What manufacturers in HO, still produce kits?

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Yes, I have bought many issues of Model Railroad Craftsman and have also had a few issues of Mainline Modeller, Model Railroading, Rail Model Journal and subscribed for 5 years to Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette which, although I don't model narrow gauge, I found lots of useful information in and am considering re-subscribing.

Train shows may well be good places to find stuff, don't know and don't know if there are ever any in my area?

With Paul B's suggestion and other suggestions by other people and what I have found by my own research, I'm seeing plenty of rolling stock kits are available.
 
Another company that makes kits, esp. if you like the older wooden kits from Silver Streak, Mainline Models, etc, is Ye Olde Huff and Puff. They have an extensive line of the older wooden/cast metal kits.

I have quite a few of these kits as well as some that haven't been made in many years. One of these days I'll get them built.

Several years ago, (about 5 or so), on the Atlas forums, there was a discussion along similar lines. I took the side of the kit builders, as most of the folks there was calling me a dinosaur, and didn't "get it" as to the advantage of RTR.

Yeah RTR does have the advantage of being able to take it out of the box, and just plop it on the rails. To me there is NO satisfaction or feeling of accomplishment in doing that.

They were also complaining that the kits were difficult and took a lot of time. I look at it like this. Kit building is actually entertainment, and is very enjoyable. When the price of a kit like a Westerfield, or F&C, along with cost of such things like paint, glue & tools necessary to build them, consideration, it comes down to about $2-3 dollars an hour for the entertainment/enjoyment value of the time needed to build a really outstanding model of something that, 1. Not very many people will have on their layout, and if they do what are the chances that it will be EXACTLY like the one you have built. 2. The sense of satisfaction being able to say, "I built that!", is something that you simply cannot get with RTR.

Now, I do have a grand total of maybe 6 RTR cars out of my several hundred cars that I have built over the years.

I say "LONG LIVE KITS!"
 


Pete V said:
What? You don't go to the International Falls great outdoor Train Show on Feb 1st every year?
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Nope, don't ever go to Frostbite Falls!

With you all the way, Cjcresent!
 
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So, I'm saying lets unite! You guys stop buying these expensive RTR cars and start supporting the manufacturers still making kits and let the chips fall where they may!
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Kits won't be any cheaper then RTR if the market reverts back to kits.The manufacturers costs would be about the same since modelers has demanded the prototypical details we see in the RTR cars/locomotives.

All to sadly generic car kits is going the way of the dodo bird..

For those that still want kits there are hundreds of old BB,MDC, and Walthers kits available at train shows and on e-Bay.You still have Accurail and others.

In short all you have to do is attend train shows or use e-Bay to find locomotive or car kits,buy Accurail kits but,apparently the "kit buyers" doesn't do that by the way they lament over the lost of kits.

Maybe that's why the kits was dropped because nobody was buying them including the kit builders?
 
Cjcrescent, I agree with you completely. For me, it's the journey. I had five blood clots in my leg this fall and had to stay really really quiet. I occupied myself building the bents and the Beam for a four foot long trestle. It took forever and was really contemplative. Using Balsa and Bass wood, I think it cost me about $20.00 for the materials. The progress was measurable slowly, like the clots. I will always remember the relationship between the two if I ever get to where the trestle actually goes where I want it to. Right now, it's the infamous "Trestle to Nowhere" like the one in Back to the future III..
 
Brakie said:
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Kits won't be any cheaper then RTR if the market reverts back to kits.The manufacturers costs would be about the same since modelers has demanded the prototypical details we see in the RTR cars/locomotives.

All to sadly generic car kits is going the way of the dodo bird...
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Really good kits, like the resin kits, have never been "cheap", as these kits are anywhere from $25-$60 a kit. Even the old Silver Streak type kits were always more expensive than BBs. A lot of the RTR cars are actually cheaper than the kits from Sunshine, Westerfield, Tichy, and F&C.

But if I spend just 10 hours building these kits, the "cost" breaks down to less than $4.00 an hour for this entertainment and the enjoyment.

I haven't considered the "shake the box" kits like the old BB, Accurail, etc as real kits for many, many years. I haven't bought any BB for years except for a couple of the bay window cabooses. I take the SP prototype caboose, and with some cutting, filing, and some alterations to the ends, I can get a reasonable model of a Southern RR bay window from 1941-1950. Total cost of car, paint, decals, time spent on conversion, etc stills comes out to less than $2.00 an hour for the enjoyment and entertainment of building something that not many other folks have, and if they do, it won't look exactly like mine. I have spent mucho time researching my kits and I refuse to have foobee or duplicate numbers on any like cars in my stable. I started doing this long before it became the "thing" to do.

Yes, as you say Larry, the all too generic car kit is dying. I say that is sad, as how are some the rookies in the hobby gonna learn some of the basic modeling skills needed in this hobby? What will they do when their new RTR cars have a problem that needs some repair work done? Send the car back? Wait 6 weeks or longer for it to be repaired or not, and then returned?
 
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Don't know if I can agree that a RTR and kit would be the same price. the RTR has to be built by someone, you take that labor away from the cost and there has to be a savings.

Lets not be bad mouthing Accurail, they offer a nice selection of kits and with a little extra effort, these models are excellent.

I just got through buying a couple Blue Box Athearn kits on Ebay of their old standard cupola caboose which I will "Kit-bash" into a pair of very close to prototype Northern Pacific steel cabooses.

Also, check this out:
http://www.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/hobranchlineboxcars.htm

These are Branchline Blueprint kits! Prices for these should (I think) compare to your highly detailed RTR, without the RTR!!
 
NP2626 said:
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Lets not be bad mouthing Accurail, they offer a nice selection of kits and with a little extra effort, these models are excellent.
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I wasn't really badmouthing them. They do build up into very nice models. But they still take only a max of 20 minutes to build. I like challenging kits, like the Westerfield PRR GL5A hoppers. They challenging part to these kits is two fold. One the resin on the original kits isn't like the current resin he uses. The resin contains for the lack of a better term, some sort of "lead dust", to add weight to the completed car. However, this addition also makes the parts extremely brittle. Plus the car interior part is very badly warped. This certainly poses a difficulty ie challenge, not found in the simpler plastic kits.
 


Yes, as you say Larry, the all too generic car kit is dying. I say that is sad, as how are some the rookies in the hobby gonna learn some of the basic modeling skills needed in this hobby? What will they do when their new RTR cars have a problem that needs some repair work done? Send the car back? Wait 6 weeks or longer for it to be repaired or not, and then returned?
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Carey,Excellent points and I fully agree.

With RTR comes the lack of basic repair knowledge which comes from building kits and even asking for help on a forum can get mixed replies and some may be over the head of a new modeler and calling or e-mailing the manufacturer for advice will only be answered "Please return the model to your LHS or send the model to us."

Not so long ago I showed a new modeler how to remove the shell from a Athearn BB GP7 and showed him the proper way to add the handrails and the best way to the mount couplers..

There is some hope,its called You Tube..Thankfully there are "how to" videos on the Tube which should be helpful to new modelers.
 
Build threads

Do people do build threads here on this Forum? You know, take people through the building process of a Box Car kit; or, some other car?

These build threads are very popular on the R/C Airplane forums and are maybe the best way, in this day and age, to show people how to build models. I just finished an Accurail N.P. Reefer and had I thought about this, I would have done a build thread on putting this car together! Although it is true, you can build one in 15-20 minutes, if your going to Super Detail, weather and have some standards/checks that you perform on every car, they do take a bit longer.

Like I stated previously, I am going to "Kit Bash" a couple 1000 series N.P. cabooses, one from the 1000-1049 batch and one from the 1050-1099 batch. I'm thinking about doing a Build thread on them. These cabooses look similar to the Santa Fe prototype the Athearn standard cupola caboose is based upon, excepting less windows and the cupolas are as wide as the car body and with the 1000-1049 cabooses, the cupola a couple feet taller.

However, although not a difficult "Bash", these projects would be geared towards modelers with some building "under their belt" and not for total beginners!

I would urge us all, if we're going to build some rolling stick in the near future, take some photos of the process and outline how you did it in a Build Thread. In fact, if you want to do this right here in this What manufacturers in HO, still produce kits? thread, please feel free to do so!

I have yet to come across build threads here and am wondering why this is?
 
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Do people do build threads here on this Forum? You know, take people through the building process of a Box Car kit; or, some other car?
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I tried that about 7 or 8 years ago with a BB boxcar kit and it rain "experts" telling me how wrong I was by not filing the bolsters down,not removing the coupler box and adding a KD coupler box etc..

I made it very plain at the very beginning of my topic that the topic was about properly building a basic BB kit without any modifications and how to mount KD couplers at the correct height without modifying the bolsters..

As a side note I spent several hours documenting the steps I used by photo and precise instructions that any beginner or intermediate modeler could follow..
 
For me, modeling prototype is a path down which can lie madness. Rivet counters are certainly out there telling you how inadequate you are for just wanting to have fun, or for putting a dash 8 on the track at the same time you have a 4-8-8-4 on the track, and that the track isn't hand laid.

But it is relative to what you enjoy. I am often surprised when some suggest that kits are too hard and then I find they are talking about basic Athearn stuff, which in my mind is very basic stuff. Some resin kits on the other hand are very challenging.

The important part for me is that you are comfortable in your own shoes and not intimidated by people who imply they are superior because they do things differently.

Dance like no one's watching.
 
Brakie said:
Do people do build threads here on this Forum? You know, take people through the building process of a Box Car kit; or, some other car?
-------------------------------------

I tried that about 7 or 8 years ago with a BB boxcar kit and it rain "experts" telling me how wrong I was by not filing the bolsters down,not removing the coupler box and adding a KD coupler box etc..

I made it very plain at the very beginning of my topic that the topic was about properly building a basic BB kit without any modifications and how to mount KD couplers at the correct height without modifying the bolsters..

As a side note I spent several hours documenting the steps I used by photo and precise instructions that any beginner or intermediate modeler could follow..
Click to expand...

Some do. The fellow who owns Downtown Deco has done them, and so have several others, though "work in progress" stuff is more common. I generally include the standard modelers/artists disclaimer: "These are my methods. There are others that may work just as well, or that you like better. This is just how I do it." Helpful suggestions are welcome. Critics...well it doesn't take much effort to be a critic, does it? When I encounter a critic I typically ask to see something they've built. Sometimes I do and I learn something, but in most cases that ends the discussion. ;) I have not had that problem on this forum, though there are others where people are less than tactful, and in some cases downright rude.
 
Yes, there are always those folks who take the juvenile route! Making it appear those people who enjoy building models are stuck-up and whinny! I've locked horns with them many times. I've gotten into the habit of putting them on ignore (we do have that option here) as I've found that they generally really have very little to offer, only their contempt for their fellow man.

However, the reality is, if we want people to get into building kits/craftsman kits; or, from scratch, we have to put these stupid issues aside and keep staying on "track"! More people appreciate someone taking the time to explain how to do something then there are those who think they are better than everyone else!
 
Great thread -- What do you guys think about the 'blue box' Athearn models? A local hobby shop has a lot of them. I was thinking I would by some and ante up for new trucks and couplers to make a nice piece of rolling stock. Not sure the price would be less than RTR Athearn but it would be close.
 
Athearn cars with new # 148 Kadee couplers and good trucks and wheels will run very well. I have been using #500 Kadee trucks which I have bought on ebay at $5.95 per pair that I really like. I only run 40 foot cars as a personal preference.

With the trucks supplied, not so good. They tend to derail easily. Make sure they have car weights, another issue. Nothing wrong with an Athearn kit in my mind for the most part. I would admit to having had some that were not so hot.
 


If we've been in the hobby for a while, we probably cut our teeth on Athearn kits. I like them and would not hesitate to use them with Kadee couplers and Proto 2000 wheel sets and some extra detailing for rolling stock on my layout. The Athearn 40 foot box car kit is my car of choice for modification into a track cleaning cars. However, if the asking price for one with the additions of wheels and couplers is pushing the price up towards RTR Athearn equipment, I would definitely pass!
 
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