I model late 70's thru end of caboose era (appox 1985) so I look for versions which fit that time frame. Mostly racks with 2 panel stencils and appropriate paint schemes. We need more early enclosed and partially enclosed for the mid-late 1970's. Of those sold represent versions that are too new for my needs, such as Scale Trains and Atlas. That forces me into Walthers and Intermountain.
I am truly surprised you scored Intermountains car so low. It is really an exceptional model capable of standing on its own merits. Thank you for the comparison.
Great video Dillon! I was lucky enough to find some Atlas autoracks for around $50 at Lombard Hobbies (they have since sold out) and just from the eye test, they're on par with the Scaletrains Rivet Counter autoracks. With that said, even the Scaletrains Operator and Walthers Mainline cars still offer alot of visuals without fear of breaking the bank and fragile details!
Half of my dozen or so InterMountain cars have doors glued back on. That being said if you want the older style car ( no large pillar with road name) the choice is just Walthers and InterMountain. I have a half dozen Walthers cars and every one of them is a problem runner, never a problem with InterMountain. All my curves are 28” or larger.
How well did they perform on curves? They all look great. Will you be doing a gondola or flat car reviews in the near future? Thanks for sharing this information with us fellow modelers.
Hello. Great question. I haven’t thought to check that. I know most are rated for 22” and higher. I will check them out and share the info. As far as gondolas and flat cars. Do you have a specific size of those you’d like to see?
How about the high sided ones that Athearn just released and the one that Otter Creek just released and if you have the cars, the woodchip cars that was built in the the late 1960s up to the present day. Coal cars would be real good too with all the various types and different jobs that we see them in now. Flat cars maybe the different bulkhead and center beam varieties available. Thanks for asking.
"How well did they perform on curves?" I have two of the Walthers, and I have a minimum radius of 19". The cars can negiotate this curve without any issues - as far as the train is not too long (3-4 cars).
Hey. Just released a video on Centerbeams. Here is the link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1RWIeawxhgE.html Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy. :)
This is really confusing. As far as I've known, the TTGX bi-level cars are all built up from smooth deck 89 foot flatcars and ride on 33 inch wheels. The ETTX tri-level cars are built up from low-clearance flatcars and ride on 28 inch wheels. So why in the world are the different manufacturers seemingly installing 28, 33, and even 36 inch wheels on these cars? These cars don't even rate 36 inch wheels with their relatively light loads.
I can't say i know for sure. You seem to know much more than I on the subject. But i can say that my assumption in terms of wheel size would mostly center around cost and design.
Well the lower clearance makes it so you need the smaller wheels, and since it’s smaller the deck can be lower to the ground meaning more car storage hence tri level
Good evening! I actually don’t own any centerbeam cars. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t do one in the future though! 😃 I do know walthers mainline, atlas and exact rail make them. Do you know of any more?
@@RWTX nope,not yet, just visited a hobby store today and was overwhelmed with the different brands to choose from. I was considering getting an atlas one but then I decided to buy something different.
I've purchased about a dozen of the Intermountain auto racks and 9 out of the 12 had broken doors on them. Glued them back on, but I won't be buying any more of them. I'll stick with the Proto and Scaletrain versions from here on out.
Yes. For me Auto rack train, I decided to put an IM in there every 8-10 cars just to add a cool effect since they are transparent. Not planning on buying an entire train of them though. Thanks for Watching! :)
@@RWTX I personally find Walthers and Rapido to be in the forefront of the the Passenger car production. Rapido is very detailed, but can be pricey. But a beautiful item. Walthers I find has a very large section and more affordable pass cars.
The RTR Walthers aren’t even remotely worth what they’re asking for them with the crappy plastic panels they’re still using, and they’re starting to show up on the internet with discounted pricing to get rid of them. Intermountain is far more detailed for the older racks.
