WalthersMainline 910-3800 50' Rocket Train Clearance Car Missouri Pacific #357171 HO Scale Pre-Order

WalthersMainline 50' Rocket Train Clearance Car

Missouri Pacific • Road Number 357171 • HO Scale

Quick Specs

Product Overview

Some journeys to space begin with a much more grounded form of transportation. The WalthersMainline HO Scale 50' Rocket Train Clearance Car brings one of the most unusual and fascinating railroad operations to your layout, recreating a specialized car used in trains carrying solid rocket booster components across the country.

First introduced with the Space Shuttle program in 1981, NASA's rocket train transported solid rocket boosters from Morton Thiokol in Utah to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These trains included heavy-duty four-truck flatcars carrying rocket components under protective hoods, along with spacer and clearance cars positioned between the component-carrying cars.

Although the original rocket train was retired in 2011 with the end of the Space Shuttle program, the operation returned in 2020 for the Artemis lunar program. This Missouri Pacific #357171 clearance car offers a distinctive addition to a complete NASA rocket train consist or an unforgettable conversation piece within a freight car collection.

A Railroad Connection to Space Exploration

NASA's solid rocket booster trains connected specialized aerospace manufacturing facilities in Utah with launch operations in Florida. The unusual dimensions and sensitive cargo required a carefully arranged train with spacer and clearance cars helping to protect components and ensure safe movement along the route. The result was one of the most recognizable and specialized freight operations in modern railroad history.

Product Features

Features of the 50' Rocket Train Spacer and Clearance Car include:

• •Factory-installed clearance rings on the spacer car
• •Correct Plate B dimensions: 41' 3" truck centers; 15' 2" tall and 10' 8" wide
• •Available in both prototypical and special commemorative schemes celebrating NASA and the historic Artemis moon missions
• •Correct 36" RP-25 metal wheels
• •Proto MAX(TM) metal knuckle couplers

Why We Love This Model

Railroad models connected to the space program are uncommon, and that makes this clearance car especially appealing. The Missouri Pacific scheme gives the car a more traditional railroad appearance while its unusual purpose ties it directly to one of America's most ambitious transportation and engineering efforts. It is an ideal addition for modelers building the complete rocket train or collectors who enjoy highly specialized freight equipment.

Add a Piece of Rocket Train History to Your Railroad

Reserve the Missouri Pacific #357171 Rocket Train Clearance Car and begin building one of the most distinctive specialized freight operations ever to travel American rails.

Pre-Order Notice

This is a pre-order-only production—quantities are limited and based on reservations.

How to Place Your Pre-Order

1. Wait for the button to say “Pre-Order Now”
2. Confirm you see “$0.00 due today”
3. Complete checkout

How Pre-Orders Work

• •Reserve your item today.
• •We will contact you once inventory is en route to us with your final invoice.
• •Manufacturer delivery dates are estimates and may change.
• •You will still enter payment information at checkout, but as long as you see “$0.00 due today”, your card will not be charged.
• •We do not automatically charge cards when pre-orders arrive. You will receive a separate invoice once your item is ready to ship.

Important Note

Orders placed without the “$0.00 due today” option selected will be processed as full-payment orders. Please review our refund policy and other pre-order policies before placing your order.