Milwaukee, Wis. - Walthers announces new roadnames and roadnumbers for its PROTO 2000™ Heritage Steam Collection USRA 0-8-0 in HO Scale. These models are available with sound and DCC, or as DC powered versions. Both types are now available at Walthers.

By 1917, the arrival of larger and much heavier freight cars had pushed most 0-6-0 designs to their limits. Realizing that railroads needed bigger and more powerful switchers to handle these modern cars, the United States Railway Administration developed plans for an all-new 0-8-0.

Up-to-date in all respects, these big switchers were the equals in power of many road freight locomotives from just a few years earlier! Unlike some USRA designs, the 0-8-0 was well liked by the railroads that received it; 175 were completed before government control ended in 1920.

But the 0-8-0's ultimate success came in the years that followed as the USRA design was eventually copied by 35 different roads. In fact, the last new steam locos built in the U.S. were a series of 0-8-0s, constructed by the N&W in 1951-53 that followed the general outline of the decades-old USRA design!

The latest USRA 0-8-0 locomotives offer modelers a great prototype for steam-era railroads. Like the prototype, they're an ideal choice for heavy switching service and feature:

• New Roadnames & Numbers
• Traction Tires for More Pulling Power
• Weighted for Maximum Tractive Effort - Pulls 60 or More Cars
• Available With or Without Sound & DCC
• Sound & DCC or versions: Sound can be operated with power pack as well as DCC sound controllers (#920-5990 Quantum engineer, sold separately).
• Sound features include: Dual Steam Engine Sounds, Whistle, Bell, Squealing Brakes, Doppler Effect, Air Let Off (in neutral), Generator Whine, and Double Heading Mode, which mutes whistle and bell for double-heading. Includes QSI Sound Reference Manual.
• Loco & Tender Electrical Pickup
• Fully Assembled
• Hand-Applied Details
• Authentic Paint & Lettering
• Weighted for Maximum Traction
• Nickel-Silver Plated RP-25 Wheels
• Operating Cab Windows and Meticulously Detailed Cab Interior
• Tender Coal Bunker Style as Appropriate for each Roadname
• 5-Pole Motor with Skew-Wound Balanced Armature
• Precisely Meshed Gears
• Slow Speed Less than 3 Scale Miles Per Hour
• Magnetic Knuckle Couplers

Roadnames and part numbers are as follows:
Sound & DCC, $349.98 Each:
920-60100 Boston & Maine #612
920-60101 Boston & Maine #618
920-60102 CB&Q #540
920-60103 CB&Q #544
920-60104 NKP #206
920-60105 NKP #207
920-60106 NP #1170
920-60107 NP #1171
920-60108 Pere Marquette* #1401
920-60109 Pere Marquette* #1406
920-60110 Painted, Unlettered

Standard DC, $249.98 Each:
920-67100 Boston & Maine #630
920-67102 CB&Q #547
920-67104 NKP #205
920-67106 NP #1172
920-67108 Pere Marquette* #1410
920-67110 Painted, Unlettered

The new PROTO 2000 Heritage Steam Collection USRA 0-8-0s are now in stock. For more information on Walthers PROTO 2000 Heritage steam locos, or to locate a dealer, visit Walthers on the Internet at walthers.com, call 414-527-0770 or write Walthers, P.O. Box 3039, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3039.

*CSX proprietary marks used by permission of CSX Transportation, Inc.