Factory Direct Hobbies

10/28/2026

In the late 1970s, UP was looking to replace their aging SW7, SW9 and TR5A switch engines, many of which dating to the late 1930s-50s. New switch locomotives were expensive so UP opted to rebuild their existing switchers at their Omaha Shops. In 1979, UP 1848 entered the shops and nearly every component was stripped. Trucks were overhauled and converted to roller bearings, sill handrails were added, and the frame was steam cleaned. The original EMD 567-power assemblies were swapped out for newer 645-assemblies. All-new cabling and wiring were added along with two new 36", electrically-driven cooling fans from retired GP9s, leading to a unique hood hump that makes these engines easy to spot. SW10's also received a new sand box on the nose and new MU cables. Finally the cab was updated to FRA-mandated "clean cab" standards with a new AAR control stand and refrigerator placed inside. A total of 75 units were rebuilt between 1979 and 1984. By the mid 90s, many of these units were sold off to other railroads. In 2017, UP donated SW10 96 (previously assigned to the steam program) to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, where it operates today.

Rapido's HO Scale EMD SW10 features:
- Rebuilt hood featuring hump for cooling equipment
- Detailed radiator fans with etched-metal grilles
- Cannon and company licensed fans
- Single chime horn with bracket on cab front
- Union Pacific 96 features a Leslie RS5T horn on cab roof
- All-weather windows, cab shades where appropriate
- Highly detailed cab interior
- Lit control stand
- See-through metal etched parts
- Many road specific details
- Heavy diecast frame
- Diecast gear boxes for added weight
- Semi scale metal couplers
- Full LED lighting, including operating beacons/flashing lights where appropriate
- DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound (ESU LokSound) options
- Mo-Power capacitor system for uninterrupted operation in DCC power
- Suggested minimum radius: 18"

📦PRE-ORDER HERE (deadline TBA):
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/rapido-ho-scale-emd-sw10

10/28/2026

‼LAST CHANCE! PRE-ORDER BY TOMORROW, 10/29/26‼
No modern steam excursion is complete without an aux tender!
📦PRE-ORDER HERE: https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/broadway-limited-imports-ho-scale-dlmx-auxiliary-water-tender-1

After the 1960s, water columns and towers began disappearing from the American railroading landscape. Once steam excursions began kicking off within the same decade, auxiliary water tenders were employed to supply extra water. These were typically steam locomotive tenders converted to solely carry water delivered by trucks via hosepipe. DLMX 4219 became quite the famous aux tender. It was built in 1942 for SP 4219, a Class AC-10 Cab Forward. It was then placed on rotary snowplow duty as SPMW 7206B. SP donated this tender and it went to work with SP 4449 as part of the 1984 Worlds Fair. DLMX 4219 has since traveled with ATSF 3751, CP 2816, SP 2472, and SP&S 700. It currently travels with 4449.

Broadway Limited Imports HO Scale DLMX Auxiliary Water Tender features:
- Beautifully Detailed and Accurately Modeled for Multiple Excursion Appearances
- Precision Paint, Color, and Lettering Schemes
- Many Separately Applied Details Including Handrails, Grab Irons, and Various Underbody Detail
- Proper Underbody Detail per the Prototype
- Finger Touch Control the Headlight
- Two Operating Kadee-Compatible Couplers
- Compatible Tracks: Code 70, 83, 100 Rail
- Minimum Operating Radius: 18 in.

📦PRE-ORDER BY OCTOBER 29th, 2026:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/broadway-limited-imports-ho-scale-dlmx-auxiliary-water-tender-1

10/27/2026

The Toronado was conceptualized in a design painting by Oldsmobile stylist David North in 1962. He designed it as a compact sports/personal car but didn't intend for it to enter production. However, a few weeks later he was informed his design was chosen as the new personal car intended for the Riviera/Thunderbird class for the 1966 model year. The Toronado entered production in 1965 and was equipped with a 425 cu. in. or 450 cu. in. Rocket V8 engine producing 385 hp and a 3-speed TH-425 automatic transmission. The Toronado featured a unique Unitized Power Package where the Rocket V8 and transmission were packaged into an engine bay that was no larger than a bay seen in a conventional rear-wheel drive car. It reached 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds and capable of reaching 135 mph.

MPC's 1:25 scale kit of the 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado features:
- 1:25 scale, skill level 2, paint & glue required
- 100+ parts
- Molded-in white, clear, transparent red, with chrome-plated parts
- Black vinyl tires
- Assembled scale: 8.75 inches long
- Ages 10+

📦ORDER HERE:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/mpc-942-californian-1968-olds-toronado-custom-skill-2

10/26/2026

Leaves aren't the only things dropping from the trees this fall as Micro-Trains by Atlas has dropped some new pre-orders for your N Scale model railroad! There's a 3-pack of bay window cabooses painted for Chessie System's Safety Program, a 2-pack of Lone Star Steel Company mill gondolas, and a 4-pack of Santa Fe RR-51 steel reefers!

🚂N Scale Chessie System Safety Program Bay Window:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/preorder-micro-trains-n-983102305-31-bay-window-caboose-3-pack-chessie-safety-program-blue-brown-green

🚂N Scale Lone Star Steel Company Mill Gondola:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/preorder-micro-trains-n-983102299-65-70-ton-mill-gondola-with-pipe-load-2-pack-lone-star-steel-company-black

🚂N Scale Santa Fe RR-51 Steel Re**er:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/preorder-micro-trains-n-983100246-40-steel-ice-reefer-with-preco-fan-4-pack-sfrd-rr-51-with-large-logo-orange-black

⏰PRE-ORDER THESE THREE MODEL PACKS BY NOVEMBER 12th, 2026!

📦Check out our entire selection of Micro-Trains:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/micro-trains-line?sort=created-descending&stock_status=pfs-status%3AIn+Stock,pfs-status%3APreorder

10/26/2026

EMD's F-unit debuted in 1939 with the FT ("F" standing for Fourteen Hundred horsepower, "T" for Twin as the locomotive came as an A-B pair). It followed the streamlined aesthetic of their E-units as designed by Leland Knickerbocker. The FT was powered by EMD's 567 prime mover with an A-B-B-A set producing a combined 5,400 horsepower, and pioneered the Blomberg truck design. Following the FT's success, EMD produced a highly successful line of F-units improving upon horsepower, traction motors, electronics, and overall reliability. From the F3 onward, the F-unit became dual service as EMD began offering models with passenger gearing and steam heating. The last F-unit was built between 1956-60 with the FL9 for the New Haven Railroad. By the late 1970s, most F-units were retired from the mainline (NH didn't retire their FL9's until 2009!), with many finding extended careers on shortlines or retirement at museums to this very day!

Rapido's HO Scale EMD FT (2026 Run) features:
- NEW! D&RGW nose class lights
- NEW! WP roof numberboards
- Close-coupling system for great appearance on straights and curves
- Drawbar or coupler connections between A and B units
- Multiple styles of number boards, installed as appropriate
- Correct nose and windshield contour
- Three styles of dynamic brake hatch, installed as appropriate
- Steam generator hatch installed as appropriate
- Etched side and fan screens
- Heavy, die-cast chassis
- 5-pole motor with dual flywheels
- Working headlights, ground lights, number boards and back-up lights
- Full underbody details including piping and draft gear
- Separate grab irons and handrails
- Numerous road-specific details
- Full, multi-color interior
- DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound (ESU LokSound) options
- MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted DCC power
- Suggested minimum radius: 18”

📦PRE-ORDER BY JANUARY 15th, 2027:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/rapido-ho-scale-emd-ft-2026-run

10/25/2026

EMD's SD70 line began in 1992 with numerous variations offered depending on the railroad or export country's needs. Come the 2010s, railroads began to rebuild their SD70's to cleaner and modern specifications. For the SD70ACu, this included new Mitsubishi electronics and a new EMD Phase-II cab. Canadian Pacific rebuilt their SD90MAC's into SD70ACU's via Progress Rail, some featuring paint schemes honoring military service. These units are used on a wide variety of mainline freight trains. On Remembrance and Veterans Day 2019, Canadian Pacific unveiled 5 specially painted ACu's honoring veterans.

Athearn Genesis' HO Scale EMD SD70ACu Canadian Pacific Military 5-Unit Set features:
- CP 6644 wears the camouflage colors applied to Royal Canadian Air Force “Spitfire” fighter planes flown at the Allied invasion of Normandy, France,
on June 6, 1944.
- CP 7020 wears North Atlantic Treaty Organization green, which the Canadian and U.S. armies apply to fighting vehicles and equipment serving in
temperate climates.
- CP 7021 wears the sand color that the Canadian and U.S. armies apply to fighting vehicles and equipment serving in arid climates.
- CP 7022 wears the grey, red and black color pattern of modern Canadian and American warships
- CP 7023 wears a two-tone gray paint scheme designed after the livery applied to Canadian and American fighter jets.

📦ORDER HERE:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/athearn-genesis-ho-ath-g1155-emd-sd70acu-canadian-pacific-5-unit-set-with-sound-military-theme

10/24/2026

The caboose has served as a sort of exclamation point or period to mark the end of a train. From the cupola, the brakeman and conductor would keep an eye on their train, and relay any information to the engineer and fireman in the locomotive. Primitive cabooses started out as a shack on a flatcar, or a boxcar-turned office where crews could file paperwork and keep spare tools. The cupola spawned out of the desire to have better visibility of the train ahead of them. Most cabooses ended up being painted red for increased visibility and safety, but the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad went with their iconic orange or black.

Bachmann's HO Scale Offset Cupola Caboose features:
- Upgraded painted bodies with precision graphics
- Separately applied roofwalks, smokestack, ladders/railings, and brake wheels
- Clear simulated glass in windows
- Detailed underbody
- Added weight for optimum tracking
- Magnetically operated E-Z Mate® Mark II couplers
- Detailed trucks with see-through sideframes
- Blackened metal wheels with RP25 contours
- Product Measurements: L 4.8 in., W 1.5 in., H 2 in.
- Retail Package Measurements: L 7.4 in., W 1.8 in., H 3.4 in.

📦ORDER HERE:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/search?manufacturer=Bachmann+Trains&q=offset+cupola+caboose&stock_status=pfs-status%3AIn+Stock

10/23/2026

Railroads haul quite literally almost everything, and that does indeed include literal trash and waste. Around the late 1990s, Environmental Protection & Improvement Co. (EPIC) began moving trash out of overflowing northeastern landfills with intermodal waste containers on articulated flatcars. These containers transport wastewater residuals, hazardous soils and debris, dredge material, municipal waste
and ash. These cars are still in-service today.

Atlas' HO Scale Articulated Bulk Carriers with Waste Containers feature:
• Diecast Metal Body
• 100-Ton Trucks
• Metal Couplers
• Containers Included
• Crisp Printing replicating Accurate Paint schemes
• Brake Pipe Detail
• 15” Curve Minimum Radius
• Approximate Bulk Carrier model length: 12 inches coupler box to coupler box
• Approximate Container model length: 2 ¾ inches

📦PRE-ORDER BY OCTOBER 28th, 2026:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/atlas-ho-scale-articulated-bulk-carriers-and-waste-containers

10/22/2026

In 1934, production of the Panzer III and IV medium tanks had been delayed and the existing Panzer was lacking weapons that could destroy enemy tank armor. The Germans realized a stopgap tank was needed and thus designs for the Panzer II were drawn up between 1934 and 1936. Hosting a 3 person crew, they were shielded by armor ranging between 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in), equipped with one 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 Ausf. a–F and one 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 Ausf. J–L. Its secondary armament was a single 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34. On the road it had a range of 120 miles, while cross country it was reduced to 78 miles. Top speed was 24.5 mph. A total of 1,856 units were built between 1935 and January 1944. The Panzer II played a major role in the Polish and French campaigns of World War II and became the most common tank during the early years of the war. It was also used in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

Tamiya's 1:48 scale kit of the German Panzer II A/B/C features:
★Length: 101mm, width: 46mm
★Model depicts a tank from the French Campaign which had additional armor plates at the front of the hull and turret.
★Parts are included to reproduce the various differences between the Ausf.A/B/C variants.
★Model may be assembled with or without smoke dischargers.
★Chassis weights are included to give the model heft that belies its size.
★Assembly-type tracks feature one-piece straight sections with realistic sag effect.
★Comes with a commander figure and three marking options.

📦ORDER HERE:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/tamiya-32570-1-48-german-panzer-ii-abc

10/22/2026

🚂BLI's PRR S1 DUPLEX HAS ARRIVED!🚂
Broadway Limited Imports' HO Scale PRR S1 has just arrived and is ready to ship to your model railroad!

In the late 1930s-40s, experiments in duplex locomotive technology began on the likes of the Baltimore and Ohio, and Pennsylvania Railroad. The duplex design split the driving power between 2 sets of drive wheels on a single rigid frame. It was intended to increase speed, power, and efficiency, while also lessening the hammer blow force, or wear and tear on rails thanks to lighter sets of valve gear. The Pennsy's first attempt was the extremely lengthy S1. This 6-4-4-6 featured a streamlined art-deco styled shroud by renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Spanning 140 ft. 2.5 in (42.74 m), a single S1 #6100 was completed on December 21st, 1938. After a display at the Worlds Fair, the S1 was put to passenger service, but thanks to its excessive length, was limited to the mostly straight mainline between Chicago, IL and Crestline, OH. It hauled crack trains like the Broadway Limited, Liberty Limited, The General, Trailblazer, and Golden Arrow. Ultimately the S1 was retired around 1945/46 and scrapped in 1949.

Broadway Limited Imports' HO Scale PRR S1 features:
-DC or DCC and Paragon4 Sound
-Hand-crafted brass boilers, cabs, and tender bodies
-Die-cast locomotive and tender chassis
-Two spare flanged drivers in the box to swap out for a more prototypical appearance
-Factory-installed Engineer and Fireman Figures
-Synchronized Puffing Smoke with Chuff Sound
-Variable Puffing Smoke Intensity and timing
-and more!

📦ORDER THIS STUNNING ART DECO LOCOMOTIVE HERE:
https://factorydirecthobbies.com/collections/broadway-limited-imports-ho-scale-prr-s1