News & Products from the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show
With the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show wrapping up, we thought it would be a perfect week to showcase the multiple new products released throughout the show.
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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on from the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show.
S scale freight cars
ScaleTrains S-Helper two-bay peaked end fishbelly open hopper
Price: $54.99
Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com
S-Helper classic two-bay hopper features:
- Metal handrails and grab irons
- Detailed plastic molded body
- Die-cast sprung metal trucks, wheels, and axles
- Detailed brake system
Release date: August 2023
Road names: Atlantic Coast Line; Chesapeake & Ohio; Lehigh Valley; Norfolk & Western; Reading Lines; and Western Maryland.
HO scale locomotives
Rapido General Electric 44-ton diesel locomotive
Price: $189.95; with DCC and sound, $229.95
Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com
General Electric 44-ton diesel locomotive features:
- Multiple phases and detail variations
- Die-cast chassis and fuel tank
- Photo-etched cab steps
- Separately applied door latches
- Full cab interior
Release date: To be announced
Road names: Boston & Maine; Canadian Central; Milwaukee Road; New Haven; New York, Ontario & Western; Northern Pacific; Pennsylvania Railroad; Santa Fe; Southern; Southern Pacific; and Union Pacific. Painted/unlettered industrial units in yellow, red and blue. Undecorated units also available in all phases.
HO scale freight cars
Bowser N5 caboose
Price: $32.95; with antenna, $39.95
Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754; 570-368-2379; bowser-trains.com
Scale: HO
N5 caboose features:
- Separate hand grabs
- Available with or without antenna
- Separately-applied brake wheel, air tank, brake cylinder, and triple valve
- Metal wheels in free rolling trucks
Release date: March 2023
Road names: Boston & Maine; Detroit & Mackinac; Conrail; Penn Central; and Pennsylvania Railroad.
Bowser N5c caboose
Price: $32.95; with antenna, $39.95
Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754; 570-368-2379; bowser-trains.com
Scale: HO
N5c caboose features:
- Separate hand grabs
- Available with or without antenna
- Separately-applied brake wheel, air tank, brake cylinder, and triple valve
- Metal wheels in free rolling trucks
Release date: April 2024
Road names: Conrail; Penn Central; and Pennsylvania Railroad.
ScaleTrains Kit Classics steel cupola caboose
Price: Contact manufacturer
Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com
Scale: HO
Kit Classics steel cupola caboose features:
- Assemble in a few minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and glue
- Molded interior detail
- Separately applied handbrake wheel
Release date: August 2023
Road names: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Burlington Northern; Canadian Pacific; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Denver, Rio Grande & Western; Milwaukee Road; Missouri Pacific; and Southern Pacific.
ScaleTrains Rivet Counter Thrall 48-foot two-hood coil steel car
Price: $52.99
Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE, Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com
Scale: HO
Rivet Counter two-hood coil car features:
- Road number-specific details
- Four wireform side grab irons and four wireform end grab irons
- Available with matching and mismatched hoods
- Positionable load dividers
- See-through etched metal walkway
Release date: November 2023
Road names: BNSF; Central of Tennessee Railway & Navigation; Illinois Central; Norfolk Southern; Santa Fe; and Union Pacific.
Tangent Despatch Shops Inc. and St. Louis Car Co. bay window caboose
Price: $116.95
Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com
Scale: HO
St. Louis Car Company bay window caboose features:
- Railroad and era-specific ladder roof hand holds
- Prototypically-accurate end steps
- Railroad and era-specific bay window windshield wipers
- Railroad-specific interior
Release date: Available now
Road names: Conrail; Illinois Terminal; New York Central; Norfolk & Western; and Penn Central. Also available undecorated in three eras.
HO scale structures
Atlas mobile office container
Price: $29.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-678-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
Mobile office container features:
- Doorway, window and light fixture detail
- Separately-applied parts including air conditioner units and electrical equipment
Release date: Winter 2023
Paint scheme: Aries; Mobile Mini; Triumph; and Wilmont.
Atlas viaduct kit
Price: Single track, $39.95; double track, $49.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-678-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
Viaduct kit features:
- Available in single track or double track widths
- Kit contains single arch and two half-arch ends
- Can be used without pier units for lower heights
- Double track viaduct also suitable for O scale single track
- 18″ long
Release date: Winter 2023
East Coast Circuits portable light tower
Price: Contact manufacturer
Manufacturer: East Coast Circuits LLC, P.O. Box 25412 Providence, RI 02905; 401-400-0668; eastcoastcircuits.com
Scale: HO
Portable light tower features:
- 16 light-emitting diodes
- Rotates 360 degrees
- Multiple paint schemes
Release date: Fall 2023
N scale structures
Atlas mobile office container
Price: $24.95
Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-678-0880; shop.atlasrr.com
Mobile office container features:
- Doorway, window and light fixture detail
- Separately-applied parts including air conditioner units and electrical equipment
Release date: 2024
Paint schemes: Aries; Mobile Mini; Triumph; Wilmot.
Tools and equipment
Soundtraxx BLU-4408 digital sound decoder
Price: $255.95
Manufacturer: SoundTraxx, 141 Burnett Dr., Durango, CO 81301; 970-259-0690; soundtraxx.com
BLU-4408 digital sound decoder features:
- Over 50 sound effects in 16-Bit sound with a 7-band equalizer
- 28-function support, with directional and E-stop functions
- Can handle up to 4 Amps of stall current, has 8 function outputs rated at 400 mA each, and is equipped with a 3-Watt amp;ifier
- Full wireless access via Bluetooth and the free iOS app.
- Works for S, O, or G scale applications
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 email Senior Editor Cody Grivno at cgrivno@kalmbach.com and Associate Editor Bryson Sleppy at bsleppy@kalmbach.com for more information.
