Title says it all. I am purging some of my collection and most of the less than super detailed stuff is gone. Just seeing who is doing what and why.
well, I don't have any of the wood/craftsman kits I think you're asking about ... but I have no qualms with running "less than super ultra mega detailed with 1/1000 inch accuracy" (a.k.a. [Tyco|Bachmann|etc] trainset stuff, with KD couplers) stuff alongside my "highly detailed" (Red Caboose, Branchline, etc.) stuff.
TBH, I'm a little more fond of the cars that are "bad" in the looks department, since they have less trouble with "now where'd that stirrup step go!?".
Eventually, yeah, I'd like to get some of those "ultra-mega detailed" cars, but it'd probably be like ... 3 or 4 ... just enough to go along with a locomotive on a 100% true-to-scale (proto:87, I think it was called?) diorama. But that'll be forever and a day from now :)
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Here's a twist.. Since I have a large collection of Athearn and Roundhouse IPD boxcars and boxcars in general I see no reason to sell them because they're a foot to wide and have cast on grabs.I now have 49 cars in my "super fleet" car roster.
What to do because the old wide bodies looks out of place with the scale width bodies?
Ahh,says I,I've got!
I'll run my wide body cars together and my scale width cars together..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I believe that he is talking about old wood kits, not less detailed cars ala Bachmann/Tyco nor foot too wide Athearn.
I run Labelle, brass and Blackstone cars together. If you're sorta OCD, you might have an issue, but they look fine to me.
At 3 feet, things start blending together pretty well unless you have Superman vision.
This is a LaBelle RPO-Express with a Blackstone Coach. I think having the cars in different classes (all my LaBelle cars are head-end cars, not coaches) also helps fool the eye here.
Up close, yeah, the difference is obvious, but under most layout conditions a well built and finished wood car holds up pretty well versus the slick new stuff.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
This is a pure scratch build from basswood. I built it a long time ago.
And this another pure scratch build, also very old. The "steel" sides are actually glossy photographic paper over sheet basswood.
And this is a Ambroid "one-in-five-thousand" kit, all basswood with a few pot metal castings. It's also pretty old.
I have ballasted the track since I took these pix. The track is ordinary code 100 flex track with the rails brush painted with Floquil rust.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Not only am I running today's highly detailed plastic with wood kits from Silver Streak and others, but I am also running old Athearn and similar quality plastic with old old Athearn, Varney and Model Die Casting metal cars. To make matters worse I am even still running a few old old old paper sided reefers, which came with Baker couplers. Some of those may predate WWII or are post War but pre 1950.
Dave Nelson
For me, there isn't much from the olden days that is good enough to run with current rolling stock. That includes wood and/or metal kits. The only thing that comes to mind that might would be the old Athearn metal boxcars. With the latest in grabs, ladders and roofwalks, they'd probably look great. I've got some of their round-roof cars tucked away, and I have great hopes for them.
Ed
Well, since I'm usually about 3 to 6 feet away from my HO scale trains, it doesn't bother me one iota to run trains full of Silver Streak, Ambroid or Athearn or Varney metal freight cars along with my newer super-detailed plastic ones. I don't know about the rest of you, but my viewing point for my model railroad is usually that of a 'helicopter'. I'm not photorgraphing or filming my model railroad most of the time, I'm RUNNING it, and that calls for a rather larger scope of sight than a camera lens.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I guess it's about what's important to you. Personally, I am much more proud of the kits I've built (including some wood car kits) than I could ever be of a RTR superdetailed car that the only thing I did to become the owner of was lay out way to much hard earned cash and I detail to my own standards, not the standards of those who think it is their job to judge what others do in their spare time!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
duplicate post
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Wood looks like real wood, what better for a wooden boxcar?
I have a couple I picked up from a show (already built) they just needed some love in the form of trucks, metal wheels and Kadees. No problemo!
Geared Steam Wood looks like real wood, what better for a wooden boxcar?
Almost anything else, including plastic and metal. That's because what you see when you look at a real wooden boxcar is paint. And possibly weathered paint. By the time a wooden boxcar shows a lot of wood, it should have been scrapped. And even then, real wood's grain is way too coarse to model most model wood. Flat car and gondola decks come to mind as an exception.
If you're building one of the excellent LaBelle passenger car kits, it'll look pretty awful unless you spend a lot of time applying sanding sealer. So that it's as smooth as, yes, plastic.
twhite Well, since I'm usually about 3 to 6 feet away from my HO scale trains, it doesn't bother me one iota to run trains full of Silver Streak, Ambroid or Athearn or Varney metal freight cars along with my newer super-detailed plastic ones. I don't know about the rest of you, but my viewing point for my model railroad is usually that of a 'helicopter'. I'm not photorgraphing or filming my model railroad most of the time, I'm RUNNING it, and that calls for a rather larger scope of sight than a camera lens. Tom
Some models ONLY look good from three feet away. But others look good BOTH at 6 inches and three feet. I prefer to see the latter as "dual usage".
You would be wrong if:
You thought I haven't built LaBelle, Ambroid, Silver Streak, Ulrich, Model Die Casting, Model Engineering Works.........
And I still have them.
For nostalgia.
I would never (well, hardly ever) run them with current rolling stock.
The only one that comes to mind that I am expecting to introduce to current operation on the logging branch is my Model Engineering Works side dump car. It still holds up well, though I think it needs work on the grabs and steps. And no one has made a replacement.
Oh, yeah. Throw in some Kadee disconnect log trucks too. They're still quite nice. But with Sergent couplers. They REALLY benefit from them.
One of my problems is every car is subject to the 6" rule, accually 3" if I get up real close. Yes I was talking about wood craftsman kits, all were bought built but many needed major repairs (that is what I like to do and have gone so far as to make cutom z molding for a car (luckily I only needed a small peice). Most of my layout cars are Tichy from one company or another (think I will start another thread about name all the companys that used or had molds made by Tichy).
I run pretty much everything together.
Personally, I like building wood cars from wood - have one under construction now.
Sure, if you're doing closeup photography, many cars won't show well. But then, I don't run photographs.
Enjoy
Paul
7j43kI would never (well, hardly ever) run them with current rolling stock.
To each his own. Having every piece of rolling stock being detailed to the hilt by present day standards is unlikely to be noticed by most visitors, who tend to consider the layout as a whole. It's a little like have fully detailed interiors in every building, even ones where there's no chance anyone will look inside.
And there's something to be said for nostalagia, So long as cars are in good running condition, they're OK with me to run. They may be old, lack certain details, etc, but they serve a purpose as stand-ins or just a reminder of how far things have come.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
7j43k You would be wrong if: You thought I haven't built LaBelle, Ambroid, Silver Streak, Ulrich, Model Die Casting, Model Engineering Works......... And I still have them. For nostalgia. I would never (well, hardly ever) run them with current rolling stock. The only one that comes to mind that I am expecting to introduce to current operation on the logging branch is my Model Engineering Works side dump car. It still holds up well, though I think it needs work on the grabs and steps. And no one has made a replacement. Oh, yeah. Throw in some Kadee disconnect log trucks too. They're still quite nice. But with Sergent couplers. They REALLY benefit from them. Ed
I think your opinion on all this is just fine, for you. I disagree with your opinions, simply because what is important to you, is not as important to me. By all means do what you do and have fun at it. However, there is an undercurrent in what I see you say, leading me to believe that you are judgemental about other peoples work that doesn't measure up to your higher standards.
dstarr This is a pure scratch build from basswood. I built it a long time ago.
I can't even make a RTR box car look that good.
Scratch built? As in built from scratch? Awesome.
Rich
Alton Junction
There are times when a car is only available as a wood kit. I'm a Northern Pacific Modeller with a chosen era of around 1953. This was the transition era for the N.P. and steam was getting close to it's last days with the N.P. In order to run any freight trains, the only way I can have a 24 foot N.P. cabooose is to build them from wood kits or buy brass models. My American Model Builders Laser Kit or Gloor Craft N.P. 24 footers are very nice models. I think $50.00 for a wood kit is much more palletable than $150.00 for a brass model. I guess if your opinion is wood kits are just not good enough, the cost of your hobby has just sky rocketed!
dstarr This is a pure scratch build from basswood. I built it a long time ago. And this another pure scratch build, also very old. The "steel" sides are actually glossy photographic paper over sheet basswood. And this is a Ambroid "one-in-five-thousand" kit, all basswood with a few pot metal castings. It's also pretty old. I have ballasted the track since I took these pix. The track is ordinary code 100 flex track with the rails brush painted with Floquil rust.
Boy, I gotta agree with Rich, these models can stand up to any RTR models out there! Great job David Starr!
If you are in HOn3 and don't have the $60-$70 for a RTR plastic car, then the very few plastic kits or your old wood LaBelles are about your only choice with scratchbuilding always an option. Fortunately most trains in HOn3 are short and the need for an empire of cars loafing about in large yards or following a triple header is just not the norm.
So, yes I run real wood and like it a lot along with what plastic that is acceptable in the gauge. What little Blackstone rolling stock I have afforded myself is used for photo-ops along with a few select wooden cars.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
NP2626However, there is an undercurrent in what I see you say, leading me to believe that you are judgemental about other peoples work that doesn't measure up to your higher standards.
Just wanted to see what others felt. Very hard to trim a 30 year old collection down to a managable level now that I am building a layout. I really don't know how many I started with, could have been as high as 2000 alot bought on the cheap at train shows or online, some were basket cases or for parts though. Now down to around 1200 with half unbuilt or were started (not neccisarly by me). My layout only needs about 300 cars unless I add more carfloats or expand (not much room left for that). My problem is I can not turn down a deal like 15 cars for $50 most being Tichy RTR (don't know if built from kits or gotten built). But most were fantastic. If you are not in a hurry, you can be in this hobby for little money.
I run everything together. However, I did set minimum standards for my layout. Every car, whether it's a yellow box Athearn or a brand new Tangent, must have Kadee couplers, Intermountain wheelsets, brake hoses, uncoupling levers, brake line detail if the underside will be seen and some degree of weathering if it goes on the layout. Most people who see my layout cannot tell the difference between a $50 RTR car and a 50 year old Athearn car. Basically, I wanted the trains to blend, and not have detailed (or undetailed) cars stick out like a sore thumb. Some may question detailing old cars with molded stirrups and ladders, but hey, my layout, my cars, my money, my time, my choice!
My recommendation for most things hobby related is do what you want. If cars without uncoupling levers bothers you, like it did me, then fix it!
rrebell Just wanted to see what others felt. Very hard to trim a 30 year old collection down to a managable level now that I am building a layout. I really don't know how many I started with, could have been as high as 2000 alot bought on the cheap at train shows or online, some were basket cases or for parts though. Now down to around 1200 with half unbuilt or were started (not neccisarly by me). My layout only needs about 300 cars unless I add more carfloats or expand (not much room left for that). My problem is I can not turn down a deal like 15 cars for $50 most being Tichy RTR (don't know if built from kits or gotten built). But most were fantastic. If you are not in a hurry, you can be in this hobby for little money.
I can relate to this. I had to purge a large number of cars to get down to my operating roster of around 150 cars. I ended up sorting by type of car needed for the OPs scheme. There are still some stand-ins awaiting a better replacement.
I had lots of Blue Box and other lesser detailed brands that didn’t make the cut and went to Ebay etc. I have a couple hundred more in storage. If you are in the in the hobby long enough, odds are you will end up with more cars that you can run (same for locos if we’re being honest). I do have some old cars around for nostalgic reasons and a few where the weathering turned out so cool that I couldn’t bear to sell them. Most of these are on the shelf.To the larger question: I don’t run very many of the old kits. I do have lots of modern wood kits that are super-detailed that I do run (Rio Grande Models). Most of the other highly detailed rolling stock was built by me from Rio Grande Models, Red Caboose, P2K and Intermountain kits.Your mileage may vary,
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
7j43k Geared Steam Wood looks like real wood, what better for a wooden boxcar? Almost anything else, including plastic and metal. That's because what you see when you look at a real wooden boxcar is paint. And possibly weathered paint. By the time a wooden boxcar shows a lot of wood, it should have been scrapped. And even then, real wood's grain is way too coarse to model most model wood. Flat car and gondola decks come to mind as an exception. If you're building one of the excellent LaBelle passenger car kits, it'll look pretty awful unless you spend a lot of time applying sanding sealer. So that it's as smooth as, yes, plastic. Ed
This certainly sounds like you feel, what in actuallity is only your opinion, is the gosple! I don't find this to be a very friendly statement! Had you stated: I feel almost anything besides wood, including plastic and metal, looks more like wood. Then you would have only given your opinion. My comment stands and I feel no need to appologize.
For me, running some wood-body model cars is part of my planned FUTURE- because I want to BUILD some particular cars. I have paper sides for a dry-ice reefer and plan to build it with a wood core. I want to build a couple of Santa Fe BX-3 panel-side boxcars- will probably bash the corrugated ends from an old plastic car, build up the sides with Plastruct and build it all around a wood core. I'm glad I got some wood roof stock and car floor stock when it was available in N scale 35 years ago.