Atlas ( http://www.atlasrr.com) is quoting a February date for delivery of its HO scale SD/SDP-35 six-axle diesel locomotive decorated in several new road names. EMD built 360 of the 2,500 horse power prototype between 1964 and 1966, plus an additional 35 steam generator-equipped SDP35 units specifically for passenger duty.

Atlas 1/87 version offers several of the subtle details unique to the various phases of SD35 production including engine air intake, dust bin, radiator screens, radiator fans, fuel tanks and battery boxes. Additional options include a low nose version both with and without a standard-style headlight.

The Atlas Master Silver series is priced at $149.95 and comes with an NMRA 8-pin plug for DCC (decoder-ready). The Gold series is priced at $259.95 and features Electronic Dual-Mode® decoder (e-DMD) that permits both DCC and traditional DC operation.

In addition to the Southern scheme shown here (from an earlier production run) road names will include Seaboard, Utah Railway, Chessie System-B&O, Chessie System-C&O, VMV Leasing, Seaboard system and Union Pacific. Previously announced plans to offer an SD35 decorated for Squaw Creek Southern have been cancelled due to limited consumer interest.

Atlas will have new road names and decorating schemes for class NE-6 steel caboose ready by February. The N scale models are based on prototypes built in Kenton, Ohio by the International Car Company in the 1940s and used until the end of the caboose era. Road names with standard window arrangements will include Wheeling & Lake Erie, Susquehanna, Conrail, New Haven and Clinchfield. Cabooses with windows set closer to the car ends will be available for Norfolk & Western and Nickel Plate Road as illustrated here. The ready-to-run models come with AccuMate® couplers and have a suggested price of $22.95. Undecorated models will be available at $15.95.

Atlas has been showing this engineering sample of an HO scale steel coil car with an expected release date of April. Based on a 42-foot prototype with distinctive fishbelly sides, Atlas will offer the initial run decorated for CSX (gray, black and yellow), CSX (blue and yellow), Kansas City Southern (black, red, yellow and gray), Northwestern Oklahoma (brown, white and yellow), Norfolk Southern (gray, black, blue and red) and Sever Corr (red, white, blue and yellow). Each scheme will be available in four different numbers at $34.95 each. An undecorated model will be available at $29.95.