Bachmann HO USRA heavy 4-8-2 Mountain steam locomotive Will fans of HO scale remember 2003 as the year of the steam locomotive? Perhaps – we’ve already seen several outstanding new releases from a variety of manufacturers. Now Bachmann has stepped forward with its second new steamer of the year, a USRA (United States Railway Administration) […]
Tony’s Train Exchange HO scale couplers Digital Command Control (DCC) offers model railroaders a lot of operating function, the earliest of which included a variety of locomotive light and sound effects. Now you can add DCC-controlled locomotive uncoupling to that growing list. Tony’s Train Exchange offers Digital Direct Couplers as a retro-fit kit for Proto […]
roadway Limited HO N&W Class A 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive Back in the late ’80s, my wife, Cindy, and I went to see Norfolk & Western Class A 2-6-6-4 no. 1218 when it came through Chicago on a fan trip. I’d seen quite a few other steam locomotives by that time, so I didn’t expect to […]
Walthers HO Pullman-Standard lightweight 6-6-4 sleeper A lightweight sleeper from 1942 is the first model of a Pullman-Standard prototype included in Walthers’ current line of HO passenger cars. This “6-6-4” is a model of the second-most-popular type of streamline sleeper, representing a car with six open sections, six roomettes, and four double bedrooms. It comes […]
Branchline Trains HO 1937 AAR 40-foot boxcar Branchline Trains has followed its highly detailed kit of the postwar AAR 40-foot boxcar with this kit of a 1937 car. While the design of the new car is in many ways similar to that of its predecessor, this model has molded-on ladders and stirrup steps. Branchline calls […]
Rivarossi HO three-truck Heisler geared steam locomotive A finely detailed HO three-truck Heisler geared steam locomotive with RP25 flanges and a DCC plug has been released by Rivarossi. Geared steam engines have short-wheelbase trucks which allows them to negotiate tight curves and rough track. Heislers may be easily spotted due to their V-shaped two-cylinder engine […]
Atlas HO F-M H-15-44 and H-16-44 diesel road switchers A series of smooth running HO scale Fairbanks-Morse B-B road switchers is now available with manual dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) decoders. Made by Atlas, these models feature superb plastic carbodies that include railroad-specific details. Two groups of similar prototype locomotives (which F-M designated as the […]
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 […]
Micro-Trains N scale troop cars Here’s a pair of passenger cars for military movements that come ready- to-run with Magne-Matic knuckle couplers. Made by Micro-Trains, these cars ride on Allied Full-Cushion trucks. Both cars represent prototypes built from standard 50-foot boxcar designs modified to transport troops across America during the latter days of World War […]
Atlas N scale Baldwin VO1000 diesel switcher An excellent prewar Baldwin VO1000 diesel switcher with railroad-specific detailing has been released by Atlas. Each of these models has the appropriate details and exhaust stack configuration that matches its paint scheme. During World War II, the Baldwin Locomotive Works was one of the builders assigned the job […]
Stewart Hobbies HO scale Baldwin VO660 diesel switcher A lightweight VO660 diesel switcher, with its rectangular radiator, gentle V-shaped front grill, and specific railroad body details, is the latest release from Stewart Hobbies. It has the typical Baldwin profile, but it’s about a scale three feet shorter than its 1,000-hp relatives. It also has Association […]
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 & […]
