The next volume of the Focus on Freight Cars series is being printed. Ordering information, including the pre-publication discount may be found via this link.

Prototype Railroad Profile No. 4 covering Missouri Pacific Panel Side Gondolas is available and now, in two “flavors” to cover this large group of 2,400 gondolas

• Print plus digital version – $10.00
• Digital download only – $7.00

If this is a success, we will release other titles in the series and go back and offer printed versions of the earlier titles. Stay tuned!

In addition to the restocks listed below (in the next post) we also have restocked a couple other items:

• Pere Marquette/C&O single sheathed auto cars
• Georgia Railroad steel rebuilt USRA box cars

The following are back in stock:

• K102 – New Haven 17200-series flat car
• K128 – Great Northern 36′ stock car
• P105 – Union Pacific welded underframe parts

There are a few of the kits for the Ann Arbor single sheathed box and automobile cars left from Cocoa Beach. Links as follows:

• K110.1 – Ann Arbor 41000-series Single Sheathed Automobile Cars
• K110.2 – Ann Arbor 74000-series Single Sheathed Box Cars

There are also some of the P118 – Pressure Head Cylinder and Integral Lever Bracket. In addition to the cars listed in the instructions, I have found a few more uses for these parts, most notably many PRR cars that had KD brakes with the integral slack adjuster lever bracket, including the FM, GS, G22, X23, X24, X25, X28, X29. Most of these cars retained this arrangement when equipped with AB brakes, meaning that the AB schedule reservoirs and AB valve were added, but the cylinder from the KD brakes was retained. Enjoy!

The Rohm & Haas versions of the Pressed Steel tank cars will arrive in January. For more info and an image of the decal artwork, click here

There is a lot to update…

First, a new kit: the CB&Q/C&S/FW&D XM-25/-26. Board-by-board patterns, a fully detailed underframe, accurate decals… a beautiful model.

Next, a new book for pre-order ($36.00 until November 11, $42.00 thereafter): Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Eight: Refrigerator Cars 3

Restocks on many parts, a number available of the first time in years:

• P101 – Soo Line 75800-series Automobile Car doors
• P110.1 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Superior Door
• P110.2 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Improved Youngstown Door
• P115 – Pittsburgh & West Virginia Postwar AAR Box Car
• P116 – Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 35200-series Automobile Car
• P117.1 – Wabash AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door
• P117.2  – Wabash Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door
• P117.3 – Ann Arbor Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Youngstown door
• P118 – Pressure Head Cylinder and Integral Lever Bracket

Finally, a new decal set: Santa Fe AAR 70-ton 65’6″ Gondolas (Ga-47/-48/-55/-70)

P.S. the Ann Arbor cars were almost entirely sold out at Lisle. I’ll have a handful at the NJ Garden State RPM this Saturday and then we hope to restock by year’s end.

P.P.S. the ’32 ARA revised editions are coming… there were some changes to the layout that took longer than I guessed and I also incorporated some images acquired at Lisle. Please be patient, it’ll be worth it! ETA of about two weeks and shipped out immediately thereafter.

We have a few product updates and a couple new decals, as well. Also, Focus on Freight Cars, Vol. Six has arrived and Vol. Seven is at the printer.

We have new quantities of the Pressed Steel Car 8,000 gallon tank car kits:

• K122.1 – North American (NATX)
• K122.2 – A. E. Staley (AESX)

We also have some parts sets back in the fold that were available long ago. You can use a Branchline kit from Atlas (here, but need to contact Atlas to specify door opening size):

• P108 – Erie Postwar AAR box car, Youngstown door, Universal Rotary brake adjuster
• P113.1 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Youngstown door
• P113.2 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Superior 7-panel door
• P113.3 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door
• P114 – Santa Fe Bx-44 Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door

Decals:

• D171 – Chesapeake & Ohio 9500-series Automobile Cars
• D172 – Missouri Pacific Murphy roof Covered Hoppers
• D172K – Missouri Pacific Murphy Roof Covered Hoppers with IM undec kit

More stuff is in the works…

There is a lot of new stuff to update… here goes!

Pre-publication orders are being accepted for Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Seven: Rebuilt Box & Automobile Cars. $36.00 through October 2 and $42.00 thereafter. Delivery in the second half of October. More details here

Pre-publication orders are also being accepted for the thoroughly revised edition of the 1932 ARA Box Car book. $60.00 through October 8 and $70.00 thereafter. Delivery in the second half of October. More details here

Restocks of resin stuff (more is coming)

• K111 – Pere Marquette/C&O single sheathed automobile car
• P100 – SAL AF-3 Automobile car doors
• P103 – 1932 ARA Youngstown doors with early Camel Roller Lift fixtures
• P104 – P&LE rebuilt box car doors

New decals available:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas
• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)
• D169 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-18 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1946’ scheme)
• D170 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-21 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1942’ scheme)

ONE NOTE: New offerings will have new and different reweigh, repack, and brake test stencils created for each set, meaning there will be different combinations in each set, providing modelers with new data in each set for their specific modeling era. For example, the data in these PFE sets is different for each set, making it easy to add reweigh, repack and brake test stencils for your era that are always different.

P.S. Focus on Freight Cars, Volume 6 is complete and we are awaiting books from the printer. They’ll ship as soon as they are here, likely end of next week.

I have posted three new sets that are now available for purchase:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas

For the moment, I am holding off on the two PFE sets mentioned in the previous post, for two reasons. First, there was a printing error on one set. Second, I have also added two additional PFE sets that will be released at the same time. So, these are what is coming, but not yet available:

• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)
• D169 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-18 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1946’ scheme)
• D170 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-21 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1942’ scheme)

ONE NOTE: New offerings will have new and different reweigh, repack, and brake test stencils created for each set, meaning there will be different combinations in each set, providing modelers with new data in each set for their specific modeling era. For example, the data in these PFE sets is different for each set, making it easy to add reweigh, repack and brake test stencils for your era that are always different.

The following sets are coming:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas
• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)