Passenger car kits

[khier]

Dear All,

I have been searching for a whle for what looks like Lehigh Valley Black Diamond train. Lehigh Valley rolling stock is somewhat scarse. Except the pricy MTH and the hard to find Rivarossi sets there is practically nothing. I have been thinking of building/scratch building the coaches myself using a Branche line or whatever available kit. Since I have not had these kits in my hands, I shall be grateful if someone can comment on the contents, assembly, lettering...etc...etc.

Regards

Walid

[mbinsewi]

I'm embarking on a similar project, and just getting started by collecting the cars and parts I will need.

After mixed success at stripping paint and removing factory lettering, I can say, you'll have your best luck getting completely undecorated kits.

The Black Diamond train looks nice.

Mike.

[G Paine]

One place to start is to check for decals that you would need to compete the cars. Look at the Microscale site.

For other kits, check Bethlehem Car works http://bethlehemcarworks.com/

and Funaro and Camelengo http://www.fandckits.com/index.html

and The Coach Yard http://www.thecoachyard.com/Home.lasso

and Westerfield http://www.westerfieldmodels.com/

These may not have exact Lehigh Valley models, but maybe a close emough match. Most craftsman kits do not include trucks and couplers

Palace Car Co is a source for interiors http://www.palacecarco.com/

 

[gmpullman]

khier

Since I have not had these kits in my hands, I shall be grateful if someone can comment on the contents, assembly, lettering...etc...etc.

Hello,

I have built several Branchline kits. I bought single-window coaches when they were first introduced. I have not attempted any Pullman sleeping cars which were introduced a while later (late 1990s, maybe).

The kits are well engineered with a little flash and filing needed on some parts. The details are fragile. If you plan on making an operating model you may want to find other trucks (I used Walthers, if I recall) as the Branchline trucks don't track well.

The instructions are very well written and comprehensive. If you can successfully build a Proto 2000 freight car kit then these Branchline kits will go together fine for you. They take some time.

Branchline_kit4 by Edmund, on Flickr

 There is significant under-body detail. This is not a beginner kit but the end results can be a very detailed model. If you plan to operate or handle the cars frequently you may want to leave off some of the finer details.

Branchline_kit2 by Edmund, on Flickr

It seems to me that these kits were produced in numbers that were greater than demand. That is good for the consumer as I have seen some at train shows in the $15-$20 USD range. Atlas now produces these cars as ready-to-run using many of the same molds with slight changes to the running gear.

Hope that helps.

Good Luck, Ed

[khier]

Thank you all for your contribution to the discussion. I am old enough to learn that life is nothing but a series of compromises. MRR hobby is not an exception and rivet counters die earlier. Therefore I am willing to have an affordable train that looks like a black diamond rather than spending years to get the last detail right. I build (actually used to) 1/24 car kits. This means I am familiar with assembly, preparation, air brush, decale application, paint stripping...etc...etc....

I have just won my first E&B Valley RR Pullman light weight kit (well, not really for the Black Diamond). Let us see if it s worth the horror shipping costs from the US.

 

Regards

 

Walid

[Canalligators]

khier

... rivet counters die earlier ...

I love it, thanks for that.

[dknelson]

Probably harder to find than hen's teeth, but didn't AHM offer an entire packaged Lehigh Valley "John Wilkes" passenger train to go with their streamlined LV steam locomotive?  I do not recall if the LV cars were available separately.

Dave Nelson

 

 

 

 

[khier]

Dave, I am not counting rivets here but I am looking for coaches to match an ALCO PA-PA in the new Cornell red.

 

Walid