The Model Railroader staff received a sample from the HO scale Rivet Counter line. Road names include Norfolk Southern (thoroughbred scheme); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (red-and-silver warbonnet); BNSF Ry. (Heritage II); and Union Pacific (Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray, including “lightning stripe” scheme).
The Rivet Counter series model will be offered with light-emitting diode (LED) front, rear, and side walkway lights; railroad- and road-number-specific details (cab, cab side windows, LED ditch lights, and Hi-Ad trucks with rotating bearing caps); GE “nub” pattern walkway tread; 26 separate factory-applied see-through etched-metal grills; cab interior details; frame with factory-applied plumbing and cabling; LED illuminated number boxes with printed number boards; and die-cast metal couplers.
The HO scale Rivet Counter series C44-9W will be offered as a direct-current model with a 21-pin connector for a Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder for $174.99. The six-axle road unit will also be produced with an ESU LokSound V5.0 DCC and sound decoder, two cube-type speakers, and a PowerPak with two super capacitors for $264.99. Select models are available now. The balance will be available in summer 2019.
For more information, visit www.scaletrains.com. Look for a full product review in an upcoming issue of Model Railroader magazine.
Once again, ScaleTrains offers an excellent product. While other makers such as Athearn and MTH have released the Dash 9 in HO Scale, ScaleTrains goes the extra mile in getting road name and number-specific details without compromising on how well the model performs.