Wall-mounted billboard three-pack Scale: N (1:160) Price: $17.98 Era: 1920s to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Wall-mounted billboard three-pack features: Newly tooled Parts to build three complete billboards Models a billboard without any lights Printed color signs Release date: Winter 2023 News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com […]
Virginian & Ohio photo tribute. W. Allen McClelland, builder of the freelanced HO scale Virginian & Ohio, passed away on October 28, 2022. You can read his obituary here. In this photo gallery, we’ll take a look at images from both versions of the V&O. The photos are from Andy Sperandeo’s article “Allen McClelland’s trendsetting […]
I never met David “Dave” A. Fink, but I felt his presence for a while in the late 1990s. The pugnacious president of Guilford Transportation Industries had a reputation for being difficult with journalists, but long about 1997 I decided Trains absolutely had to have a profile of his railroad, no matter what. Fink proved […]
Canadian and Phase III RS3 diesel locomotives Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin plug, $219.95; with ESU LokSound Select sound decoder, $319.95 Era: 1954+ (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754; 570-368-2379; bowser-trains.com Canadian and Phase III RS3 diesel locomotive features: Road-name-specific fuel tanks Separate, factory-applied air hoses, windshield wipers, […]
The Bombardier HR616 locomotive sold just 20 copies to one railroad, qualifying it as a Diesel That Didn’t. In North America, when we think of builders of diesel road locomotives, we usually conjure visions of EMD, GE, Wabtec, Alco, Baldwin, and Fairbanks-Morse. But there were others, including Canada’s Bombardier. The Montreal-headquartered rail transportation arm of […]
Amtrak St Louis services have included routes to the East, Southwest, and other Midwest points throughout its 50-plus-year history. At one time, the Gateway City was a secondary Midwest hub for Amtrak. Long-distance trains serving St. Louis through the years included the Inter-American, National Limited, and Texas Eagle. Additional short-distance trains include services to Chicago […]
Procor 5820 covered hopper Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $39.95; three-pack, $119.85; six-pack, $239.70 Era: 1977 to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Procor 5820 covered hopper features: Round, round with ribs, or 20” vented cover roof hatches as appropriate Pneumatic or Miner outlet […]
Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquette Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1946 to 1971 Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com Electro-Motive Division E7A features: 7mm can motor Dual flywheels Metal steps Blackened metal wheels Directional light-emitting-diode lighting Optional front truck with mounted coupler AutoLatch couplers DCC ready Road name: Chesapeake & Ohio (dark blue, […]
Signs from swizzle sticks: When my wife, kids, and I visited the General Store Antique Mall in Kewaskum, Wis., I wasn’t really thinking about model railroading (although I did run into a fellow modeler at the store). Instead, I planned on enjoying an hour or two browsing the dozens of booths in the two-story building […]
Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model, $239.95; with dual-mode ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder, $349.95 Era: 1991 to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive features: Dual rooftop air conditioners Separate underbody piping, conduit, and wire […]
Sartrouville’s Pavilion Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $61 (price may vary based on exchange rate) Era: 1936+ Manufacturer: Minifer, 25 Bis Chemin du Roy, 41150 Veuzain Sur Loire, France; minifer.fr/en/ Sartrouville’s house features: Laser-cut cardboard kit Painted cardboard slate roof PDF color instructions Measures 3.93” x 4.13” x 4.72” Release date: Available now News & Products is […]
Amtrak NPCU “Cabbage” Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin plug, $239.95; with dual-mode sound decoder, $349.95 Era: 1990s to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Amtrak Non-Powered Control Unit features: Enlarged marker lights, supplementary air reservoirs, and a K5LA horn Operating strobe lights, […]
