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Great Northern 2-8-2 Mikado #2549 in a handsome green, black, and red paint scheme, is heading east bound with a string of Western Fruit Express reefers in tow. The action was captured on Steve Lunde's layout.

The steam engine is a Lionel 2-8-2 which Steve repainted and decorated for the GN. He also converted its wheels to scale by turning down the wheel flanges. The tender is a brass model produced by SouthWind Models that Steve painted and decorated as well. The reefers are built from Pacific Rail Shops kits. The plate girder bridge is an S-scale model by Bark River Models.

In the background, the passenger train is the west bound Empire Builder pulled by an FP7 A-B consist.

These engines are from American Models. The main span for the west bound upper bridge is a Walther's HO-scale kit, while the girder bridge on the short approach span is by banta modelworks.

This photo is featured in the NASG's inside-the-cover ad of the November 2026 Railroad Model Craftsman magazine.

(ed: apparently there was a miscommunication between NASG's ad rotation requests and the actual photo that was run by the magazine back in their August issue; they are running this one in their November issue.)

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