LokProgrammer v 5.2.17 Released By ESU 2026-02-05

A little late with this one but this appears to be solely a bug fix update.

Version 5.2.17:

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- Bugfix:

  * ESU digital interior light 2.0

    - new firmware version 5.1.8 -> buffer time was too low when PowerPack capacitor was installed. 

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Woodland Scenics New Just Plug Sound System

This author hates to bring this to the forefront of model railroading this soon but the implications are excellent! Woodland Scenics has just mentioned that they are bringing a sound system to the model railroad layout world for background sounds based on the Just Plug system they have for layout lighting. This is just about all they have said.

There is a short (36 sec) YouTube video that they call a teaser (and it is) located here.

If this system turns out to be as good as their JustPlug lighting system, this author IS IN! His entire layout utilizes the JustPlug lighting system and it only took two days to wire the complete thing!

He knows he's getting ahead of himself but the only thing he is curious about is whether or not the system will have a control unit of some sort to turn sound on or off. With their lighing system you control everything by on/off switches.

Time will tell and he will update this article as things progress.

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If you have an idea for a blog post here, let me know. If I can comment on it, I will or I'll see if someone else can and post it. 

LokProgrammer v 5.2.16 Released By ESU 2025-12-22

 LokProgrammer v5.2.16 has been released:

Version 5.2.16:
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Bugfix

•  LokPilot 5 Basic -> Write CV
•  LokSound 5 XL  -> Output mode (effect) - External controlled smoke unit - ESU Smoke Unit (Gauge 0, G)

Soundeditor

•  Sound schedule -> containers can only be deleted if all associated container tabs are closed

Tools

•  New menu item - Show project differences -> window for project differences

LokSound 5 family / LokPilot 5 family / Essential Sound Unit

•   new firmware version 5.13
  

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If you have an idea for a blog post here, let me know. If I can comment on it, I will or I'll see if someone else can and post it. 

Atlas' eBay Store

The Atlas Model Railroad Company has an eBay sight located here. It is full of parts, listed by part number and name, along with various new old rolling stock. If you need a part, enter the part number in the search box and if it is available it will immediately appear. 

The rolling stock consists of new old stock items that were previously for sale. The author purchased a 33,000 gal. tank car from this eBay site (see figure 1).

Figure 1 The 33,000 gallon tank car

He also looked up this car on the Atlas Archive site by first searching for 33,000 and then the car road number 34237. There is a blog article concerning this site located here. The search showed that this car was produced in April of 2012 and the original price was $34.95. Since he paid $25.00 for the car it was a decent deal. One thing though, the author has purchased several pieces of their rolling stock and none of them came in the original box. They arrived in the original interior packaging only as shown in figure 1.

So if you are at a train show and see a model railroader running an older Atlas car you would like to have, look it up on their eBay web site. You never know, they may have one.

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If you have an idea for a blog post here, let me know. If I can comment on it, I will or I'll see if someone else can and post it. 

Walthers Pauses Publication of Their Iconic Reference Book

E-Update 1/21/2026

To our Valued Customers: For many years, the Walthers Reference Book has been an important part of the hobby, and we know it has been especially valued by customers who enjoy having a trusted printed resource at hand. We are genuinely grateful to everyone who has supported and relied on it over the years. We have been proud to provide it as a valuable resource to so many people for so long. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to pause production of the reference book. There will not be a reference book published in 2026. It’s important to note that the information traditionally found in the reference book remains available online at Walthers.com, where it is updated frequently and can be accessed at any time. For many customers, this shift will have little impact. We recognize that for those who prefer a printed reference, this news may be disappointing—and we understand that reaction. In the Spring of 2026, Walthers will celebrate 94 years in business. Over nearly a century of serving the model railroading industry, we have evolved our offerings to meet the needs of the time. The reference book evolved and changed over time, too. Rest assured, this publication pause does not change Walthers commitment to the hobby or to you, our valued customers.  We remain committed to producing and supplying a wide variety of high quality, reliable products as well as accurate, accessible information, service, and programs to enable enjoyment of the hobby by all -- experienced modelers, newcomers, and everyone in between.   We are not closing the door on the possibility of a printed reference in the future, but for now, we appreciate your understanding as we continue our evolution focused on serving model railroaders and stewarding the enjoyment of this amazing hobby. Thank you for your continued support. We welcome your thoughts, should you like to provide them to us at custserv@walthers.com  or call our customer service department at 1-800-4 TRAINS. Your Walthers Team If you have an idea for a blog post here, let me know. If I can comment on it, I will or I'll see if someone else can and post it.