So what's your point, Pete?<<

My point is that some people collect specific kits. The same thing happens
with armor and aircraft models. Sometimes the old kits have something better
going for them, but sometimes it is just the collectibility that interests
people.

Pete
_____________________________________________________
 Pete Brown - Gambrills, MD (Near Annapolis)
 Visit my personal site : http://www.irritatedVowel.com
 (wallpaper, western maryland ry, .net, photography, model rr)

________________________________________
From: benjaminfrank_hom [mailto:b.hom@...]
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 1:10 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Re: Resin gold


Pete Brown wrote:
"Not all kits of the same prototype are alike, though."

True - the Westerfield kit is a one-piece body kit cast in modern
resin as opposed the the late first generation resin of the Storzek
kit.  The Storzek model was an excellent kit, but the Westerfield
model is just as nice, easier to assemble, and readily available
with a couple of mouse clicks at $10 less than the winning bid of
that auction.

As for the NEB&W Green Dot KCS auto boxcar, Funaro did the masters
and castings the first time around, and offers the exact same kit
today.

So what's your point, Pete?

Ben Hom

Pete Brown wrote:
"Not all kits of the same prototype are alike, though."

True - the Westerfield kit is a one-piece body kit cast in modern
resin as opposed the the late first generation resin of the Storzek
kit. The Storzek model was an excellent kit, but the Westerfield
model is just as nice, easier to assemble, and readily available
with a couple of mouse clicks at $10 less than the winning bid of
that auction.

As for the NEB&W Green Dot KCS auto boxcar, Funaro did the masters
and castings the first time around, and offers the exact same kit
today.

So what's your point, Pete?


Ben Hom

Not all kits of the same prototype are alike, though.

Pete

_____________________________________________________
 Pete Brown - Gambrills, MD (Near Annapolis)
 Visit my personal site : http://www.irritatedVowel.com
 (wallpaper, western maryland ry, .net, photography, model rr)

________________________________________
From: benjaminfrank_hom [mailto:b.hom@...]
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 12:19 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Re: Resin gold


Tim O'Connor wrote:
"Thar's gold in them thar resin kits..."

...and there are people out there who have no concept of what's
available on the market.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937009889
In this case, Sunshine 18.6 was a "close out" as of last year;
however...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937036300
...Al Westerfield would be very happy to sell you his car at $40.95,
given that the MSRP is $30.00:
http://www.westerfield.biz/10103.htm
http://www.westerfield.biz/10153.htm
http://www.westerfield.biz/10154.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937037443
...and Funaro would be happy to sell you this kit in a polybag for
$12.

Caveat emptor.

Ben Hom wrote

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937009889
In this case, Sunshine 18.6 was a "close out" as of last year;
however...

Ben, it's no longer listed so I guess Martin sold the last kit.
However, I think it was Andy Carlson who hates these kits, and
says they are poor representations of the prototype cars. Once
again it all depends on how correct you really need to be.

Tim O'Connor wrote:
"Thar's gold in them thar resin kits..."

...and there are people out there who have no concept of what's
available on the market.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937009889
In this case, Sunshine 18.6 was a "close out" as of last year;
however...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937036300
...Al Westerfield would be very happy to sell you his car at $40.95,
given that the MSRP is $30.00:
http://www.westerfield.biz/10103.htm
http://www.westerfield.biz/10153.htm
http://www.westerfield.biz/10154.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937037443
...and Funaro would be happy to sell you this kit in a polybag for
$12.

Caveat emptor.


Ben Hom

Thar's gold in them thar resin kits...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937009889
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937036300
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5937037443

If we didn't,my roster would be reduced by half.I am attempting to
replace all"fill in" or "close enough"cars with resin.I may be in the
minority,but I still like to build my own cars.Armand

Ben Hom wrote

I was kind of hoping the same - like I said, once you notice those
wide panels on the Tichy car, it's an itch you just can't scratch.

Personally I have a blind spot right about the middle of the car
and it doesn't bother me a bit. I have no tolerance for big, fat
grabirons and Lionel-esque stirrup steps. Sure I wish it were not
so, but MOST models have dimensional defects or other errors...
yet practically all us tolerate them.

One of the features mentioned on the Gold Series boxes is separate grabs. Yet the ballast hopper, ore car, and USRA hoppers don't seem to have them. They should have said "and sometimes even separate grabs."

Scott Pitzer

On Nov 28, 2004, at 11:20 AM, Denny Anspach wrote:

Ben is also perceptive in his comments about the model manufacturers
of the time making attempts to model the "latest modern thing"- in
this case a USRA rebuild with expanded panels.  At Naperville, I
showed a rare Varney HO model of 1937 (R-5) of a truly esoteric
General-American-built URTX  reefer with riveted roof and ends, i.e.
"the latest modern thing". The model apparently lasted  production
little longer than the soon-to-be orphan prototypes.

Denny:

Ever since I saw this model on the table at Naperville, I have been
scouring ebay and the other likely places looking for a kit of it to no
avail yet. I hope to find one in Springfield, but if not, everything
in the world appears on ebay at some point.

Regards,
Ted Culotta

Speedwitch Media
100 14th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94402
info@...
www.speedwitch.com
(650) 787-1912

Brian Carlson wrote:
"...all the other Gold Series, (funnel flow tank car, USRA Gon, Autorack)
cars I've seen have been Walthers products, wonder why they are offering
built up Accurails?"

Same reason why Intermountain is doing the legwork for the Tichy built-ups.
Why spend the money on new tooling when you can cut a mutually beneficial
deal with another manufacturer where Walthers (or Intermountain) does the
networking for the offshore labor in exchange for converting Accurail's (or
Tichy's) stagnant inventory into product that moves?


"I was hoping you'd say they were entirely new tooling with stand alone
details, but no such luck."

I was kind of hoping the same - like I said, once you notice those wide
panels on the Tichy car, it's an itch you just can't scratch.


Ben Hom

Max Robin wrote:
"Yes, the new "Walthers" USRA hoppers utilize the Accurail bodies, but
not the underframe and assoc. detail."

Out of curiosity, what are the changes?


Ben Hom

Ben, thanks for the correction, all the other Gold Series, (funnel flow tank car, USRA Gon, Autorack) cars I've seen have been Walthers products, wonder why they are offering built up Accurails. I was hoping you'd say they were entirely new tooling with stand alone details, but no such luck.

Brian carlson

Benjamin Hom <b.hom@...> wrote:


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.

Yes, the new "Walther's" USRA hoppers utilize the Accurail bodies, but
not the underframe and assoc. detail.

Max
-----------------------------------------------------
email: m_robin@...

smail: Max S. Robin, P.E.
Cheat River Engineering Inc.
23 Richwood Place / P. O. Box 289
Denville, NJ 07834 - 0289

voice: 973-627-5895 (Home: 7:30 AM - 10:30 PM EST)
973-627-5460 (Business: 8:00 AM - 10:30 PM EST)
973-945-5007 (Cellular: 7:00 AM - MidNight EST)
-----------------------------------------------------

Ed Mines asked:
"The new MR advertises Walthers USRA hoppers in 6 packs. Are these assembled
Accurail hoppers?"

Brian Carlson answered:
"Walthers gold series cars have to this point been assembled Walthers kits.
Therefore I am inclined to believe these are the older Walthers (old T-M)
2-bay hoppers. However, I'd love to be told they are all new tooling."

Here's a photo from the Walthers website:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-973

They are definitely NOT the old T-M 36 ft ribbed twin, and are assembled
Accurail kits judging from the details (molded-on grabs, lever handbrake,
door locks, door cross-ties, and trucks match the Accurail model). If
anyone wants to pay me $25 to assemble six of your Accurail hoppers, drop me
a line. ;-)

[SPOILER FOLLOWS - DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOUR TICHY HOPPER
MODELS]



As for HO scale USRA twin hopper models, the Accurail model actually scales
out quite nicely compared to the prototype. It's main shortcomings are
molded-on details and some rather indifferent brake component castings.
However, the panel spacing is correct, which is more than I could say about
the Tichy model. The Tichy model is nicely detailed, but compromised the
spacing of the two center panels, making them slightly wider. It's not that
noticeable, but once it's pointed out to you, it's like an itch you can't
scratch.

The other good thing about the Accurail USRA twin is that it made the old
Varney/Life-Like twin forever obsolete as a "quick" model for these cars.


Ben Hom

ed, Walthers gold series cars have to this point been assembled Walthers kits. Therefore I am inclined to believe these are the older Walthers (old T-M) 2-bay hoppers. However, I'd love to be told they are all new tooling.

Brian Carlson

ed_mines <ed_mines@...> wrote:

The new MR advertises Wathers USRA hoppers in 6 packs. Are these
assembled Accurail hoppers?

Ed




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The new MR advertises Wathers USRA hoppers in 6 packs. Are these
assembled Accurail hoppers?

Ed

While searching online for freight car photographs I came across the
Syracuse University Library, 222 Waverly Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13244
at http://libwww.syr.edu/digital/images/e/ErieRailroad/index.html.

These photographs are mainly, as described by the site itself,
are "Erie Railroad stations & related activities: a collection of 8
x 10 inch glass plate negatives ca. 1909" but freight cars or parts
thereof show in quite a number of the views."
If I am not the first to post this URL, please forgive the
duplication.
Gene Green

As Ben Hom's sharp eyes noted, the very early Walthers hopper is not 34' (as I claimed without measuring), but has an interior length of '30 on the nose, with an OA length over the faces of the draft gear frames of 31'6".

Ben is also perceptive in his comments about the model manufacturers of the time making attempts to model the "latest modern thing"- in this case a USRA rebuild with expanded panels. At Naperville, I showed a rare Varney HO model of 1937 (R-5) of a truly esoteric General-American-built URTX reefer with riveted roof and ends, i.e. "the latest modern thing". The model apparently lasted production little longer than the soon-to-be orphan prototypes.

Denny
--
Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, California

Ben Hom wrote on Wednesday, November 17, 2004:

Some belated news from the N&W Historical Society's Modeler's Mini-
Con from November 6th - the Pocohontas Models Class B-4/B-4A Boxcar
kits are definitely available. I've uploaded an order form in the
files section for more information.


Ben Hom

Thanks for the plug Ben! These kits are indeed available, as some of you have found out. Also, we have just added our data sheet, which we call the "Shop Bulletin" to the web site for those of you who would like more prototype information on these cars. The Shop Bulletin is included in the kits.

Jim Brewer
Glenwood MD
www.pocahontasmodels.com