General Question Re: Roundhouse Rolling Stock

[BradKT]

I have never shopped Roundhouse products before and I am looking at some freight cars (in particular 50' boxcar kits [maybe a couple of 40' boxcars] and maybe a caboose or two).  Are they made of plastic or metal?  I tried to find out some information about them on the internet and couldn't find out much of anything except for the fact that the company that bought Roundhouse also bought Athearn.  Are they of comparable quality to Athearn?  Atlas?  Walthers?  Bachmann?  Should I avoid them? 

I am just looking for some advice here.  My engines are Atlas, Athearn and Bachmann.  My rolling stock (freight) is Athearn, Branchline, Walthers or Atlas.

Thank you for your response.

[Atlantic Central]

Roundhouse brand rolling stock is very similar to Athearn. In fact, the orginal owners of Athearn and Roundhouse where friends and actually helped each other develope and manufacture their respective product lines back in the 50's and 60's. So when Horizon bought both it was a perfect match.

If you had their respective catalogs from say, 1970, you would see very little overlap. They purposely tried not to compete directly but rather tried to make dfferent items so as to benifit each other and the hobby.

The cars are plastic, some had metal floors years ago, but most if not all have been retooled to plastic floors with seperate weights. Kit or ready to run, they are good products.

Sheldon

[Len]

Since Roundhouse was taken over by Horizon, there are no more kits. All Roundhouse cars are RTR now.

Len

[Woody Elmore]

There are still MDC (Model Die Casting)/Roundhouse kits out there. The older ones will, as mentioned above, have a die cast floor. They were easily on a par with Athearn.

When I was active in HO I liked a lot of their cars. for example their milk  Express reefers were very accurate. They made a line of old timer rolling stock which made doing turn of the last century modeling a little easier.

They also made shorty Harriman cars that had rudimentary detailing but with some added details, made a nice train.

Their engine kits also were nice.

[Yampa Bob]

Speaking of kits, Athearn Blue Box are still available. I think many of these are made with the MDC dies. 

http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=Kit&Disc=0&SortBy=BestSellers

[richG]

Some MDC kits are still available by the people who bought up a lot of  remaining stock. I have bought some 36 ft models. Plastic frames with steel weights.

http://stores.ebay.com/RIVER-CITY-RAILROAD-RCR_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZQ2d1QQfclZ4QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQsclZ1QQtZkmQQ_trksidZp1742.m154.l1263

Rich

[Len]

Didn't say there weren't Roundhouse kits out there, just the new production under Horizon is all RTR. As someone else mentioned, some Roundhouse tooling is now used on Athearn 'blue boxes' kits now.

Len

[BradKT]

Thanks guys.  As usual, you have answered my questions.

[Paul M.]

My LHS has a lot of the older MDC Roundhouse kits...

From my understanding, all N-scale Roundhouse went straight to the Athearn line, the HO scale cars were re-tooled with different underframes and then put into RTR (Roundhouse brand) or kit (Athearn blue-box). All MDC Roundhouse cars with prototypes later than the 1950's (there weren't many) have been transferred to the Athearn line, either blue-box or RTR.

[Atlantic Central]

Some more info:

Yes, all the Roundhouse N scale is now labeled Athearn.

Yes, some Roundhouse tooling of post WWI prototypes has replaced similar Athearn tooling in the Ready to Roll line. This only involes a few items (40' box cars for example).

To my knowledge, no bluebox kits have been retooled with Roundhouse tooling. Every indication is that bluebox kits have not changed.

Yes, the Roundhouse name is reserved for the "old time" prototypes, but there is no rigid distiction, they just "decide".

So far there are no new Roundhouse kits, but like this whole process of revamping the Athearn line and taking over Roundhouse, never say never. Things take time.

There are a lot of Roundhouse kits still out there, and that may be delaying any effort by Athearn to release any new kits right now.

Athearn/Roundhouse seem stronger than ever. I still buy lots of it. I think they will remain of the quality/price leaders along with Bachmann for some time to come.

Sheldon

[ebtnut]

The Roundhouse/MDC rolling stock was comparable in quality to Athearn.  As noted, most kits from the 60's and 70's had cast metal floors.  Earlier, the models were ALL cast metal.  By today's standards, the cars are a bit crude--cast-on ladders, cast-in brake gear, etc.  But, like Athearn, from 3 feet away who can see all that tiny detail.

[SteamGene]

And they take handling so much better than the fine detail  of some kits.
Gene

[GlennW]

From my understanding, all N-scale Roundhouse went straight to the Athearn line, the HO scale cars were re-tooled with different underframes and then put into RTR (Roundhouse brand) or kit (Athearn blue-box). All MDC Roundhouse cars with prototypes later than the 1950's (there weren't many) have been transferred to the Athearn line, either blue-box or RTR.
[/quote]

Most of the MDC N product was upgraded in the  new Athearn lines with new trucks, couplers & paint schemes. The MDC/Athearn steamers are great products.

[Atlantic Central]

GlennW,

Two facts, based on my own purchases and 35 years of buying both of these product lines.

The retooled Roundhouse underfames where done before the Horizion buyout and where offered on Roundhouse packaged RTR cars prior to the buyout. I have at least a half dozen of them.

I have yet to see or purchase a new production blue box kit that is based on ANY old Roundhouse product. In fact, a review of Athearns web site only lists the same kits they have always had and an examination of the product photos clearly indicates they are still produced with the Athearn tooling.

Sheldon

[richG]

I have a bunch of older MDC reefers and billboard boxcars I bought in the 1990s that came with all metal frames, complete with lots of flash. Still have not finished putting them together. Filing of all the flash is a messy job.
Of all the older MDC kits I see for sale now come with plastic frames and weights.

Rich