News & Reviews News Twin Cities Hiawatha is Walthers’ next name train

Twin Cities Hiawatha is Walthers’ next name train

By Angela Cotey | April 22, 2019

| Last updated on November 3, 2020


HO scale Proto-series model train scheduled for release throughout 2020

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WalthersHOTwinCitiesHiawathamodeltrain
The latest name train from Wm. K. Walthers is the HO scale Milwaukee Road Twin Cities Hiawatha.
WalthersHiawathaRPO
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 63-foot Railway Post Office
WalthersHiawathaexpresscar
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 75-foot express car
WalthersHiawatha498coach
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 498-series 52-seat coach
WalthersHiawatha535coach
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 535-series 52-seat coach
WalthersHiawathadiner
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 85-foot 48-seat diner
WalthersHiawthasuperdome
Walthers HO scale 85-foot Pullman-Standard Super Dome
WalthersHiawathataplounge
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 85-foot 26-seat tap lounge
WalthersHiawathaValleyparlorcar
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 85-foot Valley-series 30-seat parlor car
WalthersHiawthasuperdome
Walthers HO scale Milwaukee Road 85-foot Rapids-series Skytop lounge
WalthersEverettstreetstation
Walthers HO scale Everett Street station and train shed kit
Waltherswaterstreetbuilding
Walthers HO scale Water Street building kit
waltherscrossingtower
Walthers HO scale elevated crossing tower kit
Wm. K. Walthers Inc. announced that its next HO scale name train will be the Twin Cities Hiawatha. Cars and locomotives for the 1953 to 1955 (orange and maroon) and 1955 to 1971 (yellow and gray) versions of the train will be released throughout 2020.

Cars for the train include a 63-foot Railway Post Office, a 75-foot express car, and the following 85-foot cars: 498- and 535-series 52-seat coaches, a 48-seat diner, a Pullman-Standard (PS) Super Dome ($94.98), a 26-seat tap lounge, a Valley-series 30-seat parlor car, and a Rapids-series Skytop lounge ($94.98). The models, which will be priced at $84.98 each unless noted, will be offered in standard versions with decals and with factory-printed names or numbers.

The 1953 to 1955 cars will have black trucks, clasp brakes, straight side sills, folded car steps, and original ends without lift rings. The 1955 to 1971 cars will feature silver trucks, disc brakes as appropriate, notched side sills (except on Super Dome), fixed car steps, and later-style ends with lift rings and different diaphragms (except on Super Dome).

In addition, Walthers will offer deluxe-edition train sets. The 10-car 1953 Twin Cities Hiawatha ($1,230) will feature a Railway Post Office, an express car, four 52-seat coaches, a 48-seat diner, a PS Super Dome, a Valley-series 30-seat parlor car, and a Rapids-series Skytop lounge. The cars will be populated with more than 160 factory-installed Preiser figures.

The 1960s nine-car Twin Cities Hiawatha ($1,105) will include a Railway Post Office, an express car, four 52-seat coaches, a 48-seat diner, a PS Super Dome, and a Rapids-series Skytop lounge. The cars will include more than 150 factory-installed Preiser figures.

An additional deluxe-edition train is the 1956-1972 version of trains 12/23, The Cannonball, which operated between Watertown and Milwaukee, Wis. The three-car set, priced at $375, will consist of two 52-seat coaches, a tap lounge, and more than 50 factory-installed Preiser figures.

Wrapping up the car releases will be Super Dome no. 53 and Skytop lounge Cedar Rapids decorated in the modern excursion scheme. The cars, scheduled for release in July and October 2020, respectively, will be priced at $94.98 each.

Power for the trains will be Electro-Motive Division FP7 and F7B diesel locomotives. The locomotives, which will feature period-appropriate details, will be offered in 1950 to 1953 as-delivered orange, 1952 to 1955 modified orange, and 1955 to 1971 yellow.

Single FP7s will sell for $189.98 (direct current) and $279.98 (ESU LokSound 5 Digital Command Control sound decoder). FP7 and F7B sets will be priced at $369.98 (DC) and $549.98 (ESU LokSound 5 Digital Command Control sound decoder).

Three limited-run Cornerstone-series injection-molded plastic structure kits will be released in conjunction with the Twin Cities Hiawatha. Milwaukee’s Everett Street station and train shed ($299.98), Wm. K. Walthers Inc. Water Street building ($34.98), and an elevated crossing tower (two-pack, $39.98) are all slated for release in March 2020.

For more information, visit www.walthers.com

2 thoughts on “Twin Cities Hiawatha is Walthers’ next name train

  1. What’s captioned as photos of the models Skytop lounges in the “Rapids” series is actually a second appearance of the photos of the models of the Superdomes.

  2. Overpriced cars. I would like to spend my $100 bucks on a locomotive, not a single passenger car.

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