Can anyone brief me on the newer/better motors available for my fleet of Mantua Steam locomotives from the 1980's ?   I have been told they are much more efficient than the old motors, with better operation at low speeds and are of the "can" type.

HO Scale:

The track across my turntable is 14 inches (101.5 scale feet) so as to accommodate the longest locomotive in my fleet.

I have Canadian National heavy weight coach cars of the 1940's / 1950's era that are 10" (72.5 scale feet) long leaving 4" (29 scale feet) for a yard switcher to fit on the turntable, with a coach car, so I can park the coach car beside the roundhouse.

I would feel more comfortable with a yard switcher less than 4", say... 3.75".

Dear MRHers,

OK, here's one for the BrainsTrust.

I'm seeking at creating a layout scene which will feature mainline mid-train loco ops. As part of this, I'm looking for "typical" trains which make use of such distributed power systems. Grain and Coal come to mind, but are there others?
(visualise sitting at a grade crossing in your car, crossbucks flashing, 
and watching a loco splicing 2x strings of autoracks or container-stackers roll past?)

FWIW, I'm focussing on BNSF and UP ops in the Grain states...

Hello All,

I have been given an old box of HO trains and these were inside. I am not sure about them and wanted to reach out and possibly find out what they are and if they have any value. Thanks for all the help in advance.

Aaron

Chicago, IL