Menards HO Wally’s Service Station Price: $59.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 www.menards.com/trains Era: 1955 to 1960s (as decorated) Comments: Menards has added Wally’s Service Station to its rapidly growing line of HO scale structures. The factory-assembled model features more than 20 light-emitting diodes (LEDs); a weathered base; and an assortment […]
Section: Reviews
Atlas Master Line HO scale Pullman 10-1-1 sleeper
Atlas Master Line HO scale Pullman 10-1-1 sleeper Price: $64.95 (undecorated, $54.95) Manufacturer Atlas Model RR Co. 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 www.atlasrr.com Era: 1930 to 1950s Road names: Pullman; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago & North Western; Norfolk & Western; Northern Pacific; Pennsylvania RR; Southern Pacific; and Union Pacific. Also available undecorated. Comments: […]
Atlas N scale Alco C-628 diesel
Atlas N scale Alco C628 diesel Big Alcos are back in N scale from Atlas Model Railroad Co. We reviewed a direct-current (DC) version from an earlier production run in the August 2004 Model Railroader. The latest run is available with a factory-installed ESU LokSound decoder that operates on Digital Command Control (DCC) as well […]
Lionel Corporation Tinplate O gauge Nos. 256 electric locomotive and 700-series passenger cars from MTH
Lionel Corporation Tinplate O gauge Nos. 256 electric locomotive and 700-series passenger cars from MTH Locomotive price: $499.95 (no. 11-6061-1) Min. Curve: O-31 Speed range: 3 smph to 65 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb., 2 oz. Features: Two flywheel-equipped can-style motors, stamped-steel construction, latch couplers, ProtoSound 3.0 sound and DCS command control. Passenger three-car set: […]
O gauge Old Weathered Barn from Woodland Scenics
O gauge Old Weathered Barn from Woodland Scenics Price: $169.99 (no. BR5865) Dimensions: 10 1/4 inches wide, 7 13/16 inches deep, and 77/8 inches high. Features: fieldstone foundation, shake-shingled roof, hayloft door, grain silo, implement shed, intricately styled paned windows, traditional barn doors, and a printed interior. Power: Just Plug Power Supply (Woodland Scenics Nos. […]
O gauge scale Polar Express 2-8-4 Berkshire from Lionel
Eric Siegel photo O gauge scale Polar Express 2-8-4 Berkshire from Lionel Locomotive price: $1,349.99 (no. 84685) Min. Curve: O-54 Speed range: 1.6 smph to 100.7 smph Drawbar pull: 2 lb., 12 oz. Features: Lionel Legacy TrainMaster Command Control; RailSounds sound system including CrewTalk dialog, TowerConn announcements, and DynaChuff; Bluetooth connectivity for LionChief app control; […]
Digikeijs DR5000 Digicentral DCC command station
Setting up the DR5000 is easy but requires a Microsoft Windows PC. Shown here are the adjustable power supply and the DR5000 command station. Laptop not included. The DR5000 works with a variety of wireless and wired throttles that use Loconet and XpressNet interfaces. The device also supports several smartphone apps. One of the challenges […]
Con-Cor HO scale MP54 coach and trailer
Con-Cor HO scale MP54 coach and trailer Con-Cor’s Pennsylvania RR MP54 has a wide-open passenger compartment, facilitated by its ceiling-mounted printed-circuit board and subfloor drivetrain. Here comes the happy couple! Con-Cor has added to its line of Pennsylvania RR MP54 commuter cars with models of the semi-permanently coupled married pairs, or bride-and-grooms. We published tests […]
Quick Look: ScaleTrains.com N scale 5750 carbon black covered hopper
ScaleTrains.com N scale 5750 carbon black covered hopper Price: $31.99 Manufacturer ScaleTrains.com Inc. 7598 Highway 411 Benton, TN 37307 www.scaletrains.com Era: September 1977 to present Road names: Columbian Chemicals, Cabot, Sid Richardson Carbon Co., and Witco. Four road numbers per scheme. Comments: A Thrall Manufacturing Co. 5,750-cubic-foot-capacity three-bay carbon black covered hopper is now offered […]
WalthersMainline HO scale EMD F7 diesels
WalthersMainline HO scale EMD F7 diesels New tooling and realistic sound highlight these HO scale General Motors Electro-Motive Division F7 locomotives from Walthers. Part of the value-priced WalthersMainline series, the models feature accurately detailed body shells and are available with optional dual-mode sound decoders that operate on Digital Command Control (DCC) and direct-current (DC) layouts. […]
O gauge One Police Plaza from Menards
O gauge One Police Plaza from Menards Price: $99.99 (No. 2794435) Dimensions: 12 inches wide, 10 3/8 inches deep, 13 1/8 inches high. Features: Helicopter with rotating rotor blades, helipad with blinking landing lights, six police figures, and Jack the German shepherd. Power: Requires a 4.5-volt AC to DC power adapter, sold separately (Menards Nos. […]
Sponsored Product Review: Brother ScanNCut 2 CM350 craft cutter
Unscrewing the holder reveals the blade. Additional blades and holders are available separately. If you have a crafter in your house, odds are you’re already familiar with the Brother ScanNCut family of electronic cutting devices. They combine a craft cutter with a built-in scanner and make quick work of cutting out designs and patterns. As […]