Accurate Santa Fe "mid-range" kits list
|
Has anyone compiled a list of accurate HO Santa Fe freight car models for our steam era that are in what I call the mid-range of quality? I'm interested in older items that may appear on the secondary market as well as currently available ones from manufacturers.
It's well-known that the near-toy manufacturers (Tyco, etc.), bottom range to me, would slap any railroad deco on any car. Those items were generally of such low detail that I won't consider them. For the resin, or upper-range, cars there is a nice list in the STMFC files named https://xa.yimg.com/df/STMFC/Accurate+Santa+Fe+Freight+Cars+Cars.pdf?token=3ntB3FJi3A8HvkCMvEHEgeiMlioBPoK-Vht9qTKjq_2NhOXfFUG9ZYlhSacUst_T8Czpi1bfN4O6ifUAYW1MrcfyPQ8aITMBuVM7kLBT1oPJejw-wwTRoW-dM9u3fsotU_kcJx5-wUSOIQ5QjN9x6w&type=download The list is a bit old, but one can generally consider that virtually any resin kit will be faithful (or can be easily modified) to its prototype. What I am looking for is a guide to the mid-range items, both kit and factory assembled, for Santa Fe. I have access to all of the prototype info that I need but it is laborious to try to compare online images to ferret out reasonably accurate models. For example, the old MDC Roundhouse 40' gondola (a "shake-the-box" kit from 30 or 40 years depicts a car type that Santa Fe didn't have. ATSF had drop bottoms but not the plain ol' 40-footer. MDC decorated it with the reporting marks from the much-longer mill gon. A famous manufacturer of nice mid-range kits with added details made some beautiful single-sheathed box cars. Unfortunately, the side framing pattern was "M" when it should have been "W." My interest is in cars that would be in California in 1939 but I could easily ferret those out from an overall steam era list. Charley Hepperle |
|
|
|
Jon Miller <atsfus@...>
On 10/12/2014 11:47 AM,
chdiecast@... [STMFC] wrote:
What I am looking for is a guide to the mid-range items, both kit and factory assembled, for Santa Fe IM is supposed to have caswell gondola's coming soon. MSRP is $30. -- Jon Miller For me time stopped in 1941 Digitrax--Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User NMRA Life member #2623 Member SFRH&MS |
|
|
|
Charley, What the heck is a "mid range kit"? Please define this with additional examples and priorities. Additionally, it all depends on what you mean by "accurate. For example, if "mid range includes molded on grab irons, I would reply that there are no accurate kits, period ;) Regards
Bruce
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL From: STMFC@... [STMFC@...]
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:47 PM To: STMFC@... Subject: [STMFC] Accurate Santa Fe "mid-range" kits list Has anyone compiled a list of accurate HO Santa Fe freight car models for our steam era that are in what I call the mid-range of quality? I'm interested in older items that may appear on the secondary market as well as currently available ones from manufacturers. It's well-known that the near-toy manufacturers (Tyco, etc.), bottom range to me, would slap any railroad deco on any car. Those items were generally of such low detail that I won't consider them. For the resin, or upper-range, cars there is a nice list in the STMFC files named https://xa.yimg.com/df/STMFC/Accurate+Santa+Fe+Freight+Cars+Cars.pdf?token=3ntB3FJi3A8HvkCMvEHEgeiMlio! BPoK-Vht9qTKjq_2NhOXfFUG9ZYlhSacUst_T8Czpi1bfN4O6ifUAYW1MrcfyPQ8aITMBuVM7kLBT1oPJejw-wwTRoW-dM9u3fsotU_kcJx5-wUSOIQ5QjN9x6w&type=download The list is a bit old, but one can generally consider that virtually any resin kit will be faithful (or can be easily modified) to its prototype. What I am looking for is a guide to the mid-range items, both kit and factory assembled, for Santa Fe. I have access to all of the prototype info that I need but it is laborious to try to compare online images to ferret out reasonably accurate models. For example, the old MDC Roundhouse 40' gondola (a "shake-the-box" kit from 30 or 40 years depicts a car type that Santa Fe didn't have. ATSF had drop bottoms but not the plain ol' 40-footer. MDC decorated it with the reporting marks from the much-longer mill gon.
A famous manufacturer of nice mid-range kits with added details made some beautiful single-sheathed box cars. Unfort! unately, the side framing pattern was "M" when it should have been "W."
My interest is in cars that would be in California in 1939 but I could easily ferret those out from an overall steam era list.
Charley Hepperle |
|
|
|
Steve SANDIFER
Check out http://atsfrr.net/resources/AuePeter/ATSF%201950%20significant%20freight%20car%20classes%2007-13.pdf
__________________________________________________ J. Stephen Sandifer Minister Emeritus, Southwest Central Church of Christ Webmaster, Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...]
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:48 PM To: STMFC@... Subject: [STMFC] Accurate Santa Fe "mid-range" kits list
Has anyone compiled a list of accurate HO Santa Fe freight car models for our steam era that are in what I call the mid-range of quality? I'm interested in older items that may appear on the secondary market as well as currently available ones from manufacturers.
What I am looking for is a guide to the mid-range items, both kit and factory assembled, for Santa Fe. I have access to all of the prototype info that I need but it is laborious to try to compare online images to ferret out reasonably accurate models. For example, the old MDC Roundhouse 40' gondola (a "shake-the-box" kit from 30 or 40 years depicts a car type that Santa Fe didn't have. ATSF had drop bottoms but not the plain ol' 40-footer. MDC decorated it with the reporting marks from the much-longer mill gon.
A famous manufacturer of nice mid-range kits with added details made some beautiful single-sheathed box cars. Unfortunately, the side framing pattern was "M" when it should have been "W."
My interest is in cars that would be in California in 1939 but I could easily ferret those out from an overall steam era list.
Charley Hepperle |
|
|
|
al_brown03
FWIW, I have an MDC "outside-braced" boxcar kit, which I've been thinking of detailing up as a Santa Fe Bx-13 as being the closest prototype. More generally, I had this discussion last Tuesday with Mr Ernie, of Ernie's Hobby Shop: I claimed Bowser kits "detail up nicely" (with specific reference to a PRR GS gondola, which I had in my hand at the time, and bought), because the bodies are dimensionally accurate AFAIK. I would make the same claim about Accurail kits, w/r/t their various prototypes; and that's my idea of a "mid-range" kit. To me the key criterion is dimensional accuracy of the car body. Given detail parts, dimensional styrene, wire, and decals, the rest isn't hard.
Al Brown, Melbourne, Fla. |
|
|
|
Charley,
What the heck is a "mid range kit"? Please define this with additional examples and priorities. Additionally, it all depends on what you mean by "accurate. For example, if "mid range includes molded on grab irons, I would reply that there are no accurate kits, period ;) Regards Bruce Bruce Smith Auburn, AL - - - Hi Bruce, I should have been more clear. I was trying to avoid mentioning manufacturers but Accurail, Red Caboose and Intermountain to name just three would be typical of the models I'm looking for. I'm not averse to a few cars with molded-in ladders, either, as long as they are close to being accurate. They are for operation and need to look convincing from two feet away. The link that Steve Sandifer's posted is what I'm looking for. It's at http://atsfrr.net/resources/AuePeter/ATSF%201950%20significant%20freight%20car%20classes%2007-13.pdf Although the list is for 1950, it would be fine. I'll keep a sharp lookout for differences between that year and "my" 1939 year for modernizations and lettering changes. Charley Hepperle |
|
|