Walthers HO scale Budd Big Dome Full-length dome cars, like this new HO scale model from Walthers, were popular upgrades to the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe’s top name trains in 1954. Each of Santa Fe’s original Big Domes had 57 angled coach seats and 18 lounge seats on the upper deck, with a lower […]
Walthers HO scale ranch-style house Price: $24.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. P.O. Box 3039 Milwaukee, WI 53201 www.walthers.com Era: 1920s to present Comments: A classic brick ranch-style house is one of the latest additions to the Walthers Cornerstone Series. The easy-to-build, injection-molded plastic HO scale kit features a one-piece base, roof, and soffit; separate […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Alco RS-3 diesel locomotive Atlas Model Railroad Co. is releasing new HO scale versions of the RS-3, Alco’s most successful road switcher. The RS‑3, powered by a 1,600-hp, 12-cylinder 244 engine, was a reliable and versatile locomotive. Though it didn’t come close to the popularity of its rival, Electro-Motive […]
Kato HO scale Amtrak Budd baggage car Price: $85 Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc 100 Remington Road Schaumburg. Ill, 60173 www.katousa.com Era: 1978 to present Comments: A typical Amtrak 73-foot streamlined baggage car has been released by Kato USA for use with the firm’s Superliner passenger cars.The model represents one of the Budd baggage cars originally […]
Model Rectifier Corp. Digital Command Control starter set For modelers interested in an easy way to try Digital Command Control (DCC) without committing to a full- featured system, Model Rectifier Corp. offers the Prodigy Explorer. This no-frills DCC system makes it easy to get a taste for DCC operation and decoder programming. Using other Prodigy […]
Bachmann Industries HO sale Norfolk Southern fleet diesel locomotives It seems model railroaders can’t get enough of the Norfolk Southern heritage fleet. Dressed in the paint schemes of fallen flag railroads, newly tooled HO scale General Electric ES44AC and Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe locomotives are now available in the Bachmann Trains Sound Value series. The accurately […]
Broadway Limited Imports N scale PA-1 and B units One of the most striking locomotives of the steam-to-diesel transition era hits the rails in N scale thanks to Broadway Limited Imports’ new release. The Alco PA-1 and PB-1 are offered separately in multiple road names, or as a set of a powered PA-1 with a […]
Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotives For the first time, a General Motors Electro-Motive Division SDP45 rumbles down HO scale rails as a ready-to-run plastic model. Part of Athearn Trains Genesis series, this HO scale SDP45 rivals the finest brass locomotives in terms of roadname- and road-number specific detail. I tested a version […]
Spring Mills Depot HO scale covered hopper Spring Mills Depot has released an interesting three-bay, 100-ton covered hopper that’s offered in 22 paint schemes. Of particular note, the model comes in numerous variations that have specific detailing to match the prototype paint schemes. Each of the cars is also offered in a variety of correct […]
San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car Price: $89.95 Manufacturer San Juan Car Co. 190 Turner Drive, Unit C Durango, CO 81303 www.sanjuancarco.com Era: 1910s to mid-1960s Road names: Union Tank Car Lines (UTLX, eight road numbers), Milwaukee Road (four road numbers), Pioneer Oil (four road numbers) Comments: As a follow-on to its […]
Walthers HO scale USRA 0-8-0 steam locomotive An HO scale model of one of the most successful steam engines ever built, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA)-designed 0-8-0 switcher, is now being offered equipped with a Soundtraxx Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. The locomotive is an upgraded WalthersProto reissue of a Life-Like Proto 2000 […]
Kato General Electric P42 locomotive with a SoundTraxx DCC decoder Smooth Digital Command Control (DCC) performance and a long list of features make the TSU-KT1000 from SoundTraxx the perfect complement to Kato USA’s outstanding HO scale General Electric P42. I installed the decoder into one of the direct-current (DC) models used in my September 2013 […]
