What's Happening In Model Railroading - September 2026 - Bachmann Trains' Matt Stern

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1:01Introducing the Narrow Throttle, a new product developed by Scott Thornton that reduces the size of the proto-throttle by over 25%. Log on to NarrowThrottle.square.site to learn more. That's NarrowThrottle.square.site. Enjoy more comfort and never have to open the case again. Prototype modeling comes alive at the 2026 Colorado Rail Proto-Me in Greeley. See inspiring models, learn new techniques, and connect with fellow modelers. Learn more at corpm.org. ATLP Extra is our monthly newsletter delivered right to your inbox each month. Sign up for free at ATLP Extra.com. Hello everybody and welcome to Around the Layout, where model railroaders come to tell their story.

2:02My name is Ray Arna, so glad you could join us. It's time once again to find out what's happening in model railroading, and let's kick it off by finding out what's trending with Joe Martens. This is Joe Martens from the Dugeo Trains YouTube channel, and here's what's trending in model railroading. Kicking us off with a huge celebration of America's 250th anniversary, scale trains has revealed their expansive 250th collection in both H.O. and N. Scale, with delivery dates spread out throughout 2027. For a full list of details, please be sure to check out the product pages listed on the scale trains website, as these locomotives are being modeled accurately to reflect their 2026 appearances. In both H.O. and N. Scale, models now in the works include Cincinnati Scenic Railways, GP30, number 1776, SD40-2s, including BN's 1876 unit, Milwaukee Road, number 156, in both 1976 and 2026 appearances, Norfolk Southern EMD SD70 IACs for the first time from scale trains, ES44s for BNSF, Canadian National, Florida East Coast, Iowa Interstate, and Norfolk Southern,

3:07EZ44s for CPKC, DASH9s for the Buffalo and Pittsburgh and Indiana and Ohio, and finally, Wobtech CM44AC rebuilds for CSX, all in America 250 related paint schemes. Exclusive to H.O. Scale are special 250th scheme runs of Norfolk and Western Class J, number 611, and SD45s for the New York, Susquehana, and Western, number 3634, and Norfolk and Western 1776. These America 250 ES44s, EZ44s, DASH9s, and CM44ACs are also available in special limited edition box sets directly from scale trains, so if those interest you as well be sure to order soon to secure your set. If the H.O. Scale Rio Grande Ski Train EMD F40PHs announced last month, weren't enough, Perfidotrain says just announced even more F40PHs, including multiple rebuilds body styles. These will be available in many popular commuter rail schemes and are now available for preorder. Chicago's Metra is well represented with the original F40PH with the Metropolitan

4:10Rail lettering, F40PH-2s in the 1990s blue scheme, and the F40PH-3s in the new blue scheme with the city of Chicago Rappdunet also coming. The original F40PHs will also be coming in the iconic Amtrak delivery, both with and without ditch lights, plus multiple META schemes with nose marker lights or ditch lights. Units that were rebuilt with head and power generators and extended bodies designated F40PH-2CATs are also offered in both CalTrain and NJ Transit paint, plus the F40PH-2C for Metro North. The models will have PTC and CabRoof AC units as appropriate, alongside the many LED lights found on these models. Make sure to preorder yours today as the last run sold out quickly. Looking for some late 1990s six axle power in H.O. Scale, the latest production run of the Atherngenesis EMD SD90 Max have arrived. This run has been upgraded to the Genesis 2.0 standard, now featuring rotating roller bearing caps and lighted number boards and truck lights for the first time. Featured road names include Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern XCEFX, hatched in both the blue and maroon paint schemes, and Iowa Pacific

5:15holdings in the Illinois Central inspired livery. All models feature LED lighting throughout, with front and rear ditch lights mounted appropriately, plus your choice of either DCC ready or factory tsunami-2 equipped. Most of these models are fully sold out from Atherng directly, so be sure to contact your dealer to grab one. Available now is the long awaited H.O. Scale Canadian National Point St. Charles Shops, Trincer Van, aka Caboose, from Otter Valley Railroad's private label. This model comes in three different CN paint schemes, including the test scheme for CN's Advanced Train Control System development, which was never implemented, plus the green and yellow paint scheme for the E&N division of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association. The models feature Katie Cubblers, roller bearing, or friction trucks as equipped on the prototype, depending on the era, plus various lighting such as marker, running board, and steplights. Order yours today from OVR through their website or store in Ontario, Canada to grab this special model. Now shipping from Cato in N. Skill are the new Amtrak Amfleet coaches, available both with and without factory installed lighting. These models come in multiple sets to make building a fleet easy. Amfleet ones are sold

6:20in two packs in Phase 6 paint, and a four pack in Phase 3 or Phase 7, and the Amfleet 2s come in two packs in both Phase 3 and 7. A limited edition bookcase set is also in stock that includes one Amfleet painted in each Amtrak library from Phase 1 to Phase 7 to help you document the evolution of the paint scheme on your layout. The details on the Amfleet 2 models accurately reflect the prototype, with larger windows than the Amfleet ones and a single side door instead of the two found on an Amfleet one. Order these stable Amtrak cars today from Cato or your favorite dealer. Class 1 Model Works has delivered their first two Bay covered hopper in HO scale, the PS3000 CD. Now available in numerous paint schemes, including CSX, Seaboard Coastline, Conrail, and Missouri Pacific. This brand new model comes with many separately applied metal components, such as an etched metal roof walk and crossover platform, crab irons, and ladder rungs. Rodane specific details include the proper style of side ribs, running boards, and air brake equipment location. These covered hoppers seem to be selling quick, so don't miss out if you're looking for a shorter

7:22hopper to fill a small industry on your layout. Next up from Bowser is a new run of their popular HO scale road railers. This run will include Schneider, Swift, and multiple schemes of triple crown paint, including the 10,000th road railer commemorative trailer. Similar details are present from prior runs, including mudflaps and refrigeration units on BNSF and Alliance models. Sold separately is the coupler mate, which connects the leading road railer to a locomotive, so you'll need at least one for your consist. Pre-order these by October 15th for a delivery estimated in summer 2027. If you enjoyed this segment, do me a favor and check out my YouTube channel, Dajou Trains, for a weekly recap video covering HO scale new product announcements and updates from a variety of manufacturers. Other videos on the channel include HO scale product reviews and helpful tips with more always on the way. Once again, that's DA, J-O-E Trains on YouTube. Thanks for tuning in. This has Ben Joe Martens from the Dajou Trains YouTube channel, and that's what's trending in model row routing.

8:27Well, thank you Joe for that report, and now it's time to take a deep dive with a newsmaker in the hobby and joining me this month, Matt Stern from Bachman Trains. Matt, good to see you. Good to see you again. Glad to have you back here on the what's happening show. We're going to dive into some great products that Bachman is offering. I saw you twice in the last month and a half two months or so. It's all fly and buy, so maybe my timing's off a little bit, but I know I did see you twice in a row. I saw you at the National Train Show, but then I saw you at the St. Louis RPM and Bachman back at the St. Louis RPM after a year hiatus. Tell us why Bachman was at the St. Louis RPM. We've been, as I'm sure, you know, if you've been seeing our product line in the last few years, we've been expanding our range of models that are really suited to the discerning modeler, to the modeler who was looking for high detail for road specific details and stuff like that. We feel the St. Louis RPM being kind of the unofficial national RPM is a great venue for

9:35from meeting that crowd that those models are being designed for and showing off what we have to offer in that range. So back at the St. Louis RPM, you're amongst all the RPMers there, the attendees. It's a big show with a lot of folks there that have a great opinion on modeling. What can you take away as a manufacturer from people that are at the St. Louis RPM? Yeah, so I mean, a show at the RPM is a great opportunity to meet the modeler that's really all in on model railroading. You know, everybody who's at that show is somebody who's serious about the hobby and a venue like that is perfect for hearing both good and the bad feedback. You know, we want to obviously, you know, primarily have an opportunity to make it an opportunity to show the progression of our products and then the detail that we're achieving in our more recent items. But we also see it as a great opportunity to discuss and interface with people and see, you know, what is the serious model looking for? What can we do to take that next step to keep pushing forward to keep getting the, to keep raising the bar with our detail?

10:38I know you a lot of the research you talk about that process and Bachman being located in Philadelphia. We've talked on past podcasts of you going out and being able to go track side and do all the research. Talk about that process, not only Siemens and that, but seeing these out in the field as well and what that brings to the process. I mean, yeah, just being in Philadelphia, like you said, it's incredibly fortunate to be based here because, you know, especially when it comes to Amtrak locomotives and cars, you know, basically everything that Amtrak orders comes through Philadelphia. You know, it's no secret in the railfan community that everything from the newest cellos to the Amtrak cascades, chargers and arrow cars have been coming through Philadelphia. Also in our announcements from the summer, we're doing the cascades arrows. I mean, just just just just to go on a tangent for a second here, doing the the entire consist. So we're doing everything from the the business class car through to the to the cab car on the other end. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the ALC 42E locomotive,

11:40even though they'll be running on the opposite side of the country from where we're based, they have to come through Philadelphia for Amtrak acceptance. So that's been very fortunate for us. We don't have to pay for a transcontinental air ticket to go to do firsthand research. Maybe an opportunity to travel, but I think after the last few weeks of July and August, I know I'm a little traveled out needed a break and I'm sure you needed a little bit of a break as well. Oh, yeah, I've been traveling. I think I've only had six weeks between trips for the that's the longest stretch I've had this whole year so far. So I'm happy to have a little bit of a break now as well. It was a great national train show and we talked about St. Louis. Let's talk a little bit about the national train show and the opportunity to be with that great group down in Chattanooga. Yeah, national train show was great and it's always a great show, but you know, being in Chattanooga, being in you know, one of the one of the real centrals, you know, hearts of rail roading in the country was was definitely an added bonus to it. And just the fact that there aren't a lot of shows, especially major shows that hit the South. There were people from all over, you

12:42know, from Alabama, from Georgia. I mean, obviously they're close by, but you know, from Northern Tennessee, from, you know, South Carolina, all coming. It was, you know, great to see just the amount of foot traffic that that show got. Do you find the feedback any different within regions? I think where it differs is more of the interest of the modelers, you know, we'll get, and then this probably again is no surprise. We'll get more requests and more, you know, scrutiny on on certain types of products, depending on which part of the country we're in. Like when we were in Springfield, the 1900s air passenger car, which just actually released recently an HO scale, when we showed the first sample of that being obviously based on Boston and Maincar, drew a lot of interest and a lot of comments as well. You know, people saying, you know, okay, like let's see, oh yeah, okay, you got that right. Good, good, good, which is always good to hear, of course. I don't know if there is that much difference in what people are looking for in terms of, you know, broader aspects of the hobby, but it's, you know, definitely there's obviously a difference in what they're looking for and what really catches their eye and, you know, in terms

13:45of the models themselves. Yeah, you would probably think down in the South, they're big NS and maybe a little more, a bit of CSX and of course Southern Railway and then of course up North, we've got Boston and Main and Main Central and all the other predecessor railroads, New Haven, Bill, bit of Conrail. I would imagine it goes everywhere, but it probably kind of in the same theme of what they're looking for. Oh yeah, definitely. And you know, one of the things that I enjoy about our product line is, you know, we have stuff from pretty much all over the country in our, and, and, you know, North America actually in our range. So we, whenever we go to a different show, we actually have in our show stock, we have, this is something we started doing fairly recently. We've divided our show stock into regional boxes. So we'll, if we're going to say, you know, like the South, we have, we have crates that have models of, you know, the represent the majority of our line, but focusing on Southern road names and stuff like that. So we always try and appeal to the region that we're going to with, with, with what we have on display. So we talked about passenger trains. Let's talk about freight and what Bachman has available for

14:50freight cars. Yeah, I mean, our freight line is considerably larger than our passenger line, as you would imagine. There's just, there's more options out there to go off of, but it's been, we've been working recently to, we're trying to expand focus more into the modern era. We released in the last couple of years some Trinity 5161 hoppers, 4180 airside hoppers. And we actually have another one of our new announcements for this year is we're doing the NSC 60 foot 9 inch high-cube boxcar. That one I'm pretty excited about because there's nobody else on the market right now offering that car in HO scale. It was offered a number of years ago by a manufacturer that's no longer in existence. R is is not, before any rumor is stuck in out there, it's not, you know, purchase tooling or anything like that, it's all from the ground up. You know, I'm always excited when we can offer something that hasn't been made available, or at least in the recent years hasn't been made available because, you know, you're filling not only are you producing, you know, a cool model, you're filling a gap in the market. And particularly maybe it's because I'm a modern modeler as well. I have a little bias for that, but

15:51it makes your collection feel more complete when you can say, you know, okay, there's trinities out there, there's gundersons out there, there's green bars out there. Now there's NSC's, you can actually have a consist and choose all of those cars to have in it. Is that part of the selection process? Is that at least an appealing section of it is the challenge of putting something out that nobody else is doing and trying to fit that? I mean, that's got to be a challenge to make sure that you are releasing a product that nobody else is also thinking about and all come out at the same time. We've seen it happen in the hobby. How do we avoid this? I mean, I was, I was Bachman approach that. Yeah, I mean, we always try and avoid to, you know, you know, you want to avoid overlapping as much as possible. You know, it's not always going to happen. There's, you know, there's only so many locomotives and rolling stock out there at the end of the day. And, you know, of course, nowadays we're seeing more and more obscure models being produced, which is, you know, it's great for the hobby. It's absolutely fantastic, but definitely makes it a little bit more of a gamble. When you try and jump into something new because it may not be the only one out there by the time

16:52it comes to market. But, you know, like I said, we always try and make sure that we're offering something that hasn't been offered in another version. So, you know, whether it's a sound feature, lighting feature or a pain scheme. Yeah, that's could make some really good differentiators, for sure. Let's dive into this NSC 60 foot 9 inch high cube that you're releasing. I see an 80-inch Pacific railway CSX UP TTX models as well. How do you guys get this information to start putting a project like this together? Yeah, I mean, with cars like the NSC, it's, you know, there's a lot of resources out there in terms of, you know, reference photography and, you know, there's information online, obviously, being a freight car, you can go out and then see the real thing by the rails fairly easily. It's a fairly common freight car to see. And, yeah, it's just a combination of different research methods that go into projects like this. This car in particular, I do want to add is going to be a really cool model in terms of detail. It's actually probably going to be our highest detail freight car yet, or at least box car yet. We've got a ton of separate parts coming onto this thing,

17:57you know, all the ladders, the door latches, those vertical posts that are on the doors, and a few more tricks up our sleeve as well. But it's going to be a really nice car. And, another thing we're doing, which we started doing fairly recently is we're offering two road numbers per paint scheme. So if you're going to have multiples in a consist, which makes sense, you know, you don't just have one model that you have to then decal to, and to have a second one in your consist. So it's going to be, it's going to be a cool car. It definitely a worthwhile addition for anyone coupling the modern era. And then you mentioned the Trinity 51-61s. What's the availability on those? Those are out now. They've been out for a little over a year, and we've got a few paint schemes for those that are currently available. We also have, we're working on some new additions as well, including a unique specific with CMO reporting marks. We've got two road numbers from that coming out in the fairly near future as well. And the same with the air slides as well, we have two road numbers per car for those. And in addition to the paint schemes that are available

18:57right now, we're also bringing out Rio Grande and their very vibrant, I believe it was late 60s or early 70s bright orange, which would be a nice head turner on the layout. I've visioned a conference room, a big conference room probably with the Bachman logo on the wall. And all of you folks sitting around this table discussing all of these releases and the road names and the road numbers. And I probably because I just want to be a fly on the wall at least one time to these conversations. And here this, the selection process of even just road names and road numbers, like how that entire thing goes. And I'm not asking you to give us the KFC version of the herbs and spices recipe of how this all happens. But is there a conference room that I'm envisioning it? I'm at my far off from this, like how this whole process goes to make these selections. Yeah, I mean, your visualization is not entirely incorrect. We definitely have conference meetings about this stuff. But a lot of it

19:58happens, piecemeal as we as we work through the projects as well. So maybe popular photos or things that feel good as you're looking at these and maybe more detail per that road number kind of moves itself up the list. Is that kind of making sure that the road numbers that we're choosing have the correct details for that version of the car and stuff like that. So it's a challenge. It's not just a pick of random six digit number and throw it on the car. There's quite a bit of digging that goes into making sure that this is accurate. Right. And also I do want to know because you mentioned the road names that we have for the NSC car. We are very aware that Unipacific is not a prototype for that car. Let's just call it a hypothetical scheme. Because we want to bring a popular Western road into the into the line. And this is a question I think that's common across people when they see this for any manufacturer. And you know, why do you do that? Well, the simple answer is it helps make a project viable. If we can have something that's feasible like that and that adds an extra road name to the to the range, that means that the project

21:02is that that that may be what makes the project feasible for the ones that are actually exactly accurate. It makes sense because some of these as we've been discussing these variants, if you went too far with the variance, you would narrow it down to a category of one. And that wouldn't be market viable. Would it be kind of a disaster to have a one off one car. So you have to have a little bit of room and get more people involved, more modelers that are able to purchase that in a fantasy scheme like the UP is one that draws those folks in, isn't it? Right. And it's not entirely a fantasy. I mean, the NSC 64-9-inch was a derivative of a standardized design. It was requested by TTX. And like I mentioned earlier, there's Trinity, there's Gundersen, there's various different cars that all have the same basic configuration and dimensions. Now externally, they all have a few slight differences. The NSC, one of its most recognizable spotting features,

22:06is that it has slanted posts on each side of the doors rather than vertical posts. But there are cars from other manufacturers that are in the UP colors. So it's not too much of a stretch. It seems as of late that Bachmann has really put a focus on making a product line that goes from the beginner model rear rotor and the sets that your folks are able to create and easy track and all the way up now to covering the RPM modeler. How important is it to Bachmann to be able to offer such a range for folks to be able to start with one and then end up if they progress in that method to the RPM side of modeling? I think it's extremely important. I'm certainly more of a RIFT counter modeler myself, but I'm very happy that we're able to produce these train sets and entry-level products as well because unless you happen to get somebody into the hobby through

23:08another means like rail fanning or something like that, that's really the way to get somebody in. If you want to keep the momentum going and have a future of people buying these high end models, they have to start somewhere and typically that's going to be with a train set or with a lower end model that doesn't involve a cost and time commitment. Talk about how you keep that line going on on that end. How do you flip the switch between the two as you're going through the process? That's a good question. I think with a lot of our newer products, we certainly pivoted in many cases to doing the more detailed models and the simple reason for that being that there's just more demand out there now for high end models. You know, model reallverting has made a transition in the past 40 years or so from being a toy that some people turned into a hobby to being a you know, an art form of a spoke hobby that people get into to be a hobby. I think that's a conversation that's held quite often and one that deserves the answer

24:13and the perspective. As folks go back 35, 40 years and go, oh, I missed the $5 freight car. But the $5 freight car is not what you remember. It was a totally different model. It was of era where not all this information was really available to us. This technology where we know too much now to be able to slip back to that ignorant bliss that made that $5 box car so great. You folks are also doing the same thing, bringing all of that knowledge. Have we kind of spoiled it with knowing too much? I guess this may be the question. Yeah, I mean, certainly it's certainly more of a challenge in the sense that you can make an inadvertent error on something and you'll absolutely hear about it. Even if it's as small as like the shape of a run on the bottom of a freight car or something like that. But I actually think that's a positive in the long run. It can be frustrating, of course.

25:14But the fact that there's so much knowledge of people's fingertips now, I think is actually helping push the level of detail forward and allowing us as a manufacturer to make changes, to make improvements that otherwise be not have heard about. Well, we always love hearing about new products. What else you got for us on new releases from Bachman? Yeah, I mean, like I mentioned, we just released our mid-year announcements at the Annamarie National Show a few weeks ago. So like I mentioned, we've got the H.O. Scales Siemens Aero and ALC42E coming out for Amtrak Cascades. Look, Motives also coming out for the Amtrak Phase 7 as well. So you can probably guess where that's going to lead with the passenger cars. We're kind of on the cusp of releasing our N-scale 19th century 460. And we've got so much feedback from that. I think more than any other locomotive in recent history for an H.O. scale version. It was a no-brainer that we wanted to bring that out in H.O. as well. So we announced that at the

26:14Annamarie Chrain Show. It's going to be a little different to the N-scale one. We have a prototype for it, but I'm not revealing it yet. You can follow our social media or maybe Ray Ewan. I can talk about it at a later date, but it's a prototype that I think everyone's going to be very happy with. And I will leave it at that. But it's a really nice locomotive and a perfect fit for people who are already running the 440s or even if they just got our 1900s-era passenger cars there. And they'll be nice pair for that as well. We're doing a new run of our ES-44s in H.O. These are the, to date, have only been done in our Norfolk Southern Heritage series. So it's been a long time coming to make a wider release for them. We're doing, we're not just, we're actually doing a ton of new tooling for them as well to make sure that they're road specific. So we've got the, for instance, for CSX, we've got a totally different cab and knows configuration forward as well as some other different detail differences. We'll have the steerable trucks and the high-ed trucks depending on which, which locomotive it is. And even things that such as, you know, whether it has rear digitalized or not.

27:18So a lot of different variations for that. We're doing a couple of CSX commemorative units, the CSX 911 and then the Spirit of the Law Enforcement Unit as well. We're doing Canadian National, we're doing the Norfolk Southern standard corporate scheme and then we're doing the CSX corporate scheme as well, the, with the Voxcar logo. And we're also bringing these out with the TCS wild sound, which is, which is a change from the previous ones as well. That's pretty much everything we have going on in H.O. scale. We've got some end scale, we've got the new end scale locomotives coming out as well. We've got the EMD GP9, which is an all-new one for us. We've got a couple of cool pain schemes in that. We've got the Norfolk and Western Redberg scheme, which is passenger scheme, which I don't believe has been done in end scale before. At the Canadian National, the original green Canadian national scheme. And then we also have Pennsylvania Railroad in the correct pain scheme and road number for the one that's sitting up in Horseshoe curve. So a nice collectible piece for that one. We're also bringing out the Missouri Pacific style Bay Window Transfer Caboose in End scale, which we brought out in H.O. a few years ago. That once

28:22been very highly requested as well, during CSX, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific as well as, of course, Missouri Pacific. And in large scale and G scale, I know it's not one that we talk to you talked about too much on this podcast, but I think it's still worth mentioning. We're bringing out the E8 in 129 scale, which obviously was done by a wrist of craft in the past and we'll be bringing it back to the market, which we're very happy about. We don't get a chance to talk a whole lot about G scale on the podcast, but let me tell you, I'd love to talk to somebody about G scale on the podcast and we'll eventually get someone on here to do that. I'd love to hear somebody's origin story for how they got into Garden Railroading because it's a whole different world. It sure is. And I've seen in person some really great Garden Railroad scale stuff, including a gentleman out in the Colorado area. And I apologize, I don't have this name off the top of my head, but was actually doing it as an operating layout out in the garden, had yards and industries and everything else. So that was really cool to see. But it is such an amazing visual scale.

29:28You look at it, just how you look at products that come out in G scale and you're like, whoa, I mean, just the tangible part of it because they're so big. Yeah. And the amount of detail that you could fit onto it or you kind of have to fit onto it because you know, it's it's it's all right there to plainly see. It makes them really impressive models as well. Like our dash lines that came out a couple of years ago, where you're going to new release of those with a ton of new paint schemes. We've been getting those samples in, you know, kind of one at a time from the factory because when they shift them, you can really only shift one because just how big the boxes are. Very cool scale, very cool stuff. Great to see the G scale stuff. And then N scale go the complete opposite way and head towards N scale. Are you seeing it like I think I'm feeling it that N scale is on that big uptick that we're seeing more and more N scale stuff coming in modelers diving into the smaller scales. Yeah, definitely. And I think part of that is just the fact that, you know, I think it's twofold really. I think one is it's more economical space

30:31wise. And you know, in an era where people may not have the available real estate to make a basement empire. It's a great alternative. And the other part of it is that because of technology today, you can get just about the same level of detail and fidelity and and even, you know, sound and lighting features in an N scale model that you can get in a larger scale model. And just while we're on the topic of announcements, we have a couple of models that are coming out before the end of the year. Actually, they're all supposed to be here that I'm actually really personally excited about. They're really nice high-end models. We've got our GEC36-7, which I think I remember talking to you about way back when it was first announced in probably 2023. And they're finally here. And we're looking forward to seeing them come out. And they're really cool models. We're doing the primarily, I would call the Eastern configuration. So it doesn't come with the hump that the UP ones were known for. These are the ones that were primarily ordered by an Norfolk Western Conrail. Found their way to service with CSX eventually. Norfolk Southern

31:35is well, of course. And these will be with TCS Wild Sound, a really nice G-Sounds set on it. They come with, you know, all the lighting and sound features that you would expect from a, you know, a modern locomotive model-wise. They've got separate number-board configurable number-board lights, a marker lights, headlight stitch lights. They've got cabin interior detail. They've got metal windshield wipers and, you know, separate grab irons and ladders and all that stuff. Really exciting to see these, you know, there's not a lot of options for CSC36s on the market. And there were no options until recently. So, you know, we're excited to bring this out. And another really cool announcement that we came up with about a year ago, actually, less than a year ago, in our catalog that we're now getting very close to release on is our workhorse series of factory weathered cars in HO scale. And these are the samples that have come in and blown me away. I, you know, this was kind of a passion project of mine. And we have a very talented artist called Helen on our team who's been doing a lot of the artwork for the weathering and the patching and all that. I really truthfully wasn't sure how it was going to look,

32:41you know, translate it onto a model. But when we got these samples in, it was just absolutely fantastic. They really look cool. I think it's going to be a great addition to our line. And you know, it's really going to up the level of detail on some of these models. Like, for instance, we have our Milwaukee road, a window caboose, and we've done things like the exact prototype road number that we were facing this off of. And certain areas that had been either cleaned or painted after the car had been in service and you know, accumulated all the dust and grime and dirt and scratches and all that. And so we actually had those parts masked off, kept those parts clean while we've recreated the, you know, all the scratching and all the dirt and grime and all that stuff on the rest of the car. And the roof actually is part of my favorite part of these cars. It's hard to describe, but there's like a worn effect where the paints come off and stuff like that. And the reproduction on this on the model just looks phenomenal.

33:45Now go back to that conference room at Bachman. Now I definitely want to be a fly on the wall. And actually, you know, I want to chair at the table. If I could get a chair at the table, because that's got to be amazing. My vision goes like this. There's a whole bunch of 8 by 10s across the table. As you guys are looking at these very weathered downcars and maybe kind of back and forth going, which one are we going to do and that weathered like which is the cool weathering? I would love to sit at that table and throw my opinion in, but it's got to be a really cool experience to go through and make the decisions as to which car is going to be produced in which weathering and how heavy and the patching and all that. It's just got to be an absolute blast. It's got to be a great day at work at Bachman to be able to sit there and do that. It's definitely one of the highlights of the job. Yeah, and the Workhorse series is a fun one because while we're doing research for our standard line products, every now and then we'll come

34:46across this photo of this is the perfect weathered car. That aside, and that one goes into the Workhorse series folder. Matt, tell us where we can learn more about Bachman trains. You can find us at BachmanTreens.com at the best way to keep up with everything that's going on with us and get that your news first will be other than listening to Ray Of Force is going to our social media at Facebook and Instagram and YouTube. Awesome. We'll provide all the links to Bachman and their social media on our show notes around the layout.com slash 255. Matt, thank you so much for coming by and telling us all about Bachman trains. Always a pleasure. And now it's time for the RPM report. And for that, let's turn it over to Eric Hansman. Hello, everyone. And welcome to your September Railroad Prototype Modular Report. RPM events are gearing up over the next couple of months. I see eight RPM meets on the calendar

35:48before the end of this year. This month, you can celebrate the seasons changing at the anthracite railroad modelers meet in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, September 19 through 21. This will be held at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum with a focus on the railroads that serve the anthracite coalfields of northeastern Pennsylvania. October is jamming with six prototype modeler meets and a couple weekends have two meets scheduled. The Mid-Atlantic RPM kicks off the month in Metro Baltimore. I'll be there with a presentation and models on display. The same weekend, the LA prototype modelers event will be held in Bellflower, California. The 30th RPM Naperville will be on October 16 and 17 in Metro Chicago. I'll be there too with models on display and a layout design presentation. The same weekend, Greeley Colorado will be jumping with a Colorado Rail Proto meet for information and links to these and more upcoming events. Check the RPM calendar

36:48at aroundallayout.com slash RPM. I enjoy taking some of my HO scale models to display at our PM events. I usually take freight cars and I use Plano Plastic Storage boxes to transport the models. These are deep enough to hold most HO scale freight cars. Each box has four rows that can be segmented with the vitars. I usually take eight or nine cars. I can piggyback a couple of flat cars or low side guns into one slot. I wrap each painted weathered model and archival paper to protect the finish. Then I use bubble wrap over the paper to cushion the model in the slot. I'll wrap unfinished models with some paper towel and a bubble wrap. There's enough room on top for the model display cards too. The Plano boxes are robust and latch tightly. You can find these at Big Box stores or on Amazon. Now that you have your models ready to pack up, it's time for you to make plans to attend a prototype modeler meet near you. I'll be back next

37:49month with another RPM report. Until then, let the prototype be your guide. Well thanks Erickin. Now it's time to find out what's happening in and around ATLP universe. Brass 2026 is happening at the Missouri Model Railroad Museum on September 18th and 19th. The event includes vendors, clinics, exhibits, a layout tour, and a banquet on Saturday. You can find out more at showmerails.org. The Credit Valley Fremow operating weekend is October 3rd and 4th in Mississauga, Ontario. Attendees can expect to see a large and highly detailed HO scale modular layout built to Fremow standards with hundreds of scale feed of mainline, a variety of scenic modules, multiple simultaneous trains running, and club members willing to discuss the hobby and Fremow with the curious public. We'll provide a link to the Credit Valley Fremow

38:49Group's website in our show notes around the layout.com slash 255. The 24th annual train show in Swatme hosted by the Kettle Marine Ballast Scortures is happening at the Washington County Fair Park and Conference Center in West Bend, Wisconsin on Sunday, October 11th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come see operating layouts of all different sizes along with over 100 tables of new and used items to pick up for the home layout. Admission is $5 for adults and children under 12, first responders, and military are free. Check out more at KMBSRRClub.org slash shows. The 6th annual Iowa City Train Show returns to the Johnson County Fairgrounds on October 18th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Over 150 tables of railroad items such as model rear-roading rolling stock and structures and all scales, books, memorabilia, and so much more. Several non-profit railroad organizations will also be present to share their missions. The Hawkeye model rear-road will also be

39:53open to the public to show off their progress on their HO scale layout, as well as the rest of the building. We'll share a link to their website in our show notes around the layout.com slash 255. Temple Texas is the next stop for Sprinkreek Model Trains as they bring the traveling hobby shop to the Temple Model Train Show September 19th and 20th. That same weekend, Sprinkreek Model Trains hosts the HO Scale Fremow Weekend at the Thayer County Activity Center in Deschleur, Nebraska. It's a great chance to see modular layouts and swing by the store to say wow. Then it's back to the Lone Star State for the North Texas Council Fall Train Show at the Plano Center September 26th and 27th. Then it's back to the Lone Star State for the North Texas Council Fall Train Show at the Plano Center September 26th and 27th, before heading off to Ohio in the Great Berea Train Show October 3rd and 4th. Then it's a double-header weekend October 17th and 18th with the Beatrice area railroad enthusiasts in Beatrice, Nebraska and the Colorado Rail

40:57Proto Me in Greeley, Colorado. You can check out the entire Sprinkreek Model Train Show schedule on their website, Sprinkreekmodeltrains.com. And now you know what's happening in Model Rail Roading. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you again next month. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Around the Layout. Learn more about today's episode, check out past shows and much more on our website aroundthelayout.com. Show your support by becoming an operating crew member at aroundthelayout.com slash crew. Follow us on social media around thelayout.com slash social. And send us your feedback around the layout at gmail.com. Thanks for hanging out with us around the layout.