Broadway Limited Import’s HO scale Santa Fe 4-8-4 steam locomotive is big and handsome. Model railroaders who’ve been waiting for an HO model of a big western 4-8-4 steam locomotive, with all the latest electronics and sound effects, have gotten their wish. This model of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe no. 3751 from Broadway Limited […]
The HO gas-turbine locomotive is a really heavy hauler. Lionel’s new HO model of Union Pacific’s gas-turbine is an eye-and-ear-catching replica of one of the most recognizable locomotives of the post-World War II era. The UP has historically valued big power (think Big Boy, Challenger, or DD40AX), and during the 1950s and ’60s its big […]
The HO Evans coil steel car is a well-done model. An excellent ready-to-run model of a modern 100-ton steel car has been released by Red Caboose. It represents a common prototype car that hauls heavy coils of sheet steel to appliance manufacturers and automobile stamping plants. Evans introduced its line of prototype coil steel cars […]
The Trix HO NYC light Mikado is excellent. Let’s just begin with the controversial part, okay? The new Trix 2-8-2 Mikado is the best-looking mass-produced HO scale steam locomotive I’ve ever seen. Plus, it runs like a precision instrument. Is it perfect? Not quite, but it’s awfully good. The New York Central was best known […]
Kato’s HO GE AC4400CW diesel locomotive is a heavy-duty hauler. This contemporary General Electric six-axle road freight locomotive is the latest addition to Kato’s lineup of modern HO diesels. It’s a well-detailed model of GE’s 4,400-hp AC4400CW and features a smooth 12-wheel drive, magnetic couplers, and easy conversion to Digital Command Control (DCC). The AC4400CW […]
Bachmann’s HO USRA 2-6-6-2 is a compact powerhouse. This chunky USRA 2-6-6-2 is a powerful model that’s capable of operating on 18″-radius curves. It’s the first HO articulated locomotive in the Bachmann Spectrum line. The model represents a prototype locomotive developed by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) during the First World War. The USRA […]
The DC version is fitted with an NMRA-recommended receptacle and jumper plug at the rear of the PC board for easy conversion to DCC. A powerful model of a General Electric U30C six-axle heavy-duty road switcher is now available ready-to-run with and without Digital Command Control (DCC) decoders. Like earlier Atlas HO models, the decoder-equipped […]
Life-Like’s HO Alco RS-11 features eye-catching detail. A whole new level of detail has been introduced in the Proto 1000 line with this ready-to-run HO scale Alco RS-11 road switcher. It’s detailed with dozens of individual parts that Life-Like formerly omitted on its more spartan Proto 1000 models. This RS-11 captures the rugged good looks […]
Broadway Limited Imports’ class T1 duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam passenger locomotive. The T1’s single motor drives both driver sets while the dual-mode (DC or DCC) electronic controls and sound system are concealed in the tender. Air tanks, PRR train-phone antennas, the top end of the water scoop, and a pair of water hatches are included on […]
Branchline Trains’ NYC passenger car In an editorial on the state of the art in passenger car modeling (January 2000 Model Railroader), I wrote that we were still missing the passenger equivalents of the best plastic mass-produced freight car kits. The new HO scale heavyweight coach kit from Branchline Trains is an answer to that […]
Rivarossi HO UP Streamliner passenger cars Two new Union Pacific streamlined passenger cars of the 1950s have been released by Rivarossi. These classic smooth-side coach and dome-observation cars come ready-to-run with interior details, free-rolling plastic and metal trucks, and magnetic knuckle couplers. The book Union Pacific Streamliners, by Harold Ranks and William Kratville, includes UP […]
Athearn HO scale BethGon Coalporter Modern unit-train coal gondola has great detail If you want to model a modern unit coal train, you’ll want to check out Athearn’s Ready-to-Roll BethGon Coalporters. The models are based on the aluminum-and-steel coal gondolas built by Johnstown America in the 1980s and ’90s. The Coalporter’s interior details include the […]
