United States

(Alaska, California, Connecticut & Massachusetts)

Alaska

#  1

- The McKinley Explorer by Westours

BACHMANN 24010 McKinley Explorer by Westours

(Alaska US) 5 car set + 2 additional cars

                     (model manufactured by Bachmann Trains)

The Alaska Railroad prototype for this train set travels through the Alaskan wilderness carrying passengers through the Denali National Park and past Mount McKinley en route from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  Each domed passenger car is named for an Alaskan river.

Royal Carribean and VIA Rail of Canada also operate scenic tour trains and cruisetours to/through Alaska and Canada (The Wilderness Express and The Rocky Mountaineer Railway) utilizing very similar equipment.

Info Online:  

- Alaska Railroad (US) www.alaskarailroad.com

- Royal Carribean International www.royalcarribean.com

- VIA Rail www.via.ca

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California

#  5

- Santa Fe passenger train

BACHMANN loco, Dummy and 4 Domed passenger cars and 1 ARNOLD Observation car

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#  6

- AMTRAK ViewLiner California Zephyr

Con-Cor AMTRAK Viewliner set 1 (Sleeper 1, Diner 1, Sleeper 0) and Con-Cor AMTRAK Viewliner set 2 (Sleeper 2, Diner 2, Sleeper 3) (need an AMTRAK loco)

AMTRAK actually utilizes SuperLiner cars which are double-decker passenger cars on most cross-country routes.  The ViewLiner cars in this display are representative of AMTRAK cars utilized on select routes and are actually single-decker cars with an extra row of windows along the roof.  ViewLiner and SuperLiner cars are both approximately the same height.

The California Zephyr

Between Chicago and Emeryville/ San Francisco; through Omaha, Denver, Winter Park, Glenwood Springs, Salt Lake City, Rena and Sacramento

It’s a route that definitely competes for the title of Amtrak’s ‘Most Scenic Route” with its windswept prairies, snow-capped mountains, steep gorges and vibrant deserts.

It travels to such exciting destinations as Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno and Emeryville/San Francisco. Consider the California Zephyr your own picture window on the beauty of the American West.

Named for the mythological god of the West Wind, the Zephyr breezes through the breadbasket of America between Chicago and Nebraska.  Leaving the skyscrapers of Chicago behind, you will travel past picturesque farms and fields of corn, crossing both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  Approaching Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, you can imagine the early pioneers as they came to choose between settling in this rich land or continuing their journey west.  Among those who chose to stay were a hearty band of settlers and miners from the Oregon Trail who founded what is now Omaha.  Travelers from Kansas City who wish to board the Zephyr can take advantage of direct Amtrak Thruway bus service to the Omaha train station.  Greet the following day with your first view of the Rocky Mountains. Sports fans may want to see a Denver Nuggets basketball game, cheer the Denver Broncos football team at Mile High Stadium, or check out major league baseball’s newest team, the Colorado Rockies.  Skiers can transfer here to Vail or the Summit County ski resorts.  Denver is where some Zephyr cars become Amtrak’s Pioneer to Seattle and Portland.

Leaving Denver, the Zephyr begins a dazzling climb up the Front Range of the Rockies, crossing the Continental Divide through the Moffat Tunnel.  As you leave the tunnel, you’ll glimpse the sparkling slopes of the Winter Park Ski Resort. Skiers will enjoy Ski Amtrak packages to Winter Park, as well as the resorts of Aspen and Snowmass—accessible through the Glenwood Springs station. Summertime is also a delightful time to visit, with white-water rafting, hiking, horseback riding and other amusements to choose from. Our Granby stop places you at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Onward from Colorado, through the red cliffs of eastern Utah, the Zephyr races toward Salt Lake City. The train takes you up the Wasatch Range and makes a breathtaking descent from Soldier Summit. In Salt Lake City, see the Mormon Temple Square and the Mormon Tabernacle’s 8,000-pipe, hand-built organ. Or take a side trip to the Great Salt Lake. Skiers may transfer from here to the ski resorts of Park City, Alta/Snowbird and Brighton/Solitude.

Salt Lake City is where some Zephyr cars turn south to become Amtrak’s Desert Wind, to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. (See page 34 for details.) If you continue on board the Zephyr, the morning will find you in Reno, Nevada. You can try your luck in the city’s casinos or continue on to Truckee, the Zephyr’s stop for Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley.

On its way to Sacramento, the Zephyr tackles the imposing heights of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The views of the American River Canyon and the scenic waters of Donner Lake keep passengers riveted to their window seats. The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento provides knowledgeable guides on board to describe and point out the most historic points between Sacramento and Sparks. The National Forest Service provides summertime guides between Denver and Glenwood Springs.

San Francisco, reached by Amtrak Thruway bus service from Emeryville, welcomes you to the Pacific Coast. There are a million and one things to see—the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Muir Woods and Chinatown to name just a few. There are also Day Sightseer tours available along the Zephyr’s route, including San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago. The California Zephyr: 2,416 miles of sheer beauty.

Ride: Enjoy riding the rails all across the continental United States!

-        AMTRAK www.amtrak.com or www.acela.com

-        Ride The Rails At Local Museums and Railways

                      Info Online: AMTRAK www.amtrak.com (all passenger info),

                                           www.acela.com (high speed passenger train info)

                      - Top – United States - Trains In The Display

Connecticut

#  2

- The New Haven McGinnis Set

Con-Cor 0001-008517 New Haven McGinnis (Connecticut) Set 8 car set: One Powered and one Dummy PA-1 Diesel Locomotives plus 6 cars including Baggage - Limited Edition Collector's Set

                                 (model manufactured by Con-Cor)

This train set is modeled after prototypical trains that were operated by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. 

Did this train come anywhere near Enfield when it actually operated? 

According to a copy of a timetable and route map dated April 27, 1952, Yes! 

Thompsonville, along with Warehouse Point, Windsor Locks, Windsor, CT and Longmeadow and Springfield, MA were only a few of the locales served by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. 

The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad’s slogan was “The Scenic Shoreline Route Serving New York and New England”.  Though the “New Haven Railroad” as it was more popularly known, is now, but a memory, much of the track owned by the New Haven Railroad is now owned and operated in part by either the Providence & Worcester Railroad which mostly operates freight services, or by AMTRAK, which continues to operate many of the passenger routes previously owned and operated by the New Haven Railroad. 

Of particular interest is the fact that the The Providence & Worcester Railroad created and operates the Port of Worcester, a shipping container transfer station located on Southbridge Street in Worcester Massachusetts.  This freight yard can store hundreds of standard sized shipping containers.  As bridges and overpasses between Framingham and Boston are not tall enough to accommodate freight trains that carry these containers stacked two high, the Port of Worcester is the transfer point where trains arrive with containers stacked two high, but are then reduce to one container high for the remainder of the journey into the metropolitan Boston area.

The New Haven Railroad, while one of the smaller railroads in the US, has gotten over the years, more than its fair share of publicity, due no doubt to its colorful “checkerboard” paint schemes, and wide variety of colorful paint scheme variations used over the years.  The fact that this railroad provided services between New York and Boston, two of the largest cities in the northeastern United States, probably contributed to the railroads reputation as well.

When the railroad hired Mr. Patrick McGinnis as its new president in 1954, he let his wife hire Mr. Herbert Matter of the design firm of Knoll & Associates to come up with a new corporate image for the New Haven...the checkerboard pattern is one of the first ones he did.

This model reflects the PA-1 version of the color scheme, and is the second of the early checkerboard patterns with the white on top, black the middle and the Socony Red at the bottom...this reversed the color as used on earlier units and most units were eventually repainted to this version. A large variety of this paint scheme was seen in the following years...maybe the paint shop never made up it’s mind, who knows!!

The combine car in this set follows prototype photos and also used the Socony Red for the letterboards, which was common on the older equipment.

The other 5 cars follow the 1959 paint scheme known later as the McGinnis scheme which used a brighter “orange red” with black on the streamlined passenger cars...only a few cars were painted this color, but it sure attracted attention!

Ride: Enjoy riding the rails in restored vintage passenger trains at:

-        The Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, CT (www.rmne.org),

-        The Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury, CT (www.danbury.org/drm), or aboard

-        The Essex Steam Train in Essex, CT (www.essexsteamtrain.com).

-        Ride The Rails At Local Museums and Railways

                      - Top – United States - Trains In The Display

Connecticut

#  3

- Pittsburgh Railways Trolley

BACHMANN 51-629 C4 - PR Trolley #1451

Ride: Enjoy riding the rails in restored vintage passenger trolleys at:

-        The Connecticut Electric Railway in East Windsor, CT (www.ct-trolley.org www.ceraonline.org  www.ceraweb.org). 

-        The Sherbourne Falls Trolley Museum (home of the World-famous Bridge of Flowers), Greenfield, MA – www.sftm.org

-        Ride The Rails At Local Museums and Railways

                      - Top – United States - Trains In The Display

#  4

- AMTRAK Plasser EM80C Track Geometry Diesel locomotive

BACHMANN 62-555 Plasser EM80C AMTRAK

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Massachusetts (Freight Train)

#  7

- The Providence & Worcester Railroad

(This model consists of an assortment of 15 freight cars by assorted manufacturers including Atlas, Arnold, Kato, Bachmann, and more.)

The Providence & Worcester Railroad freight train set in this case contains a wide variety of freight cars that can be seen on railroad tracks throughout New England and the continental United States. 

The Providence & Worcester Railroad mostly operates freight services throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, but also provides some seasonal passenger service on select routes during the Fall Foliage and Christmas holiday seasons. 

Ride: Enjoy riding the rails in restored Providence & Worcester vintage passenger trains by visiting:

-        The Providence & Worcester Railroad in Worcester, MA www.pwrr.com.

-        Ride The Rails At Local Museums and Railways

                      Info Online: Providence & Worcester Railroad www.pwrr.com

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Canada

           VIA Rail

           #  8

- VIA Rail

(Canada) Blue with Yellow stripe + Lettering

KATO 106-015 VIA Rail smoothside passenger 6 Car Streamliner set.

KATO 176-271  VIA  Rail #1898 E8/9-A loco

Info Online: VIA Rail www.via.ca

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England

         United Kingdom

           #  9

                      - British Rail High Speed Train 125 Inter-City 125

– Swallowtail Edition

Dark Grey/Black + Beige with Red, White + Yellow Stripes

(10 Units including Loco)

Graham Farish 8127 HST 125 Set Intercity Livery (1 Loco, 1 Dummy + 1 #42219 Coach)

Graham Farish 0827 BR 75ft MK4 Coach First Open (FO) Intercity Livery #11209

Graham Farish 0837 BR 75ft MK4 Coach Tourist Second Open (TSO) Intercity Livery #12406

Graham Farish 0847 BR 75ft MK4 Coach Restaurant/Buffet 1st Modular (RFM) Intercity Livery #10300

Graham Farish 0857 BR 75ft MK4 Coach Open Second (End) (TSOE) Intercity Livery #12203

           (model manufactured by Graham Farish, which is now a division of Bachmann Trains)

In Britain, the 1974 diesel-electric-powered High Speed Trains reach a scheduled top speed of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), and services have gradually been extended to all non-electrified intercity routes.  An HST achieved the world speed record for diesel traction in 1987, reaching 148 miles per hour (238 km/h).

Currently, the fastest British trains are the HST 225s, which ply the electrified East Coast Main Line (London to Edinburg) at up to 149 miles per hour (225 km/h).

Info Online: British Rail:

- The 125 Group www.125group.org.uk

- The HST  www.thehst.co.uk

    - StocktonModeller: http://www.stocktonmodeller.co.uk

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           # 10

                      - EuroStar

The world-famous “Chunnel” Train provides service between England, Belgium and France.

KATO 10-327 "Eurostar" 8 car set (including Loco) White + Blue with Yellow stripes

           (model manufactured by KATO USA)

In May 1994, with the completion of the Euro Tunnel, “Eurostar” was delivered as an international high speed passenger train.  With travel times of 3 hours from London to Paris and 2 hours 40 minutes London to Brussels, it can achieve maximum speed of 300/km/h (180 miles/hour).  The actual “Eurostar” consists of two sets of nine passenger cars connected at the middle with a power car at both ends.

Info Online: Eurostar:

- www.trainweb.org/tgvpages/eurostar.html,

- www.raileurope.com/us/rail/eurostar/index.htm

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France

           Paris - Southeast  / Paris to Lyon

           # 11

- TGV "Le Train A Grande Vitesse" Paris-Sud-Est 

BACHMANN 51-4001 6 unit set Orange with Gray + White Stripes.  This model displays the original paint scheme of the now world-famous TGV.

           (model manufactured by Bachmann Trains)

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           # 12

- TGV La Ligne de Coeur France Suisse

6 car set Blue and Gray + White Stripes

KATO 10-909

           (model manufactured by Roundhouse, a division of KATO)

Info Online: SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer, or French National Railways) www.sncf.com,

(French High Speed rails lines: TGV, Corail, Eurostar, Thalys)

Eurostar and TGV

London, Great Britain, to Bern Switzerland via Paris, France

Enter the airy, space-age Eurostar terminal at London’s Waterloo International and you’ll know right away that an uncommon journey lies ahead. From here the sleek Eurostars, introduced in 1994, race through the Channel Tunnel, making 18 daily round trips between London England and Paris France and 10 from London to Brussels Belgium. Stylishly painted in white, with blue roofs and window bands and yellow stripes, the Eurostar flaunt their futuristic credentials. Built by GEC-Alstom (like the French TGV’s to which they are closely akin), these articulated, permanently coupled train sets are 18 coaches long, with a locomotive at each end.

Aboard Eurostar, first-class passengers enjoy comfortable two-and-one seating and compli­mentary food and beverage service, while those traveling in standard class may patronize the bar car or trolley cart for snacks and refreshments. Rolling through the British countryside, speeds are moderate (although a dedicated high—speed line is to open in 2007) and views remain in focus: tiled-roof brick cottages, grazing sheep, the vivid yellow of mustard seed plants. Near the Channel Tunnel entrance, the sharp-eyed traveler can glimpse freight trains and the cars and locomotives of Le Shuttle’, which ferries auto­mobiles through the Tunnel. The ride through the 31-mile (50 km) “Chunnel” jtself takes only about 20 minutes, but the quirky experience of popping out into daylight on the far side of the English Channel is something to be savored. Then the high-speed running begins—at up to 186 miles per hour (300 km/h)—for the trip into the Gare du Nord in Paris, the whole journey from London taking just three hours.

In Paris passengers from the Eurostar can link with any of France’s TGV services to make possible a high-speed journey from London to international as well as French destinations. Bern is reached from the Care de Lyon, the heart of France’s growing TGV network and a few minutes ride across town from the Care du Nord by Metro or RER. (local train). The French National Railroads, or SNCF (Sociêté Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais), operates the TGV’s, which began commercial service 1981 . The aerodynamic TGV holds the world speed record of 319 miles per hour (514 km h), which was achieved in trials. It records service speeds of up to 186 miles per hour, as for the Eurostar.

The original TGV route, the Sud Est, is plied by sleek gray and blue train sets of eight or 16 cars, with slant-nosed power cars at the ends of each eight-car unit. The trains travel south and east from Paris, serving such cities as Lyon, Dijon, Avignon, and Grenoble. They also reach into Switzerland, to Lausanne, Geneva, Bern, and  Zurich. To meet demand, some trains have TGV Duplex equipment-spacious double-decker coaches that substantially increase their capacity. A second TGV route, the Atlantique, runs west from Paris with 10-car silver and blue train sets that feature enhanced technology and amenities. In 2001 the TGV Mediterranean line was completed to Marseille and Montpellier, and construc­tion started on TGV Est from Paris to Strasbourg.

To complete the three-capital route that began in London, board the TGV bound for Bern, a 338-mile (544 kin) journey of just four and a half hours. South from Paris the train rolls at top speed down the TGV Sud Est line, then shows off the TGV’s extraordinary versatility by running equally smoothly on the classic route into Switzerland, twisting and turning through the Jura Mountains. On TGVs operating at mealtimes, passengers in first class can order meals served at their seats; those in second class can repair to the bar car for lighter faire.

Speed is the calling card of all members of the TGV family. When they roll free from their city terminals and enter the dedicated high-speed lines, first-time passengers will hear a different pitch to the traction motors’ whine and sense an exhilaration of speed they’ve never felt anywhere before but on an airport runway.

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Germany

# 13

- Strausbahn Trolley (cream and gray)

(Historische Stadtrunfarht – Rheinische Bahngesellschaft AG – Stadwerk Karlsruhe – Wuppertaler

Stadwerk – Keiler Verkehrs AG – Dubsberger Verkersgesellschaft – Doriminder Stadwerk – Essner

Strabenbahn –Stadwerks Frankfurt)

KATO 14600 (Nr. 380 / 643)

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Japan

           # 14

                      - Japan Railways Bullet Train Series 100

                      White with Royal Blue Stripe

                      TOMIX 92613 7 Units including Loco

This is only one of many versions of the world famous Japanese Bullet Trains, so named because the first version (1964) featured a locomotive nose with an obvious resemblance to the tip of a bullet. 

The Japanese showed the world what should be done, with a brand new straight-line railway, and trains and signaling designed for high speed.  The Tokyo-Osaka Tokaido Line, opened in 1964, was standard gauge rather than the Japanese 3-foot-6-inch gauge.

Shinkansen or “Bullet Trains” were the only trains on the line, eliminating congestion.  Trains averaged 101 miles per hour (163 km/h) and could reach 131 miles per hour (210 km/h).  New lines are still being opened and the latest trains have a normal top speed of 186 miles per hour (300 km/h).

More recent versions of the Japanese Bullet trains actually feature increasingly sharper or more pointed noses.  More info about all the various incarnations of the Japanese Bullet Train models is at Japanese Model Supplies – www.Japanese-Model-Supplies.com

                                (model manufactured by TOMIX)

           # 15

- UrbanLiner Kintetsu 21000 Series

UrbanLiner Kinkinihontetsudo electric car 21000 series

KATO #10-162 UrbanLiner Kintetsu 21000 Series  UrbanLiner 6 car set

One of numerous “high tech” looking passenger service trains used throughout Japan on various routes.

                     (model manufactured by KATO)

# 16

- 900 Kirara (red, cream + gold stripe) Japanese 2-car Trolley

KATO 10-411 (2-car trolley Eiden #901 + #902)

Info Online: Railway Technical Research Institute www.rtri.or.jp/index.html

           - For a (nearly) complete listing of all models manufactured of actual Japanese passenger trains visit Japanese Model Supplies www.Japanese-Model-Supplies.com

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