Today, November 13 we added custom painted USRA 40 foot HO boxcars in the store. These cars are historically significant in that they were the GN's first steel underframe box cars. We have one car number in each of two paint schemes. One is the front facing goat car number 24539 introduced in 1926, and the other is the side facing goat car number 24856 introduced for repaints circa 1939-40.
Next in line, and probably in the store by the end of next week, is our new Standard Combination Depot 24x48 foot, to plans dated 1899 in HO. This is a model of the 'right handed' depot built in Kandiohi MN in 1900. Right handed means that the waiting room is on the right of the operator's bay as viewed from the front, or track side. They were built for us by Hidden River Manufacturing. HRM, D. Scott Peterson, offers well over 100 depot kits of mostly Wisconsin railroads. Scott offers a very nice Wayzanta MN depot kit on his own website. We will not carry it in the store since it is available direct from Scott.
Next up, and hopefully in time for Christmas, is a 50,000 gallon standard wooden water tank in HO. If you model the steam era you need one of these in your engine terminal or along your main or branch line. They were generally placed about every 20 miles on relatively flat lines, and closer together on mountain grades. They lasted until the end of steam. The maker's sample in gray paint and creosoted timbers looks great. They have a small footprint, so they do not need much real estate. They are tall enough to get snagged, so keep them from the edge of your layout and places where you will routinely have to reach over them.