MDC (Model Diecast Corp) and Athearn were competators, both manufacturing in the LA area. MDC relocated operations to Nevada.
The principle difference was that Athearn used a steel bar for weight, and Round House a metal casting, in their freight cars. Another as MDC produced Steam engine castings while Athearn tooled injected plastic products.
HORIZON now owns both and appears headed for the RTR market rather than 'kit'. 'What sells'. Previous product emphasis were 'Old' vs. New. MDC's 30 footers and Ore car consists took a bit more work, but were a joy on the track.
HORIZON now owns both and appears headed for the RTR market rather than 'kit'. 'What sells'.
Safety,I have no doubts you are already know this but,I will mention it just the same for those that may not know.Be sure to check the frame and weight to insure they are not warped.Straighten if needed by gently bending.This helps in that dreaded coupler box droop.
Your end results should look like this.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
What are the zig-zaggy looking thingalings along the length of the car floor? It seems the inner axle of each truck have been removed. That right there tells me sumpum aint right. (There is a mathematical formula to determine if sumpum is right....sumpum made >~< wampum paid....).
If those hopper bottoms are just lying there, should be no problem. If they have been assembled that way methinks someone (for lack of a better term) bollixed up.
Get a pin vise, some drill bits and taps. A #51 bit is the tap drill size for a 2-56 tap. Drill the holes out, tap them and away you go.
The experience of assembling the chinese built kit did not feel any different than a USA Blue Box. I wondered if the tooling was shipped overseas from the USA and set up in the new factory?
At the end of the day the boxcar passes it's uncoupler gauge but has the coupler boxes hanging below the carbody which is somewhat not easy to fix. I dont know if the use of the 148's kept the coupler at the required height.
When placed with several others there was nothing to distinguish this one from the others. I did cheat a little bit by using spare athearn trucks from a scrapped USA kit and proto 33" wheels.
I think if I buy these chinese kits in the future, it will be thoroughly inspected at the counter pending purchase. I say that the kit is no different than a USA kit and actually had the feeling that the tooling may have been shipped overseas.
I will deal with it on a case by case basis. I have a mountain of spare athearn parts to fall back on, that really helps alot when something comes out not quite right.
Well, even an old dog like me has to try something once.
I stocked up on parts and got a few more BB's today at the store.
I inspected carefully a Made IN China BB Boxcar kit of the 40' variety against two others that are USA made.
All the parts were present and accounted for. 96 bachmann style cheapo-breaky couplers, Athearn RTR metal wheels. All parts were present.
I took this kit home today with two others. I will build this chinese kit with the same care as I do the USA kits and try to post later the experience. The moment of truth is when I put it against the gauges to see if it passes or fails.
Noah,Thanks for the information..As far as the old Roundhouse kits I had more problems with the the tank car kits then the boxcar kits even tho' some of the boxcars had truck/frame problems which was usually fix by using a KD washer.
I don't buy that many BB kits and neither of the local shops carry the latest BB kits.I prefer the Athearn RTR cars and I very please with these cars..
That's the exact same car I bought about a year or a year and a half ago under the Athearn name. I had exactly the same problems, that I couldn't get the screws to go in. I still haven't fixed it, and it still doesn't work. It's a nice looking model otherwise, but it wasn't engineered to work very well...
I've had other roundhouse and ex-roundhouse cars that were perfectly fine. This was the only one I've ever had trouble with. Sure is annoying.
And the reason the car doesn't show as Ontario Northland is that it's got Algoma Central paint out reporting marks. I'm told the AC really did have ex-ON cars that they used for a while, but I can only hope the real things ran better than the models do...
Noah
newusername wrote:CudaKen ... What does the ID label read that is on the end of the 60th Anniversary box? Just checked Athearn's website and it shows the only "blue box" kit they make for the Ontario Northland is a 40' boxcar (Kit 1213), not a 40' rib-side hopper as your pic shows.
I couldn't find that kit at any of my usual on line shops so,it must be so new it slid into the market place without much fanfare or prior notice.
It's nice to know the old MDC cars will be offered as BB kits.
Blue Box Ken????? Oooooh kay.
The six round House cars I have work fine, but took way more work than the BB cars. If this was a car I had to have like the RH Bluk End 60' footers I would work it till it was right. But it is nothing speical so back it goes. If Ken at K-10 Trains wants to give the correct screws I will keep it.
Safety, on the stripped out screw holes. I use CV glue, put some glue in the hole then run down the screws. I have saved a few of my older BB when the truck screws where stripped.
Blue box Ken
I hate Rust
Ancient memory seems to tell me that even when MDC Roundhouse and Athearn were separate outfits that Athearn actually did the casting work (and maybe the tool and die work) for MDC.
Some of us are old enough to remember when MDC boxcars were diecast zinc and Athearn boxcars were stamped steel.
Dave Nelson
Ive a bunch of RTR Roundhouse Milk Cars, Passenger car set etc and Im happy with them.
Ive learned to stay away from the old Roundhouse kits; that's just me.
One of the hobby shops I go to allow me to look inside the kit and inventory the contents and make sure all parts are present. I caught walthers short a door once this way (Not a problem, other box had spares that I was also buying)
I would caution the customer to examine the kit at the counter and inventory the parts... there has been some strange happenings around the 60th anniversary event that really does not make me feel happy. This latest post about long screws etc.. only adds to my discontent.
That metal frame takes me back to the days of the Dremel Tool with the stone grind wheel to make it somewhat smooth. whew!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
After restarting Model Railroading in earnest I've put together several "MDC Roundhouse" kits that were New Old Stock or eBay purchases. They were very much like I remembered them being in the late 70's, metal frames that take some clean-up or plastic frames that are sometimes warped and fair to middling cast on details.
I clean the flash off the metal frames, apply the underside details and paint it all with semi-gloss black. I've bought an assortment of brass screws that allow me to replace any that prove to be too long or missing in the kits. The trucks get IM or P2K metal wheels. McHenry or Kadee knuckle couplers are applied and height is checked. The body gets paint touch-ups if it needs it and is mounted on the frame.
Some of the RTR Athearn I've bought is ex-MDC Roundhouse stuff, they look to have been manufactured with more attention to detail than that of the older MDC Kits.
I'm happy with the Roundhouse & ex-Roundhouse cars I have, they look like I want them to and once I've spent some time working on them they run just fine.
Mark Gosdin
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Picked up a Athearn 3 bay coal hopper today, well I thought it was a Athearn.
Seemed odd to have the 60 year on the top and not on the end of the box.
I bought it with just looking at the car body, When I got it home I was shoocked with what was in the box.
The normal Athearn couplers pockets where replaced with Round House screw down tops. Axles where the brass color and not the normal steel. Holes for the trucks did not go into the body plus the screws where to long! When I had the screw in as far as I could get them, I could see 4 threads of the screw's when I held it right side up!
Even the added on parts look like Round House.
I have done 6 Round House Blukhead 60' Flat cars and there parts are the same. I will add I will not buy any more Round House Rolling Stock! There fit was a joke, I had to cut off 1/2 inch of there under carriage so the whees would not hit it!
This is the first 60 year Atheren I had a big problem with, it is all so the first one that had the 60 year Logo on the top of the box! It goes back to K-10 Trains Friday.
Cuda Ken