Details, When Are They Too Much?

[tompm]

When are details too much? This is a question that has been bouncing around my head for a while now. I like details. Grab irons, ladders, brake lines, etc. do make cars look great. However, at what point to they become an impediment to operating the car or locomotive.

My models are meant to be run. That is why I have a layout. I want to see trains running. As a result, my equipment will be handled. I will admit at times I can be a member of the Big Clumsy Finger Club. Perhaps that is why most of my fleet of cars are Athearn, Roundhouse, Accurail, and Atlas. There are some others such as Intermountain, Red Caboose, and Proto2000. 

The Athearn, Roundhouse, Accurail, and the majority of the Atlas cars are rock solid. Granted they may lack details but I can usually operate and handle them with little worries of something being damaged or fall. The only exception is some of the Atlas Master Line cars particularly the tank cars. Some of the parts on them are so delicate they break when touched. The couplers on the last batch I got were terrible. They were I think McHenry and the type used on tank cars that prevent uncoupling in the real world (I can’t remember what they are called). Every car had at least one coupler fail/break when the car was being used. I finally had to replace all the couplers with Kadee #5’s which was a chore. Access to the coupler pocket was restricted by delicate details and just figuring out how to hold the car so the work could be done was a challenge. Needless to say many detail parts had to be repaired.

Intermountain and Proto2000 cars are better. They have the details, but I have few problems with them. Granted I only have covered hoppers, boxcars, and gondolas. I have been able to weather them and run them with very few problems. I don’t think I have had to repair any details on the Intermountain and the few I have done on the Proto2000 cars were the results of clumsiness.

This brings me to Red Caboose. Their ready to run cars are beautiful with a plethora of details. However, they are delicate as China dolls in my opinion. Every time I take one out or run it something falls off or breaks it seems. In addition, for all the high-end details they use McHenry couplers! Changing the couplers is an exercise in frustration and patience as you have to navigate several delicate details to access the coupler pockets. While I like the look of the cars I do not think I will buy any more due to the delicate nature of the cars.

Thanks for listening to my rant.