Dreams come true. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a big dream, but when I first saw the Woodland Scenics Built-&-Ready line of O gauge structures I hoped it would soon include industrial facilities as well as downtown-type retail shops (browse through the Woodland Scenics HO structures in shops and you’ll see the possibilities). I even turned […]
Bachmann N scale F7A and B units Bachmann Trains is introducing an N scale model of one of the most iconic locomotives ever built, equipped with a Digital Command Control decoder. The N scale locomotives, which come in A and B versions, have sharp paint jobs, are powered by can motors with dual brass flywheels, […]
Athearn Trains HO scale GE ES44AC GEVO diesel locomotive A mainstay of today’s main lines, the General Electric Evolution Series (GEVO) ES44AC is now available as part of the Athearn Genesis line of superdetailed HO scale locomotives. We tested a BNSF and a Union Pacific version. Both models feature prototype-specific detailing and a SoundTraxx Digital […]
Walthers HO scale Magnolia Hotel Price: $34.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53201 www.walthers.com Era: late 1800s to 1950s Comments: The Magnolia Hotel is one of the latest structure offerings from Walthers. The injection-molded plastic kit, part of the Cornerstone Main Street USA series, features a decorative peaked-roof cornice […]
ExactRail HO scale TrentonWorks 67′-11″ bulkhead flatcar Price: $38.95 Manufacturer ExactRail 251 W. River Park Dr., Ste. 300 Provo, UT 84604 www.exactrail.com Era: 2005 to present Road names: TTX (“Forward Thinking” herald or black rectangle herald with three white or five yellow reflective stripes). Multiple road numbers per scheme. Comments: A common modern-era bulkhead flatcar […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale 50-foot boxcar An HO scale model of a 70-ton double-door boxcar used by western railroads to transport wood products and other freight is now available from Atlas. The 5,077-cubic-foot-capacity boxcar is based on a prototype built by FMC during the mid- to late 1970s and features a one-piece injection-molded […]
Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley Line by Ed Wolfe, Charles Wilson, Jr., and Paul Mandelkern HEW Enterprises, 116 Oakview Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 1521; 432 pages, 384 b/w and 48 color photos; hardcover, 8.5 x 11 in.; $65.00 Ed Wolfe has established himself as an outstanding researcher and writer in Appalachian railroad history with five different […]
Railroads for Michigan by Graydon M. Meints Michigan State University Press, Suite 25, Manly Miles Building, 1405 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245; 640 pages, 180 black-and-white photos; hardcover, 8.5 x 11 in.; $49.95. Michigan’s railroad history is well served by “Railroads for Michigan,” a sprawling new survey by historian Graydon M. Meints. From […]
The Blackstone Models HOn3 (HO scale 3-foot gauge) 2-8-0 Consolidation features a SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. We ran the superdetailed steam locomotive on Blackstone’s new ProTraxx HOn3 click track. […]
The holidays are past, the tree is down, and the radio station is done with Christmas music for another 11 months. Yet you haven’t quite stored the train set you bought for (a) the kids, (b) the grandkids, or (c) yourself. Maybe it will be a good idea to set up a little railroad. Maybe […]
Throughout the year people call our magazine to ask which transformer they should use for a new (usually small or first-time) layout. I’ve been asked if an MTH Z-4000 or a Lionel ZW was needed for a 4 x 8-foot layout. The answer: Unless you know for a fact that in the near future your […]
This compact diesel locomotive has an eye-catching paint scheme and plenty of technology under the hood. […]
