Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $30.95 (undecorated, $23.95) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar features: Diagonal-panel roof Die-cast metal underframe Factory-applied end ladders, crossover handrails, and brake wheel Pin-mounted roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets See-through plastic crossover platforms […]
Walthers HO ACF-design 1958 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $38.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF-design 1958 covered hopper features: 33” metal wheels All-new model Based on American Car & Foundry 1,958-cubic-foot capacity two-bay covered hopper Proto-Max metal couplers Separate, factory-applied Ajax brake […]
Rapido HO Procor tank car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; three-pack, $179.95; and six-pack, $359.95 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO Procor tank car features: Detailed vent stacks, loading hatches, air tanks, and brake equipment Early style features 70-ton trucks, 33” wheels, and exposed drain […]
Pacific Fruit Express class R-40-27 and R-40-28 ice cooled refrigerator cars are now available in HO scale from Rapido Trains. The models, offered for the first time in plastic, are scaled from prototype blueprints and field measurements. Product features include wire grab irons; prototype-specific brake wheel, running boards, and cooling fan housings; and body-mounted Lincoln-Washington […]
Q: How do Tightlock couplers work? — Thor Clemens A: Longtime staff member Jim Hediger provided an explanation of the Type H, or Tightlock, coupler in a sidebar that appeared with his article “HO knuckle coupler guide” in the November 2007 Model Railroader. He wrote, “The need to reduce slack and improve passenger train safety […]
A newly tooled American Car & Foundry 5,250-cubic-foot capacity four-bay Center Flow covered hopper has joined the WalthersMainline product range. The injection-molded plastic HO scale model features prototype-specific hatches and outlet gates, 36″ metal wheels on plastic axles, and body-mounted Proto-Max couplers. Prototype history American Car & Foundry introduced the 5250 Center Flow in 1964. […]
WalthersProto HO Budd 73-foot baggage car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $105.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersProto HO Budd 73-foot baggage car features: Factory-installed formed-wire grab irons Factory-printed road numbers (two cars per paint scheme) Freestanding roof vents Limited edition, one-time run of these road numbers […]
Athearn Genesis N acid tank car Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $44.99; three-pack, $124.99 Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn Genesis N acid tank car features: Based on 13,000-gallon prototype Body-mounted McHenry Type F double-shelf couplers Car operates on codes 40, 55, and 80 track Etched, stainless steel […]
Q: I’m curious why I’ve never seen four 20-foot intermodal containers in a single well car, stacked two on top and two on the bottom. I’ve only ever seen two 20-foot containers in the well and a 40-foot (or larger) container on top. — Benjamin Stewart A: David Lassen, senior editor at Trains magazine, put me […]
Walthers HO Gunderson 50-foot boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $49.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO Gunderson 50-foot boxcar features: 36” metal wheelsets Based on full-size cars that handle paper rolls 10 feet or more in diameter for magazine and newspaper production Body-mounted Proto-Max metal […]
Rapido Trains HO PC&F 5241 boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; three-pack, $164.85; six-pack, $329.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO PC&F 5241 boxcar features: Factory-installed and painted wire grab irons Full underbody detail Multiple road numbers for each scheme Rapido semi-scale metal couplers Roller-bearing […]
Q: I have some N scale cars from Micro-Trains. Recently, I swapped out the factory-installed plastic wheelsets with metal wheelsets, but now the cars don’t roll freely. What can I do to fix this? — Kelly Walton-Harper A: Metal wheelsets aren’t one-size-fits all. The first thing you’ll want to check is wheel size, as it’s […]
