Branchline trains

[UP Deano]

i went to the LHS tonite looking for some CNW 40' boxcars, the only ones they had in stock now were Branchline Trains blueprint series special edition kits, so i bought one. i paid $16 for it. got home and really got a good look at it, i then noticed there was no wieghts for it, and the car REALLY looked kinda cheap, shiney plastic looking, not real impressed with the lettering either. sure i will add weight to it, and weather it, so i"m sure it will look/run good, but i would REALLY like to know if anyone else has bought one of these, and what you think about them. like i said, i havent built it yet, but i think athearn or accurail cars look better out of the box, and are cheaper.

[rrinker]

Weights are the big steel nuts under the box flap.

This doesn't sound like any of the 5 Blueprint cars I have - all have excellent lettering, and aren't very shiny at all. At most I'd hit them with a little Dullcote, otherwise I'm not real big on weathering - I'm kind of in that, if I do one, I have to do them all or none of them will look right stage.

My only Branchline complaint is the Yardmaster car I have uses those silly plastic pins for the trucks - which worked for a month or so and now have worked loose so I have to replace them with screws. Even Accurail has realized those pins are worthless.

--Randy

[orsonroy]

I love Branchline freight cars! Well, except for the goofy nuts for weights (I replace them with self-adhesive lead tire weights). I've got something like 25 of their 40' boxes, five of their 50' boxes, and four of their new coaches (not yet built), and they're all great: accurate lettering and colors, extremely well done molds, and parts that fit perfectly. They're right up there with Intermountain, Red Cabose, and Atlas as the best plastic HO scale kits on the market.

[jimrice4449]

I've got a few BL frt cars (actually 50' box cars that I painted and lettered for ATSF xprs box) and the only squack I've got is that the wheels sometimes rubbed on the diagonal braces on the underbody. Solution shave off the braces. Now I've got to be carefull I keep the cars verticle so nobody can see the gouges!

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by lginc
Branchline Trains blueprint series special edition kits, so i bought one. i paid $16 for it. got home and really got a good look at it, ..., and the car REALLY looked kinda cheap, shiney plastic looking, not real impressed with the lettering either.

Yes I have noticed this too. I bought a pile of them on sale and then got a really good look. I believe the cheapy look (on only some of the cars) is that on instead of painting the car the base color, they mold the plastic in that color. So the only paint is the lettering. This makes it look like it is really standing up and seems to be really glossy. I've noticed this on both the blueprint and yardemaster series. On the other hand some of the reefer cars they have produced are on par with Intermountain or Yesteryear trains.

[UP Deano]

Texas Zepher, THATS IT! you are right! the car color is molded, not painted, thats what makes it look so shiny. hey, dont get me wrong, this is a good quality car, i have just finished deburring the parts and i gotta admit, i think its a REALLY NICE car. one of many things i like this kit has is the coupler cut lever,NICE, i really like that, infact i am thinking about putting them on ALL my cars. and its made here in the US, so i REALLY like that. i kid you not though, cripes,its so shiny i"m thinking about going out to the van to get the sunglasses so i can work on it before i dullcoat it,LOL. after i deburred the parts i found the only thing that put me off was it being so shiny, however i am BIG on weathering,so this is not a big deal. i"ll build it, weather it, and put some Kadee #5s on it and i"ll be good-to-go with a REALLY nice looking car. THANKS for all the info and input on these cars guys! (rrinker, thanks,i found the nuts.DOH!)

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by lginc

Texas Zepher, THATS IT! you are right! the car color is molded, not painted, thats what makes it look so shiny.

Oh yeah, to keep the lighter colored ones from "glowing" when they get hit by a light from behind I paint the inside black.

[Sunset Limited]

Talking about a 'Dead On Topic!' I bought a Branchline kit, Blue print series, HO 50' Double Door Boxcar. Santa Fe 'Grand Canyon' 1119. I look inside of the box, and I was wondering 'What are these two big nuts!' Then it dawned on me, they would actually supply you with nuts as weights? I really thought somebody at the factory was playing around or was doing some kind of machanic work on the company truck that was next to the table that they packaged the kits! Yes, it's like a model kit, but some parts on this kit are broken. It also came with a black roof? I thought Santa Fe Double doors all were Mineral Red? (Boxcars from the 40/50 era). Does anybody have an answer to that? And Iginc, Thanks for bringing this topic up!!!!

[Anonymous]

Go to Branchline's web site, there's an address to contact them about broken and missing parts, according to the web site your car was built in '51 and that says black roof,some SF guys may know if it's correct or not. BTW,I have a dozen Blueprint cars and haven't had a problem with mine, really nice cars

[DavidBriel]

I feel that Branchline should produce other HO freight cars such as flatcars, gondolas, and hoppers to go with their existing boxcars. I would like to see both a HO NC&StL 40' 9 panel steel gondola and a HO WofA 40' 12 panel steel gondola produced, since they already use these two CSX roadnames on their boxcars. I would buy both of these gondolas if they were produced.

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by EZamora
[It also came with a black roof? I thought Santa Fe Double doors all were Mineral Red? (Boxcars from the 40/50 era). Does anybody have an answer to that?

Throughout the 1940s and for at least the first half of the 1950s (the end of steam on the ATSF) their roofs were black. Branchline does an excellent job of making sure their cars are ONLY painted and lettered in appropriate schemes (which is why their "simple" 40-foot boxcar comes with four door sizes, three types of roofs and three types of ends)

[Sunset Limited]

BXCARMIKE,orsonroy,
Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to start building this kit soon.[:D]