The first four cars of the Walthers New York Central* 1948 20th Century Limited HO Scale passenger train are rolling in. The "…Bridge" Series 4-4-2 Sleeper, "…Bay" Series 22-Roomette Sleeper, "…River" Series 10-6 Sleeper and "Port…" Series 12 Double-Bedroom Sleeper are replicas of some of the finest sleepers ever to grace the rails. With their release to the modeling community, the first cars have been hailed by NYC experts as the first HO models to wear accurate two-tone gray colors.

Fast Facts: No train fired the imagination like New York Central's 20th Century Limited. Its all-room status, exclusive clientele and blistering overnight schedule between New York and Chicago made it the stuff of legends for 65 years. A favorite with business and industry leaders, its luxurious accommodations - including a red carpet on the platform at New York - also attracted stars of stage and screen, further fueling the train's celebrity status and romantic image.

First streamlined in 1938, this Century put in several years of tough wartime service. And with big plans for its post-war passenger fleet, New York Central spent considerable time and money to re-do its flagship. The new Century debuted in September 1948 with some refurbished 1938 cars (made necessary by delivery delays) and all-new equipment from Pullman-Standard. New power in the form of EMD E7 diesel sets was also delivered. But as its riders took to the airlines and highways, the Century lost its luster, and quietly ended 65 years of service in late 1967.

Features: The decorated cars are handsomely painted in NYC's distinctive two-tone gray colors matched to actual paint samples. In fact, their accurate color has created quite a stir in the NYC modeling community because they don't match previously produced, incorrectly decorated models. Here's what experts have to say:

"Walthers should be congratulated for finally getting the NYC two-tone grays right!" - Rich Stoving, a director of the New York Central System Historical Society and the editor of the Society's quarterly magazine, Central Headlight.

"Based on actual paint samples in possession of NYCSHS members, the color of these new Walthers 1948 20th Century cars are nearly dead on (they are slightly lighter, which is the correct thing to do with small scale models). Walthers should be commended for taking the extra step to get these new cars RIGHT." - Terry Link, owner of canadasouthern.com that hosts an NYC passenger car roster.

These superbly detailed cars are equipped with interiors, appropriate underbody details, working diaphragms, factory-installed electrical contacts for Walthers Interior Lighting Kits (available separately for DC or DCC), PROTO Max™ all-metal knuckle couplers and correct trucks with metal sideframes, metal RP-25 wheels, car number and name decals and modeler applied wire grab irons. The cars are the correct length, so a minimum 24" radius is recommended for operation.

Expected Delivery Date: Available Now
Scale: HO
Retail Price: $64.98 Each

932-9311 "…Bridge" Series 4-4-2 Sleeper
932-9315 "…Bay" Series 22-Roomette Sleeper
932-9313 "…River" Series 10-6 Sleeper
932-9314 "Port…" Series 12 Double-Bedroom Sleeper, March 2009 Delivery

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