Bethgon Coalporters: Walthers Gold Line or Athearn RTR?

[railfan4life]

Thanks for the information. So far it looks like the Athearn cars are a little better. As for cost, as I said, the cost of the two different brands is not drasticly different. It's not that I have unlimited funds, but I'd rather get fewer of the better car than more of the lesser one.

[BRAKIE]

I am looking to build up a coal train of coalporter hoppers and am trying to decide wether to purchase the Wathers Gold Line or the Athearn RTR cars. The cost is comperable so I'm mainly looking at wich is the better car (operational dependability, looks, accuracy, etc). Does anyone have any experiance with either of these models that might help with my decision? None of my LHS carry both so I can't do a side by side comparison on my own. Thanks in adavnce.

 

You may want to consider using both brands of coalporters in the same road name.

Here is the going STREET pice.

Athearn 5/$71.99

Walthers. 6/$62.38

[ouengr]

There are several areas where the Waltter's model falls short to me.  Walther's has made several runs of these cars so some of the details will vary.  The earlier runs of the coalporters had plastic wheels that needed to be replaced with metals wheelsets for more reliable operation.  The ealier runs also included either X2f or plastic leaf spring couplers that were prone to failure.  In either case. the couplers needed to be replaced for more reliable operation.  The wheelsets and the couplers on the Athearn cars in my collection seem realiable and have not been changed on the coalporters or other cars.  I do not know if Walthers has released a set of the coalporters as part of the "Gold Line series".  If they have, the the coupler and wheelset issues do not matter. 

Other than the mechanical issues whihc can be overcome for a cost, I have two issues with the Walther's coaplporters.  The Athearn cars now include seperate wire grad irons.  The Walther's molds are considerably older and do not include this feature.  This is not a big deal but it is a difference.  For the money, I would rather have the hihger detail.

The sccond issue that I have with the Walther's care are the coupler mounts.  The mounts extend beyond the body and do not allow for anything resembling a realistic spacing.  This may allow for cars to run on tighter raduis curves, but the impact on appearance is noticable.   I do not know a way to overcome this deficiency. 

The Walther's cars are nice but it is not what I want in my collection.  When the Athearn sets were released, I sold my three Walther's sets and replaced them with the Athearns.  I don't know if this helps but it is my take.  One option that you might also lok for is the old E&C shops / LBF/ ??? coalporters.  The were not the best looking cars but they could create a large coal drag for a smaller amount of money.  I have 48 car Burlington Norhtern coal train outfitted with coalporters that I completely rebuilt with new trucks, couplers, and weight that I keep for operation at clubs and train shows.  I haven't run the train recently but it usually works well and keeps the public happy.   Is cost is s deciding factor, you may want to add up the total costs for coal loads, better wheels, couplers and any other upgrades you want before making you decision.  In the past I have bought what I thought would be a better deal only to realize the I spent more money upgrading the car than I would have spent buying starting with the better car.  

[cacole]

If you want to build up a sizeable fleet of them, you might have to use both brands to avoid duplicate numbers on some of the cars.

[Anonymous]

Athearn.  The Walther's cars were fine several years ago but they do not measure up to todays higher standards. 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that. I've compared the two, and it's very close. I'd still go with Walthers; that's who I got my first set of coalporters from, and that's who I'll buy the rest from.


Matt

[Anonymous]

Athearn RTR gives you five (5) coalporters for $99.98. Walthers gives you six (6) for $79.98. The Athearns do have coal loads, but I am less than impressed with their coal loads. Right now, Walthers has some sets of their coalporters on sale for $59.98. http://walthers.com/exec/search?category=Freight&scale=H&manu=walthers+&item=&keywords=coalporter&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search


Matt

[ouengr]

Athearn.  The Walther's cars were fine several years ago but they do not measure up to todays higher standards. 

[railfan4life]

I am looking to build up a coal train of coalporter hoppers and am trying to decide wether to purchase the Wathers Gold Line or the Athearn RTR cars. The cost is comperable so I'm mainly looking at wich is the better car (operational dependability, looks, accuracy, etc).

Does anyone have any experiance with either of these models that might help with my decision? None of my LHS carry both so I can't do a side by side comparison on my own.

Thanks in adavnce.