[:)]I’m trying to help a friend. They have a AHM 72 ft military canon car. As best I can tell, it looks like the Model Power “Big Thunder Railway car” # 490-9163 in the 2005 Walther’s catalog. (page 717) The front platform with the double trucks is missing.
[:p]Would the the Model Power work with the AHM. I believe AHM is out of business. Did someone else buy it out? Was it Model Power?
[8)]Actually all I need to know is where I can get the missing part.
Thanks, I know I’ll get a bunch of great answers![:D]
I’m not 100% sure, but I think the Model Power cars are made from the same tooling as the old AHM cars. That said, you should be able to interchange the parts. Otherwise, check eBay.
Brad
AHM is long gone - they did not actually make anything; they just imported models made by other companies like Rivarossi, Mehano, and others.
The Model Power model may be made by the same company as the AHM model was.
An example, is the Alco C628 model made by Mehano; first imported to the USA by AHM, later by Model Power and Life Like, and currently by IHC.
COX also had out a cannon or gun car back in the 70’s (during my first fling with the model rail road hobby), I would be surprised if the AHM,Cox and Model Power gun cars were from the same tooling. Ebay , the local swap meet or any hobby shop that sells used model railroading supplies,cars and locomotives would be some other options.
I have seen these cars cheap at swap meets and maybe your best bet is to keep an eye peeled for a damaged car that has the portion you need still intact.
Dave Nelson
Thanks friends. Does Model Power sell parts or only whole cars?
I realize the whole car is only about $15 - $18, but I just like “fixing” things if I can.
You could contact Golf Manor Hobbies in Cincinnatti Ohio. They sell Rivarossi parts. The URL:
Good Luck
I have a military train from the 1970’s with the identical car, and it was sold under the Cox brand name. There’s no telling who actually made it. AHM is now IHC, but they don’t import this model today. I have seen it as being imported and sold today by Model Power, so you might be better off just buying a new one instead of trying to find parts for a model made by a defunct company.
I have a pair of those here, they are my son’s, he loves them and even I think they are impressive, whether there’s a prototype to match or not. Both came with Model Power sets within the last six months.
You can probably find them NIB as shows and the MP site shows them available, but no matter how you slice it, you’d still be one truck platform short if you bought a new one. That leaves two options, buying just the part, or cobbling a new truck up yourself.
Both platforms are identical on both of the cars here, and they don’t look very complicated to build, especially if you have any other MP cars to cannibalize for trucks and platform center pins.
The MP site has a Parts page, but they don’t list specific items. Instead they refer you to this e-mail address:
While you’re figuring all that out, you can save time by adding a LOT of weight to that beast if you want it to stay on the track. Further, you’ll need a LOT of clearance room on any track you plan to run that on. The long gun barrel isn’t so much of a problem, but the elevation wheels on either side tend to catch on things that every other car I have (with the exception of a Bachman 200 ton derrick) clears with ease.
If you can get the gun to actually fire, I’d love to hear how you did it. My son also has the rocket launcher car, and not only does it have incredible range, greater than 20 feet, the missiles follow repeatable ballistic trajectories. While the aiming elevations and slew angles aren’t marked, trial and error has produced numerous near misses on both of our cats, and at least one direct hit.
Out 50, left 50, and fire for effect!
Thanks for the additional info everyone.
Jeffers, I e-mailed MP. Thanks for the address. I’ll let everyone know what happens.
I already thought of trying to build one. That may be a last resort.
I have two cats who will sit on the stools for operators and watch the trains go around. They have been good about not making an attack. One does, however like to sleep on the farm yard from time to time. They usually are not allowed in, unsupervised but sometimes they get in and hide and I don’t know they are there.
Hmmm, my male cat loves the engineer’s chair too. He usually jumps in whenever I start flipping switches getting set up for an operating session. They haven’t gotten up on the layout since the last of the wood was covered up, and they know they’d get a healthy dose of water pistol if they tried. I usually set up an EZ track circle for running in new locos, and they watch that pretty close. Once the male took a swat at an old AHM 40 ton switcher and knocked it off the track. Things like that and also “Meow, I just barfed in my food dish and demand more, right now” is what keeps me polishing my missileering skills.
They’re ghetto cats. I took the cats out of the ghetto, but can’t get the ghetto out of the cats. I’ve looked, but Model Power doesn’t sell any HE or incendiery warheads for their missiles, just the practice dummies. Those don’t even wake the cats up when they’re sleeping. The kid’s remote control monster trucks do though…
Good luck with the missing platform, let us know how it goes.
Jerrers
The e-mail from Model power said they don’t have parts and the car is out of stock. So I’m going to try some of the other site listed. Thanks everyone.
We’ve had our cats since they were 2 or 3 weeks old abandonded by their mother. They don’t know they are cats. We are the only parents they’ve ever known.