Following a nearly fifteen year hiatus from the marketplace, factory assembled and decorated N-Scale Thrall Bi-Level Autorack Cars that were produced by Intermountain Railway Co. (i.e., using the Red Caboose tooling that was acquired by Fox Valley Models in 2017) were shipped to dealers in late December 2021 and early January 2022.

With a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $69.95 each (which is $29.00 higher than the previous Red Caboose price of $40.95 for their closed door version and $27.00 higher than the $42.95 price for the previously released version with a pair if optional open doors), the latest run of the extremely popular closed door models is comprised of eight new paint schemes and nine reissued liveries that were previously produced by Red Caboose.

Intermountain Railway Co. 19458-02 Union Pacific Autorack TTGX 155415 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Union Pacific - Date: BLT- 7-79

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19133 with Armour Yellow Paint

Intermountain 19458-01 TTGX 151848 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19458-02 TTGX 155415 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19458-03 TTGX 981162 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19458-04 TTGX 981785 with TTX Speed Line Logos

The Intermountain Models Have Light Orange and Yellow Paint

Intermountain Railway Co. 19460-01 Grand Trunk Western Autorack GTW 504011

Grand Trunk Western - Date: BLT 09/78 RBLT 3-92

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19143

Intermountain 19460-01 GTW 504011

Intermountain 19460-02 GTW 504270

Intermountain 19460-03 GTW 504283

Intermountain 19460-04 GTW 504287

Intermountain Railway Co. 19469-03 Providence & Worcester Railroad Autorack PW 104306

Providence & Worcester Railroad - Date: Certified 3-09

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 19469-01 PW 100079

Intermountain 19469-02 PW 102608

Intermountain 19469-03 PW 104306

Intermountain 19469-04 PW 190062

Intermountain Railway Co. 19471-01 Southern Autorack TTGX 603785 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Southern - Date: COTS 5-90

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19211

Intermountain 19471-01 TTGX 603785 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19471-02 TTGX 941972 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19471-03 TTGX 942202 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 19471-04 TTGX 942396 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 19479-02 Western Pacific Autorack TTGX 913153 with Trailer Train Logos

Western Pacific - Date: Rack 11-79

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19200

Intermountain 19479-01 TTGX 910865 with Trailer Train Logos

Intermountain 19479-02 TTGX 913153 with Trailer Train Logos

Intermountain 19479-03 TTGX 913514 with Trailer Train Logos

Intermountain 19479-04 TTGX 915212 with Trailer Train Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 19481-02 Ferromex Autorack TTGX 705653 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Ferromex - Date: BLT 3-15

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 19481-01 TTGX 705590 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 19481-02 TTGX 705653 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 19481-03 TTGX 706720 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 19481-04 TTGX 707245 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194100-01 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Circle Cross Logo Autorack BNSF 300160

Burlington Northern Santa Fe with Circle Cross Logos - Date: BLT 11-74

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 194100-01 BNSF 300160

Intermountain 194100-02 BNSF 300177

Intermountain 194100-03 BNSF 300203

Intermountain 194100-04 BNSF 300215

Intermountain Railway Co. 194101-04 Canadian National Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway Autorack NKCR 9279

Canadian National Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway - Date: BLT 7-17

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 194101-01 NKCR 9222

Intermountain 194101-02 NKCR 9250

Intermountain 194101-03 NKCR 9258

Intermountain 194101-04 NKCR 9279

Intermountain 194101-05 NKCR 9286

Intermountain 194101-06 NKCR 9314

Intermountain Railway Co. 194102-03 Kansas City Southern Autorack TTGX 942845 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Kansas City Southern with Pair of KCS Logos - Date: BLT 3-14

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 194102-01 TTGX 705114 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194102-02 TTGX 705158 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194102-03 TTGX 942845 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194102-04 TTGX 981790 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194103-03 TFM Autorack TTGX 987753 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) - Date: BLT 10-99

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19014

Intermountain 194103-01 TTGX 604079 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194103-02 TTGX 987384 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194103-03 TTGX 987753 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194103-04 TTGX 995949 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194104-03 Conrail without "Quality" Autorack TTGX 603201 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Conrail without "Quality" Logos - Date: BLT 9-74

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19237

Intermountain 194104-01 TTGX 157314 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194104-02 TTGX 159560 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194104-03 TTGX 603201 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194104-04 TTGX 604132 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194105-04 Norfolk Southern Autorack TTGX 973881 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Norfolk Southern with Thoroughbred Logos - Date: BLT 8-13

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 194105-01 TTGX 704294 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194105-02 TTGX 704327 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194105-03 TTGX 962038 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194105-04 TTGX 973881 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194106-01 Canadian Pacific CP Rail Autorack CPAA 541615

Canadian Pacific CP Rail - Date: BLT 11-89

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19220

Intermountain 194106-01 CPAA 541615

Intermountain 194106-02 CPAA 543012

Intermountain 194106-03 CPAA 543046

Intermountain 194106-04 CPAA 556529

Intermountain Railway Co. 194107-03 BNSF Autorack TTGX 603026 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Burlington Northern Santa Fe with Orange BNSF New Image Logos - Date: BLT 12/74

Formerly Red Caboose Stock Number 19202

Intermountain 194107-01 TTGX 254903 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194107-02 TTGX 255891 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194107-03 TTGX 603026 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain 194107-04 TTGX 940296 with Red TTX New Image Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194108-03 CSX Patch Autorack TTGX 979842 with TTX Speed Line Logos

CSX Patch - Date: BLT 6-78 RBLT 2-95

New Paint Scheme

Intermountain 194108-01 TTGX 974685 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-02 TTGX 979135 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-03 TTGX 979842 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-04 TTGX 993086 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain Railway Co. 194108-02 Union Pacific Building America Autorack TTGX 850621 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Union Pacific Build America - Date: BLT 5-73

Formerly Red Caboose 19270 with Armour Yellow Paint

Intermountain 194108-01 TTGX 158925 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-02 TTGX 850621 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-03 TTGX 971460 with TTX Speed Line Logos

Intermountain 194108-04 TTGX 975352 with TTX Speed Line Logos

The Intermountain Models Have Light Orange and Yellow Paint

Intermountain Railway Co. Special Run Spring Creek Model Trains Rock Island Autorack ROCK 990034

Rock Island with White Roofs and The Rock Logos

New Paint Scheme

Now Sold Out Spring Creek Model Trains Special Run Cars

ROCK 999005, ROCK 990019, ROCK 990023,

ROCK 990028, ROCK 990034, and ROCK 990037

Priced at $90.00 Each, Fifty of Each Road Number Were Produced.

Resembling the former Red Caboose packaging, wrapped in clear plastic and nestled in between a pair of clear vacuum formed plastic car nests, with a rectangular piece of Styrofoam placed in between each autorack body end and the inner ends of the nests, the models are shipped in a cardboard window box.

Intermountain Railway Co. 19458-04 Autorack with End Doors Removed and Views of the Inner and Outer Door Faces

The autorack bodies are fitted with an injection molded plastic mid-deck and a pair of removable, but non-opening brass end doors that accurately simulate Thrall SealSafe Radial Doors®.

Although they have no hasp lock assemblies, per the prototype, the top of each door has a horizontal grab iron and a pair of vertical grab irons are located near the inner edge each door.

Intermountain Railway Co. 19458-04 Autorack without End Doors and 194107-04 with End Doors Installed

Adding a vehicle load to the Intermountain autorack cars has been greatly simplified by the addition of the factory installed mid-deck and door assemblies that as opposed to being permanently attached with glue, are firmly held in place by a brass inner bracket.

While Intermountain did not produce the additional set of user installed single end doors that were shipped with select Red Caboose models with a door option, the side plate extensions that are located at the top of each ladder, above the solid side panels still exist on the latest release.

With a door placed in between a ladder and the autorack body, a square pin that has been molded into the back side of each ladder retains an attached door in an open position on Red Caboose products with optional doors.

Red Caboose Autorack "A" End Open Door Installation Instructions Sheet

Manufactured in early and late style variations, rather than fabricate and attach eighteen individual anti-vandalism panels to the autorack body, a one piece see-through etched metal sheet with a non-perforated logo panel, or panels in the case of specific prototypes was designed for each car side.

Although the angled lower portions of the ten body side structural columns are raised and integrated into the flatcar and eight of the rectangular horizontal upper portions are a bit taller than the recessed roof edge, the vertical sections of the eight inner posts are painted directly onto the pair of metal sheets, which unlike the prototype, causes each anti-vandalism panel to appear depressed, rather than flush with these support uprights.

In order to avoid either bending the metal panels, or pushing them into the autorack body, the models should not be grasped by their sides.

Intermountain Railway Co. 194107-04 Autorack Anti-Vandalism Panels, Brake Handle, and Wire Brake Line Detail

Fitted with a factory painted metal underframe with air brake details and retention brackets that restrict the movement of the trucks and coupler drawbars, the flatcars have a factory painted wire brake rod and four separately applied stirrup steps.

A pair of grab irons is molded into each end of the flatcar bodies..

Not as robust as the Micro-Trains® Line autoracks are, somewhat delicate because of the added detail parts and the limited amount of support around the pair of metal panels, care must be exercised when handling the Intermountain models..

Intermountain Railway Co. 194107-04 Autorack Chassis with Air Brake Details and Micro-Trains® Trucks

With flawless paint applications, the autorack bodies, the flatcars, and the anti-vandalism panels are crisply printed, with the tiniest of lettering being completely legible.

While several of the newly released models are decorated in the same paint schemes as previous Red Caboose releases, rather than the customary overall car color of Armour (i.e., mustard) yellow, the Intermountain Union Pacific and Union and Pacific Building America autorack cars have light lemony yellow (i.e., faded TTX yellow?) colored flatcars and light pumpkin orange colored racks.

Although TTX had previously recommended that both the car body and the rack be painted TTX yellow, Union Pacific's request to use its corporate color (Armour Yellow) instead of the customary TTX yellow was approved by TTX.

Shortly thereafter, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Kansas City Southern railroads requested the use of their corporate colors.

Molded in plastic and factory painted silver, the edges of the simulated galvanized roof panels have rows of tiny rivet heads.

Fitted with free-rolling 33-inch chemically blackened metal low profile Intermountain wheel-sets and drawbar mounted Magne-Matic® knuckle coupler draft gear box covers that are attached with a black plastic pin, rather than a customary screw, each car has a pair of Micro-Trains® Line 1038 Barber Roller Bearing Trucks with long extension couplers and black trip pins.

Micro-Trains® 1038 Barber Roller Bearing Truck Installation on an Intermountain Railway Co. 194107-04 Autorack

The models have a manufacturer's suggested minimum operating radius of fifteen-inches.

When they were checked with a Micro-Trains® Line coupler height gauge, the talgo mounted couplers were found to be at the correct height.

Using an NMRA Standards Gauge, the wheel-sets were found to be properly gauged.

As the wheels have low-profile flanges, when they were run on Atlas Code 55 track, no tracking issues were noticed.

The 6.75-inch long cars weigh 1.60 ounces, which according to the National Model Railroad Association's NMRA RP-20.1 recommended practice guidelines for rolling-stock weight is very close to the NMRA suggested weight of 1.55 ounces.

Several Prototype TrinityRail Autorack Cars in Transit - TrinityRail Image

Established in 1917 as the Thrall Car Manufacturing Company, specializing in railroad freight car fabrication by the mid twentieth century, the privately held Chicago, Illinois based company was merged with Dallas, Texas based Trinity Industries on October 26, 2001 and the company was subsequently renamed Trinity Rail Group (TRG), which became the present-day TrinityRail, an industrial corporation that in addition to manufacturing railcars and the components for them, also provides field support, fleet management, leasing, and maintenance services.

Bi-level and tri-level autoracks with SealSafe® end doors and galvanized side screens are still produced by TrinityRail.

The continued popularity of full sized pickup trucks and SUVs has resulted in substantial increases in bi-level autorack use in North America, which makes the Intermountain Bi-Level Autorack cars must have models for contemporary train consists.

View additional articles like this one in the Trains N Scale™ Models and Prototypes Blog.