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Circusgirl, Why don't you upload your photos on to this column? Everyone will be able to enjoy seeing your circus trains and stuff rather than just a few email friends. Its easy to do. -ed

Tedtrain, You must have a very early model. I looked at the catalog and instruction sheet for your loco on this website and the earliest catalogs, dated 1958 and later, have no mention of 'smoke' and 'whistle.' Makes you wonder why they chose to eliminate these features in later years, doesn't...

Well, Chooch, I have to agree with you. I also purchased Blue Box GP-9s and paid $12.97 for a 'dummy' and about $10 more for a powered unit. I spent a few more bucks to get correct headlamps and KD couplers. And of course they cost less than today's trains, they were made in AMERICA!

Atlas makes the AEM-7 and body shells for the ALP-44. Both Atlas and Bachmann put out some great products, so I wouldn't necessarily wait for Bachmann to get on the ball, just go out and by an Atlas. -ed

Ted, I love old Athearn cars. I pretty much began my HO collection back in the early 1960s with Athearn car kits. There is an excellent and very complete photo collection of all Athearn cars (and many other manufacturer's cars) in the following website: http://www.hoseeker.net/ You will...

trolley wheel trams I'm not sure that I understood the question. Could you be more specific? Trams are sometimes called 'trolleys' or 'street cars.' By 'trolley wheel' did you mean the wheel on top of the trolley pole that rides on the overhead power line? I would like to help, but you need...

36' ventilated box car Nice job on that ventilated "watermelon" car. I picked up a partially finished kit at a swap meet in Vancouver, BC last year for only $2. The workmanship was very good and, while the sides were already painted, I only had to match and paint the remainder of the car, add...

Thank you for bringing up the subject. Of course we know that Model Railroader magazine reviews products, but I am wary of how genuine the critique of a product is when the manufacturer also pays the magazine for advertising. From time-to-time I have seen some items evaluated by this forum...

That is an attractive coupler; probably the most realistic of the functioning couplers. Kadees have been in use so very long that I doubt if anyone would consider retrofitting all of their rolling stock. That would be a sizeable investment for me! I don't know how reliable they (sergent) are...

Horsecars I don't believe you'll find ready-made horse cars, but with a little ingenuity you could put one together. I would suggest buying a Bachman San Francisco cable car or a variant, the Municipal Cable car. There are a number of sources (including Bachman) for an H.O. horse so all you...

Dave, I became a Pennsy fan as a child the day my father brought home an American Flyer freight train powered by a cast metal K-4 Pacific. He ordered the trainset following his return from the war, but it took nearly a year before the A.C. Gilbert Company could begin using metal for their...

First off, I am a west coast modeller with a passion for the Pennsy. I just happened to find a PRR related website and found a passenger car roster from the early 1950s. I did not find those Athearn car numbers in the series. Cars in the series 4925, 31, 35, 50, and 51 are designated...

You have got my curiosity. Which Athearn engine do you have and what is the age?

Ooops!!! I regret that I got carried away and showed a catalog page for a METAL RDC-3. The correct page comes from the 1959 Athearn catalog:

Ted, That model is an Athearn RDC-3 that was produced around the mid-1950s. The key ingredient to the power delivery were small rubberbands, one for each axle, that wrapped around the motor driveshaft. Actually, other than a wobbly start, the mechanism was smooth and quiet. Like its...

I own an Athearn Trainmaster and I had problems running it on a poorly made modular setup that had sharp curves and suddenly pitched elevation changes. A set of Athearn PAs was no different. No electrical shorting that I car recall, but a problem we noticed with KD couplers is that as the loco...

I agree the Pullman Palace cars are exceptional models. I recently painted the four cars I had, applied decals (same as the set shown above) and gave the cars a gloss overcoat. Cost of the cars back when I bought them was $6.50.

The price for replacement IHC trucks is outrageous at $24. You might try Concor trucks listed by Hobbylinc http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/cco/cco970019.htm They are priced at $7.18 and come with metal wheels. The long coupler shank with the old NMRA coupler might be a close match to the IHC...

A question to the expert: Does this once popular Tyco loco have a legitimate Pennsy prototype? The loco was given to me in need of paint, so I restored it to its Tyco colors, never hesitating to find of the color should be black or "Brunswick Green."

I have quite a few Sunset models with no problem, so I believe the coupling is made of a new untested material. I might be angry enough to ask for a full refund. However, if this is a model you want to keep, perhaps you might experiment before sending it back. Rubber tubing is ideal where...