Model Railroad News

Bachmann Trains brings its model of a standard-gauge, 80-ton, three-truck Shay steam locomotive back to its catalog. This 2026 production includes improved metal gearing and SoundTraxx Tsunami 2 electronics for DCC Sound on Board control and lighting features. The assembled 1:87 model is equipped with soft-white LED directional lighting, functioning piston rods and valve gear, and many separately applied details. This release presents the striking red Pickering Lumber Co. 12 (shown above), Cass Scenic 5 and Clear Lake Lumber Co. (both shown at right), and an unlettered black painted Shay is also in this production. The model carries a $799 suggested retail price.

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Review by Tony Cook/Model photos by the author

As a die-hard Ford fanatic, Brekina’s new late 1970s Ranchero is beyond awesome! While it is commonly maligned as Detroit’s malaise era, I grew up with, and am a devotee to, 1970s vehicles. This model is a great reproduction of Ford’s 1977–1979 Ranchero.

This intriguing vehicle design entered Ford’s line in 1957 and the most recent offering in North America was the seventh generation (1977–1979) now reproduced by Brekina in HO. The car/truck was not really a pickup and more for show or fun, being built on a station wagon base. Ford generally borrowed the grille and design from an existing vehicle in the line and adapted it for each generation of Ranchero. This seventh generation shared the look of Ford’s mid-sized LTD II. This version was the longest wheelbase (220 inches) of any Ranchero offerings.

Brekina’s 1:87 replica brings this Ford vehicle to car collectors and model railroad enthusiasts alike with a finely rendered effort. The two-piece body shell is injection-molded plastic with a separate plastic insert for the cabin interior and clear plastic insert for the windows. There are no screws present holding the underframe to the body, but you’ll find you can carefully pull apart the two sections to gain access to the interior should you desire to add paint there. The examples I examined, courtesy of Masterbilt Models of Texas, all featured a black interior section with dash, steering wheel, and bucket seats. Rancheros of this era could have bench or bucket seats. The rubber-like tires are mounted on plastic hubs and a thin wire axle running through the underbody. The wheels rolled fine on the samples examined.

The bumpers, grille, headlights, and taillights are chrome-plated plastic with color added for brake lights. The turn signal indicators up front are separate plastic sections and presented in an amber hue. The underbody includes dual exhausts, which I’m not certain was a standard option (except for maybe on the 400 engine).

The colors produced in the first releases are all accurate Ford hues. The majority of offerings include the GT package, which is represented with dual sport-style rearview mirrors, and striping across the lower body and running off the cab sides and along the upper rim of the bed. The two-tone silver with black example (shown above) is the base Ranchero 500, which had no stripes and basic chrome rearview mirror on the driver’s side (the model includes the GT-level mirrors).

This is another winner from Brekina and a must-have for many auto enthusiasts. It’s great to see vehicles from the 1970s reproduced in 1:87! As with many Brekina offerings, you need to strike quickly to secure them. Check with your hobby dealer or visit Masterbilt Models online for stock on this and other HO scale cars and trucks.

Brekina HO-scale
Ford Ranchero

GT Metallic Green w/Gold 18226, $26.95

GT Red w/Black 18225, $26.95

GT Silver w/Black 18228, $26.95

500 Silver w/Black 18231, $26.95

Masterbilt Models

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Review by Tony Cook/Model photos by the author

Athearn Trains transports model railroad enthusiasts into its dimension of “what if?” offerings with a “Legendary Liveries” Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) FP45 diesel locomotive model for the hobby manufacturer’s Genesis series.

CB&Q was a solid supporter of its passenger business in the 1960s. Seeing the public relations value, Burlington ran steam excursions in addition to operating a healthy menu of passenger trains for people to enjoy, including the beloved California Zephyr. This positive passenger attitude dissolved in the mid-1960s with the arrival of Louis Menk as the road’s new leader.

What if Mr. Menk had not left his position with Frisco and CB&Q remained a passenger stalwart? That might be a path that would find the railroad in the market for new passenger motive power in the late 1960s. Burlington’s streamlined diesels go back to the famous Pioneer Zephyr and continued in the E-units series with E5s through E9s. The road’s new freight power in the 1960s included Electro-Motive’s SD45s; this helps legitimize the idea of Burlington FP45 coming on the roster after 1967.

Would CB&Q have stayed with the Zephyr silver livery or would the new-image Cascade Green with white hockey stick stripe and black top have been employed? Staying traditional for its effort, Athearn’s Genesis HO scale FP45 decorated for CB&Q presents the shiny silver finish with red stripes and black lettering. This is an eye-catching example of Athearn’s popular Legendary Liveries collection. The production provides CB&Q 9997 and 9999, which place these “what if?” FP45s in the numbering series with Burlington’s E-units.

The coverage of the silver presents a solid finish on this model with a metallic look, while not being subject to appearing grainy. The use of Burlington’s passenger scheme red nose stripes and pinstripe along the upper body and along the frame look authentic on this six-axle locomotive miniature. The nose of an FP45 prohibits the application of the road’s herald and instead the red-border “Burlington Route” herald is placed below the cab windows and above the road number. Athearn includes a herald on the tail, which I would have been tempted to skip. Athearn includes ACI labels in a part bag with this release.

Athearn’s next N scale FP45 production will include a 1:160 version in the same road numbers for this CB&Q release. This is a fun example of what might have been. A pair of these hauling the road’s Empire Builder, California Zephyr, or other services would make for an eye-catching late 1960s/early 1970s passenger train.

Athearn Genesis HO-scale
FP45 diesel locomotive with DCC-sound

Legendary Liveries Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 9997
ATHG-18388, MSRP $319.99

Athearn Trains

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Review by Joe Bohannon/model photos by Pamela Varney

Prairie Shadows is a fairly new hobby company and, up to this point, is known for its fine HO and N scale rolling stock offerings. This ready-to-run GP20C-ECO diesel locomotive represents Prairie Shadows’ debut in the all-new motive power miniature market with this finely rendered, solid-performing 1:87 reproduction. The first offerings include red Canadian Pacific (CP), the prototype for this unique four-axle unit, and a limited supply of undecorated GP20C-ECO models. Following typical industry practice, Prairie Shadows offers DCC-sound GP20C-ECOs with ESU supplying its popular electronics, and you’ll find non-sound, standard DC editions in the run.

Repowering
The railroad industry is full of examples of opportunities where repowering breathes new life into the most visible part of railroading — the locomotive. What is “repowering?” It is the replacement of the prime mover or diesel engine found in a locomotive. Electro-Motive Division (EMD) was a popular source in the early days of diesels for repowering locomotives from other builders when those competitor’s engines proved less than reliable. In 1951, EMD repowered a Baldwin VO-1000 with a 12-cylinder 567B prime mover for Louisville & Nashville. Some railroads (Frisco, Rock Island, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and Missouri Pacific are examples) rostered many examples of these odd “Frankenstein’s monster” locomotives. I believe an example of these mash-ups could be found on most every railroad at any one point in time; many times the body was altered with a replacement EMD-style hood when the new prime mover was installed.

ABOVE: The rear includes a single bugle air horn, ditchlights, m.u. receptacle, spare knuckle details, and more. This model accurately replicates the prototype’s inset brakewheel on the rear of the long hood on the engineer’s side of the unit.

While repowering may be a common practice, their unique builds per railroad make them an unusual find as a regular-production model release. Occasionally they are offered, such as Rapido Trains’ recently produced set of Alco PA locomotives that were repowered with EMD 16-567C engines (see December 2025’s Model Railroad News cover story on these Santa Fe offerings in HO). Locomotive builders historically allowed railroads to trade in locomotives, and manufacturers utilized select parts like trucks on new locomotives going back to the road (with a discount applied for the trade-in components).

In 1976, a novel concept was introduced in EMD’s catalog with its GP15-1. The GP15-1 was specifically marketed as a factory rebuilt locomotive. The goal was to make EMD competitive with railroads’ in-house rebuilding shops. Many railroads were facing aging first-generation locomotives with reliability becoming a challenge and a need to modernize components to better, more robust standards. The rebuilding boom came about partly due to uncertainty in the North American railroad scene, and a cost-effective solution was invaluable. By 1980, the U.S. had gone through two serious gas shortages and the railroad industry pivoted into fuel conservation.

EMD’s GP15s reflected this change as the GP15T replaced the non-turbo 12-cylinder 645 powered GP15-1/GP15AC with a slightly more fuel-efficient turbo charged 8-cylinder 645. 1982 marked the end of the GP15 series with a combined production of 372 units.

ABOVE: Excellent underbody detail includes piping and conduit features along the body above the well-rendered Dofasco truck sideframes.

While EMD never conquered the rebuild market, it kept the concept on its radar. Ten years after the GP15, EMD tried to market the next generation of factory rebuilt locomotives. A trio of demonstrator BL20-2 locomotives vied for orders starting in 1992. Externally sharing many components from the GP60-series, but under the skin they were extensively rebuilt GP9s — the modern looking locomotives didn’t garner orders like the GP15. In fact, only the three demonstrators were produced. One could say these BL20-2s were successful, only in the fact they operate today in an untouched state on the San Joaquin Railroad in California. The BL20-2 was most likely a victim of the changing dynamics in railroading, such as competitive contract locomotive rebuilding, the shift to six-axle locomotives in road service, and the reduction in local traffic business for Class 1s.

Third time may be the charm; at least EMD was hoping that idiom was true. In 2008, 16 years after the non-start of BL20-2 production, the market changed enough to warrant a new venture into a factory rebuilt locomotive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed strict emission requirements and equally rigid timeline to meet those requirements. By 2008, new off-road diesels — including locomotives had to meet Tier 2 standards. This turned the industry on end and railroads searched for effective ways to meet these standards. EMD built two demonstrators to showcase its new 8-cylinder 710 prime mover. EMDX 7101 was built from a GP40, while its sister ended up being an extensively modified GP9. These “ECO” locomotives were advertised offering a 10- to 25-percent reduction in fuel consumption and met EPA Tier 2 requirements. The recycled core locomotives provided a savings to railroads, compared to newly built…

Prairie Shadows HO-scale GP20C-ECO diesel locomotive with DCC-sound

Canadian Pacific 2249
PS870501-08S, $324.99

Prairie Shadows Model Railway Co.

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