x

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

New detail-rich, road-specific GP60 locomotive series in HO announced at National Train Show

July 20, 2014

Model Railroading, News

Fox Valley Models took a turn from its usual focus on N scale products and announced Friday at the National Train Show in Cleveland a new GP60 locomotive series in HO.

FVM will run GP60Ms and GP60B diesels in Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; BNSF Heritage and Maersk. GP60s will be released in early and late versions of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Norfolk Southern; Southern Pacific and St. Louis Southwestern..

N scale models will also be offered.

All are expected to begin arriving in the fall.

Fox Valley Models announced at the National Train Show in Cleveland on Friday new production of an HO-scale GP60M diesel locomotive. Above is a pre-production model. - Courtesty Fox Valley Models.

Fox Valley Models announced at the National Train Show in Cleveland on Friday new production of an HO-scale GP60M diesel locomotive. Above is a pre-production model. – Courtesy Fox Valley Models

FVM released GP60M and GP60B locomotives in N scale last year. After their releases, the model maker received numerous inquiries to produce the model in HO scale, says President Matt Gaudynski.

The models feature numerous separately applied parts and details that include metal grab irons and lift rings, see-through  fans, MU hoses and cables, brass bells and horns and  detailed trucks and underbodies. Models will be available in DC (DCC Ready) and DCC/Sound.

FVM also is releasing eight versions of the GP60 in HO  and with the same details, plus road- and era-specific details.

The GP60 series joins the company’s small line of HO-scale products. Since its inception a few years ago, Illinois-based FVM has focused on producing mostly non-mainstream N-scale products with only a small presence in the HO-rich market. FVM’s previous HO selections have included B&O boxcars, Southern gondolas and Milwaukee Road rolling stock.

But Gaudysnki said that FVM will always consider HO-scale offerings based on demand and that more releases could be on the horizon.

“We do not do wide spread HO stuff,” Gaudynski said in an email. “The market is so crowded, it is hard to find good projects to do. As we find good specialized projects, we will do them. There even may be another western model next year.”

ATSF GP60B. - Courtesy Fox Valley Models

ATSF GP60B. – Courtesy Fox Valley Models

While the GP60s have been produced in the past by Railpower, Athearn and Walthers, Gaudynski believes the FVM models offer a fresh look.

“I do not think anyone had a program to detail them to specific roads/eras like we are doing,” he said. “We were the first in N Scale on the GP60M and B – as long as you don’t count brass.”

The new models contain a load of road-specific details and will go for $199.95 to $299.95. Depending on build years and roads, the models will feature details like  rounded dynamic brake housing, nose lights, small plow and  fuel tank and roof top details including AC & antennas, and ditch lights.

N Scale units are  DC (DCC Ready) and will sell for $130.

 

Current Issue: September/October 2023

NEW CAR FEEL

Bright, shiny freight cars are showing in greater numbers on the North American rail network. New orders and deliveries increased in 2022 following a decline beginning in 2019 that the pandemic worsened in 2020 and 2021. According to a report from the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee, new freight car orders last year were significantly greater than the combined total of 2020 and 2021. Deliveries increased nearly as much.

But car builders are not out of the woods yet, as the first half of 2023 saw some ups and downs.

MAINTAINING BALANCE

Too much of a good thing can be hazardous to model railroad operations. Adding more cars to a layout can place more pressure on yards and industries when running the railroad like the real thing. Three veteran operators share their thoughts about how to avoid logjams in yards, sidings and at industries. 

NEW AGE OF MODEL RAILROADING

Computer-based applications that complement DCC are driving the new frontier of model rail road operations.

PLUS

The Sunset Limited ranks as Amtrak's worst train in on-time performance, prompting a Surface Transportation Board investigation. The Southern Pacific's Coast Daylight, with its brilliant colors, was among the most beautiful trains during the golden age of passenger rail. A BNSF test locomotive that set the stage for future developments in alternative energy motive power technology arrives at an Oklahoma railroad museum.