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The biggest steam switcher stood head and shoulders above the rest. In the steam era, switch engines came in basically three sizes: 0-4-0, 0-6-0, and 0-8-0. They ranged from diminutive shop switchers — typically 0-4-0s, pretty much a pre-1900 machine — to huge switchers such as Indiana Harbor Belt’s three U-4a class 0-8-0s […]
Northern Pacific’s Banana Nut Bread immediately caught my eye as a recipe worth re-creating. The railroad wanted to waste as little as possible, so using overripe bananas in a banana bread was a sensible idea. It also reused milk that had gone sour (though you don’t need to keep old milk in your fridge—see tips […]
Missouri-Kansas-Texas locomotives were modernized under the watch of President Matthew Sloan in the 1930s. They were mostly built before World War I, with higher boiler pressures and superheaters. As a light-rail granger road set in mostly prairie country, Katy needed only modernized engines. Premier mainline power was 154 Mikados and 62 Pacifies, with yard work […]
Also in this issue: Introducing Lionel Trains of the 1940s Our comprehensive look at a significant and not-so-segmented decade. Momentous and meaningful decade for Lionel Modernizing in many wonderful ways. Breakthrough year in realism for locomotives and cars Looking forward with many glances at the recent past. Colorful and fanciful cars still rode the Lionel […]
Facts & features Name: Vermont Rail System Scale: HO (1:87) in standard, narrow (3-foot), and dual gauges Size: 22’-103⁄4” x 25’-7” Prototypes: Vermont Rail System, Rutland Railroad Locale: Vermont Era: 1960s to present Style: Walk-in Mainline run: 96 feet point-to-point, 106 feet loop Minimum radius: 24” Minimum turnout: no. 4 (yards), no. 6 (main) Maximum […]
Electro-Motive Division GP7 from Athearn Genesis Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $219.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $319.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: 1949+ (varies on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Electro-Motive Division GP7 features: Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers […]
Get your old trains running again! It’s time to take them out of the boxes and have some fun. In this chapter from Beginner’s Guide to Repairing Lionel Trains, Ray L. Plummer offers advice on how to do it. Get your old trains running again “Old electric train” – that’s what it says on the […]
We’ll take a look at five details you can add to transition-era cabooses. Some details are railroad-specific, while others apply to many railroads. When in doubt, refer to prototype photos. The steam-to-diesel transition era, roughly 1940 to 1960, is the most popular modeling era. There are several reasons for this. Many people who model this […]
“Bloody Nose” Alco PA1 from American Z Line Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1958+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com “Bloody Nose” Alco PA1 features: prototype specific details 7mm can motor dual flywheels directional controlled light-emitting diode lighting six-axle trucks with blind middle axle blackened metal wheels traction […]
The Santa Fe built a large, new freight station at Argentine, Kan., in 1961. The office building portion included offices for agents, the railroad’s transportation company, and division freight traffic personnel. ATSF photo […]
Atlas O 52’-6” flatcar with load Scale: O (1:48) Price: $69.95 Era: 1953 to 1990s (depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-678-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Features: Roller-bearing trucks with rotating bearing caps Separate, factory-applied brake wheel Pipe load with modeler-installed load tie-downs Die-cast metal trucks and couplers Detailed underframes […]
Virginian & Ohio tank car from Home Shops LLC Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $49.95 Era: 1960+ Manufacturer: Produced by Tangent Scale Models, available from Home Shops LLC, homeshops.net Tank cars feature: Company service waste oil cars Return stencils for Afton, Va. (one road number); Gallipolis, Ohio (one number); and West Carrollton, Ohio (two numbers) Metal […]
