Bachmann 1:20.3-proportion 2-6-6-2T steam locomotive The Biles-Coleman Lumber Co. 2-6-6-2T was never built in 1:1 scale, but that didn’t stop Bachmann from making a well-detailed, smooth-performing model Mallet. The 1:20.3-proportion steam locomotive has plenty of pulling power and a versatile “plug and play” electronic interface for adding a Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder or radio-control […]
Section: Staff Reviews
Model Rectifier Corp. Tech 6 Sound Controller
Model Rectifier Corp. Tech 6 Sound Controller Most Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoders sold these days are dual mode, meaning that they will operate on DC layouts as well as DCC layouts. However, on DC layouts, these decoders offer limited access to sound functions and programming. The Model Rectifier Corp. Tech 6 Sound Controller […]
MTH Electric Trains HO scale SD70ACe diesel locomotive
MTH Electric Trains HO scale SD70ACe diesel locomotive Remotely opening couplers set this HO scale SD70ACe from MTH Electric Trains apart from other recent locomotive models. This is a feature that hasn’t before been seen on a ready-to-run HO locomotive. The MTH SD70ACe also has many realistic sound effects and operates on DC, Digital Command […]
Atlas HO scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive
Atlas HO scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive Atlas has added to its growing Trainman line of HO scale diesel locomotives with the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP39-2. This ready-to-run direct-current (DC) model uses Atlas’ proven five-pole skew-wound motor and features railroad-specific details. Prototype history. When Santa Fe needed a turbocharged four-axle road switcher designed for operations in […]
Walthers HO scale New York Central observation car
Walthers HO scale New York Central observation car Price: $69.98 ManufacturerWm. K. WalthersP.O. Box 3039Milwaukee, WI 53201www.walthers.com Era: 1948 to 1967 Comments: A five-bedroom buffet-lounge-observation car completes Walthers HO scale 1948 New York Central 20th Century Limited. The plastic model has many separately applied parts, including rooftop vents and antenna and many underbody details. The […]
Athearn HO acid tank cars
Athearn HO acid tank cars Price: $27.98 ManufacturerAthearn Trains2883 E. Spring Street, Suite 100Long Beach, CA 90806-6834www.athearn.com Era: 1970s to present Comments: A great-looking HO scale contemporary acid tank car is now available from Athearn. The 13,600-gallon HO scale car is modeled after a Union Tank Car Co. prototype. The model comes assembled and ready-to-run […]
Micro-Trains N scale heavyweight RPO
Micro-Trains N scale heavyweight RPO Price: $19.35 ManufacturerMicro-Trains Line Co.351 Rogue River ParkwayTalent, OR 97540www.micro-trains.com Era: 1940s Comments: This 60-foot Railway Post Office (RPO) is typical of heavyweight mail cars built in the 1910s and ’20s. Many served into the 1960s. Micro-Trains had specifically modeled RPOs built for the Great Northern in 1918. The car […]
Walthers HO scale Hulett unloader
Walthers HO scale Hulett unloader This strange looking machine is a model of a Hulett unloader that transferred iron ore from ore boats to railroad cars. Invented in 1899, these machines were a common sight in ports throughout the southern Great Lakes. Huletts were normally built in pairs that worked together to unload a single […]
Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control Pro Box
Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control Pro Box The Bachmann Dynamis Digital Command Control (DCC) system features intuitive programming, operating menus displayed on the handset’s liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, and wireless infrared communication between the handset and an infrared receiver. The basic system, reviewed in the July 2008 Model Railroader, works fine for a small […]
Athearn Trains HO scale UP gas turbine
Athearn Trains HO scale UP gas turbine The distinctive grid of air intakes on the sides of the body make Athearn’s new locomotive model immediately recognizable. The Union Pacific bought 10 gas-turbine-electric locomotives from General Electric between 1952 and 1953, putting them in charge of long-haul freights in the western Rocky Mountains. Athearn’s model is […]
Broadway Limited Imports N scale E8 diesel locomotive
Broadway Limited Imports N scale E8 diesel locomotive The rumble of 12-cylinder 567B engines and many other realistic sound effects highlight this Digital Command Control (DCC) sound-equipped E8 diesel in N scale from Broadway Limited Imports. The locomotive includes BLI’s new Paragon2 sound decoder and operates on DC and DCC layouts. Prototype. General Motors Electro-Motive […]
Micro-Trains N scale bay window caboose
Micro-Trains N scale bay window caboose Price: $32.85 ManufacturerMicro-Trains Line Co.P.O. Box 1200Talent, OR 97540www.micro-trains.com Era: 1980s Comments: The prototype for this N scale plastic model was one of the last cabooses purchased by the Southern Pacific Ry. in 1980. The model matches drawings in Freight Cars of the Southern Pacific, Volume 2: Cabooses by […]