Life-Like Proto 1000 HO scale FM Erie-built diesels Here’s a change of pace for transition-era diesel locomotive rosters. Life-Like’s Fairbanks-Morse Erie-built locomotives are sturdy, fine-running replicas of a relatively rare prototype that was built for both freight and passenger service. Part of the Proto 1000 line, these models lack the fuller detailing of their Proto […]
Scale: HO Scale
Walthers adds this HO scale ready-mix concrete plant to its Cornerstone Series
Walthers HO scale ready-mix concrete plant This modern ready-mix concrete plant is a recent addition to the Walthers Cornerstone line of structure kits. It’s a common construction industry that’s found all over North America. Numerous molded styrene panels make up the main buildings while the optional piping and other details are molded separately. Most of […]
Life-Like releases limited edition HO scale Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC)
Life-Like HO Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC) Northern Pacific RDC-2 no. B-30 was preparing for departure as train no. 314 between Lewiston and Spokane, Wash., when J. M. Fredrickson photographed it in June 1955. Life-Like has released a limited-edition model of a Budd RDC-2 (Rail Diesel Car). It has a single power truck, comes ready-to-run […]
Branchline Trains HO scale AAR standard 50-foot boxcar kit
Branchline Trains HO AAR standard 50-foot boxcar Branchline Trains, the maker of this HO scale 50-foot boxcar, isn’t a new name in the model railroad industry. For several years Branchline has applied custom paint schemes to other manufacturers’ freight cars, earning a well-deserved reputation for sharp lettering and accurate colors. This boxcar is Branchline’s first […]
Red Caboose releases HO scale kits of GS drop-bottom composite- and steel-side gondolas
Red Caboose HO GS drop-bottom composite- and steel-side gondolas For its latest HO scale freight car release Red Caboose has chosen the general service (GS) gondola, a car which might not be familiar to Eastern modelers but one that’s needed in large numbers by those interested in Western railroads. Red Caboose has produced two versions […]
The HO scale Ambassador hotel is the latest in Bachmann’s Cityscenes line
Downtown Deco’s “The Old Brownstones” is an HO scale kit in Hydrocal castings, with a footprint of 11 by 4½ inches. The sharp-looking Ambassador Hotel is part of Bachmann’s new Cityscenes line of HO structures. The seven buildings in the line are the first structures to be released as part of the firm’s Spectrum line […]
Atlas HO scale AEM7 and ALP44 passenger electric locomotives
Atlas HO AEM7 and ALP44 passenger electric locomotives Atlas has released an AEM7 passenger electric locomotive and its nearly identical twin, the ALP44, in HO scale. The models are finely detailed including cab detail and painted crew members. Operation is smooth and conveys the muscular qualities of the prototype. The AEM7 is available painted for […]
Intermountain Railway HO scale USRA composite gondola kit
Intermountain Railway HO USRA composite gondola kit The latest HO scale car from InterMountain Railway Co. is this nicely detailed model of a United States Railway Administration composite gondola. The model combines sharply molded parts with ease of assembly and has an innovative choice of materials. Upon opening the box you’ll find an injection-molded plastic […]
InterMountain HO scale ACF 2,980-cubic-foot Center Flow covered hopper kit
InterMountain HO ACF Center Flow covered hopper InterMountain has done well with this sharply detailed model of an ACF 2,980-cubic-foot Center Flow covered hopper. This is a new design on the market, and the car has much better detail than the 2,980 model offered by McKean many years ago. (Detail Associates offers a two-bay Center […]
Athearn upgrades its HO scale SD40-2 diesel locomotive
Athearn HO SD40-2 diesel Athearn recently introduced a “new” SD40-2 to replace the firm’s earlier model, which has been available since 1983. Most notably, the new locomotive offers near-scale size plastic handrails, molded in appropriate colors. Also, there are three variations of dynamic brake housings as well as exhaust stack and radiator intake screens that […]
Westerfield HO scale Milwaukee Road composite gondola resin kit
Westerfield HO Milwaukee Road composite gondola One of the biggest initial concerns in assembling a resin car kit is building a square body from the flat components. However, in recent months we’ve been seeing more one-piece resin bodies, and with the introduction of this upgraded model of a Milwaukee Road composite gondola, Westerfield has launched […]
Kadee HO scale 50-foot PS-1 boxcar is highly detailed and ready to run
Kadee HO 50-foot PS-1 boxcar This sharp-looking ready-to-run model of a 50-foot PS-1 boxcar follows the same construction style and features the same high level of detail as Kadee’s successful 40-foot PS-1. Pullman-Standard began building 50-foot versions of the PS-1 in 1948. The increased capacity and large door opening of the longer car helped it […]