Hye dumb question,I’ve been out of the hobby for a five years. One of my favourite go to fireght and passenger car lines were Branchline’s yard master and blueprint series. Who if anyone got a hold of these molds as a search of Branchline’s website only shows them producing their laser cut buildign kits.
Rob
Atlas purchased them a couple of years ago and is releasing them as ready to run now, although undedcorated kits are still being released.
Their website also shows the actual Branchline kits they still have in stock, not many.
Rick J
Atlas did buy Branchline, but many manufactures copied their designs. For example, Walthers’ Pullman Heavyweights are very similar to Branchline’s Blueprint PHs.
I see plenty of unbuilt Branchline kits at swap meets. I suspect they are on many guys’ TBB shelves (“to-be-built”).
Dave Nelson
Trainman440,
Um, actually, the Walthers cars are not like the Branchline cars at all, design-wise. Branchline cars use a floor & end “core” that include the vestibules. The car sides plugged into this core, and each window is individually installed into each opening. The roof has no hooked tabs to keep it in place.
Walthers cars have complete sides that tab into an inner core of plastic (that does not include the vestibules), and has end pieces. This inner core is both above and below the windows. These windows are installed in long strips. The roof in held in place with 5 pairs of hooked tabs.
Externally, both cars may look the same, but design-wise, they are completely different.
Paul A. Cutler III
Branchline put out their cars RTR before they sold themselves.
If you go on to Ebay at the moment there is a great variety of both Branchline coach and freight car kits available.
I have a couple on my TBB shelf.
Thanks gang, figured someone would have picked them up as they were good kits. I did pick up a few of their last “branchline” made rtr’s before the last local hobby shop shuttered it’s doors.Have a few on my TBB shelf myself,I one of those “oldtimers” that prefers kits. Oh well life in the fast lane.
Did you ever put them side by side? They have the same rivet sizes, same length, and same molding sizes.
Maybe the way how everything fits together is different, but as far as I see, the coupler boxes themselves both move, though Walther’s Coupler boxes move more freely, they both have the car sides separatly fitted to the base, wich other companies like IHC, and Rivarrossi’s all have the sides and base molded together. (Athearn’s sides are connected to the roof. ) Their windows are both flushly fitted although Walther’s are one piece, and Branchline’s are separate. The roof are fitted differently, but both are a separate roof. There isn’t anything that comes with the roof. (Rivarrossi’s and Bachmann’s windows are attached to the roof. Walther’s interior has more walls and detail. Walther’s has Metal trucks, simplifed underbody detail, and simplified end detail. But both look very similar, and the molded parts are also very similar.
If you think Walthers completly used their own castings, details, etc, well that’s what you be