Okay, I am new to the hobby and am really confused as to which rolling stock to use or purchase. There are so many different styles of cars and such, I would like to know what the big differences are. Is there something I should be paying attention to other than price or what??
the best rolling stock.
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The very lowest level cars have coarse detail, plastic wheel sets, truck mounted couplers and and no easy way to adjust the way the trucks mount to the cars. The next step up has body mounted couplers and the trucks are held on with screws so you can adjust how much play is in the trucks. As the price goes up, you are (hopefully) getting finer details, more add on parts(as opposed to molded on), better wheels and more accurate paint schemes.
The very bottom of the quality ladder isn't much fun, but you don't have to spend a fortune to get good performers, either.
The very bottom of the quality ladder isn't much fun, but you don't have to spend a fortune to get good performers, either.
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Sooo many choices!!
Well, wheather it's for a real railroad or a fictional railroad(fake). It's really up to you. Yes there are many many types of rolling stock. But also depends on era and railroad..and of course your budget and the amount of room you have. Boxcars are a common sight because they carry pretty much any cargo. and flatcars too. But with each type of car there are many variations.
Find a list of all of the common types of rolling stock and narrow it down to a group of cars you are intested in. And buy a few and try them out and see if they are what you think you'll buy more of. I can't really put ideas into your mind but I like boxcars, flatcars and grain cars and tank cars and of course cabooses. But that's just me.
Ususally short lines focus on a couple types of cars for hauling limited items, like coal, sulphur, oil, ore..etc. When it comes to brand of rolling stock well...that depends if you're a rivet counter or not. And how much your willing to pay. In the end it's up to you.
Well, wheather it's for a real railroad or a fictional railroad(fake). It's really up to you. Yes there are many many types of rolling stock. But also depends on era and railroad..and of course your budget and the amount of room you have. Boxcars are a common sight because they carry pretty much any cargo. and flatcars too. But with each type of car there are many variations.
Find a list of all of the common types of rolling stock and narrow it down to a group of cars you are intested in. And buy a few and try them out and see if they are what you think you'll buy more of. I can't really put ideas into your mind but I like boxcars, flatcars and grain cars and tank cars and of course cabooses. But that's just me.
Ususally short lines focus on a couple types of cars for hauling limited items, like coal, sulphur, oil, ore..etc. When it comes to brand of rolling stock well...that depends if you're a rivet counter or not. And how much your willing to pay. In the end it's up to you.
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Buy what your pocketbook can afford. Just because it is expensive doesn't mean it's the best. The less you spend on each piece the more pieces you can have. For years, Athearn Blue box was the mainstay of the hobby, inexpensive kits. The trend today is toward RTR. While some are a bit more detailed, with crisper detail, they are also more expensive. And the added expense is not necessarily justified. One still has to change out couplers if going with a product like Kadees. Take the car apart if its to be weathered, etc.
IMO, the RTR's are a real pain in the butt and the pocketbook when one has to take the thing apart to do all of this. They should have remained in kit form. There are still kits available, and most are cheaper than RTR's. It's your choice.
Bob
IMO, the RTR's are a real pain in the butt and the pocketbook when one has to take the thing apart to do all of this. They should have remained in kit form. There are still kits available, and most are cheaper than RTR's. It's your choice.
Bob
Thanks for the advice, guys. Yeah, there sure are a lot of choices out there for quality and price. I just want my trains to perform with minimum hassle. I want my kids to be able to run the trains without any problems. They loose interest very quickly if they have to fiddle with things to much.
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Take a look at Atlas. Arguably on of the better products out there.
Bob
Bob
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I Will Miss My Blue Boxes!
Try the Athearn Blue box Kits for that "Look What I did feeling". They are still out there but since Athearn pulled the plug and is going with RTR they are goiung fast. Walthers also makes kits and you can find them on Ebay too. As Bob said let your pocket book lead you!
Try the Athearn Blue box Kits for that "Look What I did feeling". They are still out there but since Athearn pulled the plug and is going with RTR they are goiung fast. Walthers also makes kits and you can find them on Ebay too. As Bob said let your pocket book lead you!
I am new to the hobby as well and I like the Bachmann Silver Series. Get them for about $8 at modeltrainstuff.com, they roll smoothly, have decent detail and since I am try to get my weathering down, if I screw it up, I am out only $8 instead of $25 or more.
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For RTR the Bachmann Silver Series are good for the price. I prefer kits. I have made allot of Roundhouse ones and they have always run well. The Athern Blue Box are good too. They some times need a little weight added, especially the stock cars, to track like I want them to. For a little more money Bowser makes an excellent kit. I would avoid the entry line Life Like, Model Power and Bachmann as they have talgo style trucks, poor axle / wheels and are light.
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If you are close to a shop that specializes in model railroading. Go there and ask for Athearn blue box. I know of a few cases where they have removed them from shelves and put them in the back room to make shelf space for RTR. Also try train shows. Another brand which has not been mentioned is Accurail.
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I just checked out E bay and there are some real good possibilities there.
* Home > * Buy >* Toys & Hobbies >* Model RR, Trains >* HO Scale >* Athearn >*Search results for "blue box"
* Home > * Buy >* Toys & Hobbies >* Model RR, Trains >* HO Scale >* Athearn >*Search results for "blue box"
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284 Posts
Rollingstock well
Freight Equipment
Tangent
Exact Rail
Atlas & Trainman
Intermountain
Athearn
Con Cor
Bachmann
There are many specialty manufacturers out there but for the main stream those are my picks
Passenger cars now
Rapido
Intermountain
Walthers
Athearn
Bachmann
Th
Freight Equipment
Tangent
Exact Rail
Atlas & Trainman
Intermountain
Athearn
Con Cor
Bachmann
There are many specialty manufacturers out there but for the main stream those are my picks
Passenger cars now
Rapido
Intermountain
Walthers
Athearn
Bachmann
Th
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1,483 Posts
In HO, add Bowser, Funaro and Carmalengo, Chooch, Red Caboose, Mantua(especially their "Classics" line), BranchLine, Rivarossi, LifeLike Proto 1000 and 2000....... All better than ConCor(I wouldn't walk across the street if they were giving these away) or plain Bachmann. Bachmann's Spectrum line is nice, but Bachmann's quality ends there.
And I guess that we can add Athearn Blue Box and call them "mainstream". There are still enough of them to last a long time, even if Athearn decided to screw the pooch and discontinue them. Dollar for dollar, they are STILL the best buy. And I'd bet a dollar to a donut that there are more Athearn BB cars riding the rails than any other manufacturer offering.
Bob
And I guess that we can add Athearn Blue Box and call them "mainstream". There are still enough of them to last a long time, even if Athearn decided to screw the pooch and discontinue them. Dollar for dollar, they are STILL the best buy. And I'd bet a dollar to a donut that there are more Athearn BB cars riding the rails than any other manufacturer offering.
Bob
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Wrong forum, oh sorry:laugh:.In S Scale, American Flyer!
Okay, now I have an idea of what to look for, so now I am going to make my local hobby shop the next stop and see what they have to offer. They specialize in model trains and have a pretty decent selection of stock and the prices aren't bad either. Thanks all for the input.
I'm fortunate to have a train shop near by that buys and sells used stuff. They go to estate sales and buy full collections then sell them at e-bay prices in the store. So, I've found a few gems in the $3 to $7 range with no shipping fees Plus, it's fun to look through the 'new' stuff every 4 to 6 weeks.
Doug
Plus, it's fun to look through the 'new' stuff every 4 to 6 weeks.Doug
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i say athearn blue box
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