From the Model Railroader website, here's the latest product news:HO scale Atlas has announced General Electric U30C locomotives. The models are scheduled for release in November and will feature Adirondack floating bolster trucks (with or without bearing caps as appropriate); golden-white light-emitting diodes; a die-cast metal underframe; a five-pole skewed armature motor with dual flywheels; separately installed windshield wipers, metal grab irons, and scale handrails; classification lights with separate lenses; and a snow plow. The U30C will be offered with or without a decoder in the following road names: Burlington Northern, CSX, Louisville & Nashville, Milwaukee Road, Norfolk & Western, Rock Island, and Union Pacific. An undecorated model will also be available. Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; www.atlasrr.com Accurail has released the following freight car kits: a Kansas City Southern three-bay American Car & Foundry (ACF) Center Flow covered hopper; a New York, New Haven & Hartford 40-foot United States Railroad Administration (USRA) double-sheathed wood boxcar; a Maine Central 50-foot exterior-post boxcar; and a Vermont Ry. three-bay ACF Center Flow covered hopper. The firm has also released three-packs of USRA twin hoppers for the following railroads: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; New York Central; and Reading. Accurail, P.O. Box 278, Elburn, IL 60119-0278; www.accurail.com Athearn has announced the release of 53-foot Jindo containers in its Ready-to-Roll line. The containers will be available individually and in five-packs decorated for the following railroads and companies: Alaska Marine, Crowley, CSX, NACS, and Pacer Stacktrain. The containers are scheduled for release in August. Athearn, 19010 Laurel Park Rd., Compton, CA 90220; www.athearn.com Athearn has announced new paint schemes for its Ford “C” fire trucks including Boston Fire Dept., Chicago Fire Dept., Detroit Fire Dept., San Francisco Fire Dept., and Washington, D.C., Fire Dept. The fire trucks are scheduled for release in August. Athearn, 19010 Laurel Park Rd., Compton, CA 90220; www.athearn.com Athearn has announced the release of the following United States Postal Service vehicles: a modern delivery van, a Ford “C” cab-over-engine tractor with a 28-foot trailer, and a Kenworth tractor with 45-foot trailer. The vehicles are scheduled for release in August. Athearn, 19010 Laurel Park Rd., Compton, CA 90220; www.athearn.com Bachmann has released a United States Railroad Administration 4-8-2 Heavy Mountain in its Spectrum line. The locomotive has Digital Command Control terminals on a circuit board and features a die-cast pewter boiler, a can motor, metal valve gears with blackened or polished siderods, RP25 metal wheels, and separately applied domes, stack, and cab. The unit will be offered in the following road names: Chesapeake & Ohio (with flying pumps and Vanderbilt tender); Illinois Central (with USRA long tender); Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac (with USRA long tender); Norfolk & Western (with USRA long tender); and Southern Pacific (with oil tender). A painted but unlettered model with a USRA long tender is also available. Bachmann Industries, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124; www.bachmanntrains.com Kadee has released the following PS-1 boxcars: a Buffalo Creek 40-footer, a Lehigh New England 40-footer, and a Central of Georgia 50-footer. The cars are equipped with prototype-specific doors and brake wheels. Kadee Quality Products Co., 673 Ave. C, White City, OR 97503; www.kadee.com Life-Like has announced the release of Alco RS-11s in its Proto 1000 line. The units, scheduled for release in January 2004, will feature a five-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels, Proto 2000 magnetic knuckle couplers, and factory-applied grab irons. The locomotives will be offered with two road numbers each in the following road names: Burlington Northern; Delaware & Hudson; Louisville & Nashville; New York, New Haven & Hartford; Norfolk & Western; Northern Pacific; Pennsylvania RR; Seaboard Air Line; and Southern Pacific. An undecorated model will also be available. Life-Like Products, 1600 Union Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211; www.lifelikeproducts.com Life-Like has announced the release of Electro-Motive Division GP38-2s in its Proto 2000 line. The locomotives, scheduled for release in December, will feature Proto 2000 magnetic knuckle couplers and dual machined brass flywheels. The units will be offered with and without dynamic brakes as appropriate and with two road numbers each in the following road names: Boston & Maine; Burlington Northern; Conrail; Delaware & Hudson; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Louisville & Nashville; Missouri Pacific; and Union Pacific. Life-Like Products, 1600 Union Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211; www.lifelikeproducts.com
I'm very happy about the U30C, I had been thinking of kitbashing one of those. My 70's BN coal train really did need one of them in the power mix... I bet the Rock Island ones will look cool as well...
Athearn has U30Cs, but the hoods are about a scale foot wide, as were all the older models (except for F-units), thanks to the old motor. I wouldn't mind a couple of UP U30s on my layout as well.
I got word that Bachmann was bringing out a 2-6-6-2 in their Spectrum line!!!!! Any word of this being true ?????? Be nice to see one! Hopefully at a decent price too! Being Mantua was the only company to make a 2-6-6-2 besides in Brass! [ 09. July 2003, 23:23: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
On their website, they have a few 2-6-6-2's listed, though no pictures are available yet. Did you know that Athearn is gonna do a Challenger for the Genesis line? Lotsa great things headed our way for steam.
Black Cloud, Yep I know about the Athearn Genesis line Challenger.... I just couldn't find anything on it to post the information on it... I'll agree, we are getting some good things in steam! Specially in HO!
Sorry Friscobob but, unfortunately (for me), Life Like has annunced GP38-2 in BNSF paint scheme!! When BN model...
Don't feel c41-8W, it was hard to find Frisco-painted diesels for a long time- now we have them by Atlas, Athearn (rare now) and Stewart. Athearn has the GP38-2s offered in BN as well, IIRC. Go to the Athearn website and check it out
I have a lot of Life like's models and I have see that there are many details and they run smooth. The Athearn'model don't seem to me equal. It is only my impression?
