U.S. railroad electrification In 1939, the United States was the global leader in railroad electrification, with over 20% of the world’s total. Today, electrification is a non-factor on almost all American railroads outside the Northeast Corridor. How did this happen? The heady projects from the early 20th century that propelled the U.S. to world leader […]
Arkansas & Missouri Railroad roster Legendary among Alco operators, the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is an independent Class III railroad operating 139-miles of onetime Frisco trackage between Monett, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark. In addition to freight service, the road also operates passenger excursions. The road’s all-Alco fleet is dominated by 16 C420s of various […]
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. Detroit Edison Co. (DEEX reporting marks), First Union Rail (FURX), Montana Rail Link, Penn Central, Soo Line, and Wheeling & Lake Erie. Two road numbers each. Plastic handrails, wire grab irons, prototype-specific dynamic brakes, and McHenry scale magnetic knuckle couplers. $109.98 December 2009. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains General […]
Walthers HO scale GP15-1 diesel locomotive A smooth-running mechanism and accurate lettering are just two of the highlights of this HO scale GP15-1 by Proto 1000 from Walthers. The ready-to-run locomotive is based on the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) prototype built between June 1976 and April 1983. The prototype. In just under seven years, EMD built […]
Railbuses and motor cars, have run all over North America. Here are some other outrageous conveyances rail passengers have sampled over the years. Jack May, Headlights This Kalamazoo, Mich., railbus was operated by the Alaska Railroad during summers to transport passengers between Portage and Whittier, south of Anchorage. Known as the “Ice Worm,” the railbus […]
The National Model Railroad Association’s annual National Train Show was held in Hartford, Conn., from July 10-12. What follows is a list of new products announced by model railroad manufacturers exhibiting at the show. This list includes items not announced before the show; products revealed to Model Railroader before the show were listed in our […]
Available in accurate early or late versions, the HO scale Norfolk & Western class J from M.T.H. Electric Trains is a great-looking model of one of the most recognizable locomotives to run on North American rails. The model includes the M.T.H. Digital Control System (DCS) for realistic lights, sounds, and smoke on DC, DCS, or […]
HO scale freight cars Heinz ketchup boxcar. Walthers Proto 1000 newsprint car customized with alcohol heater details to match cars leased to Heinz Canada. Eleven car numbers available. Metal wheelsets, separately applied ladders and grab irons, and magnetic knuckle couplers. $60 Canadian. Ready-to-run. Action Hobbies R-70-20 refrigerator car. Nordic Warehouse Inc. (Cold Train logo), Union […]
Before: Erie’s 1890 tower showed serious signs of deterioration by the early 200s when restoration work had begun. Curtis Springstead Ten years of dreams and five years of hard work will come to fruition at the end of 2009 when the former Erie Railroad WC Tower in Waldwick, N.J., reopens as a museum. The tower […]
Q In March Trains, an article on the demise of semaphore signals on the former Monon [Page 14] mentioned that CSX was doing away with lineside pole lines and their maintenance. It said the new system will use Electro Code, a system where signal communications run through the rails. How is this done?– Richard K. […]
Atlas N scale GP15-1 diesel A light-duty Electro-Motive Division road switcher built to work yards or haul short local freights is now available as an accurate N scale model. The Atlas GP15-1 features exceptional performance, especially at slow speeds, and can be easily converted to Digital Command Control. Prototype. By the 1970s railroads began using […]
Q I saw a big tank car (DUPX 29744) at Wilson, N.C. It was quite long, with four trucks. What products do these cars carry? How many are there, how heavy are they, and why so big? – D. Wescott, Wilson, N.C. A It is a 43,800-gallon, 526,000-pound (gross weight) car owned by DuPont, in […]
