Best BANG for Your BUCK Passenger Cars?

[Anonymous]

If you don't mind a modern-era passenger train, you can get a pretty good basic set (no DCC or sound) for around $150...

One Athearn RTR P42DC locomotive can cost as little as $45 at places like Trainland...  Add to it 4 Walthers Amfleet cars, around $25 apiece...  Voila, a nice modern-day Amtrak train that runs pretty reliably for a reasonable cost, and yes it will work on 20" radius curves.

[canazar]

Jim,

 

   Thanks for the input.  That is just what I was hopeing for.  

All though, it hit me that I need to make clear my radius issue.    While I listed 20", I ment it as a absolute clearance.   Meaning that my average curve is around 26" with some going up to 33".   I listed 20" simply needing it to clear  one small cruve.  I have a large grain silo tucked away that might become a passenger station when the mood hits me( I would lift off the silo complex and replace it with passeneger station).   To back into it, it would have to clear one tight curve on a  industry siding.   Then, once on the main line, nothing smaller than 24".  Also, my club runs about 3 or 4 times a year with our modules.    When we have our layout set up, our minimum is 5 FEET.    Yeah, its cool.  I kinda prefer to have the larger cars.  Besides, the kid loves the big cars.

[jimrice4449]

The major limiting criterion you listed is that 20" radius.   All is not lost however as there are some Rivarossi 60 footers in the Walthers catalog that are actually good representatives of C&NW heavywieghts.   The big drawback w/ them is you have to buy a 4 car set at $140.   That comes to about $35 per car which is about what any well done RTR car w/ interior will cost you.   Con-Cor has a series of lightwieght 72' cars in a number of road names @ $17 each.   Model Power has a series of Harriman cars listed in the Walthers catalog that look like they might be re-labled Roundhouse cars.   The prototypes were about 60' and the Roundhouse nodels are shortened slightly from that so they'd run on your 20" curves and would still look fairly prototypical.   I don't know if the cars are currently available from Roundhouse or not but maybe yor LHS might know.

There will probably be those who will tell you that 85' cars can be tweaked to run on 20" curves.   Don't listen to them!    Nothing short of attaching a hinge in the center of the car will make them look anything but rediculous and most conversions will require truck mounted cplrs which will preclude backing movements.

[canazar]

I need some input here.  I am looking to put together some passeneger trains and need an idea where to look.  And Bang For The Buck is my angle. Of course, I want really good cars, but dont have a ton of money....   I know I sound like a broken record so I am tryign toi find a middle ground.

  There are a bunch out there it in RTR and it seems to be the best deal.  All I can find anymore in blue-boxes are off the wall roadnames and only in a few.    I am not oppesed to going with a IHC set of passenger cars since they are so cheap, if they can be upgraded fairly easy, such as metal wheels and Kadee type couplers.  Also, if you know of a good online source for passenger cars that have good prices,

Here is my list of way I consider most important.

1) Price.

2) Operational issues.   Metal wheels,Kadde type couplers, handle 20" radius, etc

3) Outside detail

4) Inside interior.

 

Let the opinoins fly. I am sure opinions will vary,

 

Thank you guys.