First Look: WalthersMainline HO scale Budd passenger cars

Model Railroader recently had a chance to look at hand-painted, pre-production samples of the HO scale WalthersMainline Budd 85-foot passenger cars, scheduled for release in January 2015. The newly tooled cars, which can operate on 18” radius curves, will feature truck-mounted couplers, 36” turned-metal wheelsets, sprung diaphragms, and Proto-Max knuckle couplers. The gap between the roof and sides will be corrected on the production models, the plastic trucks will be painted black, and the windows will be tinted blue. The cars will not be plated, as the WalthersProto models are.

The cars can be upgraded with the WalthersMainline passenger car exterior detail kit (formed stainless steel grab irons and body-mounted coupler boxes with standard length swinging drawbar, bushing, and cover for operation on 22” radius and larger curves, $9.98) and the WalthersMainline passenger car LED interior lighting kit (light-emitting diode light bar; metal 41-N-11 trucks with turned-metal 36” wheels; and body-mounted coupler boxes with extended swinging drawbar, bushing, and cover, $29.98).

Cars in the series include a 56-seat large-window coach (based on New York Central cars 2900-2959); 10-roomette, 6-double-bedroom sleeper (NYC Valley series); diner (NYC 447-449 and 691-699); and baggage-lounge (Wabash 650). Paint schemes include
Amtrak (phase III); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Canadian Pacific; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; New York Central; Pennsylvania RR; Southern Pacific; Union Pacific; and VIA Rail Canada. All body styles will also be available painted silver but unlettered.

The cars have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $34.98 each. For more information, visit the Walthers website, www.walthers.com. Check out the online gallery of the pre-production cars below.