News & Products for the week of December 4th 2023
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 December 4th 2023.
New manufacturer
Gotham Rail & Marine opened its online store in late November with a variety of HO scale 3-D printed detail parts. The primary products are HO scale locomotive detail parts, with maritime related detail parts such as bitts and cleats also available.
All parts are fully researched using both blueprints and field work to produce accurate parts. Nearly 100 parts are currently available through the online store at gothamrailmarine.com.
Examples of detail parts available include:
- M.U. plugs and receptacles
- Light housings
- Locomotive batteries
- Spark arrestors
- Locomotive detail kits
New detail parts are expected in 2024.
HO scale locomotives
Athearn Genesis General Electric 9-44CW
Price: Direct-current model, $259.99; with DCC and sound, $359.99
Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com
General Electric 9-44CW features:
- Fine-scale Celcon handrails
- Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
- Die-cast metal frame
Release date: April 2025
Road names: Burlington Northern Santa Fe; Arizona & California; Canadian National; Norfolk Southern; Quebec, North Shore & Labrador; and Union Pacific.
HO scale freight cars
Athearn Genesis PS-2 2893 three-bay covered hopper
Price: $54.99
Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com
PS-2 2893 three-bay covered hopper features:
- Separately applied round roof hatches
- Factory applied wire grab irons
- Photo-etched metal roof walk
- Separate brake cylinder, valve and air reservoir with wire brake plumbing
Release date: April 2025
Road names: Jack Frost, Milwaukee Road, New York Central, Southern, Southern Pacific, Wabash, and Weyerhauser.
Rapido H21 coal hoppers
Price: Single car, $54.95; three-pack, $164.85; six-pack, $329.70
Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com
H21 coal hoppers features:
- Die-cast chassis
- Full inside and outside rivet detail
- Separate wire grab irons
Release date: To be announced
Road names: Pennsylvania Railroad
WalthersMainline 89-foot autorack
Price: $44.98
Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com
89-foot autorack features:
- Die-cast metal underframe
- Paragon II style rack
- Swining drawbars
Release date: Winter 2024
Road names: Boston & Maine, Chesapeake & Ohio, Conrail, Erie Lackawanna, Milwaukee Road, and Southern Railway.
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 email Senior Editor Cody Grivno at cgrivno@kalmbach.com and Associate Editor Bryson Sleppy at bsleppy@kalmbach.com for more information.
