PRE-ORDER: Atlas Master 40006048 - 2-8-4 Berkshire w/ DCC and Sound Nickel Plate Road (NKP) 763 - N Scale

Pre-Order Due Date:  March 12, 2025

Most manufacturers give a Pre Order ETA which can be seen near the 'add to cart' button. They also give a due date which is indicative of when the product is expected to go into production.

There is a 5% NON-refundable deposit for preorders, this amount will be deducted from the price of the product when it arrives.  You will see how much downpayment is required after adding the item to your cart.

For any pre-order submitted after the due date, we will try our best to fulfill your order, but are at the mercy of the manufacturer and if they produce more than were preordered by their dealers.

Pre-Orders will show a 0 shipping cost now, and shipping will be included on your invoice at time of product arrival.

When the product(s) are available to ship, you will receive an invoice via email and text through Intuit QuickBooks for the remaining 95%. Message and data rates may apply.

Please note that Estimated Arrival Dates can change at any point. Midwest Model Railroad is not responsible for manufacturers delaying production.

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Features

• Accurate paint schemes
• Master series Silver (Sound Ready) and Gold (DCC with sound) versions
• Separately applied details

Atlas Master® Series Silver Additional Features:

• NMRA Next18 plug for DCC (Decoder-ready)

Atlas Master Series Gold Features:

• Soundtraxx Tsunami2 Steam Decoder equipped
  Key features include:
  • 10 Exhaust Chuffs for the ultimate customization.
  • Over 20 Selectable Hyperlight lighting effects.
  • 16 Polyphonic Sound Channels for rich, layered audio.
  • Dynamic Digital Exhaust (DDE) for an authentic operating experience.
  • Adjustable Exhaust Cut-Off for more precise operation.
  • Functioning Locomotive and Train Brakes with adjustable braking rates.
  • 90 Whistles for unparalleled customization.
  • Selectable Compressors, Bells, Dynamos, Couplers, and more.
  • Support for traditional 2-cylinder, as well as 3-cylinder and articulated settings on all exhaust chuffs.
  • A variety of Background Sounds, including Fireman Fred tailored for coal-fired, wood, oil, or auger-fueled locomotives, general service, cab sounds, clickety-clack, drifting sounds, and more!

Prototype Info

In the spring of 1925, the Berkshire Hills on the Boston and Albany railroad resounded with the roar of a new concept in locomotive design – the first “Super-Power” 2-8-4. Dubbed the A-1 by Lima Locomotive Works, the “Berkshire” - as it quickly came to be known - was more than a logical upgrade to the 2-8-2 “Mikado”, as it featured a larger boiler, firebox, feedwater heater and superheater. These features taken together overcame the issues of wheel slip and loss of steam pressure upon acceleration that plagued earlier drag-freight designs based on the Mikado.

Indeed, this first Berkshire easily pulled over 2500 tons up the 1.5% grades of the B&A without assistance, resulting in an order for 55 by the B&A alone. More upgrades were soon to come, however. By the early 1930s, the railroads under the ownership of the Van Swerigen brothers (Nickel Plate, Chesapeake & Ohio and Hocking Valley, Erie, Pere Marquette, Wheeling & Lake Erie) had joined together the engineering talents of their several railroads into an Advisory Mechanical Committee, which produced many of the most successful steam locomotives of the era, including the C&O T-1 (or “Texas” type). The improved Berkshire design resulting from this committee was derived from scaling the primary dimensions of the T-1 down by 70% - except for the drivers, which were increased in size from 63” to 69”. By the end of production of the 2-8-4 Berkshire in 1949, Lima had produced 368 of the 611 locomotives to carry the name. Two remain in operation – NKP 765 (the “Queen of the West”) and PM 1225, the star of the movie “Polar Express”.