Tangent HO scale Pullman-Standard 4750 covered hopper Price: $42.95 Manufacturer Tangent Scale Models P.O. Box 6514 Asheville, NC 28816 www.tangentscalemodels.com Era: 1979 to present Road names: Burlington Northern, Family Lines with Louisville & Nashville reporting marks, Foster Farms, Mid-South Milling, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and Southern Ry. Comments: Tangent Scale Models has released a newly tooled version of […]
Section: Staff Reviews
Walthers HO scale GP20 diesel locomotive
Walthers HO scale GP20 diesel locomotive The GP20 is back on HO scale rails, in a new selection of road names and detailed to match each prototype. The WalthersProto GP20 uses upgraded tooling based on the Life-Like Proto 2000 GP20 reviewed in the August 1998 Model Railroader. (A review of the high-hood version is in […]
Micro-Trains N scale modern skeleton log car
Micro-Trains N scale modern skeleton log car Price: $24.30 Manufacturer Micro-Trains Line Co. 351 Rogue River Parkway Talent, OR 97540 www.micro-trains.com Road names: Georgia-Pacific, Federal Paper Board (two road numbers each) Era: 1980s to present Comments: Micro-Trains has unveiled its 123rd N scale body style, a 65-foot 100-ton skeleton log car. The cars, built in […]
Athearn HO scale sound-equipped refrigerator car
Athearn HO scale Fruit Growers Express refrigerator car A 57-foot, sound-equipped mechanical refrigerator car has been added to the Athearn Genesis line. The HO scale model, based on a Fruit Growers Express (FGE) prototoype, is offered in nine different body styles with prototype-specific sills and door hardware. Our sample is decorated as BNSF Ry. no. […]
Bachmann HO scale F7A-B diesel locomotive
Bachmann HO scale F7A-B diesel locomotive The F7 diesel-electric locomotive has been a popular subject for scale modelers since it rolled out of General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division shops more than 60 years ago. Now Bachmann Trains is expanding its Sound Value line with F7A and F7B locomotives, each with dual-mode SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound […]
Walthers HO scale bi level commuter cars
Walthers HO scale bi-level commuter cars Initially offered about a decade ago, these HO scale bi-level cars have been retooled and upgraded to match Walthers’ other current passenger car models in every respect. They feature accurate molded and separate details as well as factory-installed lighting and an interior. The prototype. Bi-level commuter trains came to […]
ExactRail HO scale center-beam flatcar
ExactRail HO scale center-beam flatcar An HO scale center-beam bulkhead flatcar with injection-molded plastic, etched brass, and formed wire construction is the latest offering from ExactRail. The Platinum Series model is based on a Thrall Car Manufacturing Co. prototype built in 1977. The center-beam bulkhead design proved popular with railroads, lumber companies, and receivers […]
Athearn N scale Challenger and Big Boy with SoundTraxx DCC
Athearn N scale Challenger and Big Boy steam locomotives Back on N scale rails, the Athearn Genesis 4-6-6-4 Challenger and 4-8-8-4 Big Boy each feature a revised sound system that includes a SoundTraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder with a new array of realistic sound effects. The models use the same tooling as the MRC-DCC-equipped […]
Kato USA HO scale GE P42 diesel locomotive
Kato USA HO scale GE P42 diesel locomotive Are two motors better than one? A typical HO scale locomotive uses a single direct-current (DC) motor mounted on the chassis. Earlier this year, Kato introduced a new approach on one of its HO scale Japanese locomotives by using two compact coreless motors mounted in the trucks. […]
Sunset Models HO scale Northern Pacific 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive
Sunset Models HO scale Northern Pacific 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive A hefty brass model of the last steam engine ordered by the Northern Pacific matches its prototype in both details and pulling power. Sunset Models’ new HO scale class Z-8 4-6-6-4 articulated steam engine also features powerful, realistic sound, thanks to its QSI Titan Digital Command […]
Bachmann HO scale hi-rail truck
Bachmann HO scale hi-rail truck Price: $109.99 Manufacturer Bachmann Trains 1400 E. Erie Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124 www.bachmanntrains.com Era: 1980s to present Comments: This HO scale hi-rail truck from Bachmann Trains features a dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder that operates on both direct-current (DC) and DCC layouts. The truck’s plastic body shell doesn’t represent […]
Atlas Model Railroad O scale Budd short dome car
Atlas Model Railroad O scale Budd short dome car Mention Vista-Dome and most modelers immediately think of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy’s Zephyr fleet. Of these trains, the California Zephyr was the most famous, with five Vista Domes in its regular all stainless-steel consist. Three railroads participated in the CZ’s daily service between Chicago and […]