riogrande5761,Yeah, I know. I "dissed" St. Irv's primitive out-of-scale models. The horror!
While I certainly understand the role of "stand in" models (I use them myself), there are multiple levels of reality between the stand in and the prototype. For example, using a generic sleeper instead of prototypical sleeper isn't so bad. Using a coach instead? Not so good. Using a 72' coach? That's even worse. My point is that not all stand ins are equal. For me, some things are just unacceptable. I personally draw the line at shorty cars. That's Lionel thinking, and I just won't do it.
I know there are people that don't care about certain aspects of our hobby. Heck, I don't much care about freight car accuracy. I couldn't tell you the difference between the various kinds of dreadnaught ends, roof patterns, or even between an AAR 40' box and a PS-1 40' box. I really don't care. However, I do appreciate that other people care. And if someone offered me two models, one being accurate and one being inaccurate, I'll take the accurate model any day. Why? Because this hobby is about modeling the prototype in miniature. Compromises must be made depending on operation, availability and price, of course. Just don't tell me that the compromise is better than the prototype (Hi, Sheldon!).
Sheldon,I have a feeling that's not the way those cars in your picture came from the factory. I just put together two bone-stock (so stock, they still have X2F's on them) Athearn heavyweight cars, and the cars are 5.5 scale feet apart at the car corners (without diaphragms). My Walthers heavyweights are more like 2.5 feet apart at the car corners (with diaphragms). At rest, the Walthers diaphragms do touch, but when under tension, the diaphragms are apart by about 1/16". But I could just as easily put on short shank Kadees and they'd touch all the time.
richhotrain,If snooty means I prefer accuracy over inaccuracy, then I guess I'm snooty. If it means, "having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people," (from m-w.com) then I'm not.
Paul A. Cutler III
Paul3 richhotrain, If snooty means I prefer accuracy over inaccuracy, then I guess I'm snooty. If it means, "having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people," (from m-w.com) then I'm not. Paul A. Cutler III
richhotrain,
If snooty means I prefer accuracy over inaccuracy, then I guess I'm snooty. If it means, "having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people," (from m-w.com) then I'm not.
I meant definition #2.
I just thought that your comments about the Athearn BB cars, the fact that they are shorties, and the thought that they are "true toys....toys for children", were both a bit unfair. I own both Athearn BB shorties and Walthers and Rapido full size cars and both have a place on our fellow modelers layouts. They are certainly not children's toys, especially when modified with metal wheels, Kadee couplers and even working diaphragms.
Rich
Alton Junction
Paul said:
Yes, you are correct, they did not come that way from Athearn or ConCor - they were KITS and I modified them to be that way.
If I had room for 60" curves, and unlimted time and money, maybe all the passenger cars on my layout would be full scale length for their "prototypes".
But I started building my fleet of nearly 200 passenger cars LONG before all this new fancy, high end, expensive RTR stuff existed. And even back then, I decided that I did not care for how 85' cars looked on my 36" radius curves - I have watched passenger cars in real life.
So I made a choice, a compromise, that I am still comfortable with. But I actually enjoy taking that Athearn car, adding a lot of detail, body mounting the couplers, installing the diaphragms to work correctly, kit bashing the window arrangments to get cars Athearn never made, painting them, decaling them, etc - more fun than taking $100 out of a box.......
And for me the "running" part is the same fun, with that Athearn car or a RTR car. Passenger car or freight cars, I gave up on "rivet counting" years ago, even though I'm pretty good at it.
As for the diaphragm spacing o the various brands of new cars, it is all over the map, some are pretty good, other suck big time, I have seen them all.
My cars are built by me to one standard that interchanges fully with all my cars - without regard for length or brand - and I do have a few 80' heavyweights - Branchline, Bachmann, they too have been modified to my coupler/diaphragm standards.
Sheldon
I am probably gonna make some of you cringe, sad or impressed. i apologize in advance for the two. i got several heavyweights and strimlined in blue box. i liked them. when i was younger i never even knew thata they were too short. i am 25 now and have learned a lot. when i got several strealined and a heavyweight RTR i thought cool maybe they fixed the issue with them not being the right length. i own several branchline kits and other smooth side coaches that were the correct length. i own several con-cor that are very nice. but it bugged me that when i put the cars in trains it showed how short they were. so i cut them all and made them the correct length. even the oness that had the braces along the sides. i think they look great. but if you are extremely careful you can do it. or..... just leave them the way they are.
But JOSEPH, no peekshurs! How can we cringe wit no peekshurs?
Wayne
doctorwayne But JOSEPH, no peekshurs! How can we cringe wit no peekshurs? Wayne
Oh right... I guess there needs to be evidence for that to happen. here is a small bit of what i did. i have done 6 heavyweights, 6 streamlined. one vearly early one with the brace on the back. i have enough pieces to make one more with the brace on the back. but... i may wait. this took alot of breaks cause it did kinda get frustrating. but i think it turned out good.
so i am haveing some technical difficulties.. i will try to post them.
so i made a error and deleted the photo's https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qiSBrcIA7mDUhpdrUmyms8YvacCVadIg/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14EY4CE8ctKvV9JmXlF53CdEWOzjR54Yu/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qiSBrcIA7mDUhpdrUmyms8YvacCVadIg/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fvd4hNSysOEsmBbIIWdlm_Eqhgqt840J/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12HAOZD4Akq8vFhyxcxpLqYq7AXzeLEud/view?usp=drivesdk