Walthers HO scale El Capitan cars The arrival of a famous name train model is a much-anticipated event at the Model Railroader offices. Receiving the Walthers HO scale El Capitan was no exception. The ready-to-run cars accurately model one of the last streamlined trains to run under the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. nameplate. […]
Section: Staff Reviews
Con-Cor International HO scale New Haven Comet
Con-Cor International HO scale New Haven Comet Recently, if you were a modeler looking for an HO scale New York, New Haven & Hartford RR Comet, you’d either have to pay big bucks for a brass model (assuming you could find one) or embark on an ambitious scratchbuilding project. That’s not the case anymore, thanks […]
True Scene Modeling Fusion Fiber
Price: 1 pound bag, $20 ManufacturerTrue Scene ModelingP.O. Box 1322N. Tonawanda, NY 14120truescene.com Comments: True Scene Modeling introduced its first Modeling Fibre product a few years ago. Fusion Fiber is a new formulation of the same basic concept: a dry, fluffy product you mix with water to make a spreadable terrain cover. The material should […]
Kato N scale Maxi-Stack I
Kato N scale Maxi-Stack I Magnets help keep the N scale containers in place on the Kato cars. Price: $150 ManufacturerKato USA Inc.100 Remington Rd.Schaumburg, IL 60173katousa.com Era: 1988 to present Comments: This N scale Gunderson Maxi-Stack I from Kato USA features a level of detail once found only on intermodal cars in larger scales. […]
ExactRail HO scale Berwick 7,327-cubic-foot boxcar
ExactRail HO scale Berwick 7,327-cubic-foot boxcar The ExactRail HO scale car features a prototypically detailed underframe. North America’s automakers have depended upon railroad transportation since the 1920s, and auto traffic remains a popular theme for model railroaders. Thousands of specialized cars haul auto parts, including this Berwick 7,327- cubic-foot-capacity boxcar that’s now available in HO […]
Bachmann HO scale 2-6-0 Mogul
Bachmann HO scale 2-6-0 Mogul The HO scale 2-6-0 Mogul from Bachmann is the company’s first steam engine equipped with the SoundTraxx Sound Value Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. The Sound Value is an entry-level version of SoundTraxx’s Tsunami decoder, but the effects produced are just as strong and authentic as the full version. The […]
Kato N scale EMD SD9043MAC diesel locomotive
Kato N scale Electro-Motive Division SD9043MAC diesel locomotive Whether on 1:1 rails or in 1:160 proportion, an SD90MAC diesel draws the attention of railfans and modelers alike. At more than 80 scale feet long, this re-release of the N scale SD90MAC from Kato USA is an accurately detailed model of its massive prototype. Model Railroader […]
Atlas HO scale Thrall triple 53-foot articulated well car
Atlas HO scale Thrall triple 53-foot articulated well car Price: decorated, $109.95, undecorated, $89.95 ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad Co.378 Florence AvenueHillside, NJ 07205atlasrr.com Road names (five road numbers each): TTX (yellow and black), Pacer Stack Train (blue, white, and red), and undecorated. Era: 2000 to present Comments: This common Thrall articulated intermodal car is now available […]
Woodland Scenics track cleaning system
Woodland Scenics track cleaning system This innovative tool from Woodland Scenics is part of the firm’s Tidy Track line and makes it easy to clean the rails almost anywhere on a model railroad. A complete system. The Rail Tracker is a 21⁄2″ inch long plastic tool that swivels on a knob. Indentations on the knob […]
Athearn N scale FMC 50-foot double-door boxcar
Athearn N scale FMC 50-foot double-door boxcar Price: $19.98 ManufacturerAthearn Trains2883 E. Spring St., Ste. 100Long Beach, CA 90806athearn.com Era: early 1970s to present Road names (three numbers each): British Columbia Ry., Burlington Northern, Northern Alberta Rys., Western Pacific Comments: For those modeling the 1970s and later, the 50-foot exterior post boxcar is a ubiquitous […]
MTH HO scale Alco PA-1 and PB-1 diesel locomotive
MTH HO scale Alco PA-1 and PB-1 diesel locomotive This HO scale Alco PA captures the streamlined form and distinctive diesel growl of the prototype. The MTH model also adds simulated white exhaust to the mix. Equipped with the MTH Digital Command System (DCS), the Alco PA operates on direct-current, Digital Command Control (DCC), and […]
Athearn HO scale bay-window caboose
Athearn HO scale bay-window caboose An impressively detailed model of the Southern Pacific’s C-50 class bay-window caboose is now available from Athearn. The HO scale car comes in three phases, modeling different construction lots and bearing details specific to those eras. The cabooses are loaded with fine details and are available with working interior lighting […]