E-R Models

HO-Scale Trains Resource

EXTRA

This HO-Scale Trains Resource EXTRA looks at the E-R Models line of Diesels and Passenger Cars. E-R Models is no longer in business today, but did offer a few interesting and unique pieces to the HO-scale model train world. This not considered to be any completely inclusive review, but a collection of items that might present something you haven't seen before and could be of interest.

The "E-R" stood for "Euro-Rail" and the company's first appearance that my casual search in back issue of magazines appears to be around 1990. E-R Models imported items in N-scale, in addition to HO-scale. Well known vehicle maker Busch made auto and truck releases that were exclusive to E-R Models. E-R also offered a couple tunnel portals; a bridge; and a track cleaning car. The E-R Track Cleaning Box Car was the Roco 40' Plug Door Box Car with cleaning pad attached to the car's underframe.

Roco's products were a major part of the E-R Models line as you can see in this review. The October 2005 edition of Model Railroader carried a story on Roco declaring bankruptcy. E-R Models is not mentioned in the MR news story regarding Roco. I have other unconfirmed information that E-R Models went out of business in early 2004 and their magazine ads do disappear not long prior to this date.

For those wondering, the E-R Models website is gone. If you put in their former address, you'll be taken to a fake webpage that is not related to E-R Models.

Of some curiousity and fodder for speculation discussions by model railroaders is the promised, but never delivered, HO-scale GP-40-2; AC4400 CW; and re-tooled FP-7 models. Below you'll find information and links to view the E-R Models annoucements for these items and more...

Diesels and Passenger Equipment

of E-R Models

FP-7

Made by Roco in Austria, the E-R Models FP-7 was another release of the tooling first introduced in 1975 and sold first under the Atlas name in the United States. A review of the E-R Models FP-7 may be found in the May 1999 issue of Railmodel Journal magazine.

The 2003 Walthers catalog includes E-R Models Baldwin RF-16 Sharknose and EMD FP-7 diesels. Walthers lists the FP-7 from E-R Models as available in Soo; Reading; Southern Pacific; and Canadian Pacific. Undecorated examples are listed for FP-7 models with Single or Double Headlights apparently without dynamics though it is not stated and there is a Single Headlight Dynamic equipped example. All are listed at $99.95 retail that year.

Canadian Pacific #4028

(No.4011)

Canadian Pacific #4029

(No.4011-1)

Katy -2nd Scheme

(No.4013)

Katy -2nd Scheme

(No.4013-1)

Milwaukee Road #104A

(No.4012)

Milwaukee Road #105A

(No.4012-1)

Reading #901

(No.4006)

Reading #902

(No.4006-1)

SOO #500A

(No.4002)

SOO #501A

(No.4002-1)

Southern Pacific #6460

(No.4009)

Southern Pacific #6461

(No.4009-1)

Undecorated Dual Headlight Dynamic

(No.4000-1)

Undecorated Single Headlight Dynamic

(No.4000-2)

Undecorated Dual Headlight

(No.4000-3)

Undecorated Single Headlight

(No.4000-4)

E-R Models was planning a new release of HO-scale FP-7 models in 2003. These new FP-7 diesels, also to be produced by Roco in Austria, would have included separate grabs and handrails; separate metal grillwork; unspecified road specific details; and DCC and Sound examples.

Below is the link to E-R Models announcement for the new and improved, but never delivered HO-scale FP-7...

E-R Models unreleased FP-7 from 2003

FA-1

E-R Models imported their HO-scale Alco FA-1 from Frateschi of Brazil. Frateschi also produces its FA-1 in both American roadnames and South American roads and sells them under their own name outside the U.S. The E-R Models FA-1 is reviewed by Railmodel Journal first in October 1993 and again in December 1995. The Fall/Winter 1995 E-R Models run of FA-1 diesels were priced again at $59.95 and included Lehigh Valley; New Haven (grn/ylw); Seaboard; and Lehigh & New England.

Lehigh & New England

(No.1027)

Lehigh & New England -2nd roadnumber

(No.1027-1)

Lehigh Valley

(No.1008)

Lehigh Valley

(No.1022)

MKT

(No.1010)

New Haven (green/yellow)

(No.1023)

New Haven (green/yellow) -2nd number

(No.1023-1)

Pennsylvania

(No.1006)

Rock Island

(No.1007)

Seaboard (green/yellow)

(No.1026)

Undecorated

(No.1000)

The advertisement below is from the February 1994 issue of Model Railroader magazine.

RF-16 Sharnose

The E-R Models HO-scale RF-16 Sharknose A-unit was produced by Roco in Austria. A flyer collected at the Chicago Hobby Show of 2000 called for Shark B-units to be released, but I don't believe the HO-scale B's ever arrived from E-R Models.

The E-R Models RF-16 Sharknose is reviewed in the March 1999 issue of Model Railroader magazine.

An N-scale Shark A and B was also sold by E-R Models. As E-R Models exited the business, Bachmann included the N-scale Sharks for a time. A Bachmann catalog of a few years ago states the N-scale Sharks were produced at the same plant as Bachmann's line of trains, which one would assume means Kader in China.

A check of the 2003 Walthers catalog shows E-R Models with the Shark and FP-7 in the Locomotives section of the catalog. E-R Models' Sharks that year included a Baldwin Demonstrator, Delaware & Hudson, New York Central, B&O, Pennsy, Monongahela, and Undecorated.

There has been unconfired rumor that perhaps Bachmann may bring back this Sharknose model and include it in their HO-scale line as a future release.

Baldwin Demonstrator #6001

(No.4102)

Baltimore & Ohio #4212

(No.4108)

Baltimore & Ohio #4213

(No.41081)

Baltimore & Ohio #4210 -2nd Generation

(No.41082)

Baltimore & Ohio #4211 -2nd Generation

(No.41083)

Delaware & Hudson #1216

(No.41031)

Monogahela #1205

(No.4109)

Monogahela #1210

(No.4110)

New York Central #3806 -Lightning Stripe

(No.4107)

New York Central #3807 -Lightning Stripe

(No.41071)

New York Central #1211 -Cigar Band

(No.41052)

New York Central #1212 -Cigar Band

(No.41053)

Pennsylvania Railroad #9734 -Single Stripe

(No.41012)

Pennsylvania Railroad #9738 -Single Stripe

(No.41013)

Pennsylvania Railroad #9730 -Single Stripe

(No.41014)

Pennsylvania Railroad #9740 -Single Stripe

(No.41015)

Pennsylvania Railroad #2000 -5 Stripe

(No.41062)

Pennsylvania Railroad #2002 -5 Stripe

(No.41063)

Undecorated

(No.4100)

E-R Models Shark and FP-7 with Shark B announcement

GP-40-2

Here's an interesting release that never happened from E-R Models Roco in 2003. An HO-scale GP-40-2 model was planned for release in the Fall of '03 with many nice features including DCC and Sound as options. To date, Athearn has the HO-scale GP-40-2 market to itself and did recently improve its Ready-To-Roll offering with separate grabs. The serious "rivet counter" though still is holding out for a more serious attempt at the GP-40-2 and who knows this might have been it.

Below is the link to the E-R Models Roco 2003 annoucement for the never made GP-40-2...

E-R Models Roco never released GP-40-2

GE AC4400 CW

Planned for a late 2003 release and to have been produced by Roco for E-R Models was an HO-scale model of the modern General Electric AC4400 CW.

The link for the announcement of the never issued diesel is found below and promised what may have been a nicely done loco.

E-R Models Roco never produced AC4400 CW

Talgo Passenger Car Set

(No.3251)

Originally retailing for $124.95 and new in 2003 was E-R Models Amtrak Talgo Passenger Car Set. The set featured a pair of service vans (one TG6z and one TG6); three second-class coaches (TB6's); and a single first-class coach (TA6).

Talgo Cars

Available individually, the E-R Models Amtrak Talgo cars sold for $24.95 each and were released in the following styles...

First Class Coach

(No.3253)

Second Class Coach

(No.3254)

Bar TC6

(No.3255)

Restaurant TR6

(No.3256)

DCC Accessories

An interesting attempt at a line of DCC controlled items began being offered by E-R Models. Again like many items from E-R Models, these items are or in some case were to have been produced by Roco.

DCC Starter Set

The old Roco GP-40 tooling originally sold through Atlas beginning in 1975 was dusted off and put to use as power for E-R Models and Roco's DCC Starter Sets. A Union Pacific GP-40 with a DCC decoder and unique to this release paint job was found in one set; the other set featured an Eastern flavor with CSX power. The E-R Models DCC Starter Set was reviewed in the November 2003 issue of Model Railroad News magazine.

DCC Starter Sets Announcement

DCC Accessories