A POWERFUL BEAM of light piercing the nighttime sky and the mournful cry of a foghorn. These sensations are familiar to anyone who has been near a lighthouse. You never forget the sight of that blinding light emanating from the crown of a tall, sleek tower. Lighthouse-related collectibles are hot these days, and thanks to […]
THE RAILKING SD90MAC is another one of those modern behemoths that tight-curve operators would never be able to run if MTH hadn’t hit it with the old Shrink Ray Gun. The RailKing SD90MAC measures 143/4 inches coupler to coupler, or 59 feet long in O scale. That’s a full five inches short compared to an […]
WEAVER MODELS HAS produced a superb model of what must be classified as one of the finest-looking 4-8-4 Northern locomotives of the era of steam power. In the 1920s, the Rio Grande needed some new engines to supplement the line’s heavy 4-8-2 Mountain types that were handling longer and heavier passenger trains through the Rocky […]
THE ATLAS O PRATT truss bridge, in both single- and double-track versions, is an impressive railroad structure. The plastic bridge, made of zigzagging girders with a simulated wooden deck, would be the centerpiece on most layouts. But what impressed me also made me pause. And when I poured dozens of girders out of the kit […]
THE DREYFUSS HUDSONS look fast standing still and they backed up their speedy image with superb performance. In the 1930s, the New York Central streamlined 10 of the line’s famed 4-6-4 Hudsons as part of an upgrade of the railroad’s premier express, the 20th Century Limited. But despite their celebrity status, in time the locomotives […]
LOOKING AT THE SHIPPING list citing the box’s contents as a New York Central Hudson, my first words were, “Been there, done that.” After all, seemingly dozens of the Central’s classic 4-6-4 Hudsons have been produced by Lionel, MTH, K-Line, and Williams, in scale, semi-scale, and toy-like versions. There are even more Hudsons out there […]
AMONG THE LATEST in Lionel’s LionMaster line of traditional-sized locomotives is an exceptionally sharp rendering of a Union Pacific-style 4-6-6-4 Challenger, painted and lettered for the Western Maryland Railroad. Although in real life that Appalachian coal hauler used a different style of 4-6-6-4 locomotive, Lionel’s model will probably please everyone but the most die-hard, rivet-counting […]
ONE OF THE MOST recognized American locomotives is the bullet-faced Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4 Northern. Between 1941 and 1950 the railroad, which stubbornly supported steam locomotives while other roads embraced diesels, built 14 J and J-1 class locomotives, keeping them on the active roster until 1959. The notable exception to retirement was no. 611, […]
LET’S FACE IT: Most U.S. railroad enthusiasts don’t know much about the railways or trains run by our Canadian cousins. This is unfortunate, since the railroad history of the Great White North is just as interesting as that of the Lower 48. Until recently, the major toy train manufacturers applied Canadian National and Canadian Pacific […]
THE PENNSYLVANIA A5-class 0-4-0 may be among the smallest steam switchers this side of a tenderless tank engine, but K-Line Electric Trains has big hopes that its attractive switcher will draw new members into the company-sponsored K-Line Collector’s Club. The A5-class switchers consisted of 47 locomotives built in three groups in 1916, 1917, and 1924, […]
THE M-10000 UNION PACIFIC streamliner looks like something out of Astounding Science Fiction rather than the trade journal Railway Age. It was the first of the modern streamlined passenger trains, and its unique design, old enough today to qualify for full Social Security benefits, still stands out. Author Robert Reed, in The Streamline Era (Golden […]
THANKS TO THE BOARD GAME Monopoly, tens of millions have taken a ride on the Reading, although far fewer ever saw its 1,500 miles of rails. Had the ride on the Reading been real, by chance the locomotive out front might have been a high-wheeling 4-6-2 Pacific. According to A Century of Reading Company Motive […]
