Interchange Cars


N

NH Mike

CEO & Wheel Cleaner
Have any of you done interchange cars with other modellers? Years back the guys who were regulars at the LHS did it. We would exchange a home road car with others on a more or less like for like basis as far as era. A box car could be swapped for a tank car or gondola, reefer, flatcar, etc., with 40' boxcars and reefers being the most popular since they are akin to a rolling billboard displaying the other road's herald. In order to involve as many as possible and keep things on an even basis we came up with a few simple standards for these cars.

1. Athearn blue box, MDC Roundhouse, Train Miniature, and similar value. No trainset or big dollar stock. Add on details not required. Loads not required for open gons or hoppers or flatcars.

2. Home road painted and decaled or factory painted dimensional data only with home road decals added. No patch overs and no actual prototype road names.

3. Metal wheels and Kadee couplers if cars exchanged had them like for like. Otherwise kit wheels and couplers and the "foreign" roads would upgrade when they received the car.

4. Cars to be appropriate for the road they were going to. In other words; an 86 foot auto rack wouldn't be given to someone with a 50's era railroad as an example.

5. Revenue service cars only, no MOW or derelicts.

6. The cars became permanently transferred once interchanged.

These interchange cars added a little more variety and interest and created the illusion each of our railroads actually connected at some point.
 
It's been discussed here many times but it never seems to get off the ground. I like the idea and used to do this in my younger days through the ads at the back of MR and MRC. I think it would be a great subforum here for those that wish to participate. There would have to be some rules, like having a minimum number of posts and how many cars you can swap a month, to prevent guys from getting on just to get free cars and not reciprocate. I'd sure be willing to give it a go.
 
jim,
I was thinking we did something like this before. Maybe it was right after Bob started the forum. Seems like a few cars disappeared somewhere's a long the way & we decided not to do that again. Some real expensive stuff if I can remember. Never did figure out who got them. I wasn't envolved w/the trades, but a few of the guys on here were.
 
Yeah with a group this large we'd have to employ a factory in China to keep up with all the requests. Otherwise nobody would get anything else done except paint and decal rolling stock for interchange. :D

I wasn't actually looking to get this going here although it can be fun. Mostly I was interested in seeing how many had actually been involved doing it.

Not ending up in a one way deal might be hard to control, you're right Jim.
 
Larry, that was before I got here, but I think it involved sending cars around to different folks to run on their layout and then post a picture. I know Josh B. got burned in that arrangement. I think the ground rules described by Mike make it easier since there's not a lot of money involved and it's a person to person transfer rather than a round robin affair.
 
Larry & Jim, when we were doing it it was a non problem as far as deadbeats because it was on a local level and we all knew each other. Also we'd swap cars at the LHS or when we visited each other for an operating session or just to help out or hang out. The only guys who had a problem with it was 2 guys in O scale and one who was 100% into streetcars. No amount of badgering could convince him to build a few milk reefers.
 
I've been part of a highly successful car interchange program for several years that's been sponsored by another forum. About 8-12 forum members are involved in each year's interchange. A specific mailing list is prepared at the beginning of each year and the cars are moved along the list of members month by month. Each member photographs the visiting car on his layout and typically makes up a little storyline involving the car's presence on their pike.

One of the keys to success is that participants must have been fairly active forum participants for at least a year or two before joining the program, so as to generally avoid untrustworthy, fly-by-night, individuals. Cars may be custom home road, or of commercial origin, basic classes (standard box,hopper,gon,reefer only) and no more than modestly expensive. Highly detailed, or expensive, cars are discouraged and if a car is damaged along the way, the individual in whose hands the car is at the time is generally responsible for making repairs. The program has been very popular with other forum's members as well, with the ongoing interchange thread getting anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 hits over the course of a year!

NYW&B
 
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We talked about it. I even did a traveling car, before one of the member of the forum made off with the car. He's ignored emails, and letters. I've since written the car off...
 
NYW&B said:
One of the keys to success is that participants must have been fairly active forum participants for at least a year or two before joining the program, so as to generally avoid untrustworthy, fly-by-night, individuals.

NYW&B
Click to expand...

So here's a good idea, let's start it up again. I'll even offer up the first car.

100_4663.jpg


Walthers 66' heavy duty 4-truck flat car w/metal wheels and KayDee #158 couplers. You can set any load you want on it for the picture, then we'll pass it along (just don't glue it down!!). ;)

How about these for rules....................

1. Members wanting in on the car trade must have been a member in good standing on the forums for at least 1 year.

2. Owner of the car has final say as to who it can or can't go to.

3. Shipped USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Each member pays to ship the car to the next member.

4. Member can use the car for a maximum of 2 weeks before it has to move on.

5. Any others????
 
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I'll go along with Jerome on this. Sounds like reasonable rules. Actually, I just want to steal that flatcar. :D
 
Just a point or two on the question at hand, based on my own experiences with the highly successful Railroad Line Forum's Car Interchange Program the past couple of years.

Limiting the program to a single lone car is likely to result in a less than satisfying program. Depending on the final number of participants, a given individual may only see the interchange car once per year or less and this can quickly lead to dwindling interest among the group's members.

Didn't ModelRailroadForums sponsor a previous car interchange program some time back? Or maybe that was the Whistle Post Forum? Anyway, in that case the single interchange car was consistantly delayed in moving on and several times apparently became lost for intervals between participants. From my experience I've found that it is far better to have at least several cars - better yet, one from each participant - involved in the interchange, such that interest and photo potential is maintained month to month for all. While it is fun to use only unique, custom roadname cars, decalled by the participants, it is more important to have everyone participate and see to their car travel the circuit, month to month. Thus, even standard commercial Blue Box, or similar cars, should be acceptable. Receiving a new car every month spurs the individual to move the car currently in his possession onward and motivates him to take fresh photos of the newest car to post relatively quickly.

I've also observed that someone really needs to formally oversee the program in detail and to prompt and keep track of the mailing aspects. His duties are to make up the exchange list, keep track of who has what car, and at the end of each month announce a mailing date, plus checking to see that each participant has mailed his car on, received the next car and just when this occurred, via use of a separate and ongoing forum thread.

NYW&B
 
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Hey I'm a little late but I'd give it a go.
I used to do this with my cousin down South, we didn't have digital cameras back then. When I tour layouts I bring a business car and get photos.
 
NYW&B said:
Just a point or two on the question at hand, based on my own experiences with the highly successful Railroad Line Forum's Car Interchange Program the past couple of years.

Limiting the program to a single lone car is likely to result in a less than satisfying program. Depending on the final number of participants, a given individual may only see the interchange car once per year or less and this can quickly lead to dwindling interest among the group's members.

Didn't ModelRailroadForums sponsor a previous car interchange program some time back? Or maybe that was the Whistle Post Forum? Anyway, in that case the single interchange car was consistantly delayed in moving on and several times apparently became lost for intervals between participants. From my experience I've found that it is far better to have at least several cars - better yet, one from each participant - involved in the interchange, such that interest and photo potential is maintained month to month for all. While it is fun to use only unique, custom roadname cars, decalled by the participants, it is more important to have everyone participate and see to their car travel the circuit, month to month. Thus, even standard commercial Blue Box, or similar cars, should be acceptable. Receiving a new car every month spurs the individual to move the car currently in his possession onward and motivates him to take fresh photos of the newest car to post relatively quickly.

I've also observed that someone really needs to formally oversee the program in detail and to prompt and keep track of the mailing aspects. His duties are to make up the exchange list, keep track of who has what car, and at the end of each month announce a mailing date, plus checking to see that each participant has mailed his car on, received the next car and just when this occurred, via use of a separate and ongoing forum thread.

NYW&B
Click to expand...


These all sound like more good ideas we should consider adding to our existing rules. OK, so far we have 4 people interested in this car exchange. But are all 4 willing to put a car into the rotation?? I'll put my skirt on and volunteer to be the secretary (just don't call me Shirley!!). ;)

Josh, Jim, Rico, how say you????
 
I like the idea of one car per participant. It does increase the management ovehead though, as someone really does need to keep track of what car went where and when the next swaps are supposed to occur. If we can get a person or maybe two to volunteer to be the central point of contact, I think this will work.
 
Jerome, you read my mind! :) If we each sent you the car type, a photo, and our address, you can set up a rotation and let each participant know when he should sent his car on and to what address. It's then up to the participant to let you know he got the car, take a picture of it on his layout and post it here, then send it on to the next participant when he gets the next address. I've got a caboose that's ready to go.
 
Jim, great minds think alike. I PM'ed Rico, need Josh to reply and any others that would like to join. I've got your info and am making a mailing list of everyone to participate. Once it's complete, I'll email it to everyone. I'll need a pic and all of the info on your car to make a card file on it. Email me that info when you have a chance.
 
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