2a Re: {Disarmed} Re: [STMFC] NTS Walthers head scratcher? Fri Jul 18, 2014
7:03 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "Jeff Shultz" jeffshultz634
I went over and
talked to Terry Thompson (who is now the Vice President of
Proprietary
Products (eg. Cornerstone, Mainline, Trainline, Proto...))
about this car
as I took photos of it.
Basically they believe that they have a car
that they can make well, not as
a kit, sell at a profit, and which wore a
ton of paint schemes over the
years. I can't say I disagree - even with it
being a first generation test
shot, and admittedly (actually Terry
requested I make sure to mention)
missing some of the details and rivets
that will be on the final model, it
looks like it will be a fine
model.
You can see it
at:
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/18553?page=2#comment-154824
(and if
you scroll up you can see the Athearn bi-level autoracks and a few
other
odds and ends that I had the pleasure of photographing
today.
Thanks very much for this excellent coverage of Walthers
National Train show coverage Jeff.
Your effort is much appreciated
here.
With regard to the new Walthers 1944 AAR boxcar I have a question
or two and then some comments.
Where is the hobby gaining a darn thing with
the introduction of this item? I mean that sincerely. It is a
throwback to
Athearn BlueBox items only it is pre-assembled and will be two to three times
the price.
Never having been impressed with such poor efforts in this
regard I see no reason to change that opinion
now. It is bad enough to see
all the "detail" cast or molded onto the basic carbody but in this case the
door is cast on as well. sorry Dennis but that is my chief gripe with
Accurail boxcars as well. At least
with the old Athearn BlueBox cars one
could open the door......and with a little effort improve the door
guides
and get rid of the ugly "claws".....and at a price considerably less than this
clunker will cost. I've
picked up a number of the Ertl boxcars of late,
like twenty some odd, to repaint for various roads that
acquired USRA
double sheathed box cars. Why so many? Because at what they can be bought for
currently they are one of the best cars ever offered in RTR form, the
doors OPEN and they fit my 1948
modeling cut-off date very well. The Tichy
USRA single sheathed boxcar fits in with this desire as well,
whether
bought in kit or assembled form. Thank you very much for this car Bill Gould
and Don Tichy.
In both instances the cars are well done, do NOT have much
modled on detail at all and both have really
nice, prototuypically THIN
doors that actually OPEN.
OK, why is it important to me that the doors
open. It is important because even into the 1980's I can well
remember
seeing a number of sliding door boxcars in moving trains in which the doors
were open. No, they
were not supposed to hbe moved that way......but they
WERE! In earlier years they were even more prevalent
and that is why I want
doors that open. I want the option of positioning them any way one might wish.
I also
want the option of being able to apply paper sealing materials to
such doors as easily as possible as you
should soon see in an article done
for RMC. Thus the Ertl and Tichy cars and, yes, even the old
Athearn
BlueBox cars are a godsend to me, though the former two are light
years ahead of the latter. Heck, even
as late as August 1982 I can remember
rolling northbound on I-5 between Fresno and Sacramento pacing
an SP (I
think) freight much of the way and frequently seeing three boys and a dog
sitting in the open
doorway of a 50 ft. Railbox car as first the train and
then our car was in the lead. The open door and the
boys did not surprise
me. Sitting there with their legs hanging out did but that's proablaby from my
railroad
insurance work background. I will call Phill Walthers next week in
an attempt to mak my case for opening
doors.
In closing, and for
those who may wonder, I did call Larry Grubb last night to be sure he knew of
our loss
of Richard. Not being home, a message was left and I'm sure we
will catch up with one another over the next
week or so. A telephone and a
real voice are so much more human than this Internet. Can't live with it and
can't live without it.
Cordially, Don Valentine
