Hi All,
My LHS had a carboard box with several of these in it priced at 7.99. It looks like they were "used", as they were already assembled.
I bought 6 of them. Does anyone know who makes them?
Also, my friends and I have always called these couplers "McCrappies". Is that a bad rap? Perhaps they don't work well with Kadees, and a layout with couplers that are all the same would work fine. I use magnets for uncoupling, and my plan is to upgrade these cars with Kadees, which is my usual standard.
Thanks
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Any markings underneath? Really hard to tell who the maker is/was without a little more detail.
I will offer my "shot in the dark", and guess, based on details provided, that they are Athearn RTR, or upgraded BB kits.
Of course, without more details, this is just a "shot in the dark" guess, and very well could be incorrect. I am assuming: HO Scale, and that they are both the same manufacturer.
Reasonably certain the box car is Athearn RTR, as IIRC they offered that exact road number on a BN box. (The FWD markings was my clue...)
Edit: Just found an HO scale Alaska RR Gondola, Athearn RTR 40' #13526, Product #94326.
Boxcar would be Athearn RTR #91288, 50' Double Plug Door boxcar.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
the burlington one is an atlas car theres one on evilbay part no 1751-2
engineerkyle Also, my friends and I have always called these couplers "McCrappies". Is that a bad rap?
Depends upon which version of the McCrappy it is. The McCrappy is a plastic coupler where for the most part KDs are metal. More importantly, some of the McCrappies came with a little plastic finger instead of a spring for the knuckle. The plastic finger tended to lose its "spring" resulting in a failure of the coupler to remain coupled.
mikeGTW the burlington one is an atlas car theres one on evilbay part no 1751-2
That's the former Details West car re-released as Athearn RTR. Here's the listing on Athearn's site http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH91288 . Atlas manufactures a better model of this same car, which corrects the error DW made on the roof, that should be X panel instead of diagonal. Athearn upgraded some parts of the car but left the incorrect roof.
Rob Spangler
That gondola appears to be from MDC, but with metal wheels, is likely the newer version from Athearn/Horizon, or upgraded by a previous owner. The underbody is cast metal, which accounts for the decent weight, but this car originally dates from the early '50s. Check "40' gondolas" in the 1953 catalogue here:
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CEgQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhoseeker.net%2Fmdcmiscellaneous.html&ei=5dcyVLeHJ4eGyAT_iILIDg&usg=AFQjCNGBz1N3uktkfU6of8fPFnsOOKUXlQ&sig2=C2BUw3jbLltqQyuUTITFxQ&bvm=bv.76802529,d.aWw&cad=rja
I bought an older one a couple of months ago, new-in-box from an estate, and upgraded the details a bit before putting it in service:
The paint and lettering is mostly original, but it was unusual to find it in the CNR's original black, as the prototype switched to boxcar red in the early '40s. I doubt that the model is that old, but it fits in perfectly on my late '30s layout.
Wayne
engineerkyleAlso, my friends and I have always called these couplers "McCrappies". Is that a bad rap? Perhaps they don't work well with Kadees, and a layout with couplers that are all the same would work fine. I use magnets for uncoupling, and my plan is to upgrade these cars with Kadees, which is my usual standard.
McHenry couplers are nowhere close to Kadee in durability. I've acquired a fair number of cars with them, and adopted a policy of replacing them as they fail or demonstrate other operability issues. The shanks can twist or otherwise deform under load, and the knuckes can jam, both of which can cause unintended uncoupling.
As an example, during a recent op session, a McHenry coupler refused to stay coupled to anything, despite still having the metal knuckle spring in place. The knuckle was wedged part way open, so that it would uncouple if you pulled it with another car, and the knuckle spring had insufficient strength to force it all the way closed (which wasn't the fault of the spring). I've had that happen quite a few times, and the only sure cure is replacement. Save the springs for maintaining Kadee couplers, as they will fit Kadees.
Older McHenrys have a plastic sliver in place of a knuckle spring, and those for me are unacceptable. The knuckles don't reliably stay closed.
Thanks for all the quick replies!
I have one more mystery car for you. I got it in the same group as the others, but it has a lot more added on detail.
Another Athrean?
Unfortunately, I can get too rough when weathering, and before I new it, I had knocked off all four stirrups and the brake wheel on this one. The stirrups I can replace easily enough, but I've been all through my parts boxes and cannot locate an extra brake wheel.
Here is one of the gons I did. Sorry about the grainy shots, I am experimenting with an LED trouble light for photos, I don't like the results. Too washed out.