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Photogdad
Guest
I am looking for opinions as to who makes a decent heavyweight Pullman passenger car for the steam era?
Selector
Well-Known Member
Branchline and Walthers are your best non-brass choices widely available, although I believe Branchline was just acquired by Atlas. Bachmann used to sell a four-car set, but they are very scarce. They were acceptable, but needed work on the couplers...which were droopy. They also had lighted interiors with no capacitor, so they blinked as they rode the rails.
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Photogdad
Guest
Thank you. I was looking at the Walthers and like them. Not looking for a huge set, 4 or 5 with a baggage car and mail car.
enjineerbill
Avid People Watcher
Charles,
I have a couple of the Bachmann heavyweights and other than the coupler issue which can be remedied, they are decent, inexpensive and nice looking cars. You can usually find them at train swaps for under $10 a piece.
I have a couple of the Bachmann heavyweights and other than the coupler issue which can be remedied, they are decent, inexpensive and nice looking cars. You can usually find them at train swaps for under $10 a piece.
trailrider
Well-Known Member
Depends... Con-Cor has some nice branch-line, two-axle truck heavyweights. I have used the old Athearn heavyweights for years, but I'm not sure if they are still available or not. As others said, there are Walthers. My only problem with some of these is that most are 85-foot cars, and due to my limited space and tighter curves, I prefer the "shorties".
Selector
Well-Known Member
Didn't Rivarossi market some long passenger cars in the past 15 years or so?
Whichever cars you get, I can tell you that the Walthers variety are indeed long, and they do NOT do well on curves of a radius less than about 27", and even then one or more cars in a given consist will derail. There are two problems: the shrouds between the cars (diaphragms) are somewhat stiff and restrictive, and the trucks have power transmission nubs and screws on their upper structure so that lighting can be used inside the cars. They sometimes grab at the under-frame during tight turns.
I never subject my longer passenger cars to curves less than 28", and they track very nicely. They also look great. If you can keep your main operating curves in the 28-30" range, you will get a lot of pleasure out of the Walthers heavyweights. Less than 28", you are raising the probability of some grief.
I can't speak for other manufacturers' cars.
Whichever cars you get, I can tell you that the Walthers variety are indeed long, and they do NOT do well on curves of a radius less than about 27", and even then one or more cars in a given consist will derail. There are two problems: the shrouds between the cars (diaphragms) are somewhat stiff and restrictive, and the trucks have power transmission nubs and screws on their upper structure so that lighting can be used inside the cars. They sometimes grab at the under-frame during tight turns.
I never subject my longer passenger cars to curves less than 28", and they track very nicely. They also look great. If you can keep your main operating curves in the 28-30" range, you will get a lot of pleasure out of the Walthers heavyweights. Less than 28", you are raising the probability of some grief.
I can't speak for other manufacturers' cars.
eric2448
Member
I can attest to the 28" radius of the Walthers cars. I ran 5 of them around my Christmas tree this past year on 28" radius e-z track with no issues whatsoever. They are a good choice if you have 28"+ curves.
Tuna
Member
I've tried the Walther's cars on 24", 26" and 28" - they definitely like the 28" radius better. The diaphragms seem to be the issue for me especially where a #6 switch transitions to a 26" or smaller radius turn. I also think I'll remove or do something about the electrical connectors for car lights.
Rivarossi/IHC heavyweights were available at one time. I have a few IHC cars. They have truck mounted couplers and come without interiors. Even with interiors, I needed to add weight to get them up to standards. They handle 18" turns okay but look much better on larger radius track. I see some at shows now and then.
Rivarossi/IHC heavyweights were available at one time. I have a few IHC cars. They have truck mounted couplers and come without interiors. Even with interiors, I needed to add weight to get them up to standards. They handle 18" turns okay but look much better on larger radius track. I see some at shows now and then.
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Photogdad
Guest
I was looking at the Con-Cor cars last night. While excellent models, 70$ each is a bit pricey. As long as the coupler problem can be a simple fix on the others, I might go with them. And as for radius, thats no problem as 28" will be my absolute minimum.
Walthers specs on the box say those cars will do a 24" radius curve. I have never tried it though. 80 foot plus car lengths can be tough on most home layouts. If you want something shorter, Rivarossi did a set of 60 footers with clerestory roofs that can still be found at some LHS and at swaps. Con Cor is doing some shorties, and Athearn has re-released the old MDC Harriman style 60 footers with arch roofs. I like 60 footers, as they were used on my prototype, and two to four cars behind a 4-6-0 or a 4-6-2 (or a GP-7 or 9 if you're into diesels 
) make a nice small passenger train that looks good on most home layouts. The MDC cars were upgraded. Better steps, metal grabs, body mounted couplers like those on the Walthers cars, and they are doing most roadnames. They are a tad pricey these days (what isn't), but cheaper than the Walthers or Branchline heavyweights. There is a review on them in this month's Model Railroad News (which I happen to have written )
) make a nice small passenger train that looks good on most home layouts. The MDC cars were upgraded. Better steps, metal grabs, body mounted couplers like those on the Walthers cars, and they are doing most roadnames. They are a tad pricey these days (what isn't), but cheaper than the Walthers or Branchline heavyweights. There is a review on them in this month's Model Railroad News (which I happen to have written )
Selector
Well-Known Member
Alan, based on Walthers' claims, I made my last layout with an absolute minimum curvature of 27" at one end of my yard. It was a mistake. I had a derailment about every other time I ran my heavies through that throat, and that was perforce at about 8 scale mph. The other end had 28" radius and I never had a single derailment there. Admittedly, my trackwork at the bad end could have been better, but the curves were in the 27" range, quite a bit more generous than their stated minimums. None of my large steamers minded those tracks, just the heavyweight passenger cars.
On the other hand, BLI claims a minimum recommended radius of 24" for their Pennsy J1 2-10-4, but both Model Railroader and I got one to work on 22".
Which is to say that the practical at-the-rail truth is almost certainly to be other than what is stated in the literature. Predicting which way it will go, better or worse, is a crap shoot when you are close to the stated minimums.
On the other hand, BLI claims a minimum recommended radius of 24" for their Pennsy J1 2-10-4, but both Model Railroader and I got one to work on 22".
Which is to say that the practical at-the-rail truth is almost certainly to be other than what is stated in the literature. Predicting which way it will go, better or worse, is a crap shoot when you are close to the stated minimums.
I have two Rivarossi 85' cars, a combine and a coach. They're both pretty good in detail and except for no seperate grabs. The paint (Canadian National of course!) is decent as well.
I used Kadee's coupler conversion kits on them and they even track well on my hidden 18" curve inside a tunnel. THey do have the deep flanges on the truck though, and you would have to replace them if you are using anything less than code 100 track
I used Kadee's coupler conversion kits on them and they even track well on my hidden 18" curve inside a tunnel. THey do have the deep flanges on the truck though, and you would have to replace them if you are using anything less than code 100 track
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Photogdad
Guest
Thanks everyone for your opinions. I am still deciding which ones, but I see there are a few that have good detail, run good and are a good price. As for the curves I am going to use are 32" so I should not have any problems.
