The great Great Western freight encounter

Depot and diesel wear different heralds, but nothing is out of the ordinary as a Chicago Great Western freight ambles past the Rock Island station in Waterloo, Iowa, in June 1961. Richard J. Anderson A family visit took me to Waterloo, Iowa, on a June day in 1961, but it was good ol’ railfan instinct […]

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Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher

Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher This diminutive steam switcher features a lot of separately applied detail parts for an HO scale locomotive that’s the same size as many N scale engines. Part of Bachmann Trains’ Spectrum line, this well-detailed HO scale saddle-tank steam switcher uses the same tooling as the first release several years […]

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Seattle’s Railroad Scene

A Union Pacific line runs along the east bank of the Duwamish River in Seattle. Benjamin B. Bachman A similar BNSF Railway line follows the west bank, ending at Port of Seattle Terminal 115, where Alaska-bound freight is transferred from trucks and railroad cars to barges. Benjamin B. Bachman Puget sound looks calm enough on […]

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Modeler’s Spotlight Video — Interview with Pelle Søeborg

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Pelle Søeborg is a frequent contributor to Model Railroader magazine. Pelle talked with Model Railroader Editor Neil Besougloff about his Daneville & Donner River layout and his new modern-era Union Pacific HO model railroad in this interview from August 26, 2010. You’ll also […]

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Modeler’s Spotlight Video — Interview with Pelle Søeborg

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Pelle Søeborg is a frequent contributor to Model Railroader magazine. Pelle talked with Model Railroader Editor Neil Besougloff about his Daneville & Donner River layout and his new modern-era Union Pacific HO model railroad in this interview from August 26, 2010. You’ll also […]

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About that Milwaukee Road map

Trains Magazine’s September 2010 “Map of the Month: Milwaukee Road Growth” maps the expansion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, from a 20-mile line linking Milwaukee and Waukesha, Wis. (respectively, Trains’ past and current hometown) into a 10,733-mile transcontinental system over a scant 100 years. Any map charting this kind of expansion […]

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Traveling with the team

A supplement to the Classic Trains Online Look Back e-mail newsletter Today, sports teams routinely travel by bus or plane to and from games in other cities. In the 1940’s and ’50’s, they often rode trains, and so did the sportscasters who covered the games. Bob Brooks, veteran broadcaster for the University of Iowa in […]

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Taking railroad photos before change occurs

GP38-2 No. 3818 leads Central Oregon & Pacific job No. 503 near Riddle, Ore., on Feb. 8, 2010. From the poles to the jointed rails and wooden ties, to the 3818, to the route itself, everything could vanish soon, due to modernization or abandonment. Scott Lothes Conveyor belts fed by dump trucks load a CSX […]

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O gauge SD45 by MTH

IN THE 1960s, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL A LOCOMOTIVE THAT SOLD MORE THAN 1,200 COPIES TO 21 RAILROADS? A SUCCESS! In 1965 the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors fielded the first SD45, a monster with a 20-cylinder, 3,600-horsepower 645E3 diesel engine, and it proved to be a popular choice. The model also spawned variants, including […]

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National Train Show 2010 preview

Blackstone Models HOn3 class C-19 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive (pre-production model shown) HO scale locomotives HOn3 class C-19 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive. Denver & Rio Grande Western (four road numbers available, one in “Bumblebee” scheme) and Rio Grande Southern (one number). Pre-production model shown. Die-cast metal boiler, wire handrails, and magnetic knuckle couplers. Price and […]

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National Train Show 2010 preview

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP9 diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Baltimore & Ohio; Canadian National; Louisville & Nashville; and Pennsylvania RR. All available with dynamic brakes except for L&N. Digital Command Control, directional lighting, and E-Z Mate Mark II magnetic knuckle couplers. $89. October 2010. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com Alco RS-3 diesel […]

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Athearn HO scale GP15-1 diesel locomotive

Athearn HO scale GP15-1 diesel locomotive This ready-to-run plastic HO GP15-1 looks like the end result of a superdetailing project. The Athearn Genesis model is available accurately detailed for all the major variations of the prototype. Equipped with a SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control decoder, the Athearn GP15-1 has realistic sounds on direct-current (DC) and […]

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