Hi,
I just assembled a nice little walthers kit. This to be specific: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3091
I quite liked them since they rolled very nice and the detailing was enough for me anyways. So anyone got any suggestions on any cars of similar quality? I’m looking for a cheap way to build a large fleet of hoppers, ore cars, freight cars and reefers. Kits are only a bonus but they should preferably have metal wheels. So any suggestions?
Magnus
Try Atlas Trainman series. Its about 10 to 15 dollars. Good details for the price. And once you start your collection going, you can always go back and start putting metal grab irons and such.
Magnus
Those cars are not for interchange service but rather used only on the largest steel plants for inter company movement of coal and coke.
Depending on what era you model. (Modern, Pre War, Steam/diesel transition) Check out Bowser. Their kits are still about $10 U.S. I model the PRR in steam/diesel transition. I have about fifty Bowser GLa, H21, and H22 hoppers so far. Fair details, great tracking and fair weight. They do come with plastic wheels but changing them as I assemble is the way to go.
Pete
Here’s a possibility. I’ve not tried these so I cannot speak to their quality.
http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=fleet
Try Accurail:
The Walthers Mather Box Car kits are a steal right now:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-54165If
These are appropriate for pre-World-War-II era layouts. The high top-mounted brake wheel is a giveaway on that. It looks to me like they’re clearing the shelves of inventory, since they’ve sold most of the production run out. These are really nice models - metal wheels, factory-applied metal grab-ons, etc., that don’t break the bank and really can be assembled in an evening.
I’ve got a few on my layout and a few more on the shelf in my workroom, somewhere in the assembly queue. If they fit in your timeframe, you can’t go wrong with these. Even if they don’t fit, buy a couple because one day, mark my words, you will come down with a case of Steam, and the only cure will be to back-date your whole layout.
Take a look at Bowser. A lot of hoppers, kits, RTR and RTR weathered. I do not believe they have metal wheels.
L:
I’ll put in another vote for Bowser and Accurail kits. These two companies are my “Athearn” now. They have a great combination of price, appearance, and running qualities, and they’re domestically produced, which is a nice bonus. 
Hi everyone,
First of, thanks all of you who took the time to answer, I apreciate it.
I do like the walthers kits, I got a few Mather’s stock cars and they where easy to build and they certainly roll very well once they hit the layout. Something that I’m more concerned about then break lines under the car! [:)]
The Acurail kits that I got(two of them) have been less satisfactory. They have been OK but not as pleasing as would have liked. Maybe I just got two poor ones.
What metal wheels would you guys recomend to replace plastic wheels?
Magnus
Magnus,
What about the Accurail hoppers are you not so keen on? Looks? How they run? Quality? Did yours come with the plastic beveled bolster pin that attaches the truck to the underside of the hopper? If so, replace them with 2-56 x 1/4" or 5/16" screws.
I’ve been very happy with my Accurail kits. The underside is a bit spartan but I like the rest of the detailing. I think their wood 6-panel boxcars are exceptional.
I use Proto 2000 33" wheel sets. Kadee and Intermountain also make some.
Tom
Tom,
The Accurail kit that i built the most recently was a boxcar. The detailing is just fine, I really don’t care about underside details. I mean it’s nice but nothing I really care about since it’s rare that I’ll even see it.
No, the problem is that the cars wobbles more then anything else I’ve got or ever seen! It’s like a swing! It rocks back and forth and it’s really noticeable, especially at turnouts. Maybe I just got a poor one? I don’t know. The metal weight took a lot of work just getting straight before I was able to place it since it was less then perfect from the factory. Maybe I should try weighing it down even more to get it more stable. Any sugestions are most welcome.
The trucks are put in place with a a 2-56 screw.
Thanks for the wheel suggestion. I’ll get some next time I order.
Magnus
Wobbling can be caused by wheels that are not concentric with their axles and or the truck bolsters are not flat and parallel or perhaps the screw or pin that retains the trucks on the car are not tight enough. This and track that is not level across the rails will set the car to rocking and if bad enough will cause derailments.
The track is perfectly level so that isn’t it. I do believe it might be as you say that the truck is not connected enough to the car. But I can not tighten it any more!
Thanks for the sugestions, I will examine the trucks even more on this wobbly but nice car.
Magnus
Most of my recent fleet purchases have been Accurail. I especially like their 40 ft. transition era boxcars. I replace the wheel sets with P2K and the couplers with KD #5s. I also use a reeming tool on the trucks. These modifications give me excellent performance and with a little weathering, the appearance is good enough for me. The fine detail that comes with the higher end equipment is not that important to me.
Turn the car upside down and remove the truck mounting screws. Then take a look at the round nub that protrudes from the bolster with the truck sitting on the bolster. (This is what locates the truck in position) If the end of the nub is too long, it will protrude above the surface of the bore in the truck. If you have this condition, you will find that the screw head bottoms on the nub such that you can’t tighten it anymore without damaging something, but the truck will still appear to be loose. If I have this condition, I’ll file the end of the nub until it is just flush with the top surface (this would be the surface closest to you). Ideally you want to have the truck screws tightened such that at one end the truck can only swivel freely, while at the other the truck can both swivel and rock just a little bit.
If you looked at the nub and it is below the bore surface, then the screw is either bottoming on something else, is too long, or the hole has not been tapped sufficiently to allow the screw to thread in all the way.
Thanks for the sugestion. I’m gonna look into that later today.
Thanks.
Magnus
While not exactly the same cars Branchline and P2K can be had for very cheap. They are kits with lots of detail and I suppose people do not want to spend the time building them. You can purchase these for the same or less than Athearn, Accurail or any other brand. They come with metal wheels, couplers, and all the detail you could want. Just leave off the underside or the grabs and no one will know the diff.