News & Products for the week of January 5th 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 5th, 2026.
HO scale rolling stock
Atlas Trainman 85-foot trash flatcar with municipal solid waste containers
Price: $94.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
85-foot trash flatcar with municipal solid waste containers features:
- Open deck design
- Container pedestals
- Detailed underframe
- 100-ton trucks with metal wheels
Release date: Fourth quarter 2026
Road names: New road numbers — East Carbon (orange with DSEX reporting marks and black with AWXX marks) and General American (black with GIMX marks). New paint schemes — Apex Tank Car Line (black with APEX marks), ECDC Logistics (black with RSGX marks), and USA Waste (black with USWX marks).
Atlas Trainman American Car & Foundry 3560 covered hopper
Price: $38.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
American Car & Foundry 3560 covered hopper features:
- Detailed underframe
- Accumate knuckle couplers
- Trucks equipped with metal wheels
Release date: Fourth quarter 2026
Road names: New paint schemes — Union Carbide, International Minerals & Chemical Corp. (with FRA-224 stripes), Rail Logistics, and Riverport RR. New road numbers — Chesapeake & Ohio, Norchem, and Norfolk Southern. Two numbers per paint scheme.
HO scale passenger equipment
Rapido Budd coach cars
Price: $124.95
Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com
Budd coach cars features:
- Underbody details — separate air, steam, and electrical lines
- Stainless steel finish
- Sprung diaphragms
- Factory-applied metal grab irons and end gates
- D22 brake equipment and piping
- 41-NDO-11 trucks with end frames
- Detailed, multi-color interior
- Metal knuckle couplers
- Also available painted and unlettered
Release date: To be announced
Road names: U.S. schemes — Amtrak (phase 1); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Conrail (OCS Green); Long Island Rail Road; Metro-North Commuter RR; New York Central; Norfolk Southern; Penn Central; Pennsylvania RR (Congressional); Rock Island; Seaboard Coast Line; and Southern Ry. Canadian schemes — HEP2 ex-SP Budd coach rebuilds (VIA Rail coach [1996-2010s and 2020-present]), Canadian Pacific/VIA Rail HEP1 versions (Canadian Pacific maroon [1955-late 1960s], CP Rail Action Red [1968-early 1980s], and VIA Rail [1978-mid 1990s, 1998-present, and 2020-present]), and VIA Rail HEP2 rebuilds (coach and club, 1996-present; economy, 2020-present; and business, 2020-present). Also available painted stainless steel but unlettered (standard Budd coach, HEP1 coach, and HEP2 coach).
HO scale details and accessories
Atlas Trainman 20-foot high cube municipal solid waste container
Price: $34.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
20-foot high cube municipal solid waste container features:
- See-through forklift pockets
- Molded chain securement
- Fire port on one side
- Mounting pegs for 85-foot trash flatcar (sold separately)
Release date: Fourth quarter 2026
Road names: New road numbers — USWX, AWIU, DSEU, LWT, and RSGU. — New paint schemes — Interstate Waste Service and NWSX.
O scale vehicles
Frenchman River 1919 hearse conversion kit
Price: $44.95
Manufacturer: Frenchman River Model Works, PO Box 86, Langdon, ND 58249; 701-256-2129; frenchmanriver.com
1919 hearse conversion kit features:
- Designed by Thomas Yorke
- Includes resin ornate sides, cab doors, cab floor/seat, cab/seat back, rear door, roof assembly, and floor; window glazing material; and instructions
- Converts die-cast metal model of your choice into a hearse (truck not included with kit)
- Approximate dimensions of conversion kit (without die-cast metal truck) are 1.5″ wide, 3.75″ long, and 1.625″ tall.
Release date: Available now
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.
