News column - 17
announced “Value Line” of freight cars. The initial N scale
model will be a 14-panel Coalporter car produced from
upgraded tooling previously used by LBF and E&C models. A
release date of May/June 2015 has been scheduled for the
Coalporters. Although still not firm, the MSRP is expected to be
about $19.95 each. In addition to the Northern Indiana Public
Service car shown here, announced road names include
Burlington Northern, Canadian National, Oklahoma Gas &
Electric, Union Pacific, American Electric Power, Kansas City
Power & Light, Central Illinois Power, and Somerset Railroad.
Another production
run of USRA com-
posite drop-bottom
gondolas is sched-
uled for release in May and June. The sides and floor of the
N scale ready-to-run model are laser-cut wood. Six numbers
will be available for Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Nashville,
Chattanooga & St. Louis; Chesapeake & Ohio; Louisville &
Nashville; FW&D – Burlington Route; New York Central;
Wheeling & Lake Erie; Boston & Maine; Frisco - St. Louis & San
Francisco; and KCS as seen here in an HO version. The MSRP
will be $24.95. An undecorated kit with plastic wheels and no
couplers will list at $11.50.
KatoUSA
) has released
another produc-
tion run of both
Canadian National
and Canadian
Pacific versions of
its N scale General Electric ES44AC “GEVO” locomotives.
General Electric developed the Evolution Series (ES) locomo-
tives to comply with the EPA’s Tier 2 emissions standards. ES
locomotives are equipped with AC traction motors and are
powered by a newly-designed 12-cylinder engine (GEVO-12)
that produces the same power as the 16-cylinder AC4400CW,
but with fewer emissions and greater fuel economy. A major
spotting feature is the oversized dual-fan heat exchanger at the
rear of the contemporary locomotive.
Kato has updated
from previous
releases with
additional warn-
ing labels. Other
features include
directional head-
lights, ditch lights,
and illuminated number boards. Two numbers are available
for each road. The models come ready for standard DC ana-
log operation. DCC-equipped versions are available by special
order. Visit the website for more information.
New N scale
releases from
Micro-Trains
Line
include a Pennsylvania heavyweight diner patterned after a car
PRR built in its Altoona Shops in 1926. The ready-to-run model
has an MSRP of $29.95.
MRH-Dec 2014
