards and full-height ladders have followed the telegraph key and the steam locomotive into railroad technological history, other components remain as key elements of the freight […]
Outfit cars Cars equipped with facilities for feeding and housing construction and maintenance employees in the field are known as outfit cars or camp cars. Over the years they have taken a number of forms. Because outfit cars are not revenue-producing equipment, railroads have tended to not spend much money on them, and a common […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, ore-car setLGB of America6444 Nancy Ridge DriveSan Diego CA 92121Contact local dealer for price and availabilityWeb site: www.lgb.com Four-car set of plastic models of Great Lakes ore jennys lettered for PRR (# 40040; #40045 identical, different road numbers); opening hopper hatches; removable load; removable side extensions; alternate close coupling provided; no […]
Marc Horovitz 1:20.3-scale boxcar kit, less trucks & couplersPhil’s Narrow Gauge1008 Hampshire LaneWindsor CA 95492-8535Price: $75Web site: www.philsnarrowgauge.com Kit for a D&RGW 3000-series box car, less trucks and couplers; cast-metal parts; laser-cut or milled wood; preformed grab irons and steps; illustrated instructions. The finished car is 18″ long x 43/4″ wide x 5″ high. In […]
Jim Schulz Jim Schulz 1″ scale, diesel switcher, gondola, and track kitsRiding Railkits, Inc.249 MacPherson Dr.Corbeil, Ontario P0H 1K0 CanadaPrice: $1,995 for locomotive; $350 for gondola (not including trucks and couplers); $149.95 for gondola detail kit; $59.95 for a 10-foot section of pre-fabricated trackWeb site: www.ridingrailkits.com Generic, industrial, four-wheel diesel switcher and gondola kits for […]
Download these free plans for a work caboose! They accompany our “Garden railway basics” articles from the June and August 2006 issues. Follow along with author Kevin Strong to build a work caboose from styrene. […]
Micro-Trains Line Co. announced that it will be releasing a Z scale Electro-Motive Division GP9. The model, scheduled for release in early 2007, will feature a Maxon 8 mm coreless motor with dual flywheels, golden-white light-emitting-diode headlights, etched-metal handrails, and Magne-Matic couplers. Road names and pricing information yet to be released. […]
