AMERICAN MODELS, laboring quietly in the background of the model railroad biz, has surprised us with the release of its new S gauge General Electric U25B diesel locomotive. It’s a dandy version of a “U-boat,” the locomotive that positioned GE to challenge then-giant General Motors in the battle for the road engine market. General Electric […]
ONLY TIME WILL TELL if Flyer enthusiasts will move the setting of their layouts into the late 20th century. If they don’t, it isn’t because there are no contemporary diesels offered in S gauge. American Models has introduced the EMD SD60, the most modern American Flyer-compatible diesel on the market. Electro-Motive made the 3,800-horsepower SD60 […]
K-LINE ELECTRIC TRAINS has added a new engine to its roundhouse of affordable, well-detailed O gauge locomotives – the Fairbanks-Morse Train Master diesel. In the world of toy train diesels, the brawny Train Master is something of an icon, probably second only to the Electro-Motive F3. Train Masters have been made by Lionel since the […]
ATLAS O HAS CHOSEN to offer an O gauge model of a locomotive that doesn’t get much attention. Yet Fairbanks-Morse’s Alt.100.3 diesel, better know by its “Erie-Built” nickname, illuminates an interesting chapter in railroad history. During World War II, the federal government placed restrictions on the manufacture of diesel locomotives. Firms could make only those […]
LOCOMOTIVES COSTING $1,000 or more seem to capture all the attention today, so we went down to our local hobby shop to find some locomotives that didn’t have “Rockefeller” as a last name. We found three moderately priced diesels that model three notable periods of U.S. railroad history and reflect three periods of O gauge […]
AN O GAUGE GP7 diesel for a mere $49.95. Yup, you read that right. “But wait,” you say. “Where’s the fine print?” Well, this is a physically large O gauge road diesel locomotive made for little hands, and priced right for gift giving. But rivet-counters beware: This model isn’t for you. The target audience for […]
I’LL BE HONEST. When I saw the box with “GP60” written on the label, I sighed. Geeps may be the most modeled diesel in the O gauge world, and here was another. Then I took the Atlas O model out of the box and said out loud, “Holy smokes, this model is stunning!” Once again, […]
Readers may recall how dazzled I was with Atlas O’s superb GP60, painted in Santa Fe’s blue-and-yellow freight scheme and reviewed in the May 2005 issue. Well, that issue was still warm from the printing presses when we received two more sturdy additions to the CTT locomotive test fleet: the powered Atlas O GP60M and […]
NOT THAT MANY years ago, I wouldn’t even think of using my precious Kodak film to take photos of GP9s. I mean, Geeps were everywhere. Old power, like F-units, and newer jobs like the GP40 or SD40-2 were the subject of my attention, not those old, rusty “things.” Alas, I learned the error of my […]
THE LATEST SWITCHER to be added to the MTH Premier line lineup is the Alco S-2, which was ubiquitous on American railroads and industrial operations 20 to 60 years ago. More than 1,400 of the 1,000-horsepower locomotives were built for U.S. railroads between 1940 and 1950. According to one diesel preservation website, there are at […]
YES INDEED! Atlas O’s Alco C-424 is another squat, homely diesel that will make a segment of the O gauge community happy, if not downright giddy. I’ve often wondered why some segments of our clan of railroad hobbyists (myself included) are so, well, hard-core about Alco diesels. Oh, I know that Alco’s PA was larger […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:29 scale, Amtrak diesel LGB of America6444 Nancy Ridge DriveSan Diego CA 92121Price: $399.99Web site: www.lgb.com Mostly plastic model of Amtrak Phase III Genesis diesel (#20490); two motors; eight powered wheels; sound ready; DCC ready; constant-voltage LED directional lighting; swinging pilots for tight curves; two traction tires; sliding windows and opening […]
