who makes the better ready to run rolling stock

[stuart_canada]

we ahve discussed the various levels of the ready to run locomotives and cannot decide who makes the better model or makes the best model.
so in your opinion who makes the better ready to run out of the box rolling stock such as box car, tanker , flat car, cranes, passenager car?
i like walthers cars and athaern but i really dislike the couplers they use.
kadee i llike but only have one model so far made by them so need more models to compare and decide on them
your thoughts?
stuart
renfrew ontario

[Trucklover]

Stuart,

This is just my opinion, but i really like Athearn RTR, Atlas RTR, and Walthers Gold Line Rolling Stock. Of coarse you pay more for them, but these companies have really improved on the details lever over the past couple years, Atlas especially. They all come with metal wheels for better performance as well.

As for the couplers, i always just replace the ones that come on the rolling stock with KADEE #5's no-matter what coupler they come with, unless they are KADEE #5's already of coarse lol

Atlas and Athearn have really stepped up there tooling in the past 2 years and it really shows, they have amazing details on them factory installed and fully and completely RTR out of the box. Walthers Gold Line is up there too, not quite as much detail as Atlas and Athearn RTR but still VERY nice cars, and to me, these 3 companies make the best rolling stock. I have yet to get Intermountain Rolling Stock, but i hear those are very nicely detailed as well.

All of the above MFR's (Atlas, Athearn RTR, Walthers Gold Line, and Intermountain) are not cheap, but well worth it if your a detail freak lol

Just my 2 cents worth

[LynnB]

I agree with Josh , although there all pretty well comparable now adays as long as they have the weight , the detail , kadee couplers and metal wheels on the chassis.

[tetters]

Athearn has really impressed me recently. I picked up a couple of cars from them recently and the tooling used to produce them is really good. Even the grab irons look like they are made of thin brass wire instead of chunky plastic bits. If you look out for them you'll notice them and some packaging reads "New Tooling".

[csiguy68]

i picked up to athearn rtr freight cars last week and was impressed at how well they ran and the detail is nice as well. i have also had very good luck with the bowser cars to.



how do the walthers gold line cars run? i saw a few that interest me, but i never bought any before?




todd

[Lester Perry]

No one has mentioned Proto 2000. I have bought very few RTR cars and don't know for sure that they even have them. But their kits are fantastic, so I would think RTR would be also.
Les

[Running Bear]

I like the Athearn rtr rolling stock and the Bachmann Silver Series though I severely dislike the couplers they come with. I change them all out with Kadee #5;s or #148's (whisker), whichever I have on hand at the time.

[eightyeightfan1]

I only buy the Athearn RTR, but I have dabbled in Walthers.
Mostly though, with the detailing of the newer BB's, I've been getting some of them as well as the Gensis kits.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I think most of my cars are Walthers or Athearn, but i have a good portion of atlas cars to. I do really like the atlas and athearn genesis cars, they are very nice.

[tompm]

I like Atlas, Athearn, Proto 1000 cars. They are good runners and sturdy. I also like Proto 2000 and Intermountain. They have a lot of details and seem to hold up well under use on the layout. To me, while they look good the Kadee cars are too delicate for long term use on the layout. I have a couple of Red Caboose boxcars but they have not been out of the box or run yet. Walthers for me can be hit or miss. I have had some cars that are great and others that you have to tinker with to get them to run consistently. My biggest problem with Walthers (other than the Platinum series) is you have to add the grab irons. For me that is an exercise in frustration. The Bachmann Silver Series are alos nice but like some else said you have to change the couplers.

Has anyone tried the Accu-Ready or Bowser RTR cars?

[stuart_canada]

i forgot to add i got one atlas car for christmas, it is a bcr 60 foot box car, also got a cpr derrick car by athearn. i got my first walthers train line car,a cpr caboose.
i was very impressed with them all, I still do not liek the fact they do not use a good coupler system. have to change them out.
so my list of non kit cars is growing more and more to the ready to use car.
Atlas Cars
Warren Tanker car ( sure looks nicer than the athearn bluebox kit car) metal wheels......sold me on that change to the rest o the fleet ver the next year or so
BCR box car
Walthers
CNR auto carrier ( long box car ) 2 of them
CP 60 foot box car
Kadee
CN 60 foot box car ( only one with kadee couplers stock imagine that)
Bachmann
Sask Grain car
Walthers Trainline
CPR Caboose
Athearn
CPR derrick flat car
ready
The list is growing I did not think I would be getting into so many ready out of the box models
I figured when i started this post it would set soem fires and burn, but no one seems too negative about the topic. ready out of the bo is not for everyone but I still like my kit cars as many do

[Empirebuilder]

Other models that tend to involve a little more work but build up to some beautiful models. Accurail, Westerfield, American Model Builders....and if you want's to really test yourself's try the old Tichy Trains 120ton Brownhoist crane and idler cars

[stuart_canada]

i have one of those@#$$%^^&**!!!!@@$$$%% cranes, i started it like almost 20 years ago and i have never finished it. i know some peices are missing now but i never ever want to try another one. drove me crazy, it sits in pieces in its box.
do not think i will attempt another one ever
but those of you have finished it, great job, well done....

[csiguy68]

stuart, i could not agree with you more!! i built two of the cranes in your picture and three 25 ton american type cranes and they drove me crazy. they are also very time consuming as im sure you know. they look very cool on a layout, but ill never build anymore.


todd

[Charlie B]

To me the part of the hobby I enjoy the most is the building. I don't mind spending 8 hours building a car from a kit. Aren't hobbies called pass-times? It is very rewarding to do it. I also like to add the details to the models. The thing that frustrates me is the same cars that I bought last year as kits for $7.00 are selling RTR for $28.00.
I'm glad I got a lot of them. As far as Locomotives and rolling stock, I have all I need so I may resort to scratch building if something turns up that I want. There are quite a few locomotives I would buy, but I will have to get used to the new prices. It is hard when I can remember going to the store for my mother and getting a quart of milk, a loaf of bread, a huge nickle candy bar, and 2 cents change from a quarter. My how time marches on.
Cheap Charlie