ONLY TIME WILL TELL if Flyer enthusiasts will move the setting of their layouts into the late 20th century. If they don’t, it isn’t because there are no contemporary diesels offered in S gauge. American Models has introduced the EMD SD60, the most modern American Flyer-compatible diesel on the market. Electro-Motive made the 3,800-horsepower SD60 […]
LOCOMOTIVES COSTING $1,000 or more seem to capture all the attention today, so we went down to our local hobby shop to find some locomotives that didn’t have “Rockefeller” as a last name. We found three moderately priced diesels that model three notable periods of U.S. railroad history and reflect three periods of O gauge […]
I’LL BE HONEST. When I saw the box with “GP60” written on the label, I sighed. Geeps may be the most modeled diesel in the O gauge world, and here was another. Then I took the Atlas O model out of the box and said out loud, “Holy smokes, this model is stunning!” Once again, […]
Q Why do automobile rack cars have TTX Co. reporting marks but also bear a logo from a railroad? – Gary Gergye, Marietta, Ga. A This started in the early 1960s when autoracks first came into use. Flatcars, with TTX reporting marks, were pulled from the Trailer Train pool, but the racks were purchased by […]
Broadway Limited HO C30-7 diesel General Electric’s distinctive chugging exhaust is included in this great-looking C30-7 model, the latest ready-to-run HO scale diesel locomotive from Broadway Limited Imports. It’s sold with or without a factory-installed QSI Quantum sound system and automatic dual-mode decoder that operates on layouts using either DC or Digital Command Control (DCC). […]
Bachmann’s E-Z Command system makes it easy to outfit a small HO layout with Digital Command Control (DCC). This new system was developed in partnership with Bernd Lenz, the inventor who gave his digital control system patent to the National Model Railroad Association (his system became today’s DCC standard). It’s a simplified “plug-and-play” package that’s […]
In 1920, when American railroads emerged from 26 months of government control, the prevailing philosophy of freight-train operation was to hang as many cars as possible behind a locomotive and send it out to drag its way along the line. Three locomotive types were ideal for drag freight: 2-10-2, 2-6-6-2, and 2-8-8-2. The 2-10-2 and […]
An eye-catching model of a super-size hopper is available ready-to-run from Walthers. It has E-Z Mate magnetic knuckle couplers and free-rolling roller-bearing trucks. It’s a replica of the high-capacity, 87-ton cars built by Greenville Steel Car Co. starting in the early 1970s. Each car can haul 7,526 cu. ft. of wood chips. This hopper is […]
LBF HO Trinity 100-ton covered hopper An excellent model of a modern 100-ton covered hopper for grain service has been released by LBF Co. It’s a ready-to-run HO scale model of the 5,161-cubic-foot prototype introduced by Trinity Industries in 1995. Our sample car was very close to the prototype dimensions in Simmons-Boardman’s 1997 Car & […]
Athearn Genesis HO scale Trinity 110-ton covered hopper Athearn is marketing a finely detailed HO model of a covered hopper commonly used to haul grain. It’s a replica of the 5,161-cubic-foot-capacity prototype introduced by Trinity Industries in 1995. This Genesis model comes ready-to-run with metal running boards, very fine carbody details, simulated roller bearing trucks, […]
Atlas HO International standard cupola caboose Atlas is producing a well-detailed, ready-to-run HO caboose based on the International Car Co.’s popular welded steel standard-cupola design of the 1960s and early 1970s. International’s specialty was building cabooses, and thousands of their products served railroads across North America. Standardized components gave International cabooses a family appearance, but […]
Atlas N scale General Electric Dash 8-40B diesel Atlas has released an N scale General Electric Dash 8-40B road diesel locomotive and it’s a beautifully detailed, fine-running model. From the exquisitely rendered m.u. cables on the front and rear pilots to the amber warning beacon atop the cab, this Dash 8-40B sets a high standard […]
