An unusual steam locomotive, born of wartime necessity, has joined Broadway Limited Imports’ N scale lineup. The Reading Co. class T-1 4-8-4 Northern, converted from 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotives near the end of World War II, mostly handled fast freight, but also pulled passenger and coal trains. In 1945, wartime restrictions kept Reading from buying new […]
Section: Staff Reviews
Rapido N scale ore hopper
A National Steel Car short-barrel ore hopper has joined the growing N scale freight car lineup from Rapido Trains. The ready-to-run car has Barber S-2 100-ton trucks; 36” metal wheelsets; and see-through, etched-metal crossover platforms. Prototype history The samples we received are decorated as Canadian National 346029, from the railroad’s 346000 through 346084 series, and […]
ScaleTrains HO Trinity refrigerator car
ScaleTrains has added a Trinity 82-foot, 7,883-cubic-foot capacity mechanical refrigerator car to its Rivet Counter line. The modern era car, offered with and without sound, features an injection-molded plastic body, prototype-specific details, and die-cast metal couplers. The prototype The samples we received are decorated as BNSF Ry. 793303 and 793324, part of the railroad’s 793000 […]
MR&T HO buffer car
Price: $27.99 Manufacturer Produced by Accurail, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store KalmbachHobbyStore.com Era: 2015+ Comments: A Milwaukee, Racine & Troy (MR&T) HO buffer car is the latest addition to the Kalmbach Hobby Store. The injection-molded plastic kit, produced in the United States of America by Accurail Inc., uses the manufacturer’s 6500-series Pullman-Standard 4,750-cubic-foot capacity three-bay […]
Rapido HO scale Alco RS11
A new run of HO scale Alco RS11 diesel locomotives is now available from Rapido Trains. The model features many newly tooled, railroad-specific details; illuminated number boxes, class lights, and control stand lights; and a new five-pole, skew-wound motor. Prototype history Alco produced the RS11 from February 1956 until May 1961. During that time, it […]
Athearn HO General Electric P40DC
The HO scale General Electric (GE) P40DC diesel locomotive has returned to the Athearn product lineup. The Genesis-series model features a newly tooled body with cab-mounted strobe lights, a red emergency light, and other prototype-specific details. The prototype Our review sample is decorated as Amtrak P40DC No. 813, part of the passenger carrier’s 800 through […]
Atlas N scale Thrall covered hopper
Price: $24.95 (undecorated, $17.95) Manufacturer Atlas Model Railroad Co. 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 shop.atlasrr.com Road names: New paint schemes — Transportation Corp. of America; Burlington Northern (with FRA-224 stripes); CATX; David J. Joseph Transportation; Midwest Railcar; Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern; and Rail Logistics. New road numbers — Canadian National and Peavey. Three numbers […]
Atlas N scale H24-66 Train Master
Atlas Model Railroad Co. recently released a new run of its N scale Fairbanks-Morse H26-44 Train Master diesel locomotive. The six-axle road locomotive, part of the Atlas product lineup since 2000, is now offered with a factory-installed speaker (Silver Series) or a dual-mode ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder (Gold Series). Prototype history Fairbanks-Morse produced the […]
PIKO America HO scale diesel-hydraulic locomotive
The much-anticipated Krauss-Maffei ML-4000 diesel-hydraulic locomotive is now available from PIKO America. The newly tooled model, based on the 1961 prototype, has an injection-molded plastic body, die-cast metal chassis, and can motor with dual flywheels. Prototype history The PIKO America models are decorated as Southern Pacific 9000, 9001, and 9002 in their as-delivered appearance. The […]
Rapido Trains HO RS18u diesel locomotive
Do you have a soft spot for railroad-rebuilt diesel locomotives? Then you’ll want to check out the HO scale Canadian Pacific RS18u from Rapido Trains. The model, designed from field measurements and a 3-D scan of a full-size engine, is offered in a variety of paint schemes from 1980 to the present. The prototype In […]
Fox Valley Models HO 55-ton hopper
Fox Valley Models, a ScaleTrains company, has released an HO scale 55-ton two-bay hopper. The model, based on a United States Railroad Administration (USRA) prototype, features plastic and die-cast metal construction, 33” metal wheelsets, and semi-scale Type E knuckle couplers. Prototype information With railroads facing equipment shortages during World War I, the USRA designed five […]
Aurora Miniatures HO National Steel Car gondola
The Aurora Miniatures HO National Steel Car gondola is the latest North American freight car in the manufacturer’s product lineup. The newly tooled car, available for the first time as a mass-produced model, was designed using a variety of prototype resources. The prototype The sample we received is decorated as GNTX 295512, part of TTX’s […]