Q: I have a bunch of old track – maybe 500 pieces – which I’d like to use on a layout. Most of it is dirty, greasy, and rusty, and I’d like to know how to clean it without doing each piece separately. – Larry Novis, Hermitage, Tenn. A: There is no mass-cleaning technique, shortcut, […]
Bachmann 80 ton 3 truck shay This model is very detailed. The intricate connecting rods are entertaining to watch. Just like the real-world prototype, it handles the roughest track with ease. The model has directional lights and when running, a red glow from the firebox. A good buy available in DC or DCC. […]
THE CHESAPEAKE & OHIO’S Greenbrier J-class 4-8-4 locomotives are among the most handsome power of the late steam era. Created to pull modern, air-conditioned trains on tight schedules through rough terrain, these monsters emerged from the Lima shops in 1935 and performed flawlessly. The C&O was so pleased, that the line ordered two more in […]
THERE IS NO MORE ICONIC locomotive in the world of model railroading than the Electro-Motive F3 diesel – the unquestioned monarch of the steam-to-diesel transition era. In the late 1940s, Lionel’s F3s rocked the O gauge world, and over the decades the range of F3s made for the O gauge world has gotten only better. […]
THIS PREMIER LINE model is a scale version of one of the world’s most easily identified streamlined locomotives – the “Torpedo” version of the Pennsylvania RR’s K4s 4-6-2 Pacific. The Torpedo was one of the Pennsy’s finest locomotives. With a streamlined nose, the body designed to lift the wind up and around the train, lessening […]
Q: I know that this sounds silly, but I get confused about what you are supposed to lubricate, especially the difference between the old postwar Lionel steamers and modern engines with can motors. Can you explain just what gets lubricated? – Erik via internet A: One similarity between postwar steamers and modern steam locomotives is […]
Track plan at a glance Name: Mojave & Death Valley RR Scale: On2 1/2 (1:48) Size: 10 x 12 feet Prototype: Death Valley RR Era: 1915 Mainline run: 44 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnouts: Peco medium Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the May 2008 issue of Model Railroader. See a PDF version of […]
Conrail limited (edition, that is)O gauge SD40 by Atlas OThe SD40 hails from the early years of dieselization’s second generation of motive power. Cataloged from 1966 through 1972, the 3,000-horsepower locomotive utilized a common frame shared by the Electro-Motive Division’s SD38, SD39, SDP40, and SD45. More than 880 were built, and the model spawned a […]
Atlas O scale RS-3 diesel This Alco RS-3 road switcher is a good-looking model that captures its prototype’s unique profile and can handle anything from passenger trains to yard switching. Made by Atlas O, the RS-3 is offered in two-rail DC or three-rail AC versions. Three-rail versions are available with factory-installed Lionel TrainMaster Command Control […]
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While the reissue of Lionel’s no. 2551W outfit as a Postwar Celebration Series set did not include the no. 110 trestle set or any Super O track sections to assemble into the “Hairpin-Turn” configuration, this millennium version of that classic from 1960 is every bit as “super” as its predecessor. The Great Northern EP-5 electric-profile […]
