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October 2008 • Volume 14, Issue 10 • The All-Scale NewsMonthly for Model Railroaders |
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| The October 2008 issue contains the following reviews, and columns: | |
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Special Coverage: |
Special Coverage |
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MTH/MKT Trade Secrets Lawsuit Settled MTH’s announcement in August that the company had settled the Misappropriation of Trade Secrets Lawsuit against MKT (formerly Korea Brass) created quite a buzz and a lot of speculation on what the settlement terms meant to the model railroad industry. Editor John Sipple did some digging of his own, and this article reveals what he found out. |
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Project DCC Part 5 Integrating Operation and Automation — Part 5, Track Assembly, Wiring & Block Detection by Phil Scandura Last month we reviewed the Project DCC track plan, including a brief primer on signaling. This month Phil covers detection methods, special wiring considerations for blocks, reverse loops, interlockings, and installing block detectors. |
Reviews |
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Athearn re-introduces the (totally new) R-T-R SD45 in HO Scale Review Mike Acker • Photos by Mary Acker Athearn has released yet another “re-tooled” locomotive model that was previously produced and packaged in the old Athearn Blue Box line, this time in the form of the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SD45. Athearn provided three different locomotive models for this review with each in a different road (N&W, PRR, and SP), providing us with a good cross-representation of the SD45 prototypes built. Mike Acker carefully compares each model to its respective prototype and lets us in on what has changed between the original Blue Box model and the new Ready-To-Roll version, in the October edition of Model Railroad News. www.athearn.com |
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Bachmann Peter Witt-Style Street Car in HO Review by Alan Houtz • Photos by John Sipple A “Peter Witt” car describes a street car using the “Pay as you leave” fare system created by Peter Witt in the early 1900s; an online search will result in a variety of different designs, which could cause a little confusion for someone trying to do research on Bachmann’s new Peter Witt-Style street car. Not to worry, Alan Houtz discovered the company chose a modern lightweight design built by Brill and the Cincinnati Car Co. in 1930 to represent their newest street car. Pick up the newest edition of MRN to learn more about the prototype of this particular car, the details of the plastic model, and unravel the mysteries of the Peter Witt’s “Pay as you leave” system. www.bachmanntrains.com |
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Ye Olde Huff N Puff Kit in On30 Scale Review and Photos by Pete Birdsong, MMR Ye Olde Huff N Puff has created a new line of wood and metal car kits, including boxcars, reefers, flat cars, and gondolas. While the company indicates there are no specific prototypes for these cars, they are generic models that will fit in well on most On30 layouts. Master Model Railroader Pete Birdsong shares his experience building the cars, and indicates where Ye Olde Huff N Puff will be making improvements to the models, in his review. www.yeoldehuffnpuff.com |
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Kato Maxi-IV Well Cars in N Scale Review and Photos by Phil Scandura The history of double-stack cars can be traced to the Southern Pacific (SP) railroad and America Car and Foundry Company (ACF). Working together, SP and ACF introduced the first single-unit double-stack car in 1977. Encouraged by the success of the SP/ACF venture, other car manufacturers introduced their own double-stack versions, including the Gunderson Twin-Stack. Later they would start the MAXI line, beginning with the MAXI-I in 1988 and culminating with the MAXI-IV released in 2000. Now N-scale modelers can build up their modern intermodal fleets with the new well cars and intermodal containers from Kato. Phil Scandura highlights the evolution of the well car and compares the models to what he’s discovered through research and his own railfanning. His conclusion? Pick up your October issue to find out! www.katousa.com |
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Atlas C420 in N Scale Review by Steven Goehring • Photos by John Sipple TAMR columnist Steven Goehring may have moved on to college, but he’s not letting his course load get in the way of his true passion. Prior to hitting to books, he had the opportunity to play with Atlas’ new C420. Find out what he discovered about the model in his review, which includes prototype history, running experience, and a surprise or two. www.atlasrr.com |
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Kadee Cushion Underframe Boxcars in HO scale Review and Photos by John Sipple Until now, cushion underframe cars were duplicated the easy and inexpensive way, by simply sticking an extended coupler box under a boxcar. Leave it to Kadee to change all of that. The Southern Oregon company has released the first working model utilizing the revolutionary braking system. John shares more on how they managed it, and covers the prototype’s history and the other details of these ready-to-run cars in this month’s edition of Model Railroad News. www.kadee.com |
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Cover Story: Lionel 4-8-4 FEF-3 in O scale Review and Photos by David Otte David Otte continues his journey into Lionel’s all-encompassing command realm by examining Lionel’s Legacy-Equipped UP 4-8-4 FEF-3. With the ever-increasing flow of passenger traffic during the 1930s, the UP set out to find replacement power for their fleet of 7000 series 4-8-2s which could no longer keep up with the longer trains and tighter schedules. Under the direction of Otto Jabelmann, UP’s Assistant Superintendent of Motive Power, UP designers joined their counterparts at the American Locomotive Company to create a heavy 4-8-4 class locomotive. This cooperative effort, combined with a wheel arrangement that had already proven effective, culminated in the delivery of the first group of FEFs by Alco in 1937. Lionel’s model is based on the last ten to be produced. Find out everything you need to know about the locomotive’s features, running it in Legacy and non-legacy operations, and much more in this month’s feature article! www.lionel.com |
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Grizzly Mountain Engineering Wagons in O scale Review and Photos by Pete Birdsong MMR Grizzly Mountain Engineering offers a family of laser-cut wagon kits in most popular scales and in a wide variety of styles. Farmer’s, Freight, Log, Heavy Duty Log, Water, Sheepherder’s, and Ore Dump wagons are all offered in HO, S, O, and G/F scales, and Lumber, Gypsy, Buckboard, and Boiler wagons come in HO, S, and O. Pete recently built the Farmers and Freight wagon, and shares his experience and impressions of these laser-cut kits in his latest review. www.g-m-e.com |
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NCE Updates and Improves Wireless Command System Electronics Review and Photos by John Sipple NCE has thrown down the gauntlet once again with the introduction of the improved 916Mhz radio control system. Editor John Sipple explores its uses out in the garden and in various locations, and reports back on set up, range, expanding the system, and operating issues. Find out all the details in the October issue of MRN. www.ncedcc.com |
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Oak Tree System SC-2 Server Controller Electronics Review and Photos by Dick Foster Few things make a layout appear more realistic than operating semaphores, crossing gates, or train order signals. Oak Tree Systems has stepped into the arena with the SC-2 Servo system, a small but very efficient servomotor and control board system which adapts to a number of different configurations. MRN writer Dick Foster takes modelers step-by-step through the process of incorporating the SC-2 in a layout, using an NJ International Crossing Gate as his initial test subject. www.oaktreesystems.com |
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Preiser American Railroad Figures in O scale Review and Photo by Bill Cawthon The world’s premier supplier of miniature figures for model railroading has released a new batch of railroad workers that are compatible with O gauge layouts. Get a closer look at these men at work in the October edition. www.preiserfiguren.de |
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BVRR Maxi-Grip Screw Starter Review and Photo by Bill Cawthon Are you tired of losing screws while working on a project? Looking for an easier way to drive a screw into an awkward corner? The Maxi-Grip is a two spring-steel clamp encased in an epoxy-coated filament sleeve that is both non-conductive and heat-resistant. Sliding the clamps out of the sleeve allows their jaws to be spread to hold a screw or other fastener with a major diameter up to three-eighths of an inch. This simple device was developed and produced in the U.S.A. by Zeta Potential instruments, Inc. of Bedminster, New Jersey and is being distributed exclusively by BVRR. Bill Cawthon gives it a try and shares his impression in this month’s issue. www.bvrr.net |
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Northeastern Scale Lumber Company's Flamingo Glue Review and Photo by Dick Foster Dick Foster was recently sent a bottle of Northeastern Scale Lumber Co.’s new glue and went right to work using it to build a laser-cut kit. Read about his experience and see how the glue holds up against other popular modeling adhesives in his review. www.northeasternscalelumber.com |
Opinions |
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Editorial online — Click to read and respond to this month's editorial A Column for HO Scale? by John Sipple e-mail John at Editorial |
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Letters online
Read all the letters that appear in our October 2008 issue. |
| Columns | |
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At the Grade Crossing — A Column by Bill Cawthon A Fantastic Photo, a Fuel-Cell Future, and some dandy new Diecast Bill turns from miniatures to modern prototypes this month and shares information on some new state-of-the-art cars from both Honda and Ford that rely on fuel cells rather than bio-fuels. While he’s at it, he gives us a peek at some upcoming models from Tonkin and Model Power that are sure to grab the attention of modern motorists. e-mail Bill at Gradecrossing |
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S-Curves For and About S-Gauge Model Railroading — A Column by Roy Hoffman S Scale News Now it it’s eighth year, Roy begins this month’s column with a call for fellow S-scale modelers and manufacturers to take advantage of these pages. Other topics this month included an update on the NASG Convention in August, a profile on the Halifax and South Western Railway Museum, and an introduction of some hot new items available in S. e-mail Roy at Scurves |
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Thinking of DCC — A Column by John Sipple Can DCC match the DCS Slick? John sets MTH’s new DCS Commander up next to his array of DCC equipment and compares and contrasts the two. Is there a clear winner? And can DCC manufacturers learn some new tricks from this technology? Pick up an October copy of Model Railroad News to find out. e-mail John at dcc |
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Teen Association of Model Railroaders (TAMR) — A Column by Steven Goehring Project Practice Promotes Progress Steven reminisces over the various projects he was able to undertake during his summer modeling months and offers tips on how to improve one’s modeling skills, in this month’s edition of Model Railroad News. e-mail TAMR tamr visit TAMR www.tamr.org |
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Events & Activities online This monthly department is packed with plenty of model railroading events and activities. Make plans to attend one in your area. You’ll be glad you did. Read this month's Events, or how to send us your Event info. |
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