Dakota Brass

North Dakota's largest dealer for brass model trains, steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars, rolling stock and kits.

Welcome to our website!

Dakota Brass is now in its 25th year of business. My brass collection started 50 years ago when my wife bought me an NJCB Long Island G-53sd Ten-wheeler as a wedding gift. It was a very nice model in its day, but brass models have only gotten better since 1974. The pieces that are being produced now are truly better than museum quality. The research that goes into the production of these models gets better with each succeeding year. The level of detail and the variations that are offered are incredible. The engineering of the mechanisms, the quality of the paint and lettering and the elecltronic packages that accompany many of these models is way beyond what I started with 50 years ago. Moreover, the body of work that has gone into our hobby means that with a little perseverance, you can find an amazing number of prototypes to collect.
If you prefer the retro approach of finding a relatively raw model and doing the detailing and finishing yourself, there are plenty of models to choose from as well, often at surprisingly reasonable cost. These are works of art that with care and patience, generally become very reliable working models. Thanks to the internet, even if you can’t afford to buy them, you can still enjoy looking at them.

The newer models are clearly becoming more expensive, and unfortunately harder to come by, as the number of builders has declined and the production runs are less frequent. As a result, more of today's brass market is focusing on previously owned models. 3D printing is definitely changing the world for kit builders (including me) and plastic models, but that technology hasn't yet made it into brass. Digital electronics have also changed the hobby, and happily can usually be installed in brass models with great effects! If you see something you would like to buy, please contact us.

Please note that although this homepage may sit untouched for some time that we do keep the inventory lists current. Feel free to Email of call me if you have questions!

SOUNDTRAXX
Dakota Brass is an authorized dealer for all Soundtraxx and Blackstone models products. I’ve had a lot of experience installing Soundtraxx products in brass models. Soundtraxx has steadily upgraded their offerings. Their sound packages are continuing to improve. They have continued to provide fixed sound packages, rather then providing downloadable packages. Having worked with both types, the Soundtraxx formula is more user friendly. Soundtraxx offers 2 and 4 amp decoders that will allow installations in most 2-Rail O-Scale models. Their Blunami line in 2 and 4 amp decoders offers programming and operation through the Blue Tooth function on your I-Phone and Android. Programming is now a breeze with this capability. This has also made DCC even easier to work with. You can also operate your model on standard non-DC track. Check out the Soundtraxx website for more details

North Bank Line
Ed has continued to carry on with a number of offerings over the past year and some planned new items. The Western Pacific and subsidiary cabooses have just arrived and are posted. These haven't been modeled in over 40 years. They were done by Boo Rim and are beautiful. We still have a good stock of Vinegar Tank Cars and heavyweight business cars from his previous two runs. More business cars are planned this year. He is also looking for orders for Spokane Portland and Seattle lightweight cars as well as some Wabash and N&W trainsets.

Central Locomotive Works
Lou is now offering assembled brass O-Scale models. His recent runs of the Baldwin Centercabs andd the Milwaukee SDL-39's were a hit. He is planning next to do a wide-ranging run of SD-38, SD-39, SD-40 and SD-40-2 models. These models come unpainted with a vastly upgraded drive. Yes, you will need to do the finishing and electronics on your own, but they are an affordable option. Lou builds only to orders and does require deposits. Email me for his contacts.

The Coach Yard
Fred has kept busy. We still have some PRR, NYC, CB&Q and SP sets in stock. A number of new projects have been announced which are listed above. These need to be reserved well in advance, as he builds to reserved quantities. Visit their website for more details.

Division Point
There has been a changing of the guard at Division Point. Jack has sold the business to my good friend Dennis Bartholow. Dennis has gone to direct to customer marketing, requiring advance deposits and offering pre-payment options for the budget-minded. The builders are the same and he has the extensive database that Jack accrued over the years. Dennis himself is an outstanding modeler and researcher, which had already aided Division Point's offerings in recent years. His first project, the Baldwin Center Cab rerun, has done well. Visit his website for more details.

Sunset/3rd Rail/Golden Gate Depot
Scott has remained very busy in the O-Scale 2-rail and 3-rail market. He The O-Scale offerings are numerous, incluuding the NYC/P&LE He has just begun merging the Sunset/3rd-Rail/Golden Gate Depot operations into one entity, which should make thingss less confusing for everybody. The NYC H-10 Mikes finally arrived this past year in O-Scale and were well worth the wait. The O-Scale C&O Alleghenies and VGN Blue Ridges are still on the schedule, along with a run of Virginian Jackshafts, all in O-Scale. There are a whole bunch of plastic diesels listed in O-Scale. On the Golden Gateof the Prospector, the Crescent Limited, AMfleet and Viewliner cars and reruns of the Twentieth Century Limited, the Broadway Limited, and the Daylight are offered. These cars have become some of my favorites, as they aree well-detailed and run well out of the box. Scott also has severaal HO projects online, including the SP narrow-gauge steam engines. As you may recall, an earlier run of these had been commissioned by Union Terminal Imports. Visit their website.

DAKOTA CENTRAL AND WESTERN MODEL RAILROAD MUSEUM

Located in Bismarck in the basement of the Lewis Hotel at Buckstop Junction, this 3000 square foot DCC-controlled HO layout is well underway with over a thousand feet of track in operation. Work nights are Thursdays. The club has really rebounded nicely from the pandemic and is making real progress. If you are going to be in town and would like to visit it, contact me by Email, phone, or snail mail.

Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum

I’ve been a member of this organization for over 40 years. It was founded and originally located in the St Paul Union Depot in the 1930’s until it moved to Bandana Square in the old NP Como Shop complex in the early 1980’s when the Depot closed. Six years ago, it then accomplished what most of us thought would be nearly impossible: it moved again to a new site at 668 Transfer Road off University Avenue in St Paul, adjacent to the old Amtrak Depot. (Ironically, Amtrak has now moved back to the St Paul Union Depot.) The TCMRM has joined with a number of other model railroading groups in an 11,000 square foot space which has become a site truly take in the breadth and scope of model railroading. This is an absolute must-see for rail fans in the Twin Cities. They are generally open to the public Thursdays through Mondays. Visit their website or call them at 651 647-9625 for hours.

UPCOMING ITEMS

Division Point

Balwin Centercabs
UP Alco C-855's
EMD E/F passenger units
EMT FT's
Soo Line O-20 4-8-4’s
SD-70ACE's
NP L-5 0-6-0
CB&Q E-5 diesels
FM H 10/12 44's

North Bank Line

Business cars (round 3)
Vinegar tank cars
Western Pacific and subsidiary
single sheathed cabooses
Wabash City of Kansas City
SP&S streamlined Passenger cars

The Coach Yard

SAL Meteors
Mopac Eagles
SP Starlight
UP Portland Rose
NYC Pacemaker and lightweight coaches
PRR Fleet of Modernism Trains
Pullman Restaurant Cars
Southern Crescents
CSX Office Cars
SP Business Cars

Soundtraxx

Blunami decoders
Tsunami Decodes
Accessories

Sunset/3rd Rail/Golden Gate Models

O C&O and Virginian 2-6-6-6's
O EMD SD-40-2's
O EMD SD-7/9's
O Alco FA's
O Amtrak Siemens Chargers
O Amtrak P-42 Genesis
O GP-30's
O Texas Special
O Frisco Meteor
O Southern Crescent
O Rio Grande Prospector
O ATSF 1937 Supercheif
O PRR 1948 Broadway Limited
O Budd Slumber Coaches
HO Harriman Passenger Cars
HOn3 SP Narrow Gauge

Central Locomotive Works

O EMD SD-38. 39. 40. 40-2's
O Modern GE Diesels
(We are not a dealer for CLW, but contact Lou at clwusa@verizon.net if you are interested)