I have a dilemma. I have been getting my rail cars out of storage that have been put up for some time. I'm finding I have a lot of missing and broken parts. My problem is a lot are out of production kits. Most are Athearn, Round House ConCor and Walthers kits. Ladders, hatchs, steps and the list gos on. Out of approx 200 kits I would say 75% need some kind of work. I would hate to scrap that amount we are talking over 500.00 worth of kits. For the record HO scale. Any advice?
Search Ebay??
South Penn
Mel, what do you use for casting and where do you get the stuff to make molds and casting materials?
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Once you start consolidating stuff, you'll find that you can turn a few kits into the parts sources for the other. Pick the least intersting kits to you to be the donors.
Also consider that older kits tended to be more generic. You'll find the same kit -- and parts -- just painted differently. A little paint and you;re back in business.
Some kits supply extra parts. Never throw them away, as they come in handy elsewhere.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
G Paine Mel, what do you use for casting and where do you get the stuff to make molds and casting materials?
gator63 I have a dilemma. I have been getting my rail cars out of storage that have been put up for some time. I'm finding I have a lot of missing and broken parts. My problem is a lot are out of production kits. Most are Athearn, Round House ConCor and Walthers kits. Ladders, hatchs, steps and the list gos on. Out of approx 200 kits I would say 75% need some kind of work. I would hate to scrap that amount we are talking over 500.00 worth of kits. For the record HO scale. Any advice?
Alton Junction
The OP's dilemna is a message to us all. Store those excess cars/locos in their original boxes with a wrap of paper towel (non decorated).
I agree with Richhotrain that I would first cannabalize cars to salvage others. Of course my question is, where are the broken parts, and why aren't they available to help in the salvage efforts?
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Before you start canabalizing parts, check with a well stocked hobby shop. Most sell parts such as ladders and sill steps. Why wreck something completely when it can be fixed for a dollars worth of parts.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
dehusman Before you start canabalizing parts, check with a well stocked hobby shop. Most sell parts such as ladders and sill steps. Why wreck something completely when it can be fixed for a dollars worth of parts.
Rich
Instead of boxes, can you put them on a train shelf? I don't think making one is too difficult. The shelf is more appealing and organized than stacks of boxes. Besides, pulling out a car is also much easier. Ah, if only I had reason to have a large storage shelf!
Nothing wrong with having a train shelf or cabinet............
Only problem is that guys like me (and a bunch of others I'll bet) would need some really big cabinets and longgggggg shelves to hold them all.
Hi
A cabinet sounds wonderfull uhm but where do I get one big enough,
I only have 50 years worth of stuff to store not much really.
Oh then there are the odds and ends we all have piles of.
regards John
Thanks for the advice guys. I wil try to hit the high points 1st. No LHS sad fact. 2nd. I'm not big into selling stuff. Most that I can't fix will just go in the trash. I have way to much crap from all my hobbies that needs thinning down. 3rd. Casting no talent here and most parts are very small. 4th Cannabalizing is going to be my 1st step starting with my covered hoppers. 5th I tryed Walthers for parts for my air slides and auto rack car unless I'm over looking something i can't find what I need. I'm going to take time to day to try a indepth online search. Thanks
Sometimes you need to pack things up either for storage or for moving.
LION has many freight cars and pax cars wrapped up in paper towels and stored. I'm afraid I will never use many of the freight cars, except to maybe canibalize and kit-bash into MOW equipment.
The Pax cars will live again on a static display purporting to be New York Penn Station. As everybody knows, NYP is under ground, and so will mine be, people will have to peek into the station to see the equipment, so damaged stock can have the ickky side facing away from the viewer.
Dead Locomotives will appear at the Coney Island backshop. Even complete basket cases will look just fine there.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I'd start by either checking the Walthers website, or getting their new 2015 catalogue. The thing is, you don't have to have parts from the manufacturer to fix up the cars - in fact there are many folks who over the years have bought Athearn, MDC, etc. kits and then replaced things likes ladders, grab irons, roofwalks etc. with better detailed replacement parts from companies like Cal-Scale, A-Line, Detail Associates and others.
gator63 Thanks for the advice guys. I wil try to hit the high points 1st. No LHS sad fact. 2nd. I'm not big into selling stuff. Most that I can't fix will just go in the trash. I have way to much crap from all my hobbies that needs thinning down. 3rd. Casting no talent here and most parts are very small. 4th Cannabalizing is going to be my 1st step starting with my covered hoppers. 5th I tryed Walthers for parts for my air slides and auto rack car unless I'm over looking something i can't find what I need. I'm going to take time to day to try a indepth online search. Thanks
There seems to be some confusion, or at least I'm confused.
Are you talking about already built cars that were stored incorrectly and parts fell off from rough handling? Or are you talking about kits which you are now finding to be missing parts?
maxman There seems to be some confusion, or at least I'm confused. Are you talking about already built cars that were stored incorrectly and parts fell off from rough handling? Or are you talking about kits which you are now finding to be missing parts?
Most have been built and were in storage. Some were along the line parts have been broken and lost in some of my moves. So yes rough handling and inproper storage on my part.
With over 200 cars it sounds like a lot of work. I would start with the easily repaired cars . Then do more complex repairs. If the cars are older OOP I would bet a lot of them have mostly cast on detail parts. The Athearn, Roundhouse, Concor cars may have nothing more than broken steps and missing brakewheels. There are metal replacement steps that may require drilling and glue .It is easy to find brake wheels.
Are these cars Kadee coupler equipped if not now is the time to change them. Do the trucks have plastic wheels ,replace them with metal wheels .While you are at it use a coupler height gauge and an NMRA gauge to check wheel gauge. If you start with easier repairs you won't be overwhelmed with the work you have.
Ron High