Pacific Design Shops

10/19/2026

If you’re building a steam engine and looking for a Centipede Tender, we highly recommend checking out Live Steam Locomotives. They are doing a build of the castings for the frame and wheels sets. The castings are from the Roger Goldmann line of products.

We will have a future offering of UP AUX tenders for those building Challengers, Big Boys, and Northerns that will go great behind the Centipede Tenders from Live Steam Locomotives.

10/16/2026

What's coming down the track for 1" scale? We have been talking about various ideas/projects for 1" scale for a couple years and the goal in 2027 is to push those projects over the finish line. Some of the ideas we know for sure are:

-50' Wooden Express Re**er - $500 for the complete wood kit (Details and trucks extra)
-3-Axle Depressed Flatcar w/ Buckeye Trucks - $TBD
-C&O F-19 Pacific Tender w/ Buckeye Trucks - $TBD

The tender will be for our wife's 1" C&O Pacific and will allow us to travel to clubs in the Northeast US and bring equipment with to run and enjoy. We are only planning to build one for ourselves, but if you are interested we will run additional parts.

The 50' Express Re**er was a request 5 years in the making for one of our customers. It is designed to fit a custom 8" diameter propane tank to use behind their steam engine. Assembly is very similar to our 1" PFE Re**er as the roof lifts off for access to the inside of the car.

Lastly is our 3-Axle Depressed, but shrunk down for 1" scale. It is designed around the new Buckeye Trucks we are building for the C&O tender and should be a very smooth and stable riding car for 1" scale.

These projects don't have any hard timeline in 2027. Once the designed are finished we will release pricing and more accurate dates for the products.

10/13/2026

St. Croix 2026 Fall Meet Recap

During the last week of September, we hopped across Wisconsin to enjoy the last big meet of the year at St. Croix RR. Weather was great all weekend for running steam and enjoying time with friends.

We got a chance to put almost every single freight car we have designed over the years together in our train as we tested the Commonwealth Trucks and automatic air brake setup. We passed the throttle off to friends so we could enjoy the view from the end at times as well.

On Sunday, we doubled headed with another member hauling hundreds of passengers during the afternoon. Lots of smiles were enjoyed by young and old alike.

It was a great time and was awesome to see big steam on the 7.5” gauge again.

If you’re ever near the Twin Cities in Minnesota, we definitely recommend taking a trip out to St. Croix in Hudson, WI. The 4-3/4” track they have is outstanding and was buzzing all meet as well.

10/09/2026

Flatcar Friday showcasing all our flatcars designs. From the shorter 41' flatcar, perfect for short bed pickups or SUV's, to the long sleek 60' flats, to our heavy duty and easy to ride depressed flatcars.

https://pacificdesignshops.com/

10/01/2026

PRR #8686 and SCV #3084 double head a passenger train up the 1% grade S curve during the September 2026 Public Run. At the rear, a PDS bulkhead flat hauls the conductor.

09/30/2026

Tomorrow is the last day to order our new Commonwealth Freight Trucks or the Depressed Flat + Trucks Bundle before prices go up. All steel construction, no machining required, wheels axles and bearings included, ability to add both straight air and automatic air brakes.

Commonwealth Truck Kit: $1500
Depressed Flat + Trucks Bundle: $2500
Add on brakes: $500

On October 1st, pricing for the Truck Kit will be $1800; Depressed Flat kit will be $1200.

https://pacificdesignshops.com/cmw/

09/28/2026

Ride in comfort with our 3-axle Commonwealth Freight Trucks. Perfect when combined with our depressed flatcar, the trucks feature all steel components, swing bolster, and optional brakes on all wheels.

09/26/2026

Our PDS train featuring every style of PFE re**er and Flatcar we have ever built.

09/22/2026

Our 5’ Economy Ride Astride is now in stock. A simple, robust, and affordable car that only requires simple tools to complete.

We will be following up with those that pre ordered to get this shipped in the next couple weeks. We have a few remaining from this batch. $299 + shipping.

https://pacificdesignshops.com/freight-car/ride-a-stride-cars/

09/22/2026

This weekend, we will be headed to St. Croix RR in Hudson, WI for the annual Fall Meet.

If you are looking for a good winter project, we have the following kits in stock and can bring them with to save on shipping costs. Orders need to be in by 9/23 to pack it in time; payment can be completed at the meet.

1.5" 41' SP Flatcar Kit - $535
1" 41' SP Flatcar Kit - $450 (without stake pockets)
3-Axle Depressed Flat Kit - $1200
2-Axle Depressed Flat Kit - $900

Pacific Design Shops