Boxcars for Palmetto

[Alcanman]

Hi,

 

With a warehouse and beer distributor requiring regular deliveries, I'm looking for more modern boxcars to supply these industries.

 

I like this Athearn Railbox 50' FMC 5347 car, so I'm looking for more Athearn cars with a similar level of detail, having got rid of my

old 'blue box' cars.

 

 

However, looking at Athearn's website at the many different RTR 50' boxcars they've produced over the last 10 years, I'm a bit confused!

Some appear to use the old 'blue box' moulding, some old MDC moulding and some more detailed with seperately applied grabirons etc. These

latter models are what I'm looking for.

 

Can anyone suggest or recommend which cars I should look for?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mal

[Prof Klyzlr]

 

...looking at Athearn's website at the many different RTR 50' boxcars they've produced over the last 10 years, I'm a bit confused!

Some appear to use the old 'blue box' moulding, some old MDC moulding and some more detailed with seperately applied grabirons etc. These

latter models are what I'm looking for.

 

Can anyone suggest or recommend which cars I should look for?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mal

 

Dear Mal,

 

The key is, the _old_ stuff is under the sub-brand "Athearn-Ready-to-Run",

 

the _new_ (better detailed) stuff is under the sub-brand "Athearn Genesis",

 

http://tinyurl.com/7b3h5lg

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

 

PS of course there is also ExactRail, InterMountain, Branchline Trains, and BLMA... :-)

[Glorious NSE]

Hi Prof, not that simple unfortunately!

 

The one Mal features in his image is a RTR one, I suspect is based on Roundhouse tooling, and features nice wire grabs, fine stirrups and etched crossover platforms, but in the same range are types which are just an assembled blue-box kit, and tooling that originally was sold as Genesis but is now sold as RTR!

 

Mal - I *Think*

 

The FMC cars are ex Roundhouse, but *I Think* have all been improved as per your one above - i'd caution being a bit careful and maybe looking at a large image from the Athearn site though to be sure.

The ACF (athearn sometimes calls it 'Railbox') single door and their old double door 'modern' car, plus ones listed as "50' OB" are ex Athearn blue box and are not improved. Ignore.

The PS5344 was the last blue-box kit and comes with wire grabs even on the kit version.

The SIECO, NACC and PC&F cars are ex Genesis tooling

The "50' Combo door", "50' superior door", "50' youngstown door" and "Evans 50' double plug door" (although it should be 52') are ex Details West, they have separate ladders but the details are on the chunky side - Atlas does a superb version of the Evans one though which i'd reccomend over the Athearn as it's the right length and has finer detail, as an RBL that would be a decent choice for beer & wine traffic too.

 

As Prof says there's lots of nice options out there from particularly Exactrail though, plus Atlas does a nice ACF car (better bet than the old Athearn) and now has the Berwick tooling ex Branchline. So having a reasonable fleet with no two alike for a small layout like Palmetto is acheivable.

[Alcanman]

Thanks for your very informative and comprehensive reply, very helpful.

 

Mal

[Parthia27]

In addition to the excellent Exactrail and Atlas cars that Martyn mentions, Intermountain also do a Pullman-Standard 5277 Cubic Foot Exterior Post Boxcar, and a 5283 Cubic Foot Double Door Boxcar, both of which are fitted with Kadee #78 couplings. Don't forget to look at the Genesis 50' PC&F Cars with either Landis or Youngstown doors - nice!

[Glorious NSE]

plus Atlas does a nice ACF car (better bet than the old Athearn)

 

Just as a clarification, they do a master line one which is rather nice http://www.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/hopreboxcar5.htm

And a Trainman one which other than nice running gear isn't a big step up detail-wise than the Athearn. http://www.atlastrainman.com/HOFreight/tmho506boxcar.htm

[Alcanman]

Thanks again.

 

Looking at some of the more detailed offerings from Intermountain, Exactrail, Atlas and Athearn, some cars have the smaller Kadee 'scale' couplings in

smaller coupler boxes. As I have now more or less standardised on Kadee #148 whisker couplers I wonder if they will fit into narrow coupler boxes?

I've tried mixing couplers but they do not work too well.

 

Meantime, here are a few more boxcars seen recently at Palmetto.

 

First, an Atlas Evans DPD (RBL) in beer service, nicely detailed except for the chunky coupler box

 

 

Second, Atlas Trainman boxcar, lacks detail and seems to ride high on the trucks, but very cheap!

 

 

Last, Walthers Platinum Hi-Cube, Superb detail!

 

 

cheers,

 

Mal

[roundhouse]

Very nice photos Mal.

 

I have a mixture of small and standard Kadees but as you say they dont mix well. As most of mine are number 5's I would rather change the smaller one but most of the newer cars have the narrower box so the conversion to number 5's doesn't work.

 

I now have one of Warbonnets spare Exactorail beer cars and is awaiting its turn in the weathering shop!

 

Ian

[warbonnetuk]

Mal

 

Depending on now important whether a scheme / road is correct for a particular car is to you it's worth checking one of the web photo sites (railcarphoto, rrpicturearchives) to see if new model is legit.

 

Exactrail have a history of producing 'fantasy' schemes but to their credit usually flag up which ones are which on their website e.g. the recent BNSF scheme for the autoparts waffle car. However Athearn are a little less forthcoming and will stick a scheme on a car is it is a v rough approximation e.g. not descerning between their centre double door 50ft box and offset door version

 

Dan Spalding

[Glorious NSE]

Found another one this morning with some nice stuff too: http://freightcars.m....com/index.php/

 

Some of mine:

 

An SP (in faded Golden West paint) PC&F RBL, this is one of those cars that was Genesis but this release was in the RTR range. The only difference I could find was it didn't have the brake pipes and the trucks with rotating bearing caps. Graffiti copied from the real car.

 

 

This is an Exactrail Evans boxcar, really nice, there's some lovely detail on the car ends. The only thing I tend to do with Exactrail other than weathering is change the wheelsets out for non-magnetic ones if it's a car that will be switched.

 

 

Hartford & Slocumb ex Marinette Tomahawk & Western Athearn RTR boxcar, I gave this a white wash to fade it, i've since replaced the handpainted running number with a more prototypical stencil.

 

[Jon Gwinnett]

Mal,

 

I don't know how many cars you have, but the "Scale" #158s fit most things, work well, and look great, especially if you chop if the magnetic dropper.