They seem to be very nice and will run on sharper curves, 18". I know they are about 72' in length. Any issues?
Nicely priced also.
Which "new" Athearn passenger cars? It might help if you include a link to them. The existing Athearn 72' passenger cars (both stainless steel and heavyweight) are 50+ years old and can be found in kit form at every train show and on eBay.
The baggage and RPO cars are okay in length; the rest are generally undersized by about 13'. There are some that prefer shorty cars (Hi, Sheldon!) because they like how they look on curves vs. prototypical 85' cars that can overhang (and underhang) on our unprototypical track curves. My counterpoint is that while it's true that shorty cars look better than longer cars on curves, they look worse at all other times, like on straight track or on no track at all.
Backing up these Athearn cars can be a trick due to their truck mounted couplers (they'll derail). I recommend converting them to body mounts provided you have the track radius to support them (at 18" radius, leave them be).
You also have to watch the coupler height on the truck mounts because the plastic can get warped. You may need to bend them a bit to get the height correct.
Paul A. Cutler III
Streamlined or heavyweight? In general, if it's the Athearn Roundhouse then the detailing will be "okay" but the accuracy more miss than hit. If that's not a concern to you then the price is pretty reasonable for decent passenger cars.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Paul3 Backing up these Athearn cars can be a trick due to their truck mounted couplers (they'll derail). I recommend converting them to body mounts provided you have the track radius to support them (at 18" radius, leave them be). You also have to watch the coupler height on the truck mounts because the plastic can get warped. You may need to bend them a bit to get the height correct. Paul A. Cutler III
RR_Mel,It depends on your track curves. Body mounts will tend to derail cars when the cars get longer and the curves get tighter. One "trick of the trade" is to use long-shank Kadees and mount them further back under the car. This way you keep the closer car spacing, but get the longer swing of the long shank to prevent binding on the coupler box.
BTW, make sure when you do body mount the couplers that not only are they the right height, but also they are the right depth. You do not want the hard plastic ends of the cars to touch when backing up. That will cause derailments for sure. Doing so means that the cars will have space between them when pulling due to the slack in every Kadee (and Kadee clone). Using diaphragms to fill the gap is good, but sometimes they'll snag each other and derail. The way to fix that is to use a clear .005" plastic plate over the whole diaphragm striker plate. I've also seen people use 3M Magic tape (not the clear because the clear will dry out and fall off; Magic tape won't).
Paul3 RR_Mel,It depends on your track curves. Body mounts will tend to derail cars when the cars get longer and the curves get tighter. One "trick of the trade" is to use long-shank Kadees and mount them further back under the car. This way you keep the closer car spacing, but get the longer swing of the long shank to prevent binding on the coupler box. BTW, make sure when you do body mount the couplers that not only are they the right height, but also they are the right depth. You do not want the hard plastic ends of the cars to touch when backing up. That will cause derailments for sure. Doing so means that the cars will have space between them when pulling due to the slack in every Kadee (and Kadee clone). Using diaphragms to fill the gap is good, but sometimes they'll snag each other and derail. The way to fix that is to use a clear .005" plastic plate over the whole diaphragm striker plate. I've also seen people use 3M Magic tape (not the clear because the clear will dry out and fall off; Magic tape won't). Paul A. Cutler III
I just recieved two of the cars in UP. I like them beings I have mostly 18" curves. They look nice, have knuckle couplers that keeps the cars close together. For the price you can't go wrong IMO.
DAVID FORTNEY I just recieved two of the cars in UP. I like them beings I have mostly 18" curves. They look nice, have knuckle couplers that keeps the cars close together. For the price you can't go wrong IMO.
So you asked opinions...after you had already purchased them??? Sorta a moot point, isn't it?
tstage DAVID FORTNEY I just recieved two of the cars in UP. I like them beings I have mostly 18" curves. They look nice, have knuckle couplers that keeps the cars close together. For the price you can't go wrong IMO. So you asked opinions...after you had already purchased them??? Sorta a moot point, isn't it?
The moot point is you responding like you did. Next time, MYOB.
Are these the old Rivarossi castings? If so, I personally think they're crap. Run like crap, track like crap, and the truck mounted couplers look rediculous. Even my fiance who knows nothing about trains commented they looked silly on the 18" radius I put them on for testing, and they fall over ALL THE TIME, even with metal wheels.
Unless your time is worth nothing, I'd suggest paying more for good cars, to save yorself the headache. I don't know if Athearn gave them better trucks or not, but those truck mounted couplers are all kinds of pain.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
The entertainment value of this forum cannot be overstated.
Jim
fieryturbo Are these the old Rivarossi castings? If so, I personally think they're crap. Run like crap, track like crap, and the truck mounted couplers look rediculous. Even my fiance who knows nothing about trains commented they looked silly on the 18" radius I put them on for testing, and they fall over ALL THE TIME, even with metal wheels. Unless your time is worth nothing, I'd suggest paying more for good cars, to save yorself the headache. I don't know if Athearn gave them better trucks or not, but those truck mounted couplers are all kinds of pain.
I have the old and now the new Athearn passenger cars and never had one fall over. It seems you are either bating us or kidding us. If you don't like them, so be it but don't denigrate us that like them. I wish I could afford the $80 per car from Walthers or MTH but I can't. The Athearn passenger cars fits me in more ways then one.
Next time keep your thoughts to your self.