Athearn HO scale Ford F-850 boom truck

yellow truck

Ford F-850 boom truck Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.99 Era: 1960 to 1980+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Ford F-850 boom truck features: Factory-assembled injection-molded plastic model Positionable boom and outriggers Molded cab interior with separate, factory-applied steering wheel Clear window glazing Rubber tires Available […]

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Athearn HO scale 40-foot Pfaudler milk car

green HO milk car

40-foot Pfaudler milk car Scale: HO (1:87) Price: $36.99 Era: 1920s to 1950s Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Screw-mounted express-type trucks Machined metal RP-25 contour wheels Body-mounted McHenry couplers Injection-molded plastic body Minimum radius: 18” Available July 2023 Road names: Chicago & North Western, Alderney Dairy Co., Merkle Dairy […]

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Athearn HO scale 40-foot pulpwood car

blue illustration pulpwood car

40-foot pulpwood car Scale: HO (1:87) Price: $24.99 Era: 1957+ to 1990s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com 40-foot pulpwood car features: Separate, factory-applied brake wheel 33” machined metal RP-25 contour wheels 50-ton solid-bearing or 70-ton roller-bearing trucks Body-mounted McHenry couplers Injection-molded plastic body Minimum radius: […]

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Milwaukee, Racine & Troy American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper

gray MR&T hopper

Milwaukee, Racine & Troy American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $27.99 Era: early 1990s+ Manufacturer: Produced by Accurail, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com MR&T hopper features: One-piece injection-molded plastic body Separate underbody Modeler-installed outlet gates, hatch covers, and brake appliances Roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets Steel […]

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Meet John Ciesla

Man standing in front of layout

What was your first train set (or locomotive)? Meet John Ciesla: I grew up with my father’s prewar American Flyer trains. These were the famous S scale, O gauge trains that came out in the late 1930s. With the advent of WWII, new cars and locomotives were nonexistent, but he still managed to find a […]

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American Z Line June 2022 locomotive announcements

blue and white locomotive

American Z Line June 2022 locomotive announcements Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: Nickel Plate Road Alco PA-1, December 1947 to November 1961; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Electro-Motive Division SW1000, 1966 to 1970 Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016, 614-764-1703, americanzline.com EMD SW1000 features: AutoLatch couplers Directional light-emitting-diode lighting Blackened […]

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Atlas O 40-foot General American Transportation Corp. Airslide covered hopper

blue colored hopper

40-foot General American Transportation Corp. Airslide covered hopper Scale: O (1:48) Price: $79.95 (undecorated, $74.95) Era: 1953 to 1980s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas O, 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com 40-foot General American Transportation Corp. Airslide covered hopper features: See-through running boards and brake wheel platform Separate, factory-applied grab irons and […]

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Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive

illustration of Santa Fe locomotive

Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current with 21-pin NEM connector, $169.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami 2 sound decoder, $269.99 Era: 1967 to 2007+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive features: Directional light-emitting-diode headlights Rubber m.u. hoses Curved […]

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Athearn Genesis 13,000-gallon tank car

black tank car

13,000-gallon tank car Scale: N (1:160) Price: single car, $44.99; three-pack, $124.99 Era: 1980s+ to 2018+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com 13,000-gallon tank car features: Separate, factory-applied metal grab irons and handrails Body-mounted McHenry double-shelf couplers Rubber trainline hoses Early and late body styles Uncoupling […]

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Athearn Genesis HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 and GP15T diesel locomotive

illustration of blue locomotive

Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 and GP15T diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current with 21-pin NEM connector, $219.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami 2 sound decoder, $319.99 Era: 1977+ to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 and GP15T diesel locomotive features: Uncoupling levers Trainline […]

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Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose from Tangent Scale Models

Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $106.95 Era: 1965 to 1986+ Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816, 828-412-3886, tangentscalemodels.com Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose features: Era-specific body details, including bay windows and marker lights Kadee scale couplers Wire grab irons, ladder rungs, […]

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