----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff Simpson
To: STMFC@...
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 2:51 PM
Subject: [STMFC] NSC 40' Boxcar (Was: New Box car)



Ted,

The Trains Canada NSC boxcar is produced by H&D Hobby in Calgary.
They have been available in Canada for several years now. They come
in a variety of accurate and semi-accurate paint schemes. They are
also available undecorated.

How do they compare to other 40' boxcars on the market? The Trains
Canada cars are way better than Athearn or Roundhouse but definetely
not up to par with Intermountain, Red Caboose, or Branchline
Blueprint Series. I would say they are very close to Branchline's
Yardmaster series, maybe just slightly inferior.

The molded on grabs and stirrups are frustrating - but they can be
easily carved off. The ladders are quite oversized and do not have
the right profile - but look removeable. The biggest problem I have
with these kits is the rivet size!!! The owner (Hanz???) of
H&D "decided" to have the models tooled with oversize rivets so that
they would "stand out" to the casual viewer. Only problem is - these
cars really do "stand out" when beside Intermountain, Red Caboose,
and Blueprint type cars. The rivets look to be almost twice the size
of their counterparts listed above. It might be possible to sand
blast an undecorated car evenly to reduce the size of the rivets to
something more accurate. I haven't tried this yet - but plan on it
in the future just in case someone else doesn't do this type of car.

The prototype that H&D selected represents a 10'6" High 40 footer
with NSC3 ends, an NSC roof, and eight foot doors. I mostly need 6
foot doors for my fleet of Canadian grain boxes - so I am opting to
stick with the Intermountain and/or Red Caboose (IMWX) kits,
supplementing Sylvan (Ex-CRMPG) ends, doors, and roofs were
appropriate. For the couple cars that I need with 8 foot doors and
NSC roofs and ends - I will likely use the H&D kit - although highly
modified with add on detail parts and a sand blasting to reduce rivet
size.

So if you are looking for something that represents a "true" Canadian
prototype - with slightly oversize details. This car is for you. It
is also an excellent starting point for a highly-detailed project or
for future kitbashing projects. I already have other ideas for those
NSC roofs and ends!!! Finally, you can't really beat the price,
especially for the undecorated units. Check em out!

Jeff Simpson
NAR YahooGroup Owner
Calgary, AB

--- In STMFC@..., Ted Schnepf <railsunl@f...> wrote:
> Anyone seen the model and can comment on its accuracy?
>
> Ted






------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links

a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STMFC/

b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
STMFC-unsubscribe@...

c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.