I know that Kato and Atlas have very high quality on their locos. Is it the same with their rolling stock? If I want quality rolling stock to go along with the EMD NW2, ALCO RS-2 and RCS-2, that time period. What manufacturer have the best quality? Quality for me are three things, 1 - look good, 2 - perform well, 3 - not too expensive. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Quality rolling stock that will fit your engine’s time period (1940-1969):
Red Caboose (plastic, great details, RTR and kits)
Intermountain (plastic, great details, RTR only)
Branchline (plastic, great details, kit only)
Tichy (plastic, great details, undec kits only)
Life Like Proto 2000 (plastic, great details, RTR and kits)
Westerfield (resin craftsman kits, great details)
Sunshine (resin craftsman kits, great details)
Funaro & Carmelengo (resin craftsman kits, great details)
SOME Walthers (RTR only, with some add-on parts)
Accurail (nicely detailed but basic plastic kits, best “shake the box” cars made)
Bowser (nicely detailed but basic plastic kits, second nicest shake the box cars made)
As for price, that’s subjective. Some people feel that a $10 Accurail car kit is too expensive, while others feel that a $35 RTR Intermountain car is a great deal.
For a balance in price and quality, Bowser, Athearn Genesis and Proto 2000 freight cars look pretty decent. I especially like Bowser’s covered hoppers. They’re hard to beat for the price!
Electorlove,
Consider trying what a lot of modelers that want to build up a decent looking freight car fleet: I learned this a while back from a friend:
Don’t feel bad about purchasing groups of “filler cars” used to build up your freight trains. These would be Athearn Blue Box and MDC/Roundhouse cars. With some minor weathering and detailing they can look pretty good.
When running trains, “intermixed” with the filler cars would be your more expensive, nicely detailed “pretty” freight cars that you like to show off, or enjoy looking at when you drop them off at industries or sidings on your railroad during switching operations. These would be your Bowser, Genesis, P2K or if you want to go all out Intermountain or Atlas cars.
Most modelers don’t have load of money to spend on the money, so this is one way where we can still have nice looking freight car fleets.
Hope this helps![:D][8D]
Proto 2000 on Ebay is a cheap way to upgrade. I have seen lots of those kits go for cheap. Bought RTR (don’t tell my narrow gauge buddies) stock cars for $7.00 each. 10, 8K tank car kits as little as $4.00 each…There are around 800 items in the P2k category at at any given time, there are bargains out there…Haven’t had as much luck finding deals on most of the other brands on Orson’s list…
I second Ray’s list and sort of did Antonio’s ‘filler’ scheme - but in reverse- throwing out old Athearn and AHM cars, and replacing them with Intermountain and Bowser.
I now have a ‘string’ of I.M. AT&SF and PFE reefer’s that I’m very proud of. Unfortuately the prototype’s never made it to Florida, the grapefruit capital, but they’re perfect So. Calif.40’s - 60’s.
Just wanted to tell that I looked at your pictures at railimages.com. Really great!!!
Thanks to everyone that answered my question. I love the look of Intermountain.
Take a look at KADEE cars!
JIM
Hi,
Many folks on this forum have tact and are considerate of how their comments and suggestions might be taken by others. I have found that Mr. Gibson is not one of those people. In his response above, he says to “throw out Athearn and AHM cars” and replace them. I agree that there are more detailed cars like Proto 2000, Bowser, Atlas, Intermountain and the like and have several of them myself. However, I’ve had just as much fun with my Athearn cars and quite frankly, as many in this hobby who are not “anal retentive” have found, the cheaper cars look great on the layout. Heck, I’ve always said that from two feet away, it’s difficult to see all those details, especially the underneath brake detail etc. that you’re paying big bucks for with the more expensive cars.
Do yourself a favor…go to train shows, hobby shops and the internet and if you find a car that you think looks great, buy it and have fun. Who cares if the ladders are “moded on” and the roof walk is not “see through”. As a matter of fact, I’m looking at an Athearn car decorated in the green Vermont scheme right next to a Kaddee car decorated exactly the same, both sitting in one of my yard tracks. The Athearn car cost around $5.00 and the Kadee cost around $25.00. I actually like the paint job on the Athearn more than the Kadee and once I weather both, I’m not going to notice that the Athearn stirrup steps are heavy and out of scale and the Kadee’s steps are finer.
Enjoy the hobby.
Mondo
Metal wheels Kaydee couplers and heavy.
The rest of it? Well… if I like em I run em. If not? They get sold for other rolling stock that will perform.
Intermountain, Athearn Genesis and Atlas are probably 3 of the best but you can’t beat an old Athearn Blue Box kit for performance and affordability.
Lately there have been some decent prices on Ebay and at some discount web hobby dealers. Just remember to take “shipping costs” into consideration if purchasing online.
Electro,
To use your numbering system, here’s how I would rate the quality of each manufacturer’s rolling stock, in order, from best to good
1 - Look Good
Resin - Westerfield, Funaro & Carmelengo
Styrene - Atlas, Kadee, Proto 2000, Branchline (Blueprint Series), Intermountain, Tichy, Walthers, Bowser, Accurail, Branchline (Yardmaster Series), MDC, Athearn “Blue Box”
2 - Perform well
Same as above
3 - Not too expensive
Styrene - Accurail, Athearn “Blue Box”
Tom
Athearn RTR
P2K
Atlas
Red Caboose
Athearn Genesis
even Atlas Trainman is nice looking
What is liked and not liked is up to the person deciding on them. If I want high quality, highly detailed rolling stock and motive power on my layout that will be used by me and a couple of friends, so be it. Now, if it’s going to be used or closely looked at by children, out comes the stuff that’s not so highly detailed, not so fragile. It all depends on a series of things. I’m not going to let the negative views of a few people spoil my fun. If I don’t want the highly detailed stuff, I simply won’t buy it. I’m perfectly happy with shake the box kits and BB kits.
I like Accurail. I like their RTR stock and their kits. They have a nice and relatively large selection. Just my 2 cents.
I am working on fixing up a bunch of old rolling stock I had stored away. Actually, some of the older stuff looks pretty good and weathered by their age. I’m giving them some new wheelsets, and scrounging parts from broken ones. I’m having a ball with it and learning alot along the way.
Antonio, whats the deal? You getting bored and dredging around the year old pages?
Athearn BB make good ‘filler’ cars - rolling qualitiy was fair to poor. Good trucks such as Kato and Kadee coupler replacement do wonders.
At the other end of the spectrum we have InterMoutain, Bowser, & Kadee freight cars that Look good, roll good, and are close to the original. What most people want is VALUE.
For Passenger:Walthers’ and Broadway cars are in a class by themselves.
Most everything else is somwhere in between - a compromise between appearance, performance, and price. Your choice. Manufacturers are in the ‘toy train’ business to make a living, first. and sell product, second. Third is appealing to a segment of their targeted market.
KIT’S I have left out, since a certain skill level must be factored in. Athearn BB cars by now have mostly been assembled.
No, in response to the original question, Don said that he’d thrown out his Athearn and AHM cars and replaced them, something entirely different. I’ve done the same, with the exception of keeping some kitbashed or rebuilt AHM cars. As my I’ve become more knowledgable, and my skills have improved, I’ve improved my freight car fleet.
Is that your idea of tactful and considerate?[;)]
Me. My main interest is freight car modelling. I like them to be as accurate and as detailed as possible.
Horses for courses, Mondo. Having accurate, well detailed freight cars is how we “anal retentives” get our enjoyment.
All the best,
Mark.
I would add the Branchline Blueprint Series cars to the lists, both passenger and freight. The only true JUNK I’ve ever had the displeasure of purchasing were C&BT shops, and McKean. I once read that at one time the McKean cars were okay but in later years, something happened to quality control and they were just plain crap.
Athearn BB as well as Roundhouse BB (MDC) make good filler and fleet builders. I’ve never owned one however that didn’t have to be modified in some way to run right (didn’t I mention that on another post?). By the time you put the replacement wheelsets and decent couplers on them, you’re almost better off buying the P2K, Intermountain, etc… The 2 foot test is only as good, IMO, as what is running in front of or in back of that BB Athearn. Put an Athearn BB next to a Kadee and even the least picky modeler will have a sense of disappointment in the Athearn. Comparing the two, again, IMO, is apples and oranges however.