Leadville Designs HOn3 D&RGW MOW 0250/0252 Kits
Leadville Designs product news announced in February 2023 a new HOn3 D&RGW MOW 0250/0252 kit
The HOn3 kit comes with the parts so you can build up the 0250 or 0252. These kits comprise laser cut wood, 3-D ABS, etched metal, injected plastic details with full lettering. The correct 6' wheelbase trucks with 30" wheels are available separately in cast and etched brass. Included in the kit are screen doors and extra window blanks in case you want to add your own personal touch to your masterpiece. You can order the kit now MSRP is $99.95
For more information see your local hobby dealer or visit http://aka.rgmhs.org/leadville0250
Athearn HO EMD SD40T-2 D&RGW Locomotive
Athearn has included an HO scale version of EMD's SD40T-2 diesel locomotive in its August 2024 production schedule.
The fully assembled highly-detailed ready-to-run model will come painted in D&RGW prototype paint scheme, the mode features an injection molded body, fine scale handrails, separately applied air tanks, see through cab windows, welded ECAFB, photoetch windshield wipers, LED Lighting, HTC truck sideframes, all-wheel electrical pickup, see-through dynamic brake fans, separately applied wire grab irons, rubber trainline and MU hoses with silver ends, standard, see-through radiator grilles with new rear truck gearbox specific for the tunnel motor, McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers, all-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation, 5-pole motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain, DCC Ready 21-pin NEM Quick Plug for the DCC ready and for the DCC model it has a SoundTraxx Econami sound 88” nose with class lights (non-operational) and gyralight (Effect in DCC)
The ready-to-run model which comes in three D&RGW road numbers 5402, 5407, 5410 with a MSRP DCC ready of $169.99 and MSRP $244.99 with sound.
For more information see your local hobby dealer or visit https://athearn.com
Athearn Genesis HO-Scale 50' PC&F Exterior Post Box Cars
Athearn also included in its August 2024 production schedule a new run of D&RGW 50’ PC&F exterior Post Box Cars in D&RGW in HO scale.
The fully assembled highly-detailed ready-to-run injection-molded body model will come painted in D&RGW patched version of a Golden West prototype paint scheme and features separate wire-form grab irons, etched metal coupler platforms, full underframe detail: air brake reservoir, control valve, and brake cylinder with plumbing and brake rod details, weighted for optimum performance, trucks with animated rotating bearing caps, coupler lift bars, trainline hoses, brake hoses, and hardware, body-mounted, McHenry® scale knuckle couplers, and machined metal wheels with RP25 contours.
The ready-to-run model which comes in three D&RGW road numbers 61667, 61672, 61701 with a MSRP of $54.99.
For more information see your local hobby dealer or visit https://athearn.com
Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s next hardcover book, “Rio Grande Steam Finale “
The Center for Railroad Photography & Art announced their next hardcover book, "Rio Grande Steam Finale," which is scheduled to be released October 1, 2023. Pre-order information will be announced later this summer on their website, www.railphoto-art.org
Edited by Scott Lothes and Elrond Lawrence, the 10x10 book includes a map and nearly 200 outstanding photographs. Drawing from thousands of images of the Rio Grande narrow gauge in the Center for Railroad Photography and Art’s rich archive, this book gathers the finest work on this rich subject by Tom Gildersleeve, John Gruber, Victor Hand, Don Hofsommer, Jim Shaughnessy, Fred Springer, Richard Steinheimer, and Karl Zimmermann. Inside Rio Grande Steam Finale you’ll find a stunning gallery of black & white and color images, lavishly presented and many published for the first time, covering the narrow gauge from Alamosa to Chama, Durango, Farmington, and Silverton.
The trains are captured in furious action, climbing steep mountain grades, crossing high trestles, winding beside rivers, and traveling vast flatlands. Thundering steam locomotives billow plumes of smoke, some doubled together at the head end and some assisted by rear helpers placed ahead of timeworn cabooses; they’re seen from trackside, from hilltops, from pacing cars, and from inside the cab. Exquisite scenes at day, night, and dusk capture the railroad people, engine houses, rolling stock, lineside structures, and magnificent scenery that shaped the Rio Grande’s legendary narrow gauge system.
Engaging essays by Hofsommer and Zimmermann, both of whom experienced the narrow gauge first-hand in the 1960s, provide context and personal insights. Extensive captions add context to the stories of the photographs, which tracing the pattern of typical train operations of the era. The book concludes with a chapter of contemporary photographs of the lines that have survived to become today’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
HO Scale 900 Series Steel Heavyweight Coach kit by Parker Wilson
Editor’s Note: In other product news, Parker Wilson announced he had produced a 900 Series Steel Heavyweight Coach kit in HO Scale. After two and a half years of work, Parker was finally ready to release this kit of the D&RGW 900 series Steel Heavyweight Pullman Parlor-Coach as they appeared from 1935 to 1961.
Built around a Branchline core, this kit features a new roof, 20 custom-designed and 3-D printed prototype-specific parts, separately applied grab irons and cut levers, and screen-printed waterslide decals. While most people associate 3-D printed parts with distracting layer lines, these car sides have perfectly smooth exterior-facing surfaces and look every bit as sharp as an injection-molded part - even when painted with a high gloss finish.
The kit price is $145 and features everything seen here minus trucks and window glazing. Yes, this is a pricey kit. but Parker mentions he’ll be lucky to break even on them and the only alternative is the $900 brass DP model that has serious accuracy issues and is too heavy to run in any sort of real passenger consist.
This was a very limited run with the first 30 kits selling out extremely quick. Parker is working on a second run another 30 kits that should be almost ready to go. If you are interested get getting one of these kits contact Park Wilson by e-mail; at: Pkwlsn@gmail.com
