The silver steak have a wood frame with cast metal parts to be applied. CA can be used to secure the metal to wood parts. The sides are painted but the ends have to be painted. These aren't bad to build.
The metal parts have some flashing that has to be filed away.
Some even have paint included. With today's high quality paints, the ends can be brushed on.
The results rival my brass cabeese.
Ambroid is usually all wood and requires a lot of work but you're not going to find these kind of cars 'production made'. These require complete painting.
The Athearn and Varney all metal cars are my favorite. They aren't bad on assembly. These are already painted with the under frame needing some black paint.
Finished all metal cars.
Cars I picked up at a local train show:
This is rare when so many cars were being sold by one person and I bought around 25-30 of them.
Mostly all metal Athearn and Varney:
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...71#84072378339859071
A video of some of my vintage freight cars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOb7SgZTLWA&t=3s
Watching a string of these freight cars 'makes my day'. For me, it's like watching a 'whos who' for freight cars!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd0EvVIojA4
In 1965 you could buy an Athearn all plastic (shake a box kit) for around $1.50. That sounds cheap but, in today's dollars, that's around $10.50.
The Silver streak, Ambroid were in the $5-$10 dollar range which is around $39-$79 in today's dollars.
Not cheap, but buying them, now, in today's dollars makes them very cost effective.
