Scale Model Railroad Trains

Kato Trains - Excellence in N Scale Model Railroading

Kato Trains produces some of the highest quality model trains available anywhere in the world. Kato USA distributes Kato Trains. Kato offers a wide range of North American prototype-based engines.

Kato has announced that these engines will be coming soon:

Coming Soon!
N EMD F7A/B GN & AT&SF
N BNSF H3 Coalporter Sets, BNSF, BN, CN Reissue
N MAXI-IV Pacer 2nd run
N EMD SD70ACe UP + Heritage D&RGW, SP, C&NW
N EMD SD70MAC Nose and Cab Headlight BNSF “Swoosh”
N MAXI-IV TTX with CN Containers
N SP GS-4 Wartime Black
N GG1 PRR Five-Stripe Second Road Number Announced
N GG1 PRR Tuscan Red Five-Stripe Announced
N EMD SD70MAC Cab Headlight BNSF H2 New Production
N SP GS-4 Postwar Black

Kato concentrates on N Scale. It also has some offerings in HO Scale.

Kato products epitomize excellence in model railroading. At one time it was thought that model trains had to be HO or larger to provide the accuracy, detail, and power to have an outstanding model railroad experience. Kato has proven that N Scale can EXCEED HO and larger scales in all these categories.

Kato’s own literature describes one of their engines as follows:

Kato’s own N scale NW2 replicates each and every rivet of prototype detail with pinpoint precision, while emphasizing low-speed, high-power pulling. It also features directional headlights (without any of the lightpiping equipment intruding on the interior cab detail), low profile wheels, illuminated numberboards, and Kato magnetic knuckle couplers.

Kato engines are well known as solid performing engines. They operate at slow, scale speeds, and have tremendous pulling power. The accurate detail on each engine is world-class.

Have fun!

Trainguy

FREE - Railroad Train Screensavers to Download

Trains are fascinating to watch. These FREE train screensavers are easy to download on to your computer. You can watch trains even when you are away from your model railroad.

WARNING: Free Screensavers are very often used as bait for the unwary. The screen saver is indeed free but in some cases you must answer detailed personal questions, pass through numerous confusing options that may involve signing up for streams of spam and worse. If you get into such a situation I recommend closing the window completely. Then run a full system anti-virus scan BEFORE doing anything else. Do NOT sign up for screen savers from such sources. Although they may be some of the most beautiful screen savers the price is way too high.

Here’s some railroad train screensavers that do NOT involve overly aggressive marketing, spyware, or phishing for personal identity information:

The Editors of C-NET give Winter Train 3D Screensaver 4 out of five stars in this review:

Steam meets snow in an atmospheric screensaver especially appealing to lovers of trains and clocks. Watch from multiple angles as a throwback steam train chugs by pines on a snow-blanketed mountain pass. The vista overlooking a desolate valley is a treat, though there only appears to be one. A few more miles of varied scenery would improve the screensaver’s visual interest. The locomotive is accompanied by either an analog or digital clock that you choose in the screensaver settings menu.

Download Winter Train 3D Screensaver here

Porter Locomotives Screensaver.

Porter locomotives are the iconic steam engines of America’s expansion west across the North American continent. Images from H.K. Porter & Company’s 1892 catalog of engines are the basis for this screen saver. It’s free to start but you need to purchase a registration code for $10 after seven days to keep on using it.

Download Porter Engine Screensaver here.

Create Your Own Screensaver

You can use photos, videos, and sound clips of your railroad trains and model railroad to make your own screensaver. Put your favorite scenes from your model railroad on your desktop computer. Here’s how.

Have fun!

Trainguy

FREE - Model Railroad Magazine

January 2009 Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine was launched. It is available FREE online at http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/. The FREE magazine is a mix of high quality articles and interviews of model railroading’s most knowledgeable and recognizable people, great photos and videos, and solid products and advice for modelers in all scales.

The magazine is delivered using a mix of high tech online presentation and glossy magazine style. It is totally free to the readers, due to paid advertising sponsorship. If you run into technical problems check the FAQ sections for known issues and ways to resolve them.

The first issue weighs in at 78 megabytes. The download takes quite a while. It requires the latest and greatest Adobe reader 9 software and a capable computer to run them. Anticipating model railroaders who will be anxious for the download to complete, it is also available in a somewhat slimmed down version.

The FAQ promises that some editions could be as large as 100 megabytes. It was more than my usually zippy internet connection delivers in one chunk. I admit I’ve been spoiled by much smaller individual web pages. I even lose patience when video feeds lag. I went out of the room and got a soft drink for me as my computer gulped up all that the network could deliver.

Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine is worth the wait. Once it was downloaded and running it delivered some interesting articles and ads I’m going to follow up on. It’s worth getting your own copy and reading. Subscribe to the magazine so you get a two week jump on web delivery of the next issue.

The magazine fills the screen and drops many of the familiar navigational tools and tabs in favor of a simplified interface and dash board supplied by the Adobe Reader software. Some of the articles expand on the glossy print magazine approach and reveal additional related photos and video inserts.

Have fun!
Trainguy

How To- Make a Model Railroad Module

Model railroading has moved out of the basement or garage and into shopping malls, train shows, and hundreds of public venues courtesy of the development of modular railroading. Making a model railroad module is VERY similar in many way to making a model railroad base. Check my earlier post for details. Modules must follow rules and specifics dimensions so they can be attached to other modules that you’ve never seen before. Each module is designed to be transported and joined together with other modules. This make the modules much easier to move than permanent layouts.

Detailed information is available and many clubs and organizations support modular railroading in N scale. NTRAK (offers a FREE 2 page summary and drawings: N scale modular railroading standard) NTRAK has blazed the trail over the last 30 years and become a huge success.

REVIEW - NTRAK sells a booklet and a detailed manual. Both are well worth the price and will provide a host of information, details, and inspiration you will come back and study again and again. If you buy the large manual you do not need the booklet as most of the booklet has been taken directly from the manual. The manual has photos of some of the best modules ever built. Photos and sample track plans provide plenty of examples for inpiring your own plans and modules. Measured drawings and parts lists are provided.

Other scales are learning from and following NTRAK. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has set module standards for numerous scales. Check out the NTRAK and FREE NMRA module standards and recommended practices for ideas and suggestions regardless of your favored scale.

Large scales, such as F scale and G scale, are getting into the act with some stunning modules built to locally generated standards. These “club” module standards have not received national or international acceptance as NTRAK has. However, broad support is gathering. Large scale FREE module construction information (used by over 15 clubs) and photos are available for guidance.Remember, large scale meens large modules. Some individuals and clubs use rented vans and trailers to move the modules to display events.

Visit displays that modular railroad groups are conducting. Ask questions or volunteer to help carry and set up for an upcoming display. Some club members enjoy building modules so much they may offer to help you construct yours. Regardless of scale or standard you can pick up good ideas and learn from the experiences of others.

Have fun!

Trainguy