Athearn’s Genesis GP7u/GP9u “Topeka Cabb”” SMALL WONDER TT-SCALE EMD SW1200 from SazModel Atlas N-scale ACF 89-foot Flatcar Blair Line’s HiWay Café kit in HO Volume 20, Issue 1 • January 2014 $5.99 US/CANADA WalthersProto HO Pere Marquette E7 0 1 > Two New Rock Island Books Plus Trainfest 2013 Coverage 7 25274 24091 3 The Train List TT SCALE Columns & Departments Events & Activities ................................................................94-95 From The Archive .................................................90 Classified Ads ........................................................................... 96 Dealer Directory ...................................................................91-93 Advertising Index ......................................................................97 8 January 2014 — Model Railroad News — www.ModelRailroadNews.com Special Interest 16 — Trainfest 2013 28 — Prototype Profi le: Dash 9-44CW 93 — Pacifi c Science Center 40th Annual Model Train Show N-Scale Review 24 — Atlas: ACF 89-foot, 4-inch Flatcar TT-Scale Review 50 — Cover Story SazModel: SW1200 Diesel Switcher HO-Scale Reviews 20 — Athearn: Canadian Pacifi c ES44AC 32 — Kato: Amtrak Phase IVb Superliners 36 — Bachmann: Porter 0-6-0 Side Tank Locomotive 42 — Fresh from the Paint Shop ExactRail: Evans 4780 Covered Hoppers 46 — Piko: DB V200 Diesel Locomotive 56 — Walthers: Pere Marquette E7A 62 — Athearn: Burlington Northern GP38–2 80 — Blair Line: Hiway Café kit Book/DVD Reviews 70 — Indiana University Press: The Rock Island Line Book 72 — University Press of Kansas: Rock Island Requiem: The Collapse of a Mighty Line Book 74 — Pentrex: California Western Railroad DVD 78 — University of Minnesota Press: Harriman vs. Hill: Athearn’s Genesis GP7u/GP9u “ Wall Street’s Great Topeka Cab”b” Railroad War Book SMALL WONDER TT-SCALE About the Cover: EMD SW1200 Dressed in Southern Pacific’s red and gray, SazModel introduces its first North American prototype ready-to-run diesel model, a TT-scale EMD SW1200. from SazModel – MRN Staff photo Atlas N-scale ACF 89-foot Flat Car Blair Line’s HiWay Café kit in HO WalthersProto HO Pere Marquette E7 Volume 20, Issue 1 • January 2014 $5.99 US/ CANADA Two New Rock Island Books 0 1 > Plus Trainfest 2013 Coverage 7 25274 24091 3 The All-Scale News Monthly — Model Railroad News — January 2014 9 Cover Story How About Something Very Different? TT-scale SW1200 from SazModel Review by Tony Cook Photos by MRN Staff SazModel TT-scale SW1200 Diesel Southern Pacific #2262 #MTB SW1200 SP #2262 MSRP: $175.00 SazModel 4 Grandora Crescent St. Albert, Alberta, Canada T8N 0T9 P. Products released TT-scale locomo- www.sazmodel.com tives, freight cars, and passenger car only fully assembled, ready-to-run TT- kits beginning in 1946. Names such as scale North American offerings before F YOU FEEL you’ve become com- Kemtron, Rokal, and Zeuke also sup- this SW1200 release would be Rokal’s placent in your hobby pursuits and ported TT scale in its infancy. Though early 1960s items. Rokal offered an F9A would like to try something new only a niche plus a streamline andI different, have I got a model for player in model For its first effort at bringing coach, dome, and you! Now available from SazModel of railroading today a North American prototype observation car Canada is a ready-to-run EMD SW1200 in North America diesel to the TT-scale in sets lettered diesel switcher model in TT scale. and most parts market, SazModel’s efforts for Santa Fe or Introduced at the end of World War of Europe, the are to be congratulated. Union Pacific. II, TT scale was the invention of an scale does enjoy a The passenger American automotive designer named solid popularity and is the second most cars were built to approximately 60-foot Hal Joyce. The double-T label is suppos- popular model train size in Eastern shorty lengths. edly a reference to Table-Top, which at Europe and Russia. Today’s TT-scale SazModel now offers a ready-to- 1:120th actual size TT scale could be market includes Tillig, Piko, and Roco run TT-scale EMD SW9/1200 diesel well suited to serve. Joyce’s company, H. among others. To my knowledge, the model. Road names presently include Canadian National, Pennsylvania Railroad, Soo Line, and Southern Pacific. Manufactured for SazModel by MTB located in the Czech Republic, this new diesel switcher includes a five- pole motor with flywheel that drives all four axles. The drive is equipped with a six-pin plug, allowing for easy conver- sion to DCC operation. Included in the parts bag is a single separate drive axle fitted with traction tires. Similar to many contemporary steam locomo- tive release that come with replacement drivers with traction tires, this model also allows the operator the option of adding some extra pulling power if desired by swapping out a regular axle with a rubber tire tread pair of wheels. Here’s what comes with SazModel’s new TT-scale EMD SW1200 switcher model. To access the drive, a tab is found Flexible plastic handrails are in one package while the other includes knuckle couplers and pocket assemblies, plus a replacement drive axle equipped with traction on the front end of the hood attaching tires. This model sells for $175 and is offered in four road names plus undecorated. itself to the frame. A small hobby flat 50 January 2014 — Model Railroad News — www.ModelRailroadNews.com head screwdriver will release this tab, and the upper shell flips up and back- ward, revealing the drive. The model’s frame is die-cast metal, which doubtless The helps this model muster some weight. instruc- Fully assembled, SazModel’s SW1200 tions state the weighs 4.5 ounces. The model was a model is designed quiet, smooth runner. A loop of Tillig to accept Kadee No. TT-scale section track was used for 714 couplers or Tillig evaluation purposes. Tillig TT-scale NEM359 couplers. The two- track is available in North America piece couplers fit inside a two-piece Though small in size, details have not been neglected for this new SW1200 release. The model is delivered from Roman & Company (www.roco. shell that is held to the underframe by with grab irons installed on the hood and railings on com). From a crawl to a top speed of a u-shaped plastic bar secured with two the back cab. The hobbyist adds the pilot end and 70 mph, this SW1200 was a delight to screws. side handrailings. Note the near flush-mounted operate. This is a well-portioned replica of a windows, complete with black gasket detailing. Separate flush windows are provided popular switcher. EMD built SW1200s inside the cab, plus clear plastic lenses from early 1954 through mid-1966 with in front and rear headlights. The model more than 1,000 examples being sold to includes reversing soft white LED light- railroads big and small across the U.S. ing. Three separately applied grab irons are present at the front end of the hood on the fireman’s side of the locomotive. Separate handrails are present on the rear cab on each side the door, as per prototype. Flexible gray-colored plastic handrails are provided with the model. These parts provide the end pilot rail- ings, side railings, plus a short handrail on each side of the cab at the steps. The handrails were a fairly simple install The shell is held in place by a tab inserted into the with the pre-drilled holes making the model’s die-cast metal underframe. The state-of- job require only a few minutes. the-art drive is equipped with a 6-pin plug for DCC conversion, LED lighting, and flywheel-equipped Plastic knuckle couplers and pocket motor. Thanks to the die-cast frame, this little TT- assemblies are provided with the model. scale (1:120th) SW1200 has a nice feel to it. The All-Scale News Monthly — Model Railroad News — January 2014 51 This 12-cylinder 1,200 hp switcher was powered by EMD’s 567 prime mover. From big roads such as Baltimore & Ohio, Milwaukee Road, and Santa Fe to small carriers such as Ashley, Drew & Northern and Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, this was a very common diesel switcher. General Motors Diesel (GMD) of Canada built similar switch- ers for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and other Canadian roads with nearly 300 total units made. The sample provided to Model Railroad News was decorated for Southern Pacific’s “bloody nose” red and gray scheme with white lettering. Southern Pacific bought 27 examples, plus another 17 were rostered by sub- sidiary St. Louis Southwestern “Cotton Belt” and a dozen belonged to Southern To illustrate TT-scale’s size difference from HO scale, here’s a pair of Southern Pacific switchers. The “tiger stripe” black and orange model is a recent Walthers SW1 HO-scale Pacific’s Texas & New Orleans. (1:87th) model; while the “bloody nose” SW1200 is SazModel’s TT-scale (1:120th) example. For its first effort at bringing a North American prototype diesel SazModel’s site. One example is a area for one to flex your creative mus- to the TT-scale market, SazModel’s single-sheathed wood boxcar; the other cle and see what you might accomplish efforts are to be congratulated. In ad- is pretty standard appearing steel box- in 1:120th scale. Consider buying one dition to this SW1200 diesel model, car with sliding door. The kits should of these SW1200 switchers and some you’ll find a selection of structures sell for less than $50. TT-scale track and creating a small and accessories on SazModel’s web- If you find yourself intrigued and industrial spur switching layout. site (www.sazmodel.com). Buildings wondering what you would do with You can learn a great deal and join include Canadian National’s Fort a TT-scale SW1200, consider a small in on the discussions about TT scale at Langely Station, an apartment build- switching layout.