What was the rational for Model Power marketing the all metal boxcars?
Was there some kind of demand ?
They are really heavy and robust
Dunno. I suspect it was some kind of experiment with using cast metal.
I have one, and I’m not real happy with it. Cheapo couplers and wheels all had to be changed out, and the paint is chipping off the corners and edges after only 2 years of light use. Fortunately, I can cover the chips with rust paint for additional weathering.
My lhs suggested NOT to get one.
Flip
He was right
I have 2 and don’t really care for them
As others have mentioned, poor trucks/couplers and way too heavy - Except for the 53’ flat car. Pretty good detail, and the weight is perfect unloaded. And since I only paid $2 each for them, they are a future project.
Jim
We had a member of our HO scale club purchase the first one they released several years ago. The wheels were so poorly made that a locomotive could barely pull only the one boxcar up a 2 percent grade on the club layout. He never runs it.
What Model Power’s objective may have been is to produce a shelf display model and not one intended to actually be ran on a layout.