Another Per Diem Boxcar

 A Limited Edition HO-Scale Atlas FMC 5347 Box Car painted for freelance model railroad Copper State Railway joins the roster over here on the Arizona Southern. Pretty much and cars in and around the late 1960's to late 1970's seem to fair game for adding. This car has both a copper vibe and an Arizona vibe, so there was little choice with this one.

 

The car is not too bright either, and that is always a good thing. It seems easier to recreate the realism if its not too clean or shiny, so we roll with that idea whenever possible. 

 

That's all for now, 

John Huey

First Day of 2026 Report

 Hey fellow train fans, it's been a crazy time here in Simi Valley, California. We've been taking care of an aging relative, and she just keeps getting worse as time moves towards its inevitable conclusion. Hopefully none of you will ever face this sort of thing, it just saps the energy and makes other pursuits take a backseat in importance.

On a more personal level, my health journey has had its ups and downs, had surgery late on Christmas Eve, with the follow up on New Years Eve. That was fun as things go. My only real question is why does everything have to hurt all of the time? 

On the Model Train front; I've had a big influx of power show up all at once. Who knew that both the SP SD7R's from Scale Trains, and the C415's from Bowser would all show up within 30 days of each other after years of waiting for them? What were the odds on that?

The trains are gorgeous though, one could not ask for finer models. Photos will follow at a later date, the house is in turmoil right now with all that's going on plus my eBay business being open as time allows. Then there has been some remodeling work with all that goes with it.

Sorry for the lack of recent content, but to quote a fellow seeker on this crazy journey; "such is life."

That's about all I have right now, so let me close by wishing you all a Happy New Year! May 2026 bring you good health, a bit of joy, and a happy life with friends and family. Oh, and Enjoy Your Trains!

 

That's all for now, write back if the mood strikes you,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR

 

BEST NEWS EVER!

Howdy, this is just a short message to bookmark the RAPIDO B-100-32/34's they have just announced in HO Scale. Since AZSO moves a lot of copper, these cars will be a Godsend to our operations, not to mention a personal favorite model of yours truly.

So keep your penny jar filled, my guess in late 2026 for delivery, but I hope a bit sooner.

Mark Ala photo

 

Your comments are most welcome.

 

Happy Model Railroading,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR
 

September 2025 and Counting...

Hello all, noticed that there has been little for us to post as of late, but being a huge fan of Alco products, a bit of good news has landed. It seems our friends over at Bowser have given us some eye candy consisting of some painted C415 samples. So here goes a bit of piracy:

 

Just CLICK on any image to see it larger.

There are few others in the pipeline, but this is what I was able to glom onto right now. I'm sure some of you will find something to drool over, and if not, maybe the model will grow on you.

 

These look very convincing to my old eyes, and I used to have to see the SP units on the daily. I'm glad they got the colors fixed on the SP units, my first impression was that they copied Atlas for their SP colors.

Oh, thought I'd add an image of SP's light package and other details, seems that Bowser has stepped up their game again. I can't wait for mine to show up, a pair for SP and one other to be patched for Arizona Southern.

 

That's all for now, write if the mood hits you.  

Best Wishes,

John Huey CEO AZSO RR