Now that I am 99% over the cheap LL, Tyco and Bachman stuff I have been buying Athearn you bulid it rolling stock. Normaly I can pick up a 50 foot box car from K-10 trains between $5.95 to $6.45, he has cars that is a little more but I am cheap.
Today I stared looking around a little more and found some Round House cars in the same prices range and some Atlas car's as well.
For the best bang for your buck, what do you buy? I picked up a Athearn 50' SD Box car for $6.45 and seems like a fair prices to me.
Is Conrail the right name for a maker? I think it is a RR as well. Reason I ask K-10 has some passangers cars with a name like what I listed for only $9.00. I all most bought one, but deecided that some off set Kadde couplers, washers and another pack of # 5's would be of more use.
Cuda Ken, wanting to buy the best I can again.
I hate Rust
Atlas "Trainman" stuff is great value, we will just forget about that musical advertisement. Its Atlas quality stuff, a little less detailed than a standard atlas but still better than a Athearn, Roundhouse, etc. Plus they come with proper weight, metal wheels and knuckle couplers.
You need to decide whether you would rather support your hobby shop or get great deals. If you look on the internet, very often you can find engines and rolling stock 50% off. But again your LHS gets no money from that.
I have oodles of Athearn and Roundhouse rolling stock. I change wheelsets to metal and put Kadee couplers on them, and they still cost less than other brands.
Too much stuff today is R-T-R instead of kits, but I did receive an e-mail from Athearn today announcing their Blue Box rolling stock production schedule for 2006-07, and it contains quite a lot.
Under $10 the best is Athearn BB or the few remaing MDC/Roundhouse kits. Although, the paint on some MDC kits, especially the older ones, is a little hokey looking.
Between $10 and $15 - I like Bowser and Accurail kits. Branchline's Yardmaster series kits are good too.
My fleet is primary Athearn BB and MDC/Roundhouse kits. I'm slowly upgrading my fleet to Bowser, Accurail, and Branchline.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Others covered the various lower cost kits. I think your question about Conrail is answered by the kit mfgr. is Concor.
sovirginian wrote: Others covered the various lower cost kits. I think your question about Conrail is answered by the kit mfgr. is Concor.
Conrail (the Railroad) did have a business/inspection train of pullman green passenger cars but I don't know whether Concor (the model manufacturer) ever produced them. Concor does produce decently priced models though.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
cacole wrote: I have oodles of Athearn and Roundhouse rolling stock. I change wheelsets to metal and put Kadee couplers on them, and they still cost less than other brands. Too much stuff today is R-T-R instead of kits, but I did receive an e-mail from Athearn today announcing their Blue Box rolling stock production schedule for 2006-07, and it contains quite a lot.
That and Train shows and estate sales. I bought 50 cars (varney, ahm, walthers, atherns, silver streak and lionel) for $65.00 at an estate sale.
James, Brisbane Australia
Modelling AT&SF in the 90s
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Look at all the advice above then start looking around. Trains shows have been a great source of bargains for me. I model the Old West so pickings are often slim, but I have bought a lot of Roundhouse kits in the $3-5 range at train shows. eBay can be good as well as long as you watch the shipping. Make sure you stick to products you know and try to buy in lots or deal with sellers that will combine shipping.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Ken, I like kits. I get a great amount of pleasure and satisfaction from the assembly process. I find the Athearn BB kits to be too basic for me to get much enjoyment out of them. The more detailed kits are better value, even though they cost a little more. (Assembly time = fun time, it it takes longer and is more challenging it is better value)
K-10 has a decent selection of Accurail, and P2K kits. They are a little more than the Athearn kits. You have already found the roundhouse kits that K-10 has left. These are old stock and will not be coming back as the Roundhouse line is now all R to R.
Of the R to R models, Atlas makes the best IMO, but you are always going to pay more for R toR.
The Con Cor passenger cars are not all that great.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Cuda Ken,Good deal.
Allow me to get you pointed in the right direction as far as kits and good prices.
http://www.1stplacehobbies.com/freightcars.asp?sc=H&mfg=112&keys=&walthers=&pl=&ph=&sp=1&cp=1&lid=0
http://www.1stplacehobbies.com/freightcars.asp?sc=H&mfg=140&keys=+car+kits&walthers=&pl=&ph=&sp=1&cp=1&lid=0
http://www.1stplacehobbies.com/freightcars.asp?sc=H&mfg=181&keys=&walthers=&pl=&ph=&sp=1&cp=1&lid=0
http://www.bowserorders.com/.sc/ms/cat/HO%20Cars%20English%27s%20Model
I suggest opening another window to check the manufacturers web page to insure you are getting the era of cars you need.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Accurail
Bowser
Branchline Yardmaster
Ebay for "high end" stuff, especially P2K
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
I found some NEW KITS today:
Silver Streak Grey Commissary Car and an Ambroid Center flow Tank car. Do not think they are shake the box kits
They where for than $15.00. BUT this LHS had close to 100 kits ALL under $15.00. Depending on your taste. Picker up an Atlas RS3 for $69.95.
Thanks for the answer folks, on the supporting my LHS, that is a must. You folks have been great with the help I have needed to get to where I am and that is not saying much.
But there is only so much you can learn from the web, sometimes you need 1 on 1 help and that is what K-10 Trains gives me, plus he gives me left over stuff for free. Nothing super cool, but better than what I have.
As many of you know I have a bunch of cheap stuff. I am cutting the Horn Hooks off the cheap LL, Tyco and Bachman cars and installing Kaddes # 5's. I asked him how much for the coupler boxes I need to do this. Ken just looked at me and said "follow me" and took me to his work station. Open a tool box tray and handed me 50 of them! Asked him how much and said "there yours".
I have been up grading the wheels as well, only so many PK 2 wheels sets I can afford at one time. He sells me Atlas and Athearns wheels he has pulled off his and other people Rolling Stock for a prices I won't list.
Finaly blow why I will buy from K-10 over a inter net company! My self with no wood working skills or tools and want to make the jump to a adult board. If I supply the lumber, he will cut and help me bulid the bench work!
I will look at the other rolling stock you folks spoke of at K-10, not that I will not watch E-bay for steals. But most of the listings are for more with shipping than buying at K-10.
As far as buliding the cars, I do enjoy it to a point but I think BB Athearns are at the skill level I need to be for now. With tuning the trucks, checking wheels, weighting and added weight, installing Kaddess, and assambley I take around a hour a car but not in hurry at all.
Cuda Ken, Loving K-10 trains again.
James said :On the Athearn Kits, These basically snapped together, I bought 5 from my LHS about 3 years ago and managed to assemble 3 of them in the car on the way home the other two i did in about 10 minutes, they are that simple.
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James,That is how modelers gets into trouble by building these simple kits without care.These kits require some "tweaking" to get a trouble free car.We must check the wheel gauge,straighten the frame and weight(if needed) if we want to obtain the correct coupler height without that dang coupler droop that many talk about.
When properly built these cars will give hours of trouble free operation..
When built correctly your couplers should look like this when the car is ready to go into service.And no I am not picking on you.
I will ask Ken that owens K-10 trains about the PK 2 kits. He has RTR PK 2 for around $11.00. The extra detail at this point does not matter for me for 2 reasons.
1 I run the board from my desk, close section is 7 feet away, farest is 26 feet away.
2 I need new glasses Hope to get some in a few weeks.
At this point I rather have 2 50 foot box cars for $6.45 each, than 1 RTR car.
I did find out something of intrest on my last vist. For the life of me I could not understand why 1 50 foot box car by brand X was $5.45 and same style 50 footer was $6.45 by Z? Ken told me it is the Royallyties (spell check) they pay to use the Rail Names and Logos.
Cuda Ken
cudaken wrote: I did find out something of intrest on my last vist. For the life of me I could not understand why 1 50 foot box car by brand X was $5.45 and same style 50 footer was $6.45 by Z? Ken told me it is the Royallyties (spell check) they pay to use the Rail Names and Logos. Cuda Ken
Some roads, such as UP, charge a licence fee to the manufacturers to use their logos, including the logos of fallen flag RR that they have absorbed. This fee is passed on to the consumer in the form of increased prices on these models.
james saunders wrote:Brakie, I know what your saying, I checked them when I got home to make sure, but i was just using that as an example to say they are very straight forward and that if your really bored in the car you can put one together on the move
That is true and a good idea just as long as they are checked over before going into service.