Recent Tichy Builder

Tichy/CMA Fan +1

Dear Jared,

Can't say I've ever assembled one of their Cement hoppers,

but I've been a long time fan of their shorty wood ore hoppers (great for HOn30, HO, and even On30!),
their flatcars (can be made into dead-ringers for Cass/Mower flats),
and their OB boxcar (raw grist for a NYD 101 idler car...)

Well engineered kits, go together easily, and give a nicely detailed result...
(I upgrade to metal wheelset and Kadees by default, but beyond that, no need to do anything furthur...
...unless you want to... ).

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

D&H TICHY cement car!

I love the Tichy Kits.  Great detail and value!  

Besides freight cars they sell all sorts of scratch building items & detail parts.  http://www.tichytraingroup.com/Default.aspx

GREG

Tank Cars

I picked up a couple of their tank cars in MN some years ago. Yup it takes some careful saving to get some of the flask off and very nearly got the tank put on at a side way tilt because of the kit design. All came out good in the end.

Car looks great Greg.

Jack

Good luck here

I've built 4 of the shorty ore cars--they go together nice and easily, and look good.  The 2 bay hopper is more complex--but then, all the brake gear is sitting out in plain sight, so HAS to be built, and it's up to the modeler to make brake lines.  I do wish they'd make some old style wooden coaches, thought...

"Old style wooden coaches"?

Dear Irish,

The MDC Overton coach/baggage/combine doesn't fit requirements?

Or, if you're looking for something more "craftsman kit", what about the Labelle HOn3 coach kits?

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Tichy's die work is first

Tichy's die work is first rate. I built a number of their 54' flat cars and my only problem was that if you build them as intended with the included frame weight, they sit too high. If you want a real challenge, try building their #4010 wrecking crane or # 7010 400 ton coaling tower. Both are superb model kits!

Tichy kits

Nice looking cement car Greg

 I have built the crane tender, several flat cars, a coal hopper, an outside braced boxcar and a pair of ore hoppers. I love their kits. They do give your eyesight a challenge though. My only complaint was the hopper has wire grabs which actually are an improvement over the plastic, but you had to drill the holes. I always have problems with getting the spacing right on them. I wish they would drill the holes for you. I have a bunch of unbuilt kits still in inventory including the crane. The price of these kits is really low and the quality very high. Still made in USA. If you like building and painting theses are great. Unlike resin kits, there is no "fitting" necessary, the parts fit together perfectly as long as you can see them.I am. not knocking these, but they a lot of filing sanding to fit. Here is a F & C EBT stock car I built 

Ray- Check out BLMA- they

Ray- Check out BLMA- they sell an etched stainless piece that has numerous hole patterns pre-drilled into it to help you locate grab iron holes. I have found this to be indispensable for drilling grab iron holes on locomotive hoods. 

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Thanks Jody will do

                            Ray

Love Tichy kits

Yep, I love Tichy kits.  As someone posted previously, they are very detailed and at a very good value.  I have built 2 flatcars, a boxcar, a tankcar, the crane and tender.  I cannot believe the amount of detail you get for the price.  

I have met Don Tichy personally and have also toured his plant, since it is in our NMRA Division.  If anyone is interested in seeing pictures from the tour, look here:

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39652

or here"

http://mer.nmra.org/TichyTrainGroupTour.pdf

I have several more I need to build.  Also as someone said, he has a WHOLE bunch of windows and doors for scratchbuilding in HO, O, and even N scale.  I am not sure if he has an in S.

Regards, Vic B.

Adding my 2¢

I have several Tichy pieces. Here's their steam crane a friend built. I traded this crane for one I had that he wanted. I still have another that needs to be built.

Still have several cars, including a couple of tank cars in storage.

They are wonderful to build with all those detail parts.

Bernd

Tichy USRA box car query

I've built Tichy flats, tank cars, and four of a six-pack of "CP clone" USRA single-sheathed box cars.  The kits come with alternate ends and doors, one set (7:8 ends and wooden doors) being specified for the CP car.  In the interests of variety, is there a knowledgeable modeller out there who has built this Tichy car for another road using a different combination of doors and ends?

My period is 1929 FWIW.

David

Tichy USRA box car query

Hi David,

I would also be interested in a response to your question.  I have one of those I would like to model after a prototype.  I built one of the Steel Sided rebuild boxcars and bought another one to model a Wabash boxcar I saw in Owasso Michigan.

and the car end.

I did purchase the correct ends, which do not come with the kit, but Tichy has most of the ends that you can think of.  I also have the correct decals.  I got them while Champ was still selling them.

Regards, Vic Bitleris

Patience

I have bought and built several of the Tichy kits.  Originally, I bought them because of their great value.  There is a lot for the money, and frequent quantity discounts are advertised on the website.

The first kit was a bit daunting for me and my modeling skill level, but with some smaller, better quantity tools, and magnifier light, good working surface, and learning to put it down at the start of frustration; and then coming back to it later. I acquired the patience and ability to complete the kits.  They are outstanding; everything fits together perfectly.

When the original crane kits were developed in the 1970's by a mold-maker by the name of Gould, I bought and assembled the N-scale one, but always wanted to do the HO one.

After success with the hopper, tank car, and reefer kits, along with some structures, I tackled the 200+ part crane.  Success!!  My wife had to do the rigging, as my fingers, even with tweezers attached, are too fat and instable.  But it now does MOW duties on the Rincon Pacific RR.     I like their products.

Here is one of the Tichy PFE kits.

Great Kits

Tichy makes great kits. I've made their crane, backhoe and a 12 pack of their wooden ore cars. Hours of relaxation and I learned a lot about how the prototype equipment looked and worked as I researched the equipment. You'll never go wrong with a Tichy kit as long as you take your time.

"...as long as you take your time..."

Dear Geared,

Aye, ne'er truer words were spoken...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Superb kits.  This is their

Superb kits. 

This is their water tower kit I had on my old layout. Also their crane; a kit I liked so much that I bought another one, but haven't put it together yet.

Wow, thanks all!

Really a good modeling Value.

"Wow...makes one wonder how they stay in business... 

Yes, it kind of makes you wonder.  Don Tichy is a very cool and industrious person.  His wife has stated that the Model Railroad kits he produces is his passion.  He purchased the original dies from Bill Gould, but has expanded on them.  He makes everything in a small factory in Alamance, North Carolina.  All kits are made in the U.S.A., so we know that good manufacturing at very reasonable prices can be made here in the U.S.  Don tries very hard to keep the prices low and the only thing that would raise the prices is the cost of the raw styrene should that go up.  I do believe he employs a few people in addition to some family members, but generally this is a family owned and run business.  

It is kind of a shame that most of our modeling businesses are now done overseas for very cheap labor to make the bottom line better for the large corporations, but it is very good to see that American know how and can do attitude still works and provides us with good modeling fun.  Don is in very good health and plans on delivering for many more years to come.

Regards, Vic Bitleris

Tichy kits for Modern-era modellers?

Dear Vic,

Not that I'd put this on the Tichy crew, they have their current era and product line pretty well buttoned-up. However, if similar style/format/level of kits for contemporary freight cars were available,
(they may well be, but I haven't found them, and certainly haven't found them down here in the Antipodes),

I suspect they'd be very-well recieved...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

2 flatcars and a tank under my belt

I put 2 -40ft flats together last week, I found it very enjoyable. I will do more as I have a 6-pack of reefers on the shelf.Brian

Tichy kits for Modern-era modellers?

Hi Prof,

Interesting.  I bet you are right.  I probably won't see Don again until November when the Neuse Valley has their Train Show, but I will talk to him and see what he has to say about that.  I don't think we will be having a Division visit this year, we usually only have one every other year.  I am sure it would be a rather challenging effort.  Do you have any cars in particular to suggest?  I suspect that will be his first response.

Regards, Vic B.

When I switched scales....

from N to HO, I bought a six pack of  Tichy USRA Boxcars not really knowing what I was buying. I had some idea that they would be more challenging than an Accurail kit  but really wasn't ready for the time they were going to require. I kept them for quite awhile but what with the whole scale switch and trying to build a new layout, I never could seem to find the time and patience I knew they were going to require so I sold them. I ended up scrapping the first HO layout because it overwhelmed the room I'm in and I just decided it was too big and time consuming and I started a smaller shelf design to be built in phases. I've now bought a single Tichy USRA boxcar kit and am looking forward to the build. The thought of six with everything else going on seemed overwhelming back then but I think just doing the one and going on from there is going to work out great. I know from what I've seen they make really nice looking models when finished.

Michael