Electro-Motive Division SD70ACe diesel locomotive in Norfolk Southern heritage schemes. Central RR of New Jersey; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Erie; Illinois Terminal; New York Central; Norfolk Southern no. 1030 (1982 and 2012 number boards); Penn Central; Reading Co.; Savannah & Atlanta; Virginian Ry.; and Wabash. New m.u. receptacles, turbocharger compartment doors on long hood, and late inverter cabinet. Direct-current model, $199.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoder, $299.98. Summer-fall 2013. Genesis series. Athearn Trains, 310-763-7140, www.athearn.com
Electro-Motive Division F7A diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: Chicago & North Western and Rock Island. Two road numbers each. Railroad-specific details, five-pole skew-wound motor, and light-emitting-diode headlights. Direct-current models, $169.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoder, $259.98. March 2013. Ready-to-run. WalthersProto. Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 414-527-0770, www.walthers.com
Fruit Growers Express 57-foot mechanical refrigerator car. Burlington Northern (BNSF reporting marks, four road numbers), BNSF Ry., Fruit Growers Express (FGCX or FGMR marks, four numbers each), and Union Pacific (ARMN marks). Six road numbers per scheme unless noted. Riveted with fish-belly sill, welded with fish-belly sill, or riveted with straight sill; body- or truck-mounted brakes; Gensets visible through etched-metal screens on early version; and tractor-trailer refrigerator unit on modernized version. Sound unit cycles on and off. Standard model, $44.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoder, $79.98. Late 2013. Genesis series. Athearn Trains, 310-763-7140, www.athearn.com
Baltimore & Ohio class M-53 wagontop boxcar. Four paint schemes: 1937-40, 1942-47, 1946-55, and 1962-66. With flat or Youngstown doors as appropriate. Three car numbers each; also available undecorated. Wire grab irons, Kadee knuckle couplers, and metal wheelsets. $30.95. Ready-to-run. Fox Valley Models, 847-768-2344, www.foxvalleymodels.com
Heavyweight passenger coaches. Single-window coach: Delaware & Hudson; New York, New Haven & Hartford; New York Central; Southern Ry.; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle. Paired-window coach: Canadian National, Chesapeake & Ohio, and Milwaukee Road. Detailed interior, sprung diaphragms, separately applied underbody detail, and Accumate knuckle couplers. $64.95. Fourth quarter 2012. Ready-to-run. Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
HO scale structures
Cathy’s Furniture Factory. Kit features corrugated walls and roof. Footprint is 4-1/2” x 12”. $29.99. Alpine Division Scale Models, 562-860-6060, www.alpinemodels.com
Millard’s & Sons office building. Kit features corrugated walls and roof. Footprint is 3” x 5-1/2”. $15.99. Alpine Division Scale Models, 562-860-6060, www.alpinemodels.com
Assorted streetlights. Clock light, ball light, park light, streetlight, highway light (two versions), and curved light. Light-emitting diode, brass construction, and quick connection plug in wire harness with resistors. $24.95-$25.95. Fourth quarter 2012. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Modern right-hand block signal. Factory-assembled plastic model with operating signal head and etched-metal handrails and walkways. Based on prototype along BNSF Ry. in Fullerton, Calif., but used on other railroads as well. $34.95. September 2012. BLMA Models, 562-712-7085, www.blmamodels.com
Wheelsets. Brass or nickel silver. 33”- and 36”-diameter with .110” or .088” tread widths. Prototypical interior wheel face. Axles milled with concave dish of prototype. Price to be announced. ExactRail, 866-945-1701, www.exactrail.com
4-4-0 steam locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Canadian Pacific; New York, New Haven & Hartford; Pennsylvania RR; painted black but unlettered, and undecorated. Separately applied bell and handrails, prototype-specific stack, and Accumate knuckle couplers. $119.95. Ready-to-run. Master Line. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Electro-Motive Division F40PH. New paint scheme: Amtrak (phase 3). Two road numbers. Split-frame mechanism and ditch lights. $115. Ready-to-run. Kato USA Inc., 847-781-9574, www.katousa.com
American Car & Foundry 89’-4” flatcar. Erie Western, Florida East Coast, Providence & Worcester, Trailer Train, TTX Co., and two undecorated body styles. Four car numbers available. Two hitch styles, container pedestals, and Accumate knuckle couplers. Minimum recommended radius is 13”. $24.95 (undecorated, $19.95). Fourth quarter 2012. Ready-to-run. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Baltimore & Ohio class M-53 wagontop boxcar. Four paint schemes: 1937-40, 1942-47, 1946-55, and 1962-66. With flat or Youngstown doors as appropriate. Three car numbers each; also available undecorated. Metal wheelsets and Magne-Matic body-mounted knuckle couplers. $19.95 Ready-to-run. Fox Valley Models, www.foxvalleymodels.com
Gunderson 6,269-cubic-foot-capacity boxcar. BNSF Ry., Burlington Northern, Illinois Central, International Bridge & Terminal Co., and Wisconsin Central. Features and price to be announced. ExactRail, 866-945-1701, www.exactrail.com
Trenton Works 67’-11” bulkhead flatcar. TTX (three paint schemes). Features and price to be announced. Late 2012. ExactRail, 866-945-1701, www.exactrail.com
Milwaukee Road 50-foot ribbed-side boxcars. “Route of the Hiawathas” slogan, billboard lettering with herald, or brown with yellow band. Etched-metal running boards, metal wheelsets, and Micro-Trains magnetic knuckle couplers. $19.95. Ready-to-run. Fox Valley Models, 847-768-2344, www.foxvalleymodels.com
Gunderson 60-foot auto parts boxcar. Injection-molded plastic model with plastic wheelsets and body-mounted Magne-Matic knuckle couplers. Road names, price, and availability date to be announced. Ready-to-run. Micro-Trains Line Co., 541-535-1755, www.micro-trains.com
Assorted Amtrak cars. Amfleet (two coaches or baggage car and cafe), $55 each; Superliners (two different four-car sets), $110; and step-down coach and baggage car, $55. All cars are in phase 3 paint scheme. Injection-molded plastic models with detailed interiors, metal wheelsets, and clear window glazing. Ready-to-run. Kato USA Inc., 847-781-9574, www.katousa.com
Acme Corp. Modular laser-cut acrylic kit. Can be built as a stand-alone building, split in half for two low-relief structures, or divided into eight units. Footprint is 3-3/8” x 8-1/8”. Price to be announced. Custom Model Railroads, 410-889-0010, www.cmrtrain.com
Assorted streetlights. Clock light, ball light, park light (two versions), streetlight, highway light, and curved light (two versions). Light-emitting diode, brass construction, and quick connection plug in wire harness with resistors. $25.95-$26.95. Fourth quarter 2012. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Wheelsets. Brass or nickel silver. 33”- and 36”-diameter. Prototypical interior wheel face. Axles milled with concave dish of prototype. Price to be announced. ExactRail, 866-945-1701, www.exactrail.com
Baldwin 2-4-4-2 articulated locomotive. On2-1/2. Painted black but unlettered with steel or wood cab and with or without red windows and white stripes. Die-cast metal construction, light-emitting diode headlights, and choice of three stacks and headlights. With Digital Command Control decoder for speed, direction, and lighting (SoundTraxx 16-bit sound module sold separately, $119). $525. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com
Assorted freight car two-packs. On2-1/2. Boxcar (includes second set of doors), $109; flatcar, $79; high- or low-side gondola, $89 and $79, respectively; and tank car, $109. All models are painted but unlettered. November 2012. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com
Jack’s Lumber Co. Pre-production model shown. Injection-molded plastic kit. Office footprint is 5-1/8” x 7-11/16”, open bin footprint is 6-1/2” x 13-1/4”, and fence footprint is 2-1/4” x 7-7/8”. Additional features, availability date, and price to be announced. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Assorted trucks for rolling stock. 50-ton Barber-Bettendorf, 70-ton roller-bearing, 100-ton roller-bearing, Andrews, roller-bearing caboose, and Commonwealth express. Thinner scale die-cast metal construction, scale width between sideframes, and drop-in replacement for all Atlas rolling stock. $24.95 per pair. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 908-687-0880, www.atlasrr.com
Baltimore & Ohio color position-light signal. Brass construction. $54.99. N.J. International, 480-219-4135, www.njinternational.com
Denver & Rio Grande Western class C-19 2-8-0 steam locomotive. 1:20.3 proportion. Denver & Rio Grande Western (Flying Grande lettering with short tender, “bumble bee” scheme with short tender, or Royal Gorge herald with long tender), Rio Grande Southern (sunrise herald with short tender), painted black but unlettered with short tender, and painted black but unlettered with red and white trim and long tender. Can motor; all-metal gearbox; printed-circuit board to accommodate direct current, Digital Command Control, or remote control operation; and two optical sensors for adjusting timing and count of steam chuffs. $1,575. October 2012. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com
Hopper. Golden Nugget Mining Co., Jumpin’ Jack’s Jelly Beans, and King Coal. Plastic
wheelsets and hook-and-loop couplers. $39. Ready-to-run. Li’l Big Haulers. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com
couplers. $49. Ready-to-run. Li’l Big Haulers. Bachmann, 215-533-1600,
www.bachmanntrains.com
Coach and baggage car. Short Line RR (blue, green, or yellow). Plastic wheelsets and
hook-and-loop couplers. $49. Ready-to-run. Li’l Big Haulers. Bachmann, 215-533-1600,
www.bachmanntrains.com
Li’l Big Haulers electric train set. Fast Freight, Short Line Special, and North Pole Express. Includes steam locomotive with tender, freight or passenger cars, hook-and-loop couplers, circle of steel alloy track, and power pack. $279. Li’l Big Haulers. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.com
Ellie’s house. Laser-cut basswood and fiberboard kit. Includes cast-metal chimneys, peel-and-stick windows and trim, simulated cedar shake shingles, and laser-cut window glazing. Footprint is 2” x 2-5/8”. $24.95. Monroe Models, 320-250-5610, www.monroemodels.us
The SideWinder. Laser-cut wood kit allows BullFrog switch machine (sold separately) to be mounted horizontally (1-1/8” clearance required). Includes control wire, screws, nuts, and washers. Also reverses throw of BullFrog, allowing switch points to move in same direction as the control knob. $6.95. Fast Tracks Hobbyworks Inc., 888-252-3895, www.handlaidtrack.com
HOn3 no. 5 turnouts with code 70 rail. Nickel silver rail and plastic ties without baseplate detail. Geometry based on National Model Railroad Association standards. Unifrog design (live turnout except for tip of the frog) with no extra wiring needed. Price to be announced. Peco, +44(0)1297 21542, www.peco-uk.com
Dust Monkeys. For removing dust from track and stopping further accumulation. Clips to rolling stock axles. Works in forward or reverse. Four-pack. N scale, $8.99; HO scale, $9.99.Woodland Scenics, 573-346-5555, www.woodlandscenics.com
Rail Pal. Two-sided track cleaning pad. One side is a Rescue Pad to remove heavy dirt build-up. The other side is a maintenance pad, used to improve conductivity be removing dirt, grime, and oxidation. $6.99. Woodland Scenics, 573-346-5555, www.woodlandscenics.com
Model Scaler. Scale conversion tool quickly converts scale measurements to actual or vice-versa in Imperial or Metric. Users can choose to use any one of the programmed scales, or they can set their own custom scale. Available for Android devices, Kindle Fire, iPhone, and iPad. Download free at the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore for Android. Woodland Scenics, 573-346-5555, www.woodlandscenics.com
That's not the half of it —
Z took BEST OF SHOW and 1st PLACE in individual modules…and Z has done this at other National Train Shows.
great seminars, well put on. look forward to seeing everyone at Atlanta next year. train show was good with several new vendors
Bachmann's new 2-4-4-2 Articulated Locomotive and 18-foot Freight Cars are both On30.
Bachmann's 2-4-4-2 Articulated Locomotive and 18' Freight Cars are both On30. Visit http://www.bachmanntrains.com for more details.
Would like to see Atlas come out with Alco S-6 or Alco T-6 in ho, also would like to see someone do a ready to run Lima-Hamilton 800hp-1000hp switchers, or even the1200hp road switcher!
Enjoyed the show at Grand Rapids and meeting the folks at NCE, they were very helpful. Also those at Walthers, Athearn, Woodland Scenics, Peco, Tony"s Train Exc., and many others. This was a HIGHCLASS show and all the new products coming out reflects on the continued innovation of these companies.
Well gang I just gotta say" WOW". Alot of new products coming out, I purchased the Roto wheel cleaner, and yes it is a great time saver, the track cleaning products will be purchased later on. I have an old sound unit in a 57ft. refrigerator car, does not sound too bad either. Look forward to the new athearn car as well. Looks like a great train show as always. Hope Cody and the gang from model Railroader had a great time, look for the full report in upcoming Episode of Codys Office.
The Atlas N scale LED lights sound a lot like Brewa's lights, I wonder if they are the same?
Very informative, already planning space on layout for Atlas Gas ansd Oil Co. and Lumber Co. As always keep up the great job. Thanks.
Great recap. Thanks for info on Woodland Scenics App.
One year I will get to go. I was hoping for more N scale announcements.
As always excellent coverage.
Great first news. I am looking forward to the full details on some of these.
Your article was very well done but i wish more would be done with Z scale item reviews from the major manufactures that are doing Z scale. The time has come that people are seeing that we z scalers are true modelers and not people playing with toys. Thanks
Goodlooking Pictures and well written aricles. Thanks.
Need More N-Guage equipment.
QSI had a major announcement on Monday evening at their 7 to 9 PM session. I do not have any experience in DCC but experienced members in the audience were very impressed with the new product that is supposed to be available in two months. Would like to see some sort of product evaluation in the near future.
aways enjoy a heads up on new products…thanks much
I enjoyed a review of the latest equipment. A lot of nice products.
Thank you
Thanks for the report, I missed some of those. One I've not seen mentioned before that I really like was the display by Wild West Scale Model Builders. They have a bunch of Western style buildings suitable for use on prairie or Rocky Mountain layouts. They seemed to have filled in the huge gap in small western town buildings. They have buildings in Z, N, HO, and O. Since I model in N and on the prairie I thought it was a great find. David
Athearn cannot use the Tower 55 tooling because intermountain bought that tooling and produces that model, also using Tsunami sound units. Whether Intermountain will produce or is producing the NS heritage units I do not know. I agree that Athearn should not produce a fantasy AC4400. Tooling and dies for a brand new unit, especially since Intermountain already has produced the model are very expensive.
John
Very informative groups of layouts with friendly people. The layouts were comprhensive in detail. My wife and I had a very enjoyable time meeting with the exhibitors.
Thanks for the info
Look forward to NJ International's HO Upper Quadrant Wig-Wag. Been a long time coming.
VERY GOOD, AND VERY IMFORATIVE. I LIKE TO SEE NEW PRODUCTS WHEN THEY ARE ON THE MARKET.
very nice.
The new Woodland Scenic Rail Tracker, Dust Monkeys, and Roto Wheel Cleaner work great. I've been using mine for about a month in my effort t clean up my model railraod following my wife's remodeling project.
The Roto Wheel Cleaner is particularly easy to use compred to the old paper towel method. It's easy to give a locomotive a quick cleaning whenever it begins having a problem. I like the product.