ScaleTrains announced last week that it acquired ExactRail, a manufacturer of HO- and N-scale freight cars and bridges. The addition nearly doubles ScaleTrains’ freight car offerings, the company said in a statement.
ScaleTrains was to announce the first N-scale freight car later in June at the National N Scale Convention in Reno, NV, and follow with an HO car by the end of the month. Both models are already in production and will be available later this summer. Several more ExactRail models are in production, with additional deliveries arriving in early 2024, the company said.
ExactRail has been manufacturing HO- and N-scale model railroad cars, like this Denver & Rio Grande Western Bethlehem 3483 Hopper, for 15 years. ScaleTrains, which purchased ExactRail, says it will release the first cars as the new owner this summer. – ScaleTrains
To help with the transition and ensure ExactRail models are released regularly, longtime employee Chris Brimley joined ScaleTrains. Brimley has been in the hobby for decades − his fictional New York Central Hudson Terminal shelf layout has been featured in Model Railroad Craftsman.
He has 15 years of industry experience.
ExactRail was founded 15 years ago, and cofounder John Pestana believed it was time to make a change.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since I entered the model railroading community with ExactRail,” he said in a statement. “Over the years we brought new products, new online resources, and had a great time doing it with amazing friends. Now the time has come to pass the baton to our friends at ScaleTrains who share the same passion for the hobby that I do.”
ExactRail models to be available in brick-and-mortar stores
ExactRail models will be available to brick-and-mortar dealers for the first time in several years through ScaleTrains’ dealer network.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to continue the legacy John and the team at ExactRail have created by continuing to offer their outstanding line of models,” ScaleTrains president Shane Wilson said. “We’re excited about the future of our favorite hobby.
“ExactRail continues our mission to provide high-quality model trains for every skill level and budget.”
ExactRail is the third company to sell molds to ScaleTrains. The company purchased HO and N lines from M.T.H. Electric Trains and Fox Valley Models in the past two years.
Current Issue: Mar/Apr 2025
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Coal Stragglers
North American railroads have hauled coal in quantity ever since the anthracite roads were built on the East Coast. Decades later and despite many changes that have diminished production, coal remains a top (but declining) commodity. While it has weathered shifts in power generation and other factors leading to its decline, coal still accounts for 28 percent of total rail tonnage and 12 percent of revenue. Watch a coal trains roll by and you’ll notice that most cars are painted a stripe or block of color on one end. The color doesn’t matter, but the painted end has a rotary coupler, the non-painted end a solid drawbar. Learn how this combination of couplers enable railroads to move coal efficiently.
Record Turnout
Manufacturers roll out the red carpet at January's Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. The show set an attendance record of 27,535 at what has become the big daddy of train shows. Several manufacturers came out in full dress to tout their latest products and announce new runs. At times it appeared to be a battle of the booths, something show chairman John Sacerdote anticipated leading up to the show. Lionel and Walthers did not disappoint.
Spirit of St. Louis
After almost 20 years of top-line service, the Pennsylvania Railroad's St. Louisan and New Yorker were rechristened Spirit of St. Louis after the custom-built Ryan monoplane in which Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic flight. PRR’s advertising and publicity forces wasted no time capitalizing on transatlantic frenzy. The Spirit’s christening was celebrated June 15, 1927, less than a month after Lindbergh’s May 21 landing in Paris. Take a ride on the train in the Cowcatcher's ongoing series, "The Golden Age of Passenger Travel."
Plus
CN rolls out a medium horsepower hybrid locomotive that will be deployed this year across several of the railroads's yards and branch lines. Watching trains circle a layout adds a warm touch to modeling and relieves stress, say modelers. And more!
