Tangent HO scale General American tank car The model includes fine rivet detail and accurately reproduces the radial-course tank. The straps that hold the tank to the frame are separate plastic parts. A tank car you won’t find anywhere else is available in HO scale. Tangent Scale Models’ 10,000-gallon radial course tank car is based […]
Section: Staff Reviews
Quick Look: Walthers HO scale The UPS Store
Walthers HO scale The UPS Store Price: $39.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Era: 2003 to present Comments: An injection-molded plastic modern-era storefront is one of several new UPS-branded items available from Wm. K. Walthers Inc. The HO scale UPS Store is part of the Cornerstone Series […]
Sponsored Product Review: WalthersMainline HO scale SD70ACe with ESU Sound
WalthersMainline HO scale Norfolk Southern SD70ACe A modern-era mainstay, the SD70ACe diesel-electric locomotive is back on HO scale rails from Wm. K. Walthers Inc. in a selection of new prototypical road names and paint schemes from Walthers Trains. First reviewed in the June 2016 Model Railroader, the HO scale locomotive is part of the value-priced […]
Quick Look: NCE Light-It and Iluminator lighting decoders
NCE Light-It and Illuminator lighting decoders Price: Light-It 3 pack, $19.95; 6 pack, $39.95; 15 pack, $99.95; Illuminator, $16.95; 5 pack, $79.95 Manufacturer NCE Corp. 82 E. Main St. Webster, NY 14580 www.ncedcc.com Comments: Lighting is one of the more basic forms of animation we can add to our model railroads, and NCE has released […]
Quick Look: Bachmann On30 derrick car
Bachmann On30 derrick car Price: $99 Manufacturer Bachmann Trains 1400 E. Erie Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124 www.bachmanntrains.com Era: 1900 to 1950s (or later on a tourist railroad) Comments: Fans of O scale narrow gauge can keep the right-of-way clear with this derrick car from Bachmann Trains. The On30 (O scale, 30″ gauge) car is a […]
Athearn Genesis HO scale EMD GP40-2
Athearn Genesis HO scale EMD GP40P-2 No longer solely the province of kitbashers, Electro-Motive Division’s GP40P-2 is available in HO scale from Athearn Trains. Part of the Genesis line of superdetailed locomotive models, this HO scale Geep is especially good news for those modeling Southern Pacific’s “commute” trains of the 1970s and ’80s. Our review […]
ScaleTrains.com HO scale Thrall carbon black covered hopper
ScaleTrains.com HO scale Thrall carbon black covered hopper A Thrall 4,727-cubic-foot capacity carbon black covered hopper is the latest addition to the ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter line of superdetailed models. The injection-molded plastic model features roadnumber-specific details, photo-etched stainless steel running boards and crossover platforms, and Barber S-2 70-ton trucks with rotating bearing caps. Carbon black […]
WalthersMainline HO scale GE ES44 diesel
WalthersMainline HO scale GE ES44 diesel General Electric Evolution Series (GEVO) diesel-electrics lead today’s freight trains throughout the North American rail network. Available in a variety of prototypical road names, an HO scale GE ES44 joins the value-priced WalthersMainline series. Along with an accurately dimensioned body shell and some roadname-specific details, the model features the […]
Athearn Ready To Roll HO scale SD40-2
Athearn Ready To Roll HO scale SD40-2 Although it’s part of Athearn’s value-priced Ready-To-Roll series, this SD40-2 bristles with enough roadname-specific detail to satisfy most prototype-savvy modelers. The SD40-2 also marks a big upgrade for Athearn RTR locomotives. Instead of the SoundTraxx RTR decoder with limited functionality found in previous Athearn RTR releases, this new […]
Bachmann HO flashing rear-end device
Truck shown with coupler removed Flashing rear-end devices, or FREDs, started taking the place of cabooses on trains starting in the 1970s. The small rectangular boxes are now a ubiquitous part of modern-era railroading. Bachmann Trains is offering a light-emitting-diode (LED) illuminated HO scale FRED that works on direct-current (DC) or Digital Command Control (DCC) […]
Atlas HO scale General Electric U33B diesel
Atlas HO scale General Electric U33B diesel locomotive The Rock Island was a mighty fine line, but by the time General Electric’s U33B locomotives were delivered in the late 1960s, the Rock was in a hard place. The 3,300hp diesels were designed for fast freight, but the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific was a granger […]
Quick Look: Lowell Smith N scale sleepers
Lowell Smith N scale sleepers Price: $54 each Manufacturer Lowell Smith Signature Series P.O. Box 219 Gresham, OR 97030 www.lowellsmith.net Car names: Death Valley and Grand Canyon Era: late 1940s to early 1950s Comments: The Lowell Smith Signature Series has launched a new line of N scale passenger cars, the Pullman Park Series. The first […]