Kato N scale Metra train set

Kato N scale Metra train set Including a sleek MotivePower MP36PH-3S and fluted silver Nippon-Sharyo gallery coaches, this N scale train set from Kato captures a sight familiar to millions of Chicago-area residents. The MP36 should also be a welcome addition to any N scalers looking for a contemporary commuter locomotive. The well-detailed Kato MP36PH-3S […]

Read More…

New products for December 15, 2011

HO scale locomotives  General Electric Dash 8-40C and 8-40CW diesel locomotives. New road numbers and paint schemes. Dash 8-40C: Canadian National (15th anniversary or modern paint schemes), Ferrocarriles Nationales de Mexico (three road numbers). Dash 8-40CW: BNSF (three new numbers); Conrail (“Quality” lettering), CSX (patched Conrail), Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific (three new numbers). Two […]

Read More…

Trainfest 2011 show report

Athearn Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD70ACe HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD70ACe. New paint schemes: Montana Rail Link, CSX, Ferromex, and Union Pacific (Missouri-Kansas-Texas heritage scheme). Five-pole skew-wound motor with two flywheels, factory-installed detailed parts, and detailed cab interior. Direct-current models, $189.98. With SoundTraxx Digital Command Control and sound, $289.98. Genesis series. Athearn Trains, […]

Read More…

The snowplow photographers’ blog

Wisconsin & Southern Jordan spreader WSOX 9 shatters a drift near Minnesota Junction, Wis., on Feb. 3, 2011. William R. Beecher Jr. William R. Beecher Jr. Fond du Lac, Wis. The snow stopped. The sun actually rose under glorious high pressure after two solid days of blizzard that left Central Wisconsin under almost 2 feet […]

Read More…

Pullman-Standard three-bay covered hopper by Atlas O

Price: $54.95 ManufacturerAtlas O378 Florence Ave.Hillside, NJ 07205atlaso.com Road names: BNSF (post-2005 herald), Chicago & North Western, Family Lines (Louisville & Nashville reporting marks), Illinois Central Gulf, Illinois Terminal, Soo Line. Also available undecorated. Era: 1972 to present Comments: O scale modelers can add modern-day grain hauling to their railroads with these Pullman-Standard 4,750-cubic-foot capacity […]

Read More…

Railroad from “Breakheart Pass”

Q On which railroad was the 1975 movie “Breakheart Pass” filmed? — Klaus Schmidt, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. A “Breakheart Pass” was filmed on the Camas Prairie Railroad, a short line in Northern Idaho. Originally a cooperative building effort by predecessors of the Union Pacific and the BNSF in the early 20th century, as of 2004, […]

Read More…

Waterlogged and logging miles

The spring flood waters have started to subside on the Mississippi River (as evidenced by the watermarks on the trees) at Gears Ferry Landing near Galena, Ill., as an eastbound BNSF “Z” train heads east toward Chicago on a cloudy and cool April 23, 2011. Photo by Steve Bauer […]

Read More…

Railroad Photography in the Blue Hour

Westbound Metra train No. 1249 stops under the rising moon at Clarendon Hills, Ill., on Metra’s BNSF Railway line. Two additional trains are visible about a mile away in the distance.  Paul Hoffmann An inbound Metra express train rips past the Naperville, Ill., station leaving a “smoke tail” in its wake as a local can […]

Read More…

2011 National Train Show preliminary report

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP7 and GP9 diesel locomotives. New paint scheme on GP7 is Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (zebra stripes). New scheme on GP9 is New York Central (two-tone gray). Separately applied details, wire grab irons, and plastic handrails. Both road names offered with and without steam generators. Direct-current models with Quick […]

Read More…

DPU rear markers

Rear-end locomotives on distributed power trains may run with or without flashing rear end devices. Steve Schmollinger Q I see distributed power on BNSF freights inbound into San Diego, and some have flashing rear end devices attached to the coupler at the end locomotives. What are the circumstances for using a FRED on end-of-train locomotives?— […]

Read More…

Atlas HO scale 73-foot center-beam bulkhead flatcar

Atlas HO scale 73-foot center-beam bulkhead flatcar Price: $46.95 (undecorated, $39.95) ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad Co.378 Florence Ave.Hillside, NJ 07205www.atlasrr.com Era: 1986 to present Comments: A center-beam bulkhead flatcar based on a Gunderson prototype is now available from Atlas. The full-size flatcar, designed for carrying building products, was introduced in 1986 and is still in production […]

Read More…

The railroads behind today’s U.S. rail trails

Steve Glischinski Match the initials below to the Map of the Month in the May 2011 issue of Trains Magazine. The three-page foldout map will show you which recreational trails 10 miles or longer in the United States were fashioned from abandoned railroad lines. We mapped 415 trails in all (strung together, they would stretch […]

Read More…