QUOTE: Originally posted by jxtrrx One caution on Walthers passenger cars. They often require at least 24" radius curves (and that fact, although listed clearly on the box, is not usually mentioned on their website or in the catalogues). I purchased some, and they consistantly derailed even on 22" curves. To their credit, Walthers cheerfully refunded my money. I have now purchased a train of their shorty (60') passenger cars (from their Trainline series -- no longer in production, I think, but still available here and there). They may not be prototypical, but they look great to me, and they roll like a dream.
QUOTE: Originally posted by drewsdaddy Nothing is greater than seeing a three year old's eyes sparkle when a big consist goes around the layout.
QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole A weird problem I have ran into with IHC's passenger car set, which was made by Rivarossi I believe, is that they have plastic trucks with the mounting pins offset from the truck center, so no other brand of truck can be substituted for them. I saw an all-metal replacement truck in the 2006 Walthers catalog (HO scale) from IHC, and a separate "IHC/Rivarossi adapter," but the adapter is not shown or explained. With the trucks priced at $20.98 per pair and the adapters at $3.98 each, that's more than what I paid for the passenger cars. Those long-shank McHenry replacement knuckle couplers that these cars require are another drawback -- body mounted couplers would be much better.