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Upgrading my old rolling stock (all freight cars) is the hardest thing I have run into yet. About 20% of my cars are probably fixable, but the rest are probably going to be thrown out. Going forward, I want to make sure I’m buying good rolling stock.
My question to the forum is:
Who makes the best freight car models in HO defined as follows:
Good couplers, good trucks, good detail, weight to code and offers lots of cars from the 1950s?
Or cars from the 1950s that can be easily upgraded by me?
I hope I haven’t opened Pandora’s Box. Thanks in advance for your input.
Buzz
I use Athearn Blue Box kits with Kadee 148 couplers and Proto 33" wheels.
I use Atlas rolling stock RTR whenever it suits me. Same goes for Intermountain and others. I found that some of these RTR items such as Tank cars are far superior to kit built items. Opening a kit today and being confronted with a million tiny parts isnt my cup of tea.
Roundhouse and Athearn was bought by Horizon, they are being re-issued as RTR with some good workmanship. Far better than I could do it from the older kits to be honest with you.
It is difficult to choose some RTR products when the entire month of advertisements and availible stock is stuffed with a Bigboy or a Gondola from 30 different makers. One gets burned out on these abundance of offerings of just one car type in rolling stock.
Sometimes one wonders if one makes a gondola of some quality, all the other rolling stock makers race to issue thier own version of the same gondola. Flooding the market with waves of specific items in specific roadnames...
I once brought some old items from my previous model railroading that were in storage for a long time. They were not up to par and some could not be upgraded, rebuilt to run today's kadee couplers, metal wheels etc. They were thrown out or stripped of useful parts and then thrown out.
If you still wish to get Varney or other items, use Ebay with caution, such items in apparent good condition and sometimes upgraded with good workmanship are availible there from time to time.
If it does not stay on the track, I use a stick on weight that is availible from the hobby shop. Just a little bit. I have tried pennies, lead shot and other solutions and those only created more trouble down the road when the plastics failed. In fact pure lead is not something good to have at home unless you are keeping a Remington 1200 fed.
I find it rather rare to add weight.
The biggest challenge is finding RTR rolling stock that matches your chosen era. Sometimes with more than two road numbers. I have 4 tank cars of the 11 thousand gallon variety each with a seperate number from Atlas. The problem was Atlas only ran two numbers at a time and I had to wait 5 years to get 4 different numbers.
Others will probably tell me of different solutions to remove numbers and decal your own, I find that RTR products are increasing easily damaged by some of the methods as if the Factory is deliberately building with materials that can be destroyed by alcohol, pine sol, brake fluid etc.
The problem is particularly bad with engines. When I want 4-6 engines of a like kind with 4-6 numbers Ive been confronted with only two numbers. So I just buy the two and no more unless another manufactor makes a run with different cab numbers. I only imagine the first producer of these engines have lost sales because they only use two numbers.
And finally but not last, I keep a note book, all of my engines are in that notebook with two digit cab numbers for DCC addresses. So when I inspect a engine at the hobby shop, I check against that list to see if that cab number is availible to be used without any modification or changes.
Eventually I will have to go to 4 digit addressing but I will never max out my DCC engine stack limit of 120 engines or so.
There is a HUGE amount of Transition Era products availible now.
Just dont get me started on the 9 dollar RTR outhouse I saw the other day.
You haven't opened Pandora's box -- just a can of worms!
For the era you're interested in, Athearn is re-releasing Model Die Casting rolling stock in Ready to Roll (fully assembled) form with metal wheels and knuckle couplers.
Accurail and Atlas are also good choices. Bowser makes rolling stock in kit form, but I have had some minor problems with a couple of their models.
There's a new brand on the market called Hubert's Model Railroad Manufacturing Company, but most of their product line is later vintage than what you want.
Check the following web sites for listings of their products:
http://www.athearn.com
http://www.atlasrr.com
http://www.accurail.com
http://www.hubertsmodelrailroadcorp.com
http://www.bowser.com
Here's how I would rate the rolling stock on detailing: (From so-so to best)
Unless they come with metal wheels, I always swap mine out for Proto 2000 33" wheels. Same for couplers. Kadees are the standard.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
tstage wrote:Here's how I would rate the rolling stock on detailing: (From so-so to best)Tyco - Bachmann - LifeLike
They make for good weathering practice though
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
buzz wrote:My question to the forum is:Who makes the best freight car models in HO defined as follows:Good couplers, good trucks, good detail, weight to code and offers lots of cars from the 1950s?Or cars from the 1950s that can be easily upgraded by me?I hope I haven’t opened Pandora’s Box. Thanks in advance for your input.Buzz
My question to the forum is:Who makes the best freight car models in HO defined as follows:Good couplers, good trucks, good detail, weight to code and offers lots of cars from the 1950s?Or cars from the 1950s that can be easily upgraded by me?I hope I haven’t opened Pandora’s Box. Thanks in advance for your input.Buzz
UP2CSX wrote:I haven't seen anyone mention Trix yet. I have a Trix NP steel reefer that's RTR and has some of the best detail I've ever seen on a freight car, especially since it's RTR. See through roof walk, scale size grabs and ladders, a fully detailed underframe including brake tubing, and an excellent paint job. They are no bargain when it comes to price but they are about the most detailed RTR card I've seen. I do like the Branchline Blueprint series for kits. I'd guess at least half my rolling stock is still Athearn BB kits and you can upgrade them with a little effort. You can cut off the thick stirrups and replace them with wire or engineering plastic. A little wire on the underframe helps the brake system looks more complete, and some shadow lining can make the grabs and ladders look more 3-D than they do on a standard kit.
The Trix models are utter garbage. They're rife with mistakes and incorrect details.
I like the BLI cars that I have. The CZ looks great and once I had fixed the out of gauge wheels they ran pretty perfect too. I also have 24 of their coal hoppers. Man they are sweet. I think that they are the best I got. I also like Proto2000, very nice detail and rolls great.
Magnus
Good morning!
If you are close to a good hobby shop, just go and look at what's there. Look at the lettering on the cars for an idea as to their era. Look for the builder's date on the side of the car as well as any repack dates on the car. The's a good way to see if the car is too late for your chosen era.
Most freight cars these days are pretty good. I will install metal wheelsets on any cars that don't come with them as well as Kadee couplers if the ones that come with the cars aren't Kadee quality, i.e. with metal springs on the knuckles and not plastic fingers. I also make sure cars are weighted to NMRA recommended practice.
Don't give up on your older cars. With weathering they may look good. My philosophy is that I want my cars to look good enough, but not necesarily super detailed, to run on the layout. Things happen to cars that run a lot. Steps and grabs get broken off, but can be replaced. Paint gets chipped, but can be patched and the ones in real life get patched and repainted as well.
Oh, the prices have gone up rather significantly since you bought your cars 25 years ago. That's another good reason to keep your older cars.
Good luck!
Steve Barkley
My choice of freight cars is:
RTR:Atlas, Atlas/Trainman,Athearn,Branchline,Intermountain and Walthers.
Kits: Athearn and Accurail.
IMHO those are the best choices for freight cars.
As a side note the Branchline car kits are a good choice as well as is Branchline's Yardmaster Series.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
NeO6874 wrote: tstage wrote:Here's how I would rate the rolling stock on detailing: (From so-so to best)Tyco - Bachmann - LifeLike They make for good weathering practice though
Newyorkcentralfan wrote: The Trix models are utter garbage. They're rife with mistakes and incorrect details.
Kind of painting things with a broad brush, aren't we? There's no manufacturer I know of that has 100% of their cars 100% right 100% the time. This Trix reefer is one of the best I've ever seen and the details look awful good to me. It has the most free rolling trucks I've ever used - I use it it find any slight grade on the layout because it will roll down it. Here's ehe car in question:
I'm sure the rivet counters among us can find all kinds of things wrong but I like it. I surely wouldn't describe it as garbage.
For those who want certain pieces of rolling stock properly detailed for a specific railroad at a particular time, there are:
A. Several sources of data:
B: Several useful combinations of materials and techniques:
Then there is the hundred meter rule. Unless you intend to enter the model in a contest or run it directly under your bifocals, there comes a point where a car looks good enough. For me, that distance is 100 scale meters, which in 1:80 scale is 1250mm, or a little over four feet. If a detail can't be seen at that distance, it doesn't need to be perfect. (Since locomotives get more attention, they have to meet the 50 meter rule.)
Granted that, in this age of all-RTR modeling, I'm an anachronism. If I had waited for some manufacturer to provide all the cars I wanted, with numbers (of cars I had seen) written in my notebook, I would still be waiting. And waiting. And waiting...
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Newyorkcentralfan wrote:The Trix models are utter garbage. They're rife with mistakes and incorrect details.
So...does that also hold true for their NYC low cupola caboose? Even though MR did do an article a couple of years ago (right after it was released) on what things needed correcting on Trix NYC caboose, they did say that it was a fine model.
Sorry, I have to disagree with you on that one.
According to UP modelers on the steam era freight car list, the Trix reefer, which is supposed to be a model of a PFE car, has ice hatches that are badly undersized. The underframe is incorrect.
Both the Trix boxcars, which are supposed to be a model of a UP cars, have a badly done roof, doesn't match the prototype. The underframe is incorrect.
The Trix tankcar is a model of an ICC105A, 6,000 gal. Type 27 tank car. The problem is that many of the details are oversize.
The Trix UP CA-3/4 caboose has an incorrect roof.
I'll have to slightly modify my statement as the Trix stockcar is an accurate model of a UP S-40-12. The hoppr is and accurate model of a UP H-70-1.
UP2CSX wrote:Kind of painting things with a broad brush, aren't we? There's no manufacturer I know of that has 100% of their cars 100% right 100% the time. This Trix reefer is one of the best I've ever seen and the details look awful good to me. It has the most free rolling trucks I've ever used - I use it it find any slight grade on the layout because it will roll down it. Here's ehe car in question:I'm sure the rivet counters among us can find all kinds of things wrong but I like it. I surely wouldn't describe it as garbage.
For the price of the model you shouldn't have to make corrections. It should be spot on.
tstage wrote: Newyorkcentralfan wrote:The Trix models are utter garbage. They're rife with mistakes and incorrect details.So...does that also hold true for their NYC low cupola caboose? Even though MR did do an article a couple of years ago (right after it was released) on what things needed correcting on Trix NYC caboose, they did say that it was a fine model.Sorry, I have to disagree with you on that one.Tom
Newyorkcentralfan wrote: According to UP modelers on the steam era freight car list, the Trix reefer, which is supposed to be a model of a PFE car, has ice hatches that are badly undersized. The underframe is incorrect.
Yes, it's supposed to be a copy of a PFE R-40-20 reefer. There's a picture of it at http://www.steamfreightcars.com/gallery/reefer/pfe_r4020main.html. If you compare the details on the Trix model I posted and the real thing, you'll see that Trix did a good job, including a see through roof walk and very fine but strong ladders and grabs. I will agree that the ice hatches are too small. The underframe looks fine to me so it must take more of an expert than me to see the problems.
I got this car for $16. An Athearn RTR reefer, which is also paterned after the R-40-20 but also has some errors, goes for $15 and has all cast-on detail, grossly oversized stirrups, plastic trucks and wheel sets, and the ice hatches are actually slightly too large but they do open, a point in their favor. I'll leave it to the members here to decide which model is the better deal.
The most prototypically accurate freight cars I've seen (in plastic, at least) are Kadee's limited line of HO freight cars that goes for anywhere from $30 to $50. At that price, I expect that all the details of the prototype will be there and of the correct size, paint, and markings. For $16, my expectations are a little lower. Expecting 100% prototype fidelity in a $16 freight car seems amazingly unrealistic to me.
GTX765 wrote:Though detail and realism is important but I cannot afford to buy 24.95 for a car when I can build better myself.
GTX,
$24.95? You're talking RTR (ready to run). Have you considered buying and assembling kits? You can pick up some Accurail kits for under $10 and have a MUCH better looking car than the Tycos that you are retrofitting. Particularly look at their wood-end and wood boxcars. They are exceptional.
GTX765 wrote:I have been buying cheap bachmann rolling stock at the local stores for 3.99 each. I added metal 33 inch wheels and maybe a coupler modify and I turned it into a gold line. Just like magic. I even converted my old Tyco cars and they will spin around my layout by hand. Though detail and realism is important but I cannot afford to buy 24.95 for a car when I can build better myself. Oh i am a newbie so this maybe worth less than but I like these forums and NE is a lonely place for a model railroader.
I think that you're getting more for $3.99 (plus wheels and couplers) than you'd get for the $24.95, but then, I've never seen a car that's ready to run without some modification. I admit that there are some nice ones out there, but I refuse to pay for somebody else to have the fun of assembling a car. While we all have varying standards as to what looks good (or good-enough), lots of older cars can be upgraded into more accurate models at a reasonable cost, dollar-wise, and at a higher cost in modelling time: for me, that translates into more modelling enjoyment for my hobby dollar. For others, ready-to-run fills the bill, and that's fine by me, too. The fact that there are so many avenues to enjoying our hobby is one of the reasons why model railroading is such a popular pastime.
Wayne
To the gentleman who posted that the Kato Covered Hopper was an ACF car, you are incorrect, it is a GATC Covered Hopper but was marketed as an ACF car by Kato.
http://home.earthlink.net/~ngc5139/RR/FCM.html
The above site has been compiled by members of the Modern Freight Car List Group and covers Box Cars, Covered Hoppers, Refrigerator Cars, and Open Top Hoppers that have been made by the major manufacturers and what prototypes they represent and the kits accuaracy.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Clickable link:
I don't mind cheap cars either, but I like kits. Athearns are my fav, cheap, fun to build, and have some detail.
UP2CSX wrote:Yes, it's supposed to be a copy of a PFE R-40-20 reefer. There's a picture of it at http://www.steamfreightcars.com/gallery/reefer/pfe_r4020main.html. If you compare the details on the Trix model I posted and the real thing, you'll see that Trix did a good job, including a see through roof walk and very fine but strong ladders and grabs. I will agree that the ice hatches are too small. The underframe looks fine to me so it must take more of an expert than me to see the problems. I got this car for $16. An Athearn RTR reefer, which is also paterned after the R-40-20 but also has some errors, goes for $15 and has all cast-on detail, grossly oversized stirrups, plastic trucks and wheel sets, and the ice hatches are actually slightly too large but they do open, a point in their favor. I'll leave it to the members here to decide which model is the better deal.The most prototypically accurate freight cars I've seen (in plastic, at least) are Kadee's limited line of HO freight cars that goes for anywhere from $30 to $50. At that price, I expect that all the details of the prototype will be there and of the correct size, paint, and markings. For $16, my expectations are a little lower. Expecting 100% prototype fidelity in a $16 freight car seems amazingly unrealistic to me.
Sounds like you are having fun.
The old cars are usable. But you will have to decide which way you are heading. If detail and rivet counting is not your plans then just about all of your cars can be made road worthy.
You will need a Reboxx tool for the trucks and some Kadee couplers. Model Railroader has had some articles about freight car upgrades.
Ralroad Model Craftsman has had Mr. Ted Culotta's articles Essential Freight Cars.
A member in our club has some of those lessor makes rolling with Proto trucks and Kadee couplers! He has over 200 freight cars!
Good Luck, Buzz!
bnonut wrote: Sounds like you are having fun. The old cars are usable. But you will have to decide which way you are heading. If detail and rivet counting is not your plans then just about all of your cars can be made road worthy.
I agree..Some of my cover hoppers are rebuilt Bachmanns. I added KD couplers,Athearn trucks and a coat of dullcote and they look just as good as my Athearn and Accurail CHs..The best part is I picked those Bachmann cars up at train shows for $1.00-1.50 each..Total cost with replacement trucks and KD couplers around $5.00.Enjoyment of the rebuild: priceless.
I have about forty of those Life-Like/Varney two bay hoppers. Most where around .99 cents. They have new paint, trucks and couplers. Look okay until they get next to some better stuff. Of course those cost around $10 each and still need the Kadee's.
I hope to assemble some resin kits someday for drooling purposes! Really plan on using the well detailed for locals and close yards. The usual cars will be run through trains.
We must have fun in this hobby and share our experience.
Sincerely, Mark