Hello all! I would like to know how the ExactRail 5161 hoppers are. I have a few of the IM cars and like the detail but need to add some weight and correct trip pins problems. I was hoping that someone on the board did a comparison of the two. What are the positives and negatives of the ExactRail to the IM cars? Also if anyone can guide me to photos of the 5161 CP hoppers that would be very helpful. Thank you, Brian
I don't have any but the glaring difference in the photo's is that the IM uses a photo etch roofwalk, the Exactrail is a much thicker plastic roofwalk.
I've got both IM and ER and I like both. I can get the Exactrails for less money, when you have a long string of them together in a unit train they look even better. You don't focus on the details as much as you do the overall effect. I have had a few IM come with bad trucks on them but otherwise I have had no problems with either brand.
I have the IM and seen the ER ones, the only thing keeping me away from the ER are the thick plastic walkway that keep the model from beign perfect.
I own 18 of the CP/SOO version of the IM 5161. The roof detailing on the IM are much better than the ER (my opinion). The IM have etched walkways and supports (sides and ends) while the ER just has molded plastic holding up the plastic walkways and no supports on the ends. The rounded ends on the IM 5161 are from thinner plastic while the ER are thick, the IM look more prototypical. BUT... the stirrups on the ER look more prototypical than the IM and the car seems to have a better ride height (what I could see from the photos). I personally would stick to the IM. It seems to me that ER is an ho-scale manufacture that also does N-scale if you know what I mean. As for pictures I think you mean 1:1 scale? There should be a few pictures here (page 14)-> http://railcarphotos.com/Search.php?SearchReportingMark=SOO&Search=Search And here a few more from http://www.mountainrailway.com/ when he still had pictures of rolling stock:
I do not have experience with the ExactRail hopper but I do have four of their hycube box cars. Two big issues with them are that I cannot open the cars to add weight (they need it) and the trucks or wheels cause the cars to wobble way to much as they roll down the tracks. I fixed the wobble with MT truck/couplers and added Fox Valley wheels and now they are great runners. I would still like to add some wieght though. I have a couple InterMountain hoppers and do agree that the detail is sharper and they get some extra attention at shows, especially a nicely weathered car.
Ok thank you for all the input, I might just stick with the IM cars since I have a few. Also I agree the IM cars look more detailed which is another reason ill stick with them. Thank you Brian
BINGO you it the nail on the head, I have the same issues with the ER they wobble, to me it looks like another Athearn product cause they use the McHenry couplers and are in the same paper box with plastic insert like Athearn's rolling stock. I have a couple of CSX IM hoppers and they are nice but if I can get them in the Micro Trains line I would rather do that.
Ya, I'm beginning to think ExactRail is simply a well greased used car salesman selling something that has been around for some time. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't most of thier stuff molds they bought from someone going out of business. High gloss guys it seems. To bad.
I wouldn't really characterize them as used car salesmen. It's possible the 5161 hopper is purchased tooling (I don't really know -- but I like the IM hoppers better in this case anyway). However, most of their other releases are new: the Vert-a-Pac, the boxcars and the PS2 hopper; and the tooling and paintwork that I've seen are very good. The wobble is unfortunate, but readily correctable (though one shouldn't have to...) By the way, if you're talking about the TTX hy-cube, the roof on it should be removable so you can add weight. I don't know about the Gunderson 5200.
I agree that the paint jobs are exceptional and that is what drew me to them. Thank you for the note on the roof. It did look like I could but its such a nice car I was reluctant to pry to hard. I will try again. My cars came in at an even 1oz., but thats on an old food scale that may not be accurate. Now that I have added metal wheels they may be a little closer to 1.1oz. The MT trucks with FV wheels took care of the wobble and they ran great at the show on some rough joints. All good now, I hope.
Just a little info about exactrail that I have gleemed in the last few months...a lot of this is speculation but it makes the most sense. They are not a "used car salesman". Exactrail before releasing thier own line was/is a company that does tooling for other manufactures, including Athearn, and the defunct LBF/Huberts. They have been a behind the scenes company for quite a while before coming into the public and selling thier own product. The cars they have released have been a combination of new tooling for them and tooling that was in process for other companies that went belly up before the tooling could be finished. The N 5161 was rummored to be released by Huberts long ago so when Huberts went belly up, Exactrails tooling was probably almost done if not complete so Exactrail had a car to sell and no customer, why not sell it yourself.
Look at some of ER's first releases. The Trinity cars are pretty much on par with new LBF cars because that was when they were tooled. LBF went bankrupt and unable to pay for tooling so ER released it themselves. If you look at the newer ER boxcars, they are on par with the Athearn Seico and NACC boxes. I have a feeling these were all tooled about the same time. I wonder if these are canciled projects from Athearn, or if ER was planning their own line for years. The PS2 4000 is about the same detail level as Athearn latest covered hoppers. It dosen't matter if these cars were tooled by ER with the intention of going to another manufactuer or to be included in their own line from the start. What is exceptional is this company came from nowhere and offered nearly 10 cars in under a year. Thats an acomplishment.
Re weighting the 5161. I even got tired of bending roofwalks on my IM so I turned them over and put small fishing weights up in the V slots between hoppers. You can't see them in normal operation and the weight sits low, which should be a help.
Why didn't you just replace the wheels with FVM wheels instead of replacing the whole truck? Would have been cheaper.
I would have but I was in the middle of running at a show and thought that total replacement for now would solve it. It did, and I still have the trucks to try some FV wheels in and will see if they work OK. I do have cars that needed the trucks anyway. BY the way would you happen to know off the top of your head what size FVM wheels should be used? I don't think FVM has any reference to the ExactRail trucks yet.
I have a whole set of IM Trinity hoppers (BNSF Swoosh)...they are really nice cars. One thing is that the trucks are kind of delicate. Other than that they run well and the detail is very good IMO.
Well if I pay $16 for a product like a boxcar, hopper whatever from ER why do I have to spend more money to improve the product by buying new trucks that's not fair I have no problems with Atlas, Micro Trains, Fox Valley and so forth I don't have to replace they're trucks. I think they should do a little more research before releasing a product. They got happy and gitty that some of these companies went belly up and are hopping to make money on the unfortunate luck of other companies. And you can't even take apart they're boxcars to put weight in them.
