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The Lionel 2023 Big Book catalog is out. I just had a quick flip through it and here are my first impressions. I’ll tell you right off, this isn’t an exhaustive treatment and I can’t cover everything. Nor will you find any mention of the prices of these things. As I’m frequently inclined to say, […]
A John Armstrong inspired layout: In March of 1952 Model Railroader magazine began a series called Track Plan of the Month. A frequent contributor was John Armstrong, an undisputed genius of model railroad planning. Armstrong designed two track plans for the September 1953 issue. John rotated the center line of the layouts’ footprints 45-degrees and […]
In Memoriam: John Kunzie. John Paul Kunzie of Woodstock, Ill., passed away on November 29, 2022, at the age of 87. He founded John’s Lab, a model railroad supply company after working for Johns Mansville and R.R. Donnelley. In 1976 he purchased Castolite, Inc., a producer of liquid resin. He also became a great mentor […]
Erie-Lackawanna Alco PA1 from American Z Line Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: Late 1940s+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com Erie-Lackawanna Alco PA1 features: Prototype specific details 7mm can motor Dual flywheels Directional light-emitting diode lighting Six-axle trucks with blind middle axle Blackened metal wheels Traction tires Optional snowplow and front coupler […]
CHICAGO — The Amtrak locomotives that sustained mid-route failures on the Empire Builder in December, stranding the eastbound train in rural Minnesota, are undergoing software and hardware modifications intended to prevent the problems from recurring. Responding to a Trains News Wire inquiry asking Amtrak why the Builder didn’t operate west of the Twin Cities for […]
PERRIS, Calif. – The Southern California Railroad Museum, formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is sponsoring a night photo shoot April 22. The event will run 6 to 10p.m. Space is limited to 25 photographers, and reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The photoshoot will use open flash photography and feature […]
Bowser Manufacturing General Motors Diesel SD40-2, SD40-3, and SD40-2f Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: DC with 21-pin plug, $229.95; DCC LokSound V5 decoder, $329.95 Era: 1972+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754; 570-368-2379; bowser-trains.com General Motors Diesel SD40 features: Road name specific details Road name specific fuel […]
A new run of the Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP7 is arriving in hobby shops. The Genesis-series diesel locomotive features railroad- and road-number-specific details. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno as he hosts this video review of the four-axle road switcher. Paint schemes offered in this run of the GP7 include Pennsylvania […]
A new run of the Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP7 is arriving in hobby shops. The Genesis-series diesel locomotive features railroad- and road-number-specific details. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno as he hosts this video review of the four-axle road switcher. Paint schemes offered in this run of the GP7 include Pennsylvania […]
Rio Grande 4001, a diesel-hydraulic built by Germany’s Krauss-Maffei, fills the window of a caboose cupola on Oct. 11, 1963. The exotic unit was testing in helper service between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel. R. P. Parsons photo […]
Five common shortline diesel locomotives in North America: When it comes to short lines and regional railroads, differences abound. Their location, size and overall operation makes each stand out from one another. It’s usually true with motive power too, but railroads can and do populate their rosters with common locomotives that have proved their worth […]
The Morrison-Knudsen MK5000C was but a footnote to 1990s locomotive history. It kind of resembled an EMD six-axle road switcher. Or maybe a GE/Wabtec unit. But the cab didn’t quite seem to fit either one. It looked brutish, well-defined, powerful, and ready to pull as many cars as you could couple to it. […]
