Athearn Trains HO scale TankTrain tank cars With bright orange and white lettering on black car bodies, models of the GATX TankTrain are again on hobby shop shelves. Models of these cars were available as kits in the early 1980s. Those kits were notorious for being difficult to assemble, but the prototype was always interesting. […]
Section: Staff Reviews
SoundTraxx Tsunami SoundCar decoder
Soundtraxx Tsunami SoundCar decoder If you’ve ever stood trackside, you know that the sound of a train doesn’t end once the locomotive passes. There are squealing flanges, the banging of a flat spot wheel, and the clickety-clack of wheels over rail joints. The Tsunami SoundCar Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder from SoundTraxx brings these effects […]
WalthersProto HO scale 65′ Thrall mill gondola
WalthersProto HO scale 65′ Thrall mill gondola Price: $31.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthersproto.com Era: 1970s to present Road names: Baltimore & Ohio, CSX, Algoma Central, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Comments: Modelers who need mill gondolas for their fleets have a few more choices as Walthers has released new paint schemes […]
Walthers HO scale Russell snowplow
Walthers HO scale snowplow A newly tooled Russell snowplow has been added to the WalthersProto line. But don’t confuse this model with its kit predecessor from 20 years ago. The ready-to-run 2014 version has prototype-specific details, metal wheelsets, a flanger with rivet detail, factory-installed wire grab irons, and underbody brake detail. In addition, the new […]
Atlas HO scale Alco C-424 diesel locomotive
Atlas Model RR Co. HO scale Alco C-424 diesel locomotive Although the HO scale Alco C-424 has been part of the Atlas product line for years, this latest Classic-series version marks the first time the firm’s HO model has been available with an ESU LokSound Select Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder that captures the raspy […]
Athearn Trains HO scale EMD GP39X and GP49 diesel locomotives
Athearn Trains HO scale GP39X diesel locomotive appropriately detailed for the Southern Ry. Athearn HO scale GP49 Athearn also makes a GP49 detailed specifically after its Norfolk Southern prototype. An Electro-Motive Division diesel unique to the Southern Ry. is being offered for the first time in plastic by Athearn Trains. The GP39X, upgraded to a […]
Broadway Limited Imports HO scale UP 4-8-2 steam locomotive
Broadway Limited Imports HO scale UP 4-8-2 steam locomotive A Union Pacific class MT-73 available in multiple versions joins Broadway Limited Imports’ HO scale steam roster. The detailed model, which features a dual-mode BLI Paragon2 sound decoder and a synchronized puffing smoke unit, operates smoothly on both Digital Command Control and direct-current (DC) layouts. The […]
Walthers HO scale Amfleet coaches and club cars
Walthers HO scale Amfleet passenger cars Walthers, like prototype builder Budd Co. before it, has built on its Metroliner multiple-unit cars to bring newly tooled Amfleet equipment to HO. The cars are offered in both Amfleet I and II body styles. The Amfleet I models depict an 84-seat coach and an Amcafe. The Amfleet II […]
Kato N scale Electro-Motive Division F2 and F3 diesel locomotives
Kato N scale Elective-Motive Division F2 and F3 diesel locomotives Electro-Motive Division’s F series diesels are perhaps the most recognized locomotives in the world. Kato USA is offering a newly tooled N scale version of the F2/early F3 diesel in two-engine sets, wearing the vivid liveries characteristic of the booming postwar era. Kato’s models are […]
Fox Valley Models N scale RD-4 hopper
Fox Valley Models N scale RD-4 hopper Price: $18.95; 12-pack, $227.40 Manufacturer Fox Valley Models P.O. Box 1970 Des Plaines, IL 60017 www.foxvalleymodels.com Era: 1990s to present Comments: A modern-era coal hopper has been added to the Fox Valley Models N scale freight car lineup. The car, based on a Trinity Industries prototype, accurately features […]
Atlas HO scale 40′-6″ postwar boxcar
Atlas HO scale 40 ft 6 inch postwar boxcar Price: $27.95 Manufacturer Atlas Model Railroad Co. 378 Florence Ave. Hillside, NJ 07205 www.atlasrr.com Era: 1945 to late 1970s Comments: Atlas now offers a transition-era 40-foot boxcar in its Master Line of ready-to-run rolling stock. The Association of American Railroads 40′-6″ postwar boxcar, originally offered as […]
Athearn HO scale GP40-2L diesel locomotive
Athearn HO scale GP40-2L diesel locomotive For the first time in plastic, a Canadian National GP40-2L is available in HO scale. Athearn Trains’ Genesis series brings out-of-the-box superdetailing to a new level, and this Canadian-built variation of an Electro-Motive Division GP40-2 is no exception. The Digital Command Control version includes a dual-mode SoundTraxx DCC sound […]