New Product Spotlight – American Flyer Dockside Switchers and Set

The rugged little 0-6-0 Dockside Switcher has been a staple of the American Flyer roster for years. Now you’ll have more ways to start or grow your collection with these reliable switchers.

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The Dockside is perfect for layouts of any size. The prototypes were designed for switching in tight places (like bustling seaports.) Use them for switching in your yards and industries or even for hauling the local freight run.

Coming soon in four new roadnames for individual sale, the Docksides feature:

• Transformer controlled Forward / Neutral / Reverse operation
  

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• Powerful maintenance-free motor
• Directional lighting including headlight and back-up light
• Puffing Smoke
• Operating couplers front and rear
• Traction Tires
• MSRP: $94.99

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The Dockside Switcher will also be available as part of a great starter set. In addition to a Southern Pacific locomotive, this set will include a boxcar with working door, tank car and lighted caboose. All of the rolling stock features die-cast metal trucks and operating couplers.

To complete the set, you’ll get an oval of American Flyer FasTrack (12 curve, 1 straight and 1 terminal section) and a CW-80 Transformer.

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This is the perfect size to get started in S Gauge – or just expand your existing empire at a great price. The set retails for $269.99. All of these exciting items should arrive at your dealers this fall. Place your orders now!

Freight Car Friday – Fire Prevention on the Rails

A railroad fire department? These may be some of the least known of the railroads’ own patrols of emergency response teams. The need for these fire fighters became evident in the earliest days of railroading however.

The railroad is not immune from fire – and often the rails are the only way to the scene.

Early wood-burning locomotives were notorious fire-starters. The iconic “balloon” and other smoke stack styles of the 19th Century were all designed to help contain burning embers. Left to the winds, these hot ashes could ignite a dry field or forest anywhere along the right-of-way.

Coal burning locomotives lessened the fire risk, but didn’t eliminate it. Sprawling facilities like the Pennsylvania’s Juniata Shops in Altoona had their own fire station. Even today, some steam-powered excursion trains have a patrol car with a fire hose follow the train to put out any hot spots during dry spells.

When steam locomotives were more common, the fire-prevention equipment was larger. Tank cars and retired locomotive tenders were prime candidates for conversion into fire-fighting tankers. Water cannons, hoses and other tools were added. Crews would ride to the scene in a caboose or passenger car.

Rail grinders put a new profile on the rails – and create a lot of sparks in the process. Fire control cars like this accompany the train.

Although the trains no longer pose a major fire risk themselves, many railroads still maintain fire cars to help protect their property from wildfires started by other means.

Trains of tank cars can douse flames – or in dry times preventative fire retardants – along the right of way. Particularly dangerous operations like rail-grinding trains usually have their own water cars with hoses on the rear. The Swiss have even developed dedicated trains to deal with fire risks in the many tunnels along their lines.

UTLX donated this tank car to the city of Altoona for training – the company has a large repair facility in the old PRR Passenger Car Shop.

Like the railroad police, prevention is as important a role for railroad fire services as putting out the burning fires. Several railroads have used cars to educate the public on fire safety along the right of way.

Additionally, railroads have provided tank cars to local training facilities so that fire fighters will be more familiar with equipment in derailments or fires at industries they serve. Traveling cars from chemical companies and others also roam the country to provide hands-on training. The Massachusetts Volunteer Fire Company maintains one of the largest and most visible fleets of these cars.

Although nearly every prototype was different, Lionel’s fire tank follows common practices.

Whether you model a fire train in action, or just have one of the training cars passing through on a regular freight train, paying homage to the fire fighters of the rails can make a  nice addition to your model railroad.

New Product Spotlight – Great Northern PS Freight Set

The aptly named Great Northern was the northern-most of America’s transcontinental rail lines. Its route across the Rocky Mountains was as challenging as it is beautiful. Built completely from private funds, the Great Northern was unique among the trancontinentals (and most other railroads) in not using any public land grants or funds for its construction.

6-29309 Great Northern Pullman Standard Freight Set

The route has proven to be a critical part of our national infrastructure as a pipeline for commerce to and from ports in the Pacific Northwest. Even today, the line is a key part of the massive BNSF network.

Then and now, moving the freight requires powerful locomotives and lots of freight cars. Lionel’s new Great Northern Pullman Standard Freight Set offers both! Our LEGACY equipped GP35 is powerful yet small enough to handle the curves of most layouts. Each of the three freight cars replicates a standard design by the Pullman Standard Company, one of the country’s largest freight car manufacturers.

The GP35 is decorated in the Great Northern’s attractive green and orange scheme. An additional LEGACY and non-powered unit are also available for individual sale. The locomotive features:

• LEGACY Control – also capable of running on TMCC or Conventional
• Odyssey II Speed Control
• LEGACY RailSounds including
  • CrewTalk and TowerCom dialog
  • 6 Railroad speeds
  • 8 Diesel RPM levels
  • LEGACY Quilling horn
  • Single hit or continuous mechanical bell
  • Sequence control provides sounds and dialog for an entire trip around your layout
  • Current speed and fuel dialog and refueling sounds
• ElectroCouplers on front and rear
• Dual motors with flywheels
• Refined Transformer Control with lower starting speeds
• Traction Tires
• Fan-driven smoke unit with adjustable output
• Directional lighting including LED headlights
• Working Marker Lights
• Illuminated number boards
• Lighted and detailed cab interior with figures
• Metal frame
• Die-cast metal trucks, fuel tank and pilots
• O-31 minimum curve

Trailing behind are three of Pullman Standard’s most prolific products. The 40′ PS-1 boxcar was found on railroads all across North America and you’d be hard pressed to find a mixed freight without at least one in the consist. The boxcar in this set is decorated for the Western Pacific and includes sliding doors.

A 34′ PS-2 covered hopper for the Union Pacific is next. These ubiquitous small cars carry cement and other bulk and heavy dry products. The model features opening roof hatches and a metal frame and ends.

A PS-4 flatcar comes loaded with a pair of Great Northern piggyback trailers. It’s a fitting addition for this train. Today this route is a key intermodal corridor. The flatcar features a real wood deck and the body is die-cast, along with the two trailers.

And of course, bringing up the rear we have a classic wide-vision caboose in the Great Northern’s Big Sky Blue. The lighted caboose also features a lighted and painted interior with figures, rotating roller bearing caps on the axles, and a smoke unit with on/off switch.

All of the cars feature operating couplers with hidden uncoupling tabs and all but the caboose have sprung metal trucks. The entire train will also operate on O-31 curves.

This great train retails for $829.99 and should be shipping later this month.

Freight Car Friday – First Responders on the Rails; The Railroad Police

With vast systems covering thousands of miles and employees and millions of passengers and dollars of economic progress riding the rails, railroads have long maintained their own emergency teams. Railroads have used rail cars for police protection, fire control, even as mobile medical centers. While these may seem like the types of cars dreamed up by a modeler, they all have a prototype. Over the next three weeks, we’ll look at some of these cars and the often-overlooked railroaders who use them.

Railroad Police

Railroad Police have many duties around railroad property.

Railroad police have a long and proud tradition dating back to the mid 19th Century. The railroads were one of the first big businesses in the United States which would cross multiple municipal and even state boundaries. As railroad companies paved new legal ground in the courts, they also developed their own police forces who could more effectively enforce regulations and protect passengers and cargo on their property and trains.

Lionel has created several Police and Hobo cars over the years. While the models are a fun accessory, the reality for both men was quite serious.

Railroad police perform many of the same duties as their partners on the streets. Police protect cargo from theft and damage, protect railroad yards, buildings and trains from vandalism, keep rail workers, passengers and the public safe on railroad property, respond to a wide variety of emergencies from grade-crossing accidents to derailments, promote safety and awareness among railroaders and the public alike and provide life-saving help wherever required. Railroad police have all the same authority to investigate, arrest and detain on railroad property that traditional police forces hold in cities.

In today’s security-conscious world, police are increasingly trained to look for new threats against the railroad infrastructure and its riders. Although the tactics and motives may change, the threats are nothing new to the Railroad Police.

“The Atlantic” was used by Conrail Police as a mobile training room. Originally a New York Central commuter coach, today it awaits an uncertain fate.

In the early days of railroad police forces, many developed a hard reputation. Often partnering with private investigation and protection firms like the Pinkertons, railroad police protected the rails with whatever force was required. The battles between the railroad “bulls” and would-be train robbers are the stories of legend today. Through the rough years of the Great Depression, it was the hobo which often put the police in a difficult position of protecting the law while showing some compassion for those just drifting anywhere to find work or food. By the 1940s, the threats had shifted to potential sabotage.

To help cover ground and protect valuable shipments, many railroad police use dedicated cabooses. Southern Pacific had perhaps some of the best known of these cars, but they were found on other railroads as well. The Southern Pacific and possibly others also had a coach that could be used in the middle of longer consists.

Patrol cars and off-road vehicles help keep pace with the trains and criminals.

Several railroad police departments also employed retired passenger cars which were converted into mobile training and command centers as well as for public outreach and awareness programs. Boxcars and cabooses have been used for these outreach roles as well.

In addition to the rail cars, railroad police use highway vehicles for their patrols. Everything from police cruisers to four-wheel drive trucks can be necessary depending on the work environment. In some notoriously rough neighborhoods, these patrol cars would pace slow-moving freights through town. These pace cars were also used in conjunction with officers on board trains to transport arrested suspects.

Keeping the rails safe is an enormous job. Thankfully, the dedicated men and women of the railroad police forces continue to make the rails one of the safest means of travel. Have you given them a presence on your model railroad?

New Product Spotlight – Command Control 1955 Trucks

Maintenance-of-Way is hard work, but these new trucks will be all play on your layout. Made from all new tooling, decorated for thirteen popular railroads, and operable on Command Control, these new trucks may be small models, but they’re big on fun.

Southern Pacific is just one of 13 roads offered on this new truck.

Railroads have used trucks for decades to assist in inspecting and repairing tracks, signals, structures and other elements of the right-of-way. They could be found just about anywhere on the system. Some were equipped with special wheels that would let them travel on the rails as well as beside them.

A pre-production sample of the upcoming track maintenance truck – the model is seen without tires.

These all new models feature command control so they can be operated on a LEGACY, TMCC or Conventional transformer controlled layout. The trucks also feature working headlights and a flashing strobe light on the roof. All of these electronics and the motor are carefully housed in the body of the truck and beneath its tarp-covered bed to allow a clear interior in this 1:48 scale model.

The model features many small add-on details inside and out.

The models will be available for Canadian Pacific, Great Northern, Missouri Kansas and Texas, New York Central, Nickel Plate, Northern Pacific, Pennsylvania, Rio Grande, Santa Fe, Southern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Weyerhauser. They will be a great complement to the Command Control Inspection Cars as well as our other vehicles, work trains and accessories.

The front of the truck is also well detailed.

The trucks retail for $179.99. They will operate on O-27 curves – perfect to bring command control to any layout. The trucks are expected to ship in May and should be ready to go to work on your railroads just in time for the busy summer work season.

Freight Car Friday – Everybody Makes Mistakes!

Mistakes happen. We’ve certainly made a few errors on our models over our 100 year history – some of them are now highly collectible. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone.

Something’s not quite right…

You have to wonder how this car made it out of the paint shop… At some point, the Norfolk Southern autorack attached to ETTX 909823 went into the car shop for some repairs. The replacement panels show up clearly.

But take a closer look at that NS logo… or is it “SN?”

Put this one in the “a prototype for everything” category and give yourself a break the next time you wind up scratching your head at one of your own “oops” moments.

Even the prototype has a bad moment now and then.

Of course by now some of you are probably already thinking of how you could model this car for yourselves. Aside from some differences in the rack itself, our new bi-level autoracks would be a great place to start.

Add a little weathering, some silver paint for the fresh panels, and a new Norfolk Southern decal (applied upside down like the prototype) and you’d have a very interesting conversation car on your layout. Imagine the look on your friends’ faces when you show them the prototype!

New Product Preview – American Flyer Polar Express Train Set

The story of the Polar Express never gets old – and now the magic comes to our American Flyer line as one of our first new complete S Gauge train sets to help marks the tenth anniversary of the popular movie in 2014.

The magic of the Polar Express is coming to American Flyer. (O Scale artwork shown.)

Whether you are just starting with American Flyer, expanding your collection or looking for a train around the Christmas tree, this set will be a perfect fit. You’ll also find the size of S Gauge American Flyer to be a very nice complement to collectible Christmas villages.

This set will feature completely new tooling. Like our O and G gauge versions, the Polar Express will be modeled after the train as it appeared in both the book and movie. The locomotive, based on Pere Marquette No. 1225, pulls two coaches and an observation.

The set will also include an oval of American Flyer FasTrack.

This set is sure to delight for years to come. And stay tuned for more information about this set and more American Flyer Polar Express announcements in the near future!