A pair of well used, tinplate live steamers. The engine in the foreground is by Bowman; the one behind is Bassett-Lowke. Despite their tatty appearance, they are both in good operating condition and see regular use in the garden. Jeff Young An important part of the history of small-scale live steam is the tinplate locomotives […]
Type of Train: Steam Locomotive
Fire up a small-scale live steam locomotive
The No. 24 was the last locomotive supplied to the two-foot gauge Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Maine. This G scale live steam model was manufactured by Roundhouse Engineering of Doncaster, England. Kenneth Matticks Gas is added through the filler valve in the center of the tank. By watching the pressure gauge and […]
Designing a garden railway for live-steam locomotives
A Roundhouse “Fowler,” fitted with a coal-fired boiler by John Shawe, at work on the author’s garden railway near Toronto. Jeff Young When we acquire a small-scale live steamer, it is usually to run on an established garden railway. The selection of your live-steam locomotive was probably influenced by the physical characteristics of the existing […]
Video: Reading T1-class 4-8-4 in HO
Precision HO scale Reading T1-class 4-8-4 Executive editor Andy Sperandeo reviewed the HO scale “T Hog” in the April issue’s Product Review Extravaganza. Click the icons below to see a video clip of this well-detailed, well-proportioned model steam engine. All videos may take several minutes or more to download depending on your connection speed. […]
Video: Reading T1-class 4-8-4 in HO
Precision HO scale Reading T1-class 4-8-4 Executive editor Andy Sperandeo reviewed the HO scale “T Hog” in the April issue’s Product Review Extravaganza. Click the icons below to see a video clip of this well-detailed, well-proportioned model steam engine. All videos may take several minutes or more to download depending on your connection speed. […]
Precision Craft Reading T1-class 4-8-4 in HO stirs memories of Iron Horse Rambles
Precision Craft HO Reading T1-class 4-8-4 This HO scale “T Hog” will bring back memories of the Reading Rambles steam excursions of the late 1950s and early 1960s for an older generation of steam fans and of Chessie Steam Specials for more recent aficionados. This well-detailed, well-proportioned engine includes a dual-mode sound system that works […]
Ask Trains from April 2006
Q Why do automobile rack cars have TTX Co. reporting marks but also bear a logo from a railroad? – Gary Gergye, Marietta, Ga. A This started in the early 1960s when autoracks first came into use. Flatcars, with TTX reporting marks, were pulled from the Trailer Train pool, but the racks were purchased by […]
Bachmann’s HO Climax captures the action of a geared logging locomotive
Bachmann HO Climax With whirring rods and driveshafts, the Bachmann 50-ton two-truck class B Climax offers accurate detail and operation. The Spectrum model is based on Greenbrier & Durbin RR no. 3, one of the last survivors of these unique geared steam locomotives. 4 x 4 of the rails. Over a 40-year period, Climax built […]
Video: Broadway Limited Imports Museum Series HO scale Great Northern 4-8-4
Model Railroader first gave readers a sneak peek of the HO scale Great Northern steam locomotive in its Trainfest show report in the February 2006 issue. Part of Broadway Limited Imports’ Museum Series, the factory-painted, ready-to-run model has Digital Command Control, QSI Quantum sound system, vestibule cab, and operating headlight. Click the icons below to […]
Con-Cor’s HO Zephyr streamliner captures the prototype’s good looks and smooth performance
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Broadway Limited HO New York Central Niagara 4-8-4 steam locomotive is great for the Great Steel Fleet
Broadway Limited HO New York Central Niagara 4-8-4 An accurate, smooth-running model of the pinnacle of the New York Central’s steam power, the S-1b Niagara 4-8-4, is the latest from Broadway Limited Imports, and it illustrates two significant points: BLI’s locomotives continue to improve, and steam locomotives are just plain cool. Historical perspective. Recently, some […]
Life-Like Proto 2000 HO scale 2-8-8-2 portrays the USRA’s largest steam locomotive
Life-Like Proto 2000 HO scale 2-8-8-2 This massive 2-8-8-2 is a powerful articulated locomotive that operates on curves down to 18″ radius. It’s the newest addition to Life-Like’s Heritage line of steam locomotives, and it’s the first Proto 2000 model with a built-in QSI Quantum sound system and automatic Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. USRA […]