HO-scale Walthers Mainline 57-foot Mechanical Reefer
Walthers shipped a production of its HO-scale Mainline 57-foot Mechanical Reefer freight car models during the first quarter of 2023. This fully assembled offering reproduces the look of this type of specialized freight car as it was beginning in the mid-1960s. These cars frequently operated in unit trains or solid blocks in mixed freight trains on North American railroads.
The model resides in Walthers’ mid-level Mainline collection and carries a $34.98 suggested retail price. The model rides on 33-inch metal wheels and comes with body-mounted Proto MAX knuckle couplers. The plastic body shell includes molded-on ladders with separate details for vertical rods on the 9-foot Youngstown plug door. A small rooftop exhaust stack is a separate detail applied to this release.
There are two underbody styles for this HO-scale freight car, this light blue Lamb Weston example shows the Hydra-Cushion underframe detail… spotted by the protruding round detail near the center of the car.
The model includes extended or cushioned coupler pockets and their height checked out in spec using a Kadee Coupler Height Gauge. The wheels were in gauge on the three samples examined. The model weighs 6.3 ounces. Walthers offers multiple road numbers for each road name.
