Any opinions, pro or con, on the quality of these boxcars?
Rich
Rich,
Are you talking about the kits? Or the RTRs after Atlas purchased Branchline a few years back?
I don’t have any of the latter but I have put together several Blueprint & Yard Master kits over the years. They are primarily AAR boxcars and reefers with lots of detail parts and stirrups that are delicate. Comparable to the Proto 2000 but slightly better quality, Blueprint kits offer a WIDE variety of road names and businesses (for reefers) and look very handsome once assembled.
After years of visiting and purchasing, my LHS still has two top shelves of an entire aisle dicated to Branchline boxcars and passenger cars; many in box sets of four. I think I’ve tapped them for all of the ones in my era.
As mentioned, Rich, I have not purchased any of the newer RTRs. However, given Atlas’ penchant for quality, I would expect them to be excellent.
Tom
I have built a number of these and have been very happy with the quality and detail. Only problem I have had was with the weights they supply which are big hex nuts. I glued them to the floor with Aileen’s tacky glue and most of them eventually came loose. I threw the rest of that ‘glue’ in the garbage. I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the models but they look nice. IIRC they come with metal wheels and narrow coupler boxes. I replace all wheels and couplers with Intermountain semiscale and Sergents respectively.
George
I believe the kits do come with plastic wheels. I also replace them with Proto 2000/Kadee ribbed wheels and couplers with Kadee #58s.
LOL - I forgot about the large hex nuts, George. I center those of each truck bolster and secure them or any metal weights with silicone adhesive - e.g. Gorilla brand. I have not had any issue with those coming loose inside the shell.
Tom
Hmm, good questions. I had to go back and look on eBay. Nuts, they are unassembled kits. I don’t have the patience for that. I need to restrict my purchases to RTR boxcars. [:|]
Rich
Rich,
I think Atlas has released some of the passenger cars RTR. I don’t know, however, how many boxcars they’ve chosen to release.
Tom
I have some reefers from their first batch of RTR and back then I did buissness with the original owner, very nice guy. They are fine with metal wheels.
Branchline kits do have widely used, identifiable 1:1 scale prototypes, unlike many earlier manufacturers offerings. What makes them a bargain is the inclusion of three choices of ends in the boxcars, along with a variety of roofs. They were heavily written up in the 1990s, including prototype rosters, in Railmodel Journal magazine.
The 50 foot RBLs are accurately modeled from General American’s 1950s car. The boxcar kits are the only ones I know of that provide New York Central’s “Despatch Shops” roof and ends, along with ACF’s improved dreadnaught and “dartnought” ends in plastic.
i really like them. I did several of the undecs up as PC boxcars, and they look pretty accurate, at least to my untrained eye.
Were any of the eBay kits undec?
I did see one on eBay.
Rich
I just three unbuilt ones and they each have quality metal wheels. But they are 110 and I prefer 088 so I replace them. I have a sizable pile of fat wheels.
G
I have four Branchline freight cars, two of them reefers and two boxcars…
This one was undecorated, as the C-D-S diagram for their dry transfers is in the Athearn box in which it’s kept when not on the layout…
Only two of them are in Branchline boxes, so I’m guessing that the other two were bought at train shows.
I also have four Branchline passenger cars, two of them built from kits and two r-t-r from Atlas.
These two are the ones from Atlas…
This one was an undecorated kit, found on the “used” table at a now long-gone hobbyshop…
A friend had bought this one at a train show some years ago, and offered it to me, as he felt that he was no longer interested in it.
Several months later, I decided to build it, but when I opened the box, everything was there, except for the car’s sides.&nb
I knew the Proto 2000 kits came with metal wheels. I just couldn’t recollect that the Blueprint kits did - at least the ones I put together.
I checked my Excel inventory spreadsheet for Branchline boxcars and hunted through my Axian Technology boxes for those specific road name/numbers. Sure enough! - They had metal wheels! [:O] And they were NOT the ribbed metal wheels that I normally use when switching out the plastic ones.
Always something to learn…or re-learn in this hobby. [:D]
Tom
Interesting and informative stuff guys. I appreciate all of the replies. Maybe I will try my hand at a kit or two for starters.
Rich
Thanks. Just looked and didn’t find it, at least under the 50’ car listings. They’d probably want too much for shipping, so just as well.
They are nice kits, Rich. If you do purchase one and find it too fiddley, send it to me and I’ll be glad to put it together for you. And, yes - I will send it back when completed. [;)]
Tom
Tom, can you share name/phone of this shop? I might want to check if they have any undecs.
Thanks
I will keep that in mind, Tom. [:D]
I model Dearborn Station in Chicago where six different railroads (Santa Fe, Wabash, Erie, GTW, Monon and C&EI) maintain inbound and outbound freight houses for LCL freight. But very few of my boxcars are owned by one of these six railroads. So, I am looking to build up my boxcar roster to represent these six railroads.
Rich
Rich,
Two of my 6 Branchline boxcars are Erie (pre-EL) 40’ so I can personally vouche that those were manufactured. As far as the other roadnames, Monon for sure and the rest highly likely.
Everytime I peruse those shelves of Branchline kits at the LHS I’m overwhelmed by the selection. I just wish more fit my era. [:(]
Tom
maxman,
I don’t recollect seeing any undecorated Branchline boxcar kits. However, I wasn’t looking for them either.
The name of the LHS is Stewart’s Hobbies & Collectors toys (Willoughby, OH) Rob & Sandy are the owners. Happy to help both of you out.
Tom