silver series freight cars

[subman]

 
  What is your opinion of the  Bachman silver series freight cars? Price wise they seem to be the most reasonable with only Model Power cheaper. I had been using Atlas Trainman but discovered that Bachman produces more of my era cars and between Peach Creek Hobbies, Trainworld and MB Klein I can get almost any car Bachman makes & at a hefty discount.

[simkon]

The couplers on Model Power cars seem to fail a lot, and are hard to replace with a Kadee. The Bachmann Silver Series cars are good out of the box and the Kadde #148's drop in very easily should you choose to go that route. The wheels/trucks are also very free rolling. The detail is pretty good for RTR, if you can get them for a good price then I'd say go for it.

[jward]

i like both the bachmann silver series and the atlas trainman cars. they are properly weighted and run great right out of the box. i can't say the same for the model power cars which have truck mounted couplers, are too light and tend to derail when you back them up. model power's metal train cars are good runners though.

i also tend to purchase silver series cars as most are 40' and just the right size for my excruciatingly tiny railroad.

[jonathan]

As an aside:

As mentioned, Model Power also produces the "Metaltrain" line.  They are more detailed, properly weighted, and roll quite well.  Kadee couplers fit in the boxes well.  They are, of course, a little more expensive than the standard Model Power rolling stock.  I have six pieces of the metaltrain rolling stock and am quite pleased with them.

I also like my silver series cars and the few trainman pieces I have.  They are trouble-free right out of the box. 

I find the silver series cars are highly discounted at train shows, making them a really good bargain.

I have no problem mixing my highly detailed rolling stock with the standard stock.  When the train is moving, it's hard to look at detail anyway.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jward]

call me unusual, but i prefer less detail on my rolling stock. why? when you run trains as much as i do, thin small details tend to break off. usually the stirrups at the corners of the freight cars are the first to go. if i am to pay more for highly detailed cars, i'd prefer the parts to be something substantial like metal. i don't want to have to buy detail parts to replace the ones that broke on the "premium" car i paid a fortune for.

i remember a review in model railroader a few years back, wjere the reviewer was praising the level of detail on a diesel, then mentiioned he couldn't get it out of the box with breaking some of that detail!

the metal train cars are probably the most durable i've seen. i've had them hit the floor with no damage whatsoever, exceot for a slight chip in the concrete where they landed......