I see on Discount Trains Online all these freight cars by Accurail and they are dirt cheap in comparison to Athearn or Walthers or Atlas.
What’s the catch?
Does anyone have any of these cars? Do they run well? Are they relatively realistic?
Nice molding, crisp lettering, straight forward. Rode ok, put better wheels on it and rode better. A good simple car for the price. Not for the “numbers are 1/2 scale inch too high” set. J.R.
I’ve got quite a few of them. I love the covered hoppers, better than Athearn. Box cars I’d rate okay, about the same as Athearn blue box or old MDC.
BNSF4ever,
Personally, I like the Accurail boxcars and hoppers. I have about 25 of them altogether. Nice kits, crisp lettering and good paint job. Although not as good as Proto 2000 or Branchline, I’d say the detailing is good. IMHO, I think they look better than the Athearn BBs.
I’ve put Proto 2000 33" metal wheels on all my rolling stock. It both looks and rides better and keeps the track cleaner longer. My only regret about Accurail is that don’t have any gondolas or tankers. [:(] Maybe someday…
Tom
i have some accurail boxcars and am really happy with them. i think the detailing is just as good as 90% of the other lines i have or have seen. the only two things i dont like about them are, the doors dont open, and they come with horn hook couplers. i put kadee old#5s on them and there just fine.(for me, kadees are a must)
I have several of the Center-flow hoppers. They are good cars.
Huh. All the Accurail kits that I’ve ever bought had both the horn hook AND Accumate couplers in them.
Tom
Accurail hoppers are the best on the market in my opinion, especially for the price.
The boxcars are good as well, I plan on changing the axles & couplers on all of them in the future.
Gordon
tstage, cripes, your right. havent bought one in awile and forgot about those crap couplers the put in them also. i DO stand corrected. sorry i"m just picky about couplers. for me, looks and performance, GOTTA go with kadees! (no i do not work for kadee, nor do i know anyone that does.just know what I like and works best for me.) sorry.
lginc,
No apology need. Thankfully, Accural also wised up and started putting in 2-56 screws, instead of those beveled plastic pins. (Hate those things!) Every once in a while, I still find an old kit with those in it. I keep extra 2-56 screws in my parts box just for that occasion.
Tom
i bought 3 of accurail’s wood side twin hoppers . very nice looking car , and they look right at home behind my 4-6-0 . they came with the new style couplers (work with kadees) and the plastic truck pins . unfortunatly most of their cars are a bit too new for my pre - 1920 layout plans or i’d happily buy their boxcars etc.
Recommended; I have over 100 Accurail kits.
I have several. Put kaydees and metal wheels on them and they perform alot better.
I like the kits as they “Fall together” I suppose having 7 seperate numbers on the FGE reefers is a statement when my reefer train comes by that is made up of mainly atlas cars.
yes slowly aquiring N&W hoppers, for my layout…melikes.
Lots and lots and lots of them. They fit right in my 1940’s era railroad, and for a ‘shake the box’ kit, the detail is really good–especially the ‘wood’ cars. They’re well-weighted, and if you take out the plastic wheels and substitute metal ones (I use P2K’s, which slip right in), they roll like a dream. The earlier kits had plastic pins to hold the trucks on, the new ones have screws. 2/56 screws will work as a substitute for the plastic pins, though my older ones with plastic pins haven’t been any trouble. I like them. Very much.
Tom [^][^]
The cars behind the tender on my signature pic are all Accurail WFEX reefers.
I forgot to mention it and Tom reminded me. Those wooden end and full wooden boxcars are terrific! Half of my rolling stock box cars are of the wooden variety. Classy and rustic!
Tom
Besides wheels and couplers, on the boxcars the stirrups seem to shalown,I’ve replaced all mine with detail associate ones,also brake wheels need replacing, with accurail cars, some are not lettered for the correct roads, some are dead on, other than that, it’s not a bad car.
I have a pile of Accurail hoppers, and a couple of box cars. Their composite boxcars are some of the nicest plastic out there, there’s a lot of wood grain detail in the ‘wood’ part of the car, amazing for a plastic model.
Proto2000 wheels drop right in, roll GREAT. Kadee couplers also fit right in (#5), I have a HUGE pile of those goofy Accumate couplers, one of these days I’ll package them and sell them on eBay.
All my hoppers came with the screws for the trucks, plus they still have the pins on the sprue - anyone need Accurail truck pins? On the cars I have that came with pins, I replaced them with my own screw.
Believe it or not, the Branchline Yardmaster box I have came with those ^%#* pins too. And like the Accurail ones, they came loose after a few trips around the layout. Time for 2-56 screws.
Oh yeah, another thing about the hoppers - they usually have 12 numbers for a given road name - plus a little coupon for $3 (although check their web site, I think the price is slightly higher) that gets you a set of new number decals for 12 MORE! And the decals are printed on a body-color background so all you have to do is apply them over the stock numbering. Comes in REAL handy when you model a road that needs lots of hoppers.
–Randy
The “catch” is that Accurail cars are kits,while Athearn cars are pre-assembled in China.Which explains way Athearn is twice the price.
But the folks in China only get a dollar a day.