If you want to use the ConCor trucks get a MT 1019. You'll have to carve on the truck a bit and add some support for the box,But they work well.
I have a few ConCor Autoracks. Some have MT couplers installed and two I own do not. I bought all of these off Ebay hence why I had no clue about the coupler conversion. What if someone wanted to replace the trucks as well?
It was great! Now MY pockets are low on funds...hahah There were tons of N-scale vendors there, I picked up a Kato Amtrak P42 for $62 and a De-Lxe Innovations husky stack car set for $50. The show was decently sized, it looked like to took up the entire bottom level of the convention center but most of it was cordoned off for the trackless "kiddie train" that gave rides.
Anyone body-mounted their couplers on the autorack cars? I now have 2 MTLs, 2 Atlas articulateds and 2 Red Cabooses and am starting to get derailments on the first car when I back up the train.
If you don't want to play with the height, use the CC trucks and body mount, I found 1025's built upside down came out at the right height due to the bottom of the box being thinner than the lid. It's what I had on hand at the time Otherwise, clip the 1019's over the trucks as per Scott's instructions.
Okay I found some 28" NWSL wheels at my LHS for a pretty decent price ($3.25 per car). Lopro wheels too. I put them on my RC autoracks and they no longer make rachety noises on my Atlas C55 track. Plus they look real slick too. I also put the third set on one of my MTL autoracks...It's subtle. I have noticed that the RCs hang a good deal lower than the MTL autoracks, not just the roof height but the bottom of the car spine as well as the coupler height. The new 28" wheels only make a slight difference. How do I get the MTLs lower?
2 RC's are on the way.. I wonder just what I'll think about the ol' CC's when these arrive.... Uh-oh.....:shade: :shade: I'll post some shots of the DRGW 'racks when they get here.
I am all for advancement of the State of the Art but because we have a range of choices it doesn't mean that products in different categories should be bashed...... The Con-Cor Enclosed Auto Rack is a case in point. When this car came out (in 1992-1993 IIRC) I worked at JMC, Con-Cor's distribution arm. I didn't have a hand in the development of the model but was amazed at how nice it was at that time. In fact, we even privately joked that it should be advertised as "So Good You Won't Believe Its Con-Cor!!!". AFAIK (I never went over the car with a micrometer as I don't have any use for cars built after 1956 for my own railroad) it has fairly accurate contours, dimensions and details. Now the car has been eclipsed a decade plus later by the 2005-6 tooling of Micro-Trains and Red Caboose. The new cars have, by varying degrees, improvements over the Con-Cor pioneer car, noteably in the see-through side panels and the ride height. To be fair, all of the cars suffer on the ends by the market necessity of truck mounted couplers. The first test shots of the Con-Cor car had provision for body mounted couplers and had full end detail! Bottom line, it is great that the State of the Art has progressed to the level exemplified by the Red Caboose car (Micro-Trains' agressive enforcement of their US Patent on separate engineering plastic Stirrups probably is the cause for the somewhat clunky molded-on ones of the RC car that seem to be one of the few remaining complaints). But knocking the Con-Cor 1990's car at under $20 because there is a 2006 car at twice the price is silly and unproductive. Many that have not been in N Scale for very long probably don't realize how good we have it.... there really isn't any "junque" being made nowadays. There was a time when there were items available on the market that were not worth their price- MSRP or discounted.... even "back in the day"....can you say "Mehano"??? Today you hear carping about various items, (non-Spectrum Bachmann, which IMHO are still a good value for the money) especially what are now legacy or lower cost goods...... because there are more recent and more expensive alternatives available. It is fine to point out the features that justify buying a newer, more expensive item..... but that doesn't mean the original item is now junk. It is what it is, and doesn't deserve bashing. Now if somebody brings out a 1970 quality model at 2007 prices, all holds are off!!! Charlie Vlk Railroad Model Resources
Very convincing point, Charlie. I hadn't thought about that. I paid on average, 12 bucks a car for the CC's, and $25-28/ea for the MT's. The RC's at 32 greenbacks a copy are pricey, and have fantastic detail, but they better at that price point! For that reason, I have little desire to sell off my CC 'racks, and replace them on a 3:1 ratio with RC's.
I am slowly replacing a fleet of the CC with both MT and RC. I like both, so it depends on the road names and different road numbers being available. RC is obviously better in that dept, and I think if MT did three numbers each they would sell all of them. Con Cor is a big step down, but I credit them with putting them out when no one else would take a chance on big cars. They proved they would sell. BTW, don't forget the Atlas and Athearn articulateds, at least to provide a change of pace in 1998 (I think) and later trains. These must not have sold as well, since you often see them on sale at half the normal MSRP, even as Atlas does more runs. Even in 2007, I only see a small portion of these in auto trains around here, but it would allow you to fill one out a little cheaper than otherwise. I understand the AutoMax units bascially run as unit trains for SUV plant in KC, and possibly elsewhere, whereas the Atlas ones are the ones I see mixed in trains.
I have about seven concor autoracks and about Five Red Caboose Autoracks. At this time I plan to retain my ConCor cars and may even pick more up in the future. I will certainly purchase more Red Caboose cars in the future but slowly as they are very very pricey.
Well, at least in the event of a flash flood, the contents of a Con-Cor autorack would remain safe and dry. :laugh:
I call the Auto-Maxes "NAFTA Boxes" since it seems all the models equally have US, Mexican and Canadian roadnames. The first and only time I see Auto-Maxes are on the BNSF freights in San Diego (perhaps bound for Mexico...hence the NAFTA Boxes!) I like the Atlas articulateds, they make your train look longer
At present, I own one Atlas autorack and one RC autorack. I'm considering adding a ConCor to the group, since the RC and MT cars are just too pricey for me...
Up here in Canada, they are selling at my LHS for 54.95 each Canadian. Even with the exchange rate this is really high. I purchased 5 from KSI at around $30.00 US, even with shipping this was a deal compared to the LHS. I figured I saved about $100.00 on this one purchase. Metro Line Interesting I live in between CP and CN lines on the east of Toronto. I see some CN/CP Auto Racks - not many, most are Santa Fe, Conrail, BNSF, and UP. What that means I do not know, perhaps more US imported cars coming this way.
At over 50 bucks a car?!? Whoa! Reminds me of the LHS in Great Falls: "MSRP--$19.95. Our Price--$21.99".. Yikes.
Today I received 3 Red Caboose autoracks I ordered from KSI and I am impressed. They are beautiful and run great. I hate to weather them, but it will have to be done sooner or later, right? I am also impressed with KSI. I ordered Tuesday night and received them today. KSI's price was $31.95, they had a wonderful selection of roadnames and shipped at no charge and FAST! I am impressed all around, Doc
Nice. You get the removable doors or non? Wig-Wag was at a local train show last weekend and sold the non-removable door versions for $30! That was my chance to go "red." I still don't like the stirrups and the pizzacutter wheels (though I fixed the latter fast). But they're perfect in every other way, especially their grilles and their low-rider nature. I'm debating whether to make them bodymounted. I know my MTL autoracks will get the body mounted couplers one day...they have pilot holes for coupler boxes molded on already.
