Your earlier suggestions about replacing the couplers with Kadees is a good one. I keep a supply of Kadees around and all junk couplers get replaced. Likewise, I clean out the trucks with a MicroMark truck tuner and replace those old original plastic wheelsets with metal ones I buy from Intermountain. This makes an amazing difference in how easy it is to pull the car around.
I started my HO train collection in the 1950s. I have accumulated a lot of old rolling stock, and have upgraded almost all of it with Kadees and metal wheelsets. Yes, I have a few much nicer pieces of rolling stock, but I have no trouble running my old Athearns along with them.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
maxman PC101 Then again some venders just seam to want to sell trains and make no profit. Sometimes it is not about "making a profit". It may not have occurred to anyone, but there are a few of us who enjoy getting out once in a while, so if we sell enough to cover our expenses we're happy. Anything above that amount is chocolate sprinkles on the ice cream.
PC101 Then again some venders just seam to want to sell trains and make no profit.
Sometimes it is not about "making a profit". It may not have occurred to anyone, but there are a few of us who enjoy getting out once in a while, so if we sell enough to cover our expenses we're happy. Anything above that amount is chocolate sprinkles on the ice cream.
Yes it has occurred to me a long time ago, I hit these fokes first and we are both happy campers. Some of my best buys have come from under their table. My latest BB purchase was a 50' covered gondola. I remember getting second hand BB's with metal sprung trucks. Most of those truck side frames and bolsters are in gondolas as scrap loads. I still pick up MDC/Roundhouse and Athearn BB.
xsvtoysFirst, I finally figure out that all those little white letters and numbers on the car mean something! Then, there is another one that says "BLT 2-42", which logically means it was built in February 1942. Great, I know when it was made.
Then, there is another one that says "BLT 2-42", which logically means it was built in February 1942. Great, I know when it was made.
Keep in mind that only tells you when the car was made. As has been mentioned, railroads had to reweigh cars every few years, and from time to time would bring them into their shops for major work which might include repainting them. They would be repainted in the then-current paint scheme for the railroad. So in 1973 you might see a 1942 built boxcar that was originally boxcar red or brown wearing a flashy red or blue or green 1960's paint scheme.
The roofwalk would have been removed when it went into the shops to be painted PC
For those of us who are seriously into operations, Athearn Blue Box cars have the enormous advantage that they do not shed little tiny parts all over the railroad as they get used. Our forces are WAY more than scale forces should be, and I've seen delicate cars disintegrate just through normal wear and tear.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
azrail The roofwalk would have been removed when it went into the shops to be painted PC.
The roofwalk would have been removed when it went into the shops to be painted PC.
I have removed several roof walks from blue box boxcars in order to make them fit better into my 80's/90's layout. It's not too hard with some sprue, a bit of putty and files followed by a bit of paint. No doubt that many of the liveries or dates are not exactly right, but chopping the walks goes a long way to make older cars fit visually into a newer layout.
Bayfield Transfer Railway For those of us who are seriously into operations, Athearn Blue Box cars have the enormous advantage that they do not shed little tiny parts all over the railroad as they get used. Our forces are WAY more than scale forces should be, and I've seen delicate cars disintegrate just through normal wear and tear.
This is a good point. I'm not deep into operations but I am a klutz and my partner in this layout is my young son, so the purchase delicate rolling stock would be risky at best.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Bayfield Transfer RailwayOur forces are WAY more than scale forces should be, and I've seen delicate cars disintegrate just through normal wear and tear.
Michael, I have devolpe and fine tuned a "kiss coupling" method that doesn't move the standing car when I couple on to it. I simply ease into the coupling and stop as soon as the cars couple.
Of course the KD couplers need to be fine tuned where they open and close smoothly at the slightest touch... That's not as hard as it sounds since the majority will do that from the package..I just smooth the knuckle face with a needle file.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Larry,
If I were the only engineer, I 'd agree. But once I hand a visitor the throttle...
It's like Timetable and Train Order operation. I'd rather relax the rules a bit and let first-timers relax and enjoy themselves.