I saw the review of these cars in the MR of January 2016 on page 86.
When I was reading the box on the right side with the price of the passenger cars I make directly a connection to a "low cost airline" you buy your flight, here the passenger car, a body and interior, you want details on your car than you can buy the detailing kit; (with the airline you buy the peanuts and soft drink) and if you want LED interior lighting you buy it for $29.98(the bagage fee with an airline)
Total of your car: $74.94
Ad $10 more and give us a "complete" finished passenger car done in the factory.
It is a real nightmare to open today passenger cars to put interior light in it and putting details on it is also some kind of nightmare
southernpacificgs4It is a real nightmare to open today passenger cars to put interior light in it and putting details on it is also some kind of nightmare
I run a lot of passenger trains on my layout. When I got started in the hobby we had very few choices for decent passenger equipment. Primarily I used the Rivarossi/AHM styff with added metal wheels (Kadee) and the best substitute for couplers, the McHenry plastic snap in type. Tyco, Con-Cor and Athearn were offering shorties. Even some of the brass of the day was lacking (Soho, Tenshodo, Lambert).
Window glazing was minimal, prototypes were basically PRR (obs, RPO and duplex sleeper) Or UP (ACF coach and dome) in the AHM line.
Then along came Walthers with their early Proto offerings. What a world of difference! Decent interiors (requiring painting if you really wanted a good looking interior) flush fitting window glazing, trucks capable of electrical pick-up and window arrangements that were extremely (or exactly) close to the cars represented.
Then Walthers refined these cars and supplied the lighting already installed, the wire grab irons installed, and in some cases—a DeLuxe version with Preiser figures glued to the seats! The latest Proto cars even have a longer draft gear included for easier running on tight curves.
Of course, the price crept up as all this additional detail added cost to the final product but, for me anyway, it was still a reasonable cost for what you got in return.
So, when I saw the "Mainline" cars being offered I knew they weren't something that I would particularly be interested in but for the many modelers who want to run a passenger train on tighter radius track and a tighter budget, who may not be concerned about all the "bells & whistles" these cars certainly fill a marketing niche.
The idea that the option is there for lighting or added details is a plus but, sure, the cost of the replacement trucks, lighting kit and the hassle of prying the roof off (and never getting it to reseat properly, most of the time) makes the price about the same as the Proto line.
If a modeler really wanted to run some decent passenger trains, you can pick up some Proto passenger cars when Walthers unloads them in the monthly "flyer" or keep an eye out for some of the online sellers to offer them at huge savings. I was at a train show this fall where a seller had scores of Walthers Proto cars in the $15-$20 range! You may not get the exact cars you want but, as the saying goes, "Ya' pays yer' money and ya' takes yer' choice".
Have Fun! Ed
For those that may be interested, I posted a thread back in August that describes how I removed the roof off of a Walthers Mainline unit
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/249188/2780928.aspx
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Now that Walthers has upgraded thier passenger fleet to include a stainless steel finish, what do you like better, the old standard plastic models or the new Proto stuff with window tinting?
Let's not lose sight of the fact that these cars are retailing at $34.98, and hobby shops like MB Klein are discounting the cars to $24.99.
So, here you have an 85' passenger car in a whole bunch of popular road names for under $25. I already have the 9 road names that I need on my layout, but for those who are looking for full length quality passenger cars at budget prices, look no further.
The only downside is the majority of these cars are painted silver. Other than the yellow Union Pacific, there are no colorful cars, no two-tone grey NYC, no Tuscan Red PRR, etc.
But, overall, a pretty good deal.
Rich
Alton Junction