News & Products for the week of January 12th 2026
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 January 12th, 2026.
HO scale locomotives
Athearn Genesis General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive
Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $269.99; with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $369.99; add $10 for Primed for Grime
Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com
General Electric Dash 9-44CW features include:
- Celcon handrails
- Detailed cab interior
- Fuel tank with fillers, gauges, and breather pipes
- Body-mounted McHenry scale couplers
- All-wheel drive and electrical pickup
- Walkway tread detail
- Uncoupling levers
- Wire grab irons
Release date: June 2027
Road names: BC Rail; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; BNSF Ry. (Primed for Grime Santa Fe patchouts); Kaiser Steel; Southern Pacific; and Union Pacific (full repaint and Primed for Grime SP patchout). Two to three numbers per road name.
Rapido Electro-Motive Division E7 diesel locomotive
Price: Direct-current models — single unit, $249.95; two-unit sets, $469.95. With Digital Command Control and sound — single unit, $369.95; two-unit sets, $689.95
Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com
Electro-Motive Division E7 features include:
- Available in Phase I and Phase II carbodies
- Road-name specific side vent configurations
- Multiple nose configurations
- Freight or passenger pilots
- Skirted or non-skirted fuel tanks
- Die-cast metal chassis
- Road-specific detail parts in both plastic and etched metal
- Suggested minimum radius, 22″
Release date: To be announced
Road names: New York Central; Baltimore & Ohio; Boston & Maine; Chicago & North Western; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Maine Central; Pennsylvania RR; Seaboard Air Line; Southern Ry.; Southern Pacific; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; and Union Pacific.
HO scale passenger equipment
WaltherProto 85-foot Viewliner I sleeper car
Price: Without lighting, $119.98; with factory-installed lighting, $134.98
Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com
85-foot Viewliner I sleeper car features include:
- Full interior
- Improved diaphragms
- GSI metal truck for electrical pickup
- Factory-installed wire grab irons
- Detailed underbody
- Proto-Max metal couplers
Release date: Summer 2026
Road names: Amtrak (Phases 4, 6, and 7).
HO scale rolling stock
Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club 50th anniversary boxcar
Price: $37 plus $13 shipping
Available from: Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club, P.O. Box 745, Blue Hill, ME 04614; easternmainemodelrailroadclub.org
Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club 50th anniversary boxcar features:
- Atlas Model Railroad Co. 50-foot boxcar with exterior posts decorated for club’s Katahdin Valley
- Anniversary cars available in two road numbers (1976 and 2026); non-anniversary cars offered in four numbers
- Metal wheels
- Accumate knuckle couplers
- Underbody details
Release date: Available now
WalthersMainline 50-foot BethGon Coalporter
Price: Single car, $44.98; three-pack, $124.98
Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com
50-foot BethGon Coalporter features include:
- Individually molded and applied internal bracing
- Scale 36″ diameter turned-metal wheels
- Body-mounted Proto-Max metal knuckle couplers
Release date: Summer 2026
Road names: CSX, BNSF Ry., Conrail, Consumers Power Co., and Norfolk Southern.
N scale passenger equipment
Kato Amtrak Superliner six-car set
Price: Without lighting, $205; pre-lit cars, $295
Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com
Amtrak Superliner six-unit set features include:
- Detailed interiors (Can be illuminated with optional interior lighting kit with LED No. 11-211/11-212. Do not use older 11-206 lighting kits.)
- Kato semi-automatic knuckle couplers
- Six-car set includes baggage, transition sleeper, sleeper, diner, lounge, and coach.
Release date: Available now
Road names: Amtrak (Phase 3).
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 e-mail Senior Editor Cody Grivno at cody.grivno@firecrown.com.
