News & Reviews News News & Products for the week of March 17th 2025

News & Products for the week of March 17th 2025

By Mitch Horner | March 17, 2025

Model railroad locomotive, freight car, and structure announcements for the week of March 17th 2025

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News & Products for the week of March 17th 2025

 

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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 17th, 2025.

 

HO scale locomotives

 

ScaleTrains Rivet Counter Electro-Motive Division GP30 diesel locomotive

Price: Direct-current model, $256.99; with DCC and sound, $381.99

Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com

A blue and yellow model locomotive

Electro-Motive Division GP30 features:

  • Detailed cab interior with separate floor, rear wall, seats, and standard AAR control stand
  • Sliding cab side windows
  • Wire inertial air intake grills
  • Late see-through dynamic brake intake grills with horizontal wires through vertical vanes

Release date: Summer 2025

Road names: Baltimore & Ohio; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Burlington Northern; Chicago Great Western; CSX, Penn Central; and Union Pacific.

 

WalthersMainline Plymouth ML-8 gasoline locomotive

Price: Direct-current model, $109.98; with DCC and sound, $169.98

Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com

A red model locomotive

Plymouth ML-8 features:

  • Detailed die-cast metal underframe and hood
  • See-through etched metal radiator guard
  • Separately applied metal handrails
  • Also available unlettered in multiple color schemes

Release date: February 2025

Road names: Coastal, M. Lummus, and United States Air Force. 

 

HO scale rolling stock

 

Athearn Roundhouse 50-foot flatcar

Price: $39.99

Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com

A black model flatcar

50-foot flatcar features:

  • Separate brake wheel
  • Injection-molded body

Release date: September 2026

Road names: Boston & Maine, Great Northern, Milwaukee Road, New Haven, Reading, United States Army, and United States Department of Defense.

 

ClassOneModelWorks.com Thrall 86-foot four-door boxcar

Price: $72.99

Manufacturer: ClassOneModelWorks.com, 8610 NW 107th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64153; 816-243-0044; ClassOneModelWorks.com

A red and white model boxcar

Thrall 86-foot four-door boxcar features:

  • Multiple road numbers per scheme

Release date: Available now

Road names: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Baltimore & Ohio; Chicago & North Western; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Conrail; Missouri Pacific; New York Central; Norfolk Southern; Norfolk & Western; Southern Ry.; Union Pacific; and Western Pacific.

 

HO scale structures

 

Minifer Gap pavilion

Price: €64

Manufacturer: Minifer, 25 Bis Chemin du Roy, 41150 Veuzain Sur Loire, France; minifer.fr/en/

A white model structure

Gap pavilion features:

  • Based on a prototype found in the south of France
  • Laser-cut wood kit

Release date: To be announced

 

N scale locomotives

 

Kato Electro-Motive Division NW2 diesel locomotive

Price: Direct-current mode, $135.00; with DCC, $235.00; with DCC and sound, $335.00

Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; katousa.com

A purple and gray model locomotive

Electro-Motive Division NW2 features:

  • Produced in collaboration with Kobo Customs
  • Visible cab interior free of lighting equipment

Release date: To be announced

Road names: Atlantic Coast Line; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Burlington Northern; Canadian National; Grand Truck Western; Kansas City Southern; Seaboard Airline; St. Louis-San Francisco; Union Pacific; and Western Pacific.

 

News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com for model railroad operators and builders to get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more. Model railroad product news may include HO, N, O, S, and Z scales. Product release dates and prices will vary according to each manufacturer. If you are a manufacturer and have new product releases, please e-mail Senior Editor Cody Grivno at cody.grivno@firecrown.com and Associate Editor Bryson Sleppy at bryson.sleppy@firecrown.com for more information.

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