Product news
Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of August 26, 2021.
HO scale locomotives
Electro-Motive Division GP40 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: Port Harbor Railroad Corp. (First Responders scheme with ditch lights in one road number); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (blue and yellow warbonnet in one number); CP Rail (red and white with CP Rail lettering and ditch lights in two road numbers); CSX (MOW orange in two numbers and yellow, blue, and gray scheme, both with ditch lights); Maine Central (blue and white with Guilford G); and Missouri-Kansas-Texas (green and yellow). New numbers: Denver & Rio Grande Western (black and orange with Flying Grande lettering), Penn Central (black and white in two numbers, with red “C” in one number), and Union Pacific (Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray). Reissue: Susquehanna (yellow and black with ditch lights in one number). Three numbers per scheme unless noted; also available undecorated (with or without dynamic brakes). Die-cast underframe, golden-white light-emitting-diode headlights, and Accumate couplers. Direct-current model with 8-pin plug and factory-installed speaker: without ditch lights, $189.95; with, $199.95. With dual-mode ESU sound decoder: without ditch lights, $299.95; with, $309.95. Second quarter 2022. Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com
HO scale freight cars
Assorted freight car kits. American Colloid Co. 40-foot steel boxcars (orange with two herald options and blue with “Thank you for your order…” slogan. Single car, $19.98; three-pack, $58.98). Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 36-foot double-sheathed boxcar, $19.98. New York Central & Hudson River 41-foot gondola (single car, $19.98; three-pack, $58.98). Northern Pacific American Car & Foundry two-bay Center Flow covered hopper, $20.98. Injection-molded plastic kits with plastic wheelsets, trucks, and Accumate couplers. September/October 2021. Accurail, 630-365-1173, accurail.com
60-foot bulkhead flatcar. Columbia & Cowlitz (blue), CP Rail (red), Milwaukee (brown), Pacific Great Eastern (green), Trailer Train (yellow), and Western Pacific (black). Six road numbers per scheme (three single cars and one three-pack). Separate, factory-applied end details and brake wheel; McHenry scale couplers; and 33” metal wheelsets. Single car, $37.99; three-pack, $109.99. September 2022. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, athearn.com
60-foot hi-cube boxcar with exterior posts. CP Rail (red with MILW reporting marks), Grand Trunk Western (blue), Milwaukee Road (Federal Yellow with “America’s Resourceful Railroad” slogan), Union Pacific (silver and yellow in two road numbers, yellow “Primed for Grime” repaint in one number, and brown with shield herald), and Western Pacific (brown). Three road numbers per scheme unless noted. Separate, factory-applied grab irons, end ladders, and brake wheels; 100-ton roller-bearing trucks; and McHenry scale couplers. $49.99 (Primed for Grime, $54.99). September 2022. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains, 800-338-4639, athearn.com
American Car & Foundry three- and six-bay cylindrical covered hoppers. New paint schemes. Six-bay car: Great Northern (gray “Grain Loading” scheme) and Wabash (“Cannonball Freight Service” slogan). Three-bay car: Potacan (brown and white), Cancarb (black, white, and blue), Conrail (gray with small herald), Rail Logistics (CSX patchout), and Westroc (gray and black). New road numbers. Three-bay car: Hooker Chemicals, Columbus, Miss. Three road numbers per scheme; also available undecorated (three- and six-bay cars). See-through running boards, 100-ton trucks with blackened metal wheels, and Accumate couplers. $36.95 (undecorated, $28.95). Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.shop.atlasrr.com
American Car & Foundry 5,250-cubic-foot-capacity four-bay covered hopper. Honeymead (beige and red), Arco Polymers (blue and white), Archer Daniels Midland (blue with molecule logo), Chemplex Plastics (white, blue, and red), General American (gray and black), and Hercules Pro-Fax (red, blue, and gray). Three road numbers per scheme. Injection-molded plastic in three body styles with fine scale detail; separate, factory-applied wire grab irons and brake lines; prototype-specific hatch and outlet configurations; etched-metal running boards; 100-ton trucks; and metal couplers. $72.95. First through third quarter 2021. Master Line Plus series. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com
52’-6” mill gondola. Algoma Central (as-delivered black scheme); BC Rail (Dogwood scheme), Canadian National (as-delivered, 12” lettering, and “wet noodle” herald schemes); Canadian Pacific (as-delivered scheme); CP Rail (Action Red), ONR (green-and-white Progressive and yellow-and-blue chevron schemes); Pacific Great Eastern (as-delivered scheme); and Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo (as-delivered scheme). Six road numbers per scheme, also available painted (brown and black) but unlettered. Separate, factory-applied grab irons; Z-brace side posts or hat-channel ribs as appropriate; and magnetic couplers. Single car, $49.95; six-pack, $299.70. Rapido Trains, 905-474-3314, rapidotrains.com
Canadian Pacific “clone” United States Railroad Administration 40-foot boxcar. Early, late, and service schemes. Three to 12 road numbers per paint scheme; also available undecorated. Murphy 7-8 corrugated ends, Rapido semi-scale couplers, and KC or AB brakes as appropriate. Single car, $59.95; three-pack, $149.85; and six-pack, $359.70. Rapido Trains, 905-474-3314, rapidotrains.com
Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range class G2 offset-cupola caboose. Burlington Northern (Cascade Green and yellow); Chesapeake & Ohio (yellow with “C&O for Progress” herald) Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic (brown with yellow steps and “Safety Saves Lives” slogan); Great Northern (Vermillion Red and black); New York Central (brown); Northern Pacific (brown with “Main Street of the Northwest” slogan), and Soo Line (red with “dollar sign” herald and “Soo Line” in letterboard). Two road numbers per scheme. Separate, factory-applied grab irons, running board, smoke jack, handrails, and brake gear; 33” RP-25 contour turned-metal wheels; and Proto-Max couplers. $49.98. October 2021. WalthersProto. Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 414-527-0770, walthers.com
HO scale structures
M&M UFO scene. Factory-painted and detailed with scenicked base, six M&M characters, two aliens, crate of M&Ms, Jack the German shepherd, and UFO with multi-colored LED lights and animated tractor beam claw. Measures 9-1/2” x 7-1/4” x 4”. Lighting requires 4.5V power source (sold separately). $79.99. Menards, menards.com/trains
N scale freight cars
American Railway Association 40-foot boxcar. New paint schemes: Central of Georgia (brown and white with “The Right Way” slogan), Linde Air Products (brown and white), Maine Central (green and yellow), Missouri Pacific (brown and white with Missouri-Illinois reporting marks), Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis (brown with “To and From Dixieland” slogan), National Rys. of Mexico (brown and white), New York Central (gray and black in one road number), and Nickel Plate Road (brown). Three road numbers per scheme unless noted; also available undecorated in three different body styles. Solid-bearing trucks and Accumate couplers. $29.95 (undecorated, $23.95). Second quarter 2022. Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com
Difco side-dump car. New paint schemes: Amtrak (brown), BNSF Ry. (brown), CSX (orange), Missouri Pacific (brown), Norfolk & Western (orange), Seaboard Coast Line (black), and Southern Pacific (brown). Three road numbers per scheme. 100-ton roller bearing trucks and Accumate couplers. $39.95. Second quarter 2022. Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com
Three-bay cylindrical covered hopper. Baltimore & Ohio (gray with “B&O” lettering and Capitol Dome herald), Erie Lackawanna (brown), FMC Chemicals (gray), Frisco (gray with “Ship it on the Frisco” slogan), Maypo (with “Marky’s Favorite Hot Breakfast” slogan), New York Central (gray), Norfolk & Western (gray with “hamburger” herald), Old Dutch Cleanser (yellow and red), Phillips Chemical Co. (grey and red with “Marlex” lettering), Sterling Salt (gray), US Industrial Petrothene (black), and Wabash (gray with “Cannonball Freight Service” slogan). Three road numbers per scheme. Roller-bearing trucks, Fox Valley Models metal wheelsets, and body-mounted couplers. $27.95. Summer 2022. Executive Line. Bowser Trains, 800-327-5126, bowser-trains.com
Electronics/controls
D-IntuiSwitch turnout controls. For designing and building layout control panels. Available with right- and left-hand turnout images. Can directly drive stall-motor-based switch machines. Kit includes template, bevel test ring, IntuiSwitch controller, cable, breakout board, and mounting tape. Power source can be 12V-24V DC, 10V-16V AC, or Digital Command Control track power. $15.95. IntuiSwitch, 913-489-9033, intuiswitch.com
DVDs
Minnesota Railroads. Presented by Trains magazine. Features the state’s Class I railroads (BNSF Ry., Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Union Pacific), short lines, Amtrak, commuter lines, and railway preservation. Includes segments on fast mainline trains traveling from Chicago and the Twin Cities to the Pacific Northwest and Canada; iron ore mining railroads; passenger travel via Amtrak’s Empire Builder; the Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive; unique short lines, including the Twin Cities & Western, St. Croix Valley, and Minnesota Commercial; snow plow action; and more. 120 minutes. $24.99. Kalmbach Hobby Store, kalmbachhobbystore.com
