Welcome to your weekly stop at Squeaky's, and what a week to stop by. The hot dog roller comes out this weekend for our Fourth of July cookout and raffle, the whole store is 10% off through Sunday, and a certain very large steam locomotive just pulled in. Here is the full story.

The Fourth of July, Squeaky's Style

Saturday July 4 and Sunday July 5, 11am to 4pm both days, we are throwing a cookout out front: free hot dogs, sides, and cold drinks under the tent while supplies last, plus free sponsor giveaways all weekend. Inside, our free raffle is loaded with prizes from both sides of the shop, including a $50 Squeaky's gift card. Pick the one prize you want, drop in your name, done. One entry per person, no purchase necessary, winners drawn Sunday at 4pm, and you do not need to be present to win. The full event lineup is right here.

And the whole weekend comes with a bow on it: 10% off storewide through Sunday, online and in person. The discount comes off automatically at checkout, no code needed. Just look for "4th of July" in your cart. Some exceptions may apply.

Just Pulled In

The new-arrival shelf went full red, white, and blue this week:

• Kato SD70M, Union Pacific #1979 "We Are One", $119.99. UP's flag-painted heritage unit in N scale, about as Fourth of July as a diesel gets. Also here with factory ESU LokSound DCC sound for $239.99.
• Kato SD70M, Union Pacific #4015 Excursion, $97.99. A clean excursion-service look at a hard to beat price.
• Estes NASA SLS Ready-to-Fly Model Rocket, $76.99. Not a train, but nothing says holiday weekend like a launch. Ready to fly out of the box.

And the star of the week deserves its own paragraph: the Kato Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 in N scale, $259.95, already specially priced. The real #4014 is the world's largest operating steam locomotive, and Kato's tribute to it is every bit as impressive at 1:160. What better weekend to bring home the most American locomotive ever built?

Browse all of this week's arrivals here.

Marked Down This Week

Clearance had a big week too. The headline: a WalthersProto Southern E8 A-A set with ESU sound and DCC at $399.99, a full $100 off. Right behind it, a WalthersProto Santa Fe GP35 with LokSound 5 at $199.99, $72 off. And for the scenery crowd, this one felt right for the week: the Woodland Scenics Just Plug US flag value pack, wall-mount flags with spotlights, $36.99. Your layout's post office and fire station want one.

Clearance moves fast and these are first come, first served. When one sells out, that is it. Shop all of this week's deals here.

Sticky Turnouts? Blame July

If a turnout that worked all spring suddenly binds or a section of track goes finicky in July, humidity is the usual suspect. Benchwork and roadbed swell as summer moisture creeps in, and it only takes a hair of movement to pinch a point rail. Before you tear anything out, run a track gauge over the trouble spot, check that the points still snug up cleanly, and give the railhead a wipe. Nine times out of ten it is the wood moving, not your wiring, and a little easing at the joints puts it right.

Fun bits like this go out in our weekly newsletter first, right alongside the new arrivals and clearance deals, so subscribers always get first crack. Want in? Join the Squeaky's newsletter and ride along every week.

Come Roll With Us

Trains are more fun in person, and this weekend comes with hot dogs. Swing by to get hands on with the new gear, see what is new on the shelves, enter the raffle, and talk shop with people who love this hobby as much as you do. Local pickup is always free.

You will find us at 1885 Braselton Hwy, Suite D, Lawrenceville GA. We are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 11 to 6, Friday and Saturday 10 to 7, and Sunday 10 to 4. We are closed Wednesday for maintenance, but curbside pickup is available. The cookout runs 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.