Accurail cars are among my favourites, offering good detail at reasonable prices. I don't use the couplers, but give them to others who do, while the plastic wheelsets they include nowadays work just fine.As for the trucks, the roller bearing ones (too modern for my layout) are pretty basic, but their version of the Andrews truck takes a back seat to no one, including Tangent.The cast-on detail is good (and durable), but if you want more, easy enough to add your own - grabirons, stirrup steps, etc.:
...and here's one built totally stock, except for the lettering:
Wayne
rrebell Kyle Accurail isn't really the gold standard detail wise. Exactrail earned that title, but considering they are at least $30 per car, it better be. Accurail makes perfect kits for building up you fleet at around $12 per. Accurail's customer service is the gold standard though. Now, Kadees and metal wheelsets cost money, and would raise the price of the kits, losing their advantage. Athearn offers RTR with metal wheelsets, but they are over $20, and the couples aren't much better. I found it hard to put the couplers together and install them in the first place, and they don't work well. I suggest Kadees, either #148 or #158. They are "whisker couplers", which are easy to install, simply take out of packaging and place them in the coupler boxes. The trucks and wheelsets work perfectly fine for me. Though if you don't want to use them, they would look great beside the RIP (Repair In Place) track or as a load. My one complaint about the company: they don't have more products for the modern era. Try Tangent for the ultimate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kyle Accurail isn't really the gold standard detail wise. Exactrail earned that title, but considering they are at least $30 per car, it better be. Accurail makes perfect kits for building up you fleet at around $12 per. Accurail's customer service is the gold standard though. Now, Kadees and metal wheelsets cost money, and would raise the price of the kits, losing their advantage. Athearn offers RTR with metal wheelsets, but they are over $20, and the couples aren't much better. I found it hard to put the couplers together and install them in the first place, and they don't work well. I suggest Kadees, either #148 or #158. They are "whisker couplers", which are easy to install, simply take out of packaging and place them in the coupler boxes. The trucks and wheelsets work perfectly fine for me. Though if you don't want to use them, they would look great beside the RIP (Repair In Place) track or as a load. My one complaint about the company: they don't have more products for the modern era.
Accurail isn't really the gold standard detail wise. Exactrail earned that title, but considering they are at least $30 per car, it better be. Accurail makes perfect kits for building up you fleet at around $12 per. Accurail's customer service is the gold standard though.
Now, Kadees and metal wheelsets cost money, and would raise the price of the kits, losing their advantage. Athearn offers RTR with metal wheelsets, but they are over $20, and the couples aren't much better.
I found it hard to put the couplers together and install them in the first place, and they don't work well. I suggest Kadees, either #148 or #158. They are "whisker couplers", which are easy to install, simply take out of packaging and place them in the coupler boxes.
The trucks and wheelsets work perfectly fine for me. Though if you don't want to use them, they would look great beside the RIP (Repair In Place) track or as a load.
My one complaint about the company: they don't have more products for the modern era.
Try Tangent for the ultimate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Almost forgot about Tangent, which is $40-$50+ I believe. If I had over $10,000 just laying around, that would be the best option. For $10,000 you could get about 200 cars at $50 each, though if your spending that much I would hope they would give you a bulk discount. Back in the realistic world, 200 Accurail kits would cost $2,000; then you could buy 10 nice locomotives for another $2,000; a great DCC system for $1,000; and have $5,000 left over for the layout.
Except for if you have a small space, having an entire fleet of high end rolling stock doesn't pay off unless you have more money than you could spend making a layout in your lifetime. That just my opinion.
Now, if you have built a layout you are happy with, ran out of space or don't to expand, and have a good sized fleet, and want to slowly upgrade your fleet, then the high end models are reasonable again.
wojosa31 I but the wheels and couplers in bulk sets, so the upgrade cost works out to about two bucks / car. Add that to the average $14.00 cost of an accurail car and it's still cheaper than most RTR.
That's true for us hobbyist but,the manufacturers will add the cost I mention that's why a old $4.98 BB car kit now RTR cost around $25.00 with metal wheels and crappy couplers.
We built the same car from the kit for around $6.00 with KDs and metal wheels.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I'm happy with Accurail. Having to upgrade the couplers and wheel sets has been pretty routine for most of the rolling stock I have purchased, and I actually enjoy doing the work. They are certainly an improvement over the Athearn BB kits of which I have purchased many.
The only expensive RTR rolling stock that I have ever purchased are three True Line Trains slab sided hoppers with Canadian Pacific markings. I managed to get them on eBay for slightly less than retail including shipping. I love them but I still feel guilty every time I look at them! I can't bring myself to buy any more (can you hear the birdies - cheap, cheap, cheap?!)
Interestingly, I don't mind spending a bit when it comes to kit bashing. As some of you are aware I just finished upgrading a fleet of BB cabooses. When I add up all the details like working marker lights, wire for new grab irons, screen doors and windows, window glazing, wheel wipers, metal wheels, new trucks for most, the constant lighting circuit bits, paint etc. etc., I could have probably bought True Lines cabooses for close to the same money. That wouldn't have been nearly as much fun though, would it?
Some where I have a carton of Accurail freight cars. I'll have to dig them out and do them up.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
BRAKIE rrinker And if it costs $10 to add a pair of Kadees and 4 metal wheelsets, you must be using gold plated wheelsets. No,Accurail will need to buy those wheels from (say)Intermountain and the couplers from KD.This cost along with the added labor(unloading,unpacking then repacking into the kits) will be passed on to the end consumer just like everything else nothing is free.
rrinker And if it costs $10 to add a pair of Kadees and 4 metal wheelsets, you must be using gold plated wheelsets.
No,Accurail will need to buy those wheels from (say)Intermountain and the couplers from KD.This cost along with the added labor(unloading,unpacking then repacking into the kits) will be passed on to the end consumer just like everything else nothing is free.
Misunderstanding - to add them yourself while building the kit is what I was talking about. Did not sound like you meant the cost of just putting the better stuff in to begin with.
Though Branchline kits at $16 always had metal wheels and Kadees.
Between all the impatient people demanding RTR, and the fact that it's a total win for the manufacturer - assuming the kit costs the same, they can pay a couple of dollars per kit for assembly in the Chinese factory and then charge 3x the kit price because it's "RTR" And never have to deal with a customer needing replacement peices for something they broke or lost during assembly. It's almost bad business to NOT do this.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
As part of adding a new piece of rolling stock, they all get wheels and couplers replaced, unless they come with metal wheels and Kadee couplers. Ever since the patent that Kadee held expired and knockoffs became the new "standard", MOST of them prove unreliable. Especially the ones that have the little "whisker" used to keep the coupler closed. Give me that little spring anyday. And, Kadee keeps improving them; i.e. the "Whisker" coupler. No more dealing with that centering spring.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Bottom line, give me my Blue Box kits back. They wore fun and inexpensive. : )
Building the rolling stock kits is half the fun...
Yes, the Kadee 'Whisker' couple is the greatest thing since sliced bread especially where Athearn coupler boxes are concerned. One less piece to try and manage all at the same time to get them in place.
Note that you mentioned whiskers twice - might confuse some. The BAD whiskers are the ones on the outside of the coupler, to push the knuckle - Kadees have a little METAL coil spring there. The knockoff often have a plastic whisker to push the knuckle closed - about as effective and long lasting as the plastic 'spring' in the X2f coupler (that's sarcasm, folks). The Kadee Whisker couples have a METAL whisker spring to center the coupler - inside the box. This replaces the bronze pan spring unit that the classic #5 used.
You can not tell me you didn't enjoy trying to put on those thin wire hand rails on the Blue Box engines.
Sleep like a kitten (SLK) You can not tell me you didn't enjoy trying to put on those thin wire hand rails on the Blue Box engines.
Once you get the hang of installing those handrails it takes around 30 minutes to do that's including cleaning out the mounting holes when and if needed..
Now if I may share this tidbit.
I started adding those rails when I was a lad of 12 in 1960 on a Athearn GP7 with a Hobbytown drive--that was a standard repower project and yes,I build the drive.My pappy taught me well.
While the Athearn handrails were a bit on the heavy side and not especially well detailed, they weren't difficult to construct and with a little care, could look quite good. They were certainly a lot more durable than the plastic ones offered nowadays, and they could be easily painted, too. The early plastic ones had little to recommend them: too thick, too flimsy, and too plastic-looking. The current ones look better, and most appear to be in-scale, but they're still flimsy, especially if you handle your locos, and the plastic will take a set if they're stored carelessly. Were I running diesels, I'd replace the handrail portion with music wire and keep only the stanchions - detail with durability.
NP2626 "Words mean things"! Easily understood in most cases; but, in this instance I don't have clue what you're meaning.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I like the Accurail kits. They are fun to put together straight out of the box, and the detailing doesn't bother me. The super detailing does look really nice, but is also driving up the costs of R-T-R cars. The prices are several times higher now than even six or seven years ago when I first started getting into this hobby.
A few of the first cars I bought were an Accurail kit for around 16 dollars, and an R-T-R for around 10 more. ''Separately applied detail parts" to coin the term are nice, but I really like the 15 dollar price point of Accurail. With the prices of R-T-R's getting higher, Accurail could add some things like non-molded grab irons and better wheel sets and still charge 10 dollars more.
With out rambling on too much I will say I have had some troubles getting a lay out started, a battle between N and HO scale being part of that. I suffer from the "I WANT THAT" syndrome. I finally settle on one scale and then I see something I really want that only comes in the other scale. But Accurail kits usually come up when this fued arises, and it is always a positive point for choosing HO.
I'm sure someone will comment or ask, I don't currently have a layout yet. Usually something has delayed it like space, finances, moving etc, but my wife and I are currently, and seriously, looking into our first home, which will come with two extra bedrooms and a large 2.5 car garage that I already have permission to turn into my "train building".
It would be cool if Accurail could offer a kit that didn't have any molded on details, but instead have small holes. Then they could have brass wire that is shaped into the grab irons, and etched metal walkways and other details. I could see paying $15-$20 for something like that. If they throw in metal wheelsets, maybe Kadees, I could see $20-$25. These would still be economical compared to the $30+ Exactrails and Tangents. Plus, building kits is fun, and rewarding.
I would imagine Accurail could make the metal parts for $5 and get the wheelsets and couplers for $5. I would also guess that the new product line would appeal to more people and drive up sales. It would also steal some of the market from the higher end RTR companies.
NP2626 Accurail kits are truly the "Gold Standard" in my opinion! Easy/quick to build, adequate detail for my needs and the details don’t break off with the least little touch. Best of all, they are kits that are still being produced and the price is pretty much right on! I have Intermountain, Branchline, P2K, Red Caboose and many other kits. Yes, they have finer and more detail and I like them also; however, most of those (if not all of them) no longer produce kits. So, I loves me some Accurail! Branchline was taken over by Atlas, do they produce them in kits?
I agree they are the "gold standard" for their intended shake the kit market they are superior to the old BB freight cars and IMHO the majority of the old Roundhouse cars and probably the older "Yardmaster" cars from Branchline as well.
I been thinking about changing eras and the Accurail cars seems to be my better choice due to the wide selection and going street prices and I would also be willing to pay full MSRP at hobby shops since the prices won't break my hobby budget..
rrinker Between all the impatient people demanding RTR, --Randy
Between all the impatient people demanding RTR,
Randy, not all people who like to buy RTR are impatient. Many of us have limited time for the hobby due to long work hours, long commutes to and from work, and families that demand our time. If someone wants to builda layout, that takes a good deal of time, so with the limited time we are able to steal to ourselves, the layout alone can eat up most of that time leaving little time for kits or other things.
I have built many kits and still do build the occasional kit, but I tell you, having good quality RTR rolling stock availble helps me toward my goal of an operational layout. It seem unnecessary to characterized fellow hobbiests in negative ways because they are glad to buy RTR trains - it's a good thing IMO. There is plenty of room for both the folks who like to build from raw materials to rolks who buy RTR and all inbetween. Many of us like to buy RTR kits due to limited time. Perhaps those who are retired or have a lot more time to pursue personal interests need to be reminded of these things.
Cheers, Jim
KyleIt would be cool if Accurail could offer a kit that didn't have any molded on details, but instead have small holes. Then they could have brass wire that is shaped into the grab irons, and etched metal walkways and other details. I could see paying $15-$20 for something like that. If they throw in metal wheelsets, maybe Kadees, I could see $20-$25.
Ah, but somebody already does offer such products - Branchline. Their kits are once again available from Atlas http://shop.atlasrr.com/c-1096-ho-branchline-freight-car-kits.aspx . A typical kit sells for $15-$16 list, including free-standing grabs, ladders, underframe detail, etc. Parts like tack boards are also separate. The kit design allows for easy customization of the safety appliances for post-1966 cars with running boards removed and ladders shortened on the A (and sometimes B) ends. Before Atlas took over, Branchline kits included either Proto 2000 trucks retaining the Proto metal wheels, or Branchline's own solid-bearing or Accurail roller bearing trucks with Branchline metal wheels. The latter wheels were a cast metal similar to Kadee. Couplers were Kadee-compatible plastic types with metal knuckle springs. The details are plastic and not wire/etched, but are fine in cross-section.
This EL boxcar was built from a Branchline kit, detailed to match prototype photos. This one came with Proto trucks.
Some of Accurail's tooling, such as for the 40' PS1 box, reputedly originated with other manufacturers (in that case McKean), whose cars had separate details. Accurail re-tooled with cast-on ladders and so on.
Rob Spangler
I do like some of the variety from Accurail too, even amongst models. Take for instance their single sheathed box car kit. I don't know if they have changed it in last few years, but I remember an "original" all wood body, wood body with steel ends and wood doors, and wood body with steel ends and steel doors. I think they also had the same thing going for their double sheathed model. Any combination of those cars would be especially great for free-lancers putting together a realistic roster of rolling stock, with the steel component cars being rebuilds.
After posting the other night I found the MR issue where they talk about using era appropriate cars for their project layout, the Sea Shore Lines (SSL). I will have to read that tonight. I know there are a few manufacturers making car kits in N scale, but I honestly think that is a bit too small for something like this.
I built my 40' boxcar fleet from Branchline and Accurate kits. Accurail is the go to, honrable and prolific American company that is still reasonably priced. I always expect to go to Metal Wheelsts, tune the trucks, and use Kadee couplers.
They are the Ford and Chevy of model railroading and the paint and detail is very good for the price. I can always replace the plastic stirrups with metal, etc.