Does anyone still make actual locomotive kits?

James,

Here's a link to a supplier of HO locomotive kits....

http://bowser-trains.com/holocos/holocos.htm

Don Z.

Jsmes--

If you mean steam loco kits, Bowser still makes quite a few excellent kits that turn into extremely good runners, from what I hear.  Though I've never built one, the ones I've seen are really fine.  They do take a lot of care and time to build, but the results are just about unanimous from everyone I've talked to who has built one. 

If you look around, you can still find some of the older Roundhouse "Harriman" and "Old-timer" loco kits, while easier to build than the Bowser, are not as detailed.  However, with a bit of free-lancing and additional detail parts, they can be made to look quite good. 

Tom

Here's some of the Roundhouse/MDC kits.
http://www.internethobbies.com/mdcrounlocki.html

And here's detail parts and re-motor kits kits for your 2-8-2. I've got that same kit and just added a can motor to it and got the super detail kit that I still have to install.
http://www.yardbirdtrains.com/YBDetailParts.htm
http://www.yardbirdtrains.com/YBMotorIndx.htm
They are a lot of fun to build.


Microscale sells steamer decals.
http://www.microscale.com/

Another thing you can do is check eBay. I found and bought an old Cary locomotive Works USRA Heavy Mikado boiler kit, pre drilled and complete with the detailing kit and a Mellor cab kit to boot! The price was good too. It took a few tries to finally get one, but it paid off. Dan

Bowser has been mentioned: their lines includes the old Penn Line Pennsylvania RR steam locomotives, a couple of modified Varney engines, and their own line; they also offer the Cary boilers that can be used with their own frames or with certain Mantua/Tyco kits.   Roundhouse and Mantua kits are still seen at swap meets; now and then one sees a Varney or John English kit, often partly built up and then abandoned, but the prices tend to reflect a small collector's market for those makes.   One nearly never sees the brass locomotive kits (a USRA 0-8-0 comes to mind) that Tenshodo (I think) used to offer decades ago, but apart from that the swap meet, and I imagine Ebay, markets offer up nearly everything if you look hard enough.  There are even places that specialize in replacement parts.

And if you are asking yourself, 'who cares about a steam locomotive kit from 1950s tooling,' check out what Forum poster Art Hill has managed to do with an old John English "Yardbird" Pennsy 0-4-0 kit from around 1950.  Bowser offers a similar engine that is not the same tooling; Art Hill has used their super detail kit and has remotored the engine.   This is superb workmanship:

  http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/141558.aspx

Dave Nelson.

Kaslo makes nice kits. http://www.kasloshops.com/index.html

All,

Thanks for the help and the links.

I am almost done with the 2-8-2, I need to get a new cab for it, as the roof was broken when I got it. I am going to a train show next Sunday, and there is a dealer there that specializes in TYCO parts, and I have seen spare cabs for a good price there, so problem solved.

Next step: deciding on a road name and decalling the loco.

I am thinking about getting a few kits for myself soon, although I may just defer a bit and see what the misses gets me for Xmas and for our aniversary.

Thanks again, I can post photos of mine when I finish it up.

r/

 ET1

 MDC & Bowser kits.

http://www.kitbashdepot.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=21_75

Rich

First off let me thank you for your service to our country.

Yardbird trains has parts for Mantua/Tyco products. I have used them in the past when needing parts. I have a Mantua 2-8-2 but it was a built up model. A few detail parts and a paint job it runs OK and looks good.

The problem with locomotive kits today is not one of simple availability (or non-availability, if you will) but more one of obtaining replacement parts (except for Bowser locos) if and when needed. Many older kits such as those by Mantua, PennLine, English, et al. if found today at swap meets, are like to be missing some small but necessary part(s) as a result of the former owner(s) having pawed through the kit at some time in the past and given up on the idea of building the model. Short these items, the kit may no longer be viable and in nearly all cases, the original manufacture and their stock of replacement parts are long gone. This can be a particular difficulty when it comes to making even a minor error in riveting together the loco's valve gear, as many of the older kits required - make them just a little bit too tight and then where are you? Likewise, many of the older locos kit parts were not uniformly machined to the tolerence we have today and the builder was simply expected to tinker things back to proper order if he happened to get one of the fussier examples. This was just part of being a model railroader back then but something that will tend to really stymie most newer (the last dozen years or so) hobbyists today.

For the hobbyist with previous locomotive kit building experience, tackling one of the OOP kits may not be much of a challenge. However, for someone lacking such experience, it becomes a project which not only is likely to turn out to be a disappointment but in fact become just a dead end. My advice to the wouldbe builders of old kit locos is - proceed with caution.

CNJ831

As far as the Penn-Line parts look no farther then Bowser..After all they are the old Penn-Line kits.Also check Bowser for Varney parts for the 2-8-0 and 4-6-0.They also have John English parts.

As for other parts check yardbird..

http://www.yardbirdtrains.com/

If there is a need one can find a way..

Yardbird sells those cabs.

There aren't very many Diesel kits.Only ones I know of are Grandt Lines 25 Ton GE and Tiger Valley Models.Tiger Valley is,or was,a small maker of Alco road switchers.Chain drive,heavy.  Joe

I've put together several Mantua/Tyco kits over the years, including four of the Mikados.They are great runners and pull well, although not as good as a Bowser kit. But back in the day when both were in business, the Mantua/Tyco kits were about half the price of a similar Bowser. If you pick up any more of these kits that require riveting, pick up the Bowser rivet tool, works much easier than trying to use a fine center punch, ans it's made to roll the edges back.

The above comment about parts missing, as long as the small bags in the kit are intact, I've never had a problem with missing pieces. Most of the screws are standard 2-56 of various lengths that you can get at just about any hobby shop. The rivets and valve gear/side rod screws are available from Yardbird Trains, plus some of them are the same size as Bowser uses. 

As far as the road name, make up your own pike name and use alphabet sheet decals for the lettering. That's what I did.

Another advantage of building locos from kits that I haven't seen mentioned, since you built it up, you know how it comes apart for servicing and/or repairs.

 The small box that held the parts was still sealed when I got the kit, as well as the small parts bag was stapled.

I was able to obtain the parts I needed from a TYCO parts dealer on eBay.

I have considered using our made up railroad name for the loco: the Possum Central.

The Possum Central is a roadname I came up with for the 8 3/4" gauge (ride on) train set that we have.

We originally painted our locomotive to resemble the Chessie Steam Special engine. That had to get repainted after a nasty letter from the heartless jerks at CSX. Hence, the engine had to be repainted, and the Possum Central was born.

There is a greater amount of satisfaction in building a loco and running it than there is in just buying RTR.