Kit building

Alot of folks don't want to e bothered with assembly these days. Some of then don't like the idea of handling glue in the case of plastic. Others don't want to assemble anything that involves the use of super glues. And in still other cases, assembly kits are no longer available.

Frankly it's a mixed bag.

Irv

Silver Streak

Second:  I just had to throw in a Silver Steak kit I recently found in a cabinet in the garage .  It's also no longer made, but this one is decades old. 

Actually, Silver Streak kits are still being made. Ye Olde Huff N Puff makes them: .  http://www.yeoldehuffnpuff.com/sstreakkits.htm

The PFE reefers are available, but unfortunately not pictured at the site, but here's the Burlington version: http://www.yeoldehuffnpuff.com/images/HO/ss%20burlington%20ref.jpg

Mike

Silver Streak kits

Will wonders never cease?  Thanks, Mike, for the tip.

However, I'm now kind of spoiled by the quality of the current offerings in plastic by Tichy.  Plus, The Ye Olde Huff N Puff price is $22.00, so the $14.50 pricetag for the Tichy PFE cars makes it a no-brainer.   The wood and metal kits were a great way to take a mental break from studies during college.  And the price back then:  $4.95.

Other Kits

I happen to have my hands on two different kits today, and this is great idea for a thread, so count me in.

First up is a Roundhouse kit (in this case a custom painted Central Vermont express Reefer)

Next up is a Funaro & Camerlengo car.

This model is number 6220 Rutland Hopper Bottom Coal car as built with decals (less trucks and couplers)

Craftsman kit? "Real man" modeling? Who cares, but if anyone says that "real modeling"  is gone because of RTR is clearly hasn't picked one of these up.

The resin body needs lots of flash cleaning, and while some of the detail parts are cast, others (like the wire rod or fishing line) need to be bent and cut to the right shape and size.

Cheers!

 Will wonders never cease? 

The old Suydam building kits are also available through Alpine Scale Models. http://www.alpinemodels.com/index.html

What a lot of people wailing and gnashing their teeth about the loss of kits (especially rolling stock) forget is that a lot of these old kits came without trucks and couplers. Furthermore, the old Silver Streak kits only had the sides painted and lettered.

An interesting comparison of building kits then and now would be to get a sample of the Alpine Combination station:  http://www.alpinemodels.com/catalog/item/2762955/2639756.htm which is based on the Common Standard type 22 station and its Laserkit competition:  http://www.laserkit.com/laserkit.htm/images/134.jpg

Interestingly, the AMB Laserkit also comes in the "left hand" version (like the old Suydam orientation) as well : http://www.laserkit.com/laserkit.htm/images/176.jpg 

The AMB versions are a bit over 3 times the price.

In terms of rolling stock kits, the Silver Streak caboose of which I speak was based (loosely) on the SP C30-1 caboose. It's AMB counterpart is $46.95 versus  $28.00 for the Silver Streak.

Mike

I will miss the "shake the box' kits.

I have been buying Athearn and MDC/Roundhouse kits on Ebay.  I am trying to build a large fleet of rolling stock for my basement layout.  I currently have about 300, but I will eventually need 850-1000 cars for my 1981 era Kansas City Southern layout.  (Several unit coal and grain trains will be needed.)

Weathering, KDs, additional weight and metal wheel sets make these shake the box kits an inexpensive way to build a roster of "good enough" rolling stock.  Upgrading these kits (from Ebay) brings the total cost per car at $12-$15 each.  The new RTR kits are fantastic right out of the box, but at $25-$30 or more each....OUCH!!!

Accurail!

Don't forget the yellow box Accurail kits!

They're dead simple to assemble but have much crisper detail than the blue box kits from Athearn ever did. They assemble in between 20 minutes to several hours depending on the weathering (if any) you decide to apply. The parts fit pretty nicely.

These became the "fleet" cars on the BC&SJ because I couldn't afford to do it all with Kadee PS-1 box cars and I don't have the time to assemble the Intermountain/Red Caboose/Proto2000/Branchline Blueprint/etc kits (although I think I've got a bit over 100 of these in boxes waiting for the layout get expand enough so I'd have a place to put them if they got assembled...)

Oh, yeah. Bowser kits.

Frankly, there's a big enough price difference between kits and RTR that I'm not very motivated to do everything RTR.

Charlie

Lifelike P2K

I've still got a couple of "Timesaver" PS2 covered hopper (4427?) kits sitting around. I'll haul one out and take some photos of it.

Fortunately I don't believe I still have any non-Timesaver kits....

Of course it's not gone

It's not gone but you don't see it that much anymore. In N-Scale about the only things that are left are building kits. But even those are now available built up and the cost is often much higher. AS examples just look at what happened to DPM.

Irv

If you;re looking for athearn

If you;re looking for athearn cars, don't overlook the old swampmeets...I've had no problem finding tons of cars and many with Kadees installed and all for $5-$6 a car...real lucky, you find 3 for $10...And that's Athearn, with Kadees - it tells you just how big the market is for these things.  Tables and tables...

N scale isn't ideal for builders

I have no hands-on experience with N scale, but my observation is that unless one is a scratcbuilder,  N scale doesn't offer much compared to HO scale for those who like to construct models.

Unless one constructs a stick-by-stick car kit (such as Rio Grande Models RGS snowplow/flanger), a major distinction among car kits between painted/lettered kits and those that aren't is a much longer elapsed time for construction to apply paint and decals to and allow them to dry and set compared to the time required for assembly of the car body and details.  Also, unlettered/unpainted kits require additional skill sets.

LifeLike Proto2000 PS2 4427 cu ft. high side covered hopper

This is the timesaver version of the kit - the end cages are already assembled. I've done the non-timesaver version of this kit and it was an absolute bear. I experienced an interesting sensation when I opened this one and realized.. there are no instructions included in this box. Hmm.

Roundhouse N scale kit

Here is a quick pic of one of the N scale roundhouse kits I picked up recently at a train show in Roseville CA:

Sorry for the pic being kinda crappy, once I find my regular camera I will get some better pics.

This kit is 8317 : Meridian & Bigbee

It consists essentially of the main box of the car (decals pre-applied) and a metal base with cast details and generic trucks.  Overall maybe a 5 minute build without any weathering.

Mike

Even the photo's half size

Mike ... even your photo is half the size of the HO kit photos ... to-scale photos!  (wink)

But I have seen Railroad car kits in N...

I have seen railroad car kits in N-Scale. I even bought one put out by microtrains. It became a railbox car and runs whenever I run my trains. It is easily identifiable as it is the only Railbox in my collection.

There are even craftsman kits in this scale as well. Sure they may not have as many details as the the bigger kits but I want to be a modelrailroader and not model house builder.

Irv

Athearn Blue Box kits

Jim

My LHS has a hundred or so of the blue box kits. Let me know what your looking for.

Intermountain 4750 covered hopper

Might be the packaging, might be the previous owner, might be age, but this one has some damaged and maybe missing parts to sort out. I have instructions from other IM kits.

McKean/Front Range centerbeams

This one was a bear to build and decal. I used a carpenters vise to get everything square and compressed together, and did a lot of scraping to make pieces fit. The loads in the background are assembled Jaeger kits.

Detail Associates GS gondola

The kit to end all kits, but buildable, with patience. Trouble is, when it's done, it weighs about two ounces. All of these kits were picked up for about half price at swap meets or hobby shop close-outs.

McKean Centerbeams

I built two of those things for my father-in-law, since his layout isn't really set up for the 73' ones.

Never, ever, again.

This is a neat thread. Wish

epitomy of kits

I started building MRR around 1957 after having built cars, stage coaches, planes and boats. Back then, because of my age (preteen), finances and what was available, a lot of railroading was scratch built or kit built. I remember some of the neatest kits from Silver Streak, Ambroid, Suydam and then LaBelle. When I started college, I was lucky enough to get a job as a draftsman for Balboa Scale Models. What was  great with Balboa and other kits (and still is in LaBelle's kits) was the opportunity to build a scratch quality model and have all the ingredients in one place. I love Tichy kits, especially after taking a cub scout den to tour their Hauppauge factory. The new RTR products are pretty good and even the shake the box ones are a lot better than what could be achieved with some of our early kits. However, wood still looks best as wood and plastic looks best as metal in my eyes.

Yep, I'm definitely old school, my biggest pleasure is running something that I have built up that looks good in the detail as well as the weathering. With the skills taught in the hobby today and the materials available, we can still do a better job weathering than some underpaid Chinese laborer working in a gov't factory with an airbrush.

However, the greatness of this hobby is that everyone is emperor of their own domain.

More comments on photo 3 and 4

Over the last few days I built another Tichy car (similar to photo #4:  I did a tank car.) and a Branchline Trains "Blueprint" kit (photo #3), so I had kind of a head-to-head comparison.

The cars are similar in detail, but I prefer the Blueprint kit because, even though the parts are the same level of detail, they seem to me to be a bit easier to install.  This opinion is from a 60+ year old who has "fat" fingers, and needs reading glasses and a magnifier.

The undercar brake detail on the Blueprint kit is all one extrusion (probably ABS plastic).  This is seen on photo #4: the extrusion to the left of the underframe.    The main reservoir and two air lines is one piece; the triple valve is one piece; everything else inside the sprue is the rods, levers, and chain, all as one piece to install.  By contrast, the Tichy kit has a lot of individual parts, some tiny; and brass wire for brake rods and air lines. You have many small parts to install and connect.  I much prefer the Blueprint kit method.

The Blueprint kit includes cut levers and end of car air hoses, both of which are part of slightly larger assemblies, that are easier for me to handle and install.

Add in paint and decals for the Tichy kit, and the price is a wash.

I'll testify to the Athern hunting

If you;re looking for athearn cars, don't overlook the old swampmeets...I've had no problem finding tons of cars and many with Kadees installed and all for $5-$6 a car...real lucky, you find 3 for $10...And that's Athearn, with Kadees - it tells you just how big the market is for these things.  Tables and tables...If you;re looking for athearn cars, don't overlook the old swampmeets...I've had no problem finding tons of cars and many with Kadees installed and all for $5-$6 a car...real lucky, you find 3 for $10...And that's Athearn, with Kadees - it tells you just how big the market is for these things.  Tables and tables...

Oh, how I miss those Athern kits (my hobby almost ground to a stop when I got the newsletter from Athern)

I can testify to the going to swap meets for them. I have 15 undecorated locomotive kits I got in Febuary, and I like them all.

If you ever want something, go to a swap meet or train show. They'll help you there

You also forgot Railyard Models:   http://railyardmodels.com