# HO Rolling Stock, what to look for...



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

I got a lot of rolling stock when I bought a huge box of used HO trains
I am learning a lot here and got tons of great advice building my layout

I am now looking to slowly get better cars, I have a lot of box cars, most have horn/hook couplers, I know I need to look for kadee couplers, most have those pop in trucks with all plastic wheels and axles with the coupler is in the truck, I know to look for frame mounted couplers and trucks that are mounted with machine screws. I now have a much better idea of what is or should be under the car.

What about the shells of the cars themselves? All mine have all details just molded on with non opening doors, I see ads for cars that are 20, 30 and 40 or more dollars, just what do you get for that kind of money?

I sorta know what to look for on locos, the better brands and the extra money bring some serious details, lighting and much smoother running engines. 

I need to know about the cars.

Clue me in guys, de-un-clue clueless me


----------



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Steel axles over plastic, metal wheels over plastic, body mounted couplers over truck mounted, the paint tells you everything you need to know about the maker--flat or satin finish over gloss, crisp clear readable markings over fuzzy or poorly applied ones...that's how I sort them.


----------



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

What about exterior details such as metal ladders over moulded, doors that open, some of my cars are much heavier then others. Trucks with real springs????? or is that asking too much


----------



## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

If you have some trucks with springs in them, they must be some of the older Varney type or older Lionel models. Very good catch.
You can find details for your rolling stock at Details West.


----------



## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

When you get into the nicer cars, you'll see wire details instead of molded ones (grab handles, railings, tie downs, brake details, etc.) Etched metal brake wheels instead of molded or non-existent.

I've got a couple Exactrail and Intermountain cars and they are VERY nice in comparison to others, but you pay for that extra detail.


----------



## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

You have to decide what is good enough. Today's cars are highly detailed with close to scale features. Even on the bottom. In general the details are fragile and break easily when handled. How you operate your trains is a large consideration.

Sliding/ operating doors seem to be a thing of the past. 

As with the details, talgo trucks are a question of a number of things. The main issue is backing. Smaller scales do not have the problem and their trucks are talgo. Car scale weight and wheel flange size are the main differences. So there are ways around the problem, but it may be a different compromise. 

I'm partial to Kadee couplers. There are some other choices. The price reliability comparison favors Kadee to me. There are some new choices that are more realistic looking. I'm not sure how they operate. 

I have been a proponent of metal wheels. Mainly because they add weight to the car below the center of gravity. This was particularly true relative to all plastic wheels and axles. It was also true relative to blue box type wheels, metal axles and plastic wheels. 

Recently, the metal wheels have continued to increase in price and go down in weight. I have made several comparisons recently, and a car with a set of metal wheels weighs less than a tenth of an ounce heavier than the same car with blue box wheels. So the issue is no longer a weight benefit. 

Some clubs only allow cars with metal wheels. They think the plastic wheels cause their dirty track problems. The actual evidence does not support them. In situations where current flows, then common metals should be used. Current does not flow through plastic wheels. Having said that, you can't buck city hall. If they have a rule, then to run your trains on their layout, you have to meet their requirements. 

Probably more than you wanted,
Larry
Check out my blog: wow.llxlocomotives.com


----------



## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Well, detailed rolling stock*

You might want to check out Athern. They have some fairly decent representations of modern
rolling stock. A little more expensive now though. The D&GW gondola, I bought recently, overall ,I'm satisfied with. What's on the back burner now is continuous improvements. Purchasing a Micro Mark chisel to remove some of the molded on features of my earlier purchases from years ago and of corse going to change to metal wheels and better trucks. 
Regard's,tr1
(sometimes you have to add it yourselfcontinuous


----------



## jesteck (Apr 15, 2014)

Bkubiak said:


> What about exterior details such as metal ladders over moulded, doors that open, some of my cars are much heavier then others. Trucks with real springs????? or is that asking too much


Your flyweight cars are more likely than not from cheaper toy train sets and have the pop-in trucks with horn-hooks truck-mounted and molded in. Those aren't even entry level. Without some serious modification, the best place for them is usually the circular file cabinet. While not as detailed as some of today's cars, Athearn and Roundhouse boxcars I bought back in the '80s had pretty good graphics, sliding doors, and removable car bodies on metal frames for weight. They came with frame-mounted horn-hooks that were easy to swap for Kadees with no modification. More weight, if needed, was easy to add. The cars cost between 10 and 15 bucks new. Sprung trucks are an available aftermarket item for the most part, if you want to spend more money and don't mind chasing after springs you can hardly see if you flex the sideframes too far; I'd rather spend the extra cash on metal wheelsets. Any extra fine detailing is totally up to you, of course.


----------



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Sprung trucks are very nice, and not often offered these days, cars that weigh in at 3-5 ounces are nice finds, less than 1 1/2 are most likely not. Separate details are nice, but tend to make the cars harder to handle...for regular ops or storage, that's not always a good thing. Look up Allen McClellan's Virginian and Ohio...he had the "3 foot rule"--if it looks good at 3 or more feet, that's all that matters, leaving him free to go with cast on railings and such. There are few layouts on the same level as his. I have both...


----------



## Lester Perry (Nov 7, 2008)

No one mentioned Accurail. They are nice affordable cars.


----------



## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Don't be afraid of kits either. By assembling them yourself, you save on the labor to assemble and can make some top notch cars.

I go with metal wheels and Kadee couplers on everything.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Sure can't argue with all of the very good advice 
posted to your thread.

But, dog gone it, you've got a 'big box' full of cars.

That's a good thing. They may not take a prize at
a rivet counters layout, but with a little TLC you can
have a very nice train.

Not only that, but you'll be enjoying the fix ups.
That's a major part of the hobby.

Get yourself a supply of Kadee # 148 (preferably) or
# 5, couplers and a supply of metal 33" wheels.

Then settle in for the make over of what you have.
Cut off the truck mounted couplers and install the
new Kadees on the bodies. Get a Kadee coupler
alignment tool (insulated model) so everything
matches. You'll also need both thickness Kadee
'washers' to adjust height.

While you're changing the couplers, change the
wheels also.

Then when all is done, get out the 'weathering'
materials. When you get through you'll have cars
that look just as good "at three feet' (as Shay mentioned)
as the 20 and 30 dollar cars.

Then you can afford that big new loco that caught 
your eye.


Don


----------



## Lester Perry (Nov 7, 2008)

Absolutely agree. I would bet that everyone here has at least one rebuilt "cheap" car on their layout. I have several.


----------



## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

D&J Railroad said:


> If you have some trucks with springs in them, they must be some of the older Varney type or older Lionel models


Or Kadee cars...they come with sprung trucks.....


----------



## oldsarge218 (May 23, 2011)

Most of my rolling stock is used, coming equipped with horn/hook couplers, and plastic wheel sets and molded plastic trucks. Being retired, I have lots of time to spend on my hobby, so I enjoy doing the conversions by putting new trucks, wheel sets, and knuckle couplers on. I prefer Kadee for all three items. If one of the old cars just looks too toyish, (read the 3 foot rule), I won't use it. 
Having said all that, the only person you have to satisfy is you. If you don't mind the cheaper appearance, then all is good.
So far, I have 4 Kadee cars, and probably 20 or so other cheaper ones. Being on a fixed income, and with a fixed-opinion wife of 46 years, I don't know if the ratio is going to change too much. LOL 

If you go on Ebay, and just look at the differences between the "quality" cars, and cheaper ones, you will easily see the differences.
God Bless
Bob


----------



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

A little clarification needed now. I see on Ebay cars advertised with metal axles and plastic wheels and some with metal axles and wheels whats the big diff anyway?


----------



## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Meal axles with un-insulated metal wheels could cause shorts.......


----------



## feldon30 (Dec 30, 2012)

Now that my layout is coming along (I really should post some photos), I'm looking more into rolling stock and how to get the best bang-for-the-buck. I don't necessarily want perfectly detailed cars because in the course of operation, said details might well get broken off. That said, I have asked some friends and they filled in some gaps for me.

Better
• ExactRail
• MTH
• Accurail
• Bowser

Decent
• Trainman
• Athearn/Roundhouse

Lesser
• Walthers Trainline

I realize that taste is personal and I know at least one person said they found some Walters that they found satisfactory, so my list may or may not be useful. Personally I'd like to stay around $20 a car so that keeps me well in the "decent" category unless I find some stuff on eBay that's not moving.


----------



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

That response is great, I know everyone has their own likes and dislikes, it would be cool if a bunch of members could post as feldon30 has, stating their choices as he did.

I have many cars with no markings that are POS so I cannot list them, they most likely were parts of inexpensive starter sets

Better
Athern

Decent
Life like

Lesser
Tyco


----------



## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

I find the Atlas Trainman and Bachmann Silver series to be good value. I can't comment on the detail as I really don't care. To me they look real enough and not toyish. THey have metal wheels and knuckle couplers and roll real nice and smooth. They roll so smoothly that on a section of my track on my platform that has a very very slight grade due to the slope of the floor, they will roll on their own when I put them on the track.

They can be had new in the $10 to $20 range from Trainworld and MB Klein (ModelTrainStuff).

If you are patient, you can also pick these up on ebay for a decent price.

I also have some Athearns and older Mantuas (with sprung trucks) that I replaced the plastic wheels with metal whells and installed knuckle couplers and they are fine. Had to do some coupler height adjustment on a couple of them.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/

http://www.trainworld.com/


----------



## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Don't forget to keep an eye on the Bargain barn at Walther's. Go over $150 and shipping is free, and you get an additional 10% off during your birthday month (sign up for their monthly flyer.) If you're willing to be patient, you can find just about anything on sale for a good deal.

www.walthers.com


----------

