Anyone have any experience with Branchline cars, either RTR or kits? They are made here in the States, and are advertised as excellent quality.
Branchline makes excellent kits, both their plastic freight and passenger cars and laser cut wood structures. Most Branchline kits ARE fairly involved, having numerous small pieces, so prior kit building experience is a must.
I bought and assembled three of their Berwick boxcars. While they were not the easiest kits to assemble, they were not hard. I did like the seperate grab irons. The down side is that they are metal and need to be painted. I do plan to get more, eventually.
I agree with Ray’s assessment. Branchline are terrific kits but they are involved to put together. Not a kit for a first timer. Quality is the same, if not better than the Proto 2000 kits.
Branchline kits come in two flavors:
- “Blueprint” Series - Top-of-the-line kit in detailing. Grab irons and ladders can be fragile and difficult to remove from sprue. Flush-cutting nippers and/or a sharp #11 X-acto blade is a must.
- “Yardmaster Series” - Not quite as nice as BP Series kits but still very nice. Same issue with fragile parts.
Choices for type of car is easy: Boxcar, reefer, or passenger car.
Tom
I assembled one heavy weight passenger car. It’s about the best detailed car on the market. It was a time consuming job assmbling it, but directions were clear, and parts fit well. Those with less than 30" curves may have to trim underbody details for trucks to pivot properly.
Thank you for your appraisals guys, I was on the Branchline home page last night, and they really looked good on the screen. However, ratings from the modelers are the best judge for me. I will try a few kits, I have experience dating back for years, and lots of patience ( Retired…LOL )