The HO Evans coil steel car is a well-done model. An excellent ready-to-run model of a modern 100-ton steel car has been released by Red Caboose. It represents a common prototype car that hauls heavy coils of sheet steel to appliance manufacturers and automobile stamping plants. Evans introduced its line of prototype coil steel cars […]
Branchline Trains’ NYC passenger car In an editorial on the state of the art in passenger car modeling (January 2000 Model Railroader), I wrote that we were still missing the passenger equivalents of the best plastic mass-produced freight car kits. The new HO scale heavyweight coach kit from Branchline Trains is an answer to that […]
Rivarossi HO UP Streamliner passenger cars Two new Union Pacific streamlined passenger cars of the 1950s have been released by Rivarossi. These classic smooth-side coach and dome-observation cars come ready-to-run with interior details, free-rolling plastic and metal trucks, and magnetic knuckle couplers. The book Union Pacific Streamliners, by Harold Ranks and William Kratville, includes UP […]
Athearn HO scale BethGon Coalporter Modern unit-train coal gondola has great detail If you want to model a modern unit coal train, you’ll want to check out Athearn’s Ready-to-Roll BethGon Coalporters. The models are based on the aluminum-and-steel coal gondolas built by Johnstown America in the 1980s and ’90s. The Coalporter’s interior details include the […]
Kadee HO scale PS-2 two-bay covered hopper The roof hatches can be opened. The molded ladder rungs measure only a scale 1″ in diameter HO PS-2 covered hopper is superbly done A great-looking Clinchfield 70-ton covered hopper is the first model introduced in Kadee’s new line of Pullman-Standard PS-2 two-bay covered hoppers. It comes ready […]
Atlas HO scale ACF LPG tank car HO LPG car looks great An 11,000-gallon, 40-foot tank car is the latest addition to the Atlas line of HO freight cars. It comes ready-to-run in two versions decorated for eight private owners. The prototype is an American Car & Foundry class Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) 105A-300W tank […]
Atlas O scale NE-6 cupola caboose An excellent postwar steel caboose is now available from Atlas O. It comes ready-to-run in two versions fitted with different wheel-sets and couplers for use on either two-rail scale or three-rail tinplate layouts. The model follows a prototype class NE-6 scale caboose built by International Car Co. for the […]
Trix HO Union Pacific automobile boxcar and Pacific Fruit Express reefer Trix adds more American HO freight cars A double-door Union Pacific 40-foot automobile boxcar and a steel Pacific Fruit Express refrigerator car are the latest offerings in the growing Trix/ Märklin line of American-prototype freight cars, and they’re both well built and well detailed […]
Branchline Trains HO 1937 AAR 40-foot boxcar Branchline Trains has followed its highly detailed kit of the postwar AAR 40-foot boxcar with this kit of a 1937 car. While the design of the new car is in many ways similar to that of its predecessor, this model has molded-on ladders and stirrup steps. Branchline calls […]
Align every rail joint Every rail joint must be carefully aligned, properly fitted, and level. Sight along the rail to check the alignment through the rail joiner. After the track is spiked down, use a fine file to smooth the top and inside corner of the rail joint until you can slide a fingernail across […]
An eye-catching model of a super-size hopper is available ready-to-run from Walthers. It has E-Z Mate magnetic knuckle couplers and free-rolling roller-bearing trucks. It’s a replica of the high-capacity, 87-ton cars built by Greenville Steel Car Co. starting in the early 1970s. Each car can haul 7,526 cu. ft. of wood chips. This hopper is […]
Micro-Trains N scale troop cars Here’s a pair of passenger cars for military movements that come ready- to-run with Magne-Matic knuckle couplers. Made by Micro-Trains, these cars ride on Allied Full-Cushion trucks. Both cars represent prototypes built from standard 50-foot boxcar designs modified to transport troops across America during the latter days of World War […]
