Automatic knuckle couplers have been a part of model railroading for more than 60 years. Not only do these couplers look more like what you see on full-size locomotives and freight cars, they’re easy to install and use. You can learn more about them in my articles on HO and N scale couplers on Trains.com. […]
Type of Train: Diesel Locomotives
A Valentine’s Day gift guide for the contemporary model railroader
Valentine’s Day gift guide With Valentine’s Day coming up, you may be at a loss when it comes to buying a gift for that special someone. Chocolates and flowers are blasé. Dinner and a movie? Sure, but that only lasts a few hours. A mixtape? Come on, it’s 2024, making a Spotify playlist takes seconds. […]
Cummins to repower locomotives as part of pickup emissions cheating settlement
Last month’s announcement of a settlement between Cummins and the U.S. Justice Department and the state of California over emission-defeating devices installed on over a half-million pickup trucks with Cummins diesel engines has far-reaching effects. In addition to monetary penalties, mitigation of the total excess nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions emitted by the RAM pickup trucks […]
A diesel locomotive’s family tree
Diesel locomotives Elvis Presley may have had just one broken heart for sale back in 1963, but when it comes to the number of types of diesel locomotives built in the last three decades that you can find on most Class 1 railroads, the right number is five: switchers, light road-switchers, medium road-switchers, high-horsepower road-switchers, […]
Cereal transporter
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Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP30
In our latest Product Review video, we’ll head down to the quarry on our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout to see the Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP30 in action. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 2710; points out the […]
Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP30
In our latest Product Review video, we’ll head down to the quarry on our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout to see the Broadway Limited Imports HO EMD GP30 in action. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 2710; points out the […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Snowy Chicagoland, J. David Ingles Reel 123
Classic Trains Film Archive | Snowy Chicagoland, J. David Ingles Reel 123 – In vintage color footage captured by J. David Ingles, you’ll see that winter’s wrath has arrived in the Windy City! But in the City 0f Broad Shoulders, a few feet of fresh snow isn’t enough to detour the determined folks from moving […]
Dynamic braking 101
The dynamics of dynamic braking A half-century ago, when diesel locomotives were replacing steam engines, a revolutionary breakthrough — dynamic braking — was making freight operations safer and more efficient. Dynamic braking is the method of train braking whereby the kinetic energy of a moving train is used to generate electric current at the locomotive […]
Diesel locomotive builders explored
Diesel locomotive builders 1. American Locomotive Company For many years after World War II, Alco — the American Locomotive Company — was the second place diesel builder in the United States. The company’s history as a steam locomotive manufacturer dates from 1901. The Schenectady, N.Y.,-based firm began producing its first diesels in conjunction with suppliers […]
F is for freight
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Thoughts on the Lionel 2024 Big Book catalog
The Lionel 2024 Big Book catalog is here! At 228 pages, there’s a lot of products to sort through. I’ve given it a good luck and have thoughts and observations. Maybe you do too. If so, leave a comment or send an email to editor@classictoytrains.com Roger Carp explained the history of when Lionel releases catalogs […]