Bought my very first Brass freight car!

Dick, you're so lucky!

harley rider posted:

Dick, you're so lucky!

He took the time to go to the show, looked around and found something he liked, and made a good deal. Seems like good old honest effort to me. Way to go Dick!

Simon

I’ve been enjoying this little thread on brass cars. I certainly can understand the allure of brass models, and can testify that once you get one (or two) you start looking for more. I just won a US Hobbies 3 bay hopper on EvilBay, painted for B&O and weathered. Several others I’m watching but all so far way beyond what I want to spend.

Yeah, it’s an addiction, alright. 😉

I watched that B&O hopper on ebay...It is a very nice looking car.  I loved the weathering on it!  That was a good pickup!  Most are well beyond what I want to pay for one right now as well.

One of the hoppers I had a bid on (painted and weathered for the Lehigh) went to over 160 bucks...from the same seller from whom I obtained mine. I stopped bidding at 90 bucks.

I’ve noticed that the majority of brass O scale on eBay are either locos, hoppers, or tankers. Relatively few boxcars, stock cars, or reefers.

Another hopper I got on eBay seems to be plastic sheathed in tin, or something like that.

Kyle Evans posted:

 

I’ve noticed that the majority of brass O scale on eBay are either locos, hoppers, or tankers. Relatively few boxcars, stock cars, or reefers.

 

This could be the embryo for a new Thread.  Similar to Fallen Flags.  A thread about which manufacturer and which cars will you hold on to. Brass box cars, brass passenger cars, R-O-W transformers and diesels, Pecos River Brass steam engines, etc.  John in Lansing, ILL

I think the Athearn/All Nation box/ice cars sort of dominated, so the importers went where they thought the market was.  I have a couple brass import box cars, and unless you look real close, they look like All Nation with upgraded underframes.

Just to pick up this thread again, there are a number of painted and lettered hoppers currently on eBay for under 50 bucks (some for well under), at least at this point in the bidding process, although I expect them to go higher towards the end of the bidding period.

Whoever said brass cars were a sickness is right on the money!  Since I bought my first one at the beginning of this thread, I have now picked up 5 more....4 of them being pulpwood cars...so looks like I will be having a pulpwood facility on my layout. HAHA

Andy, I’d say it’s pretty much ordained that there will be a pulpwood facility on your layout.

Since I’ve acquired 2 more brass hoppers (and 2 more plastic ones), plus have my eye on several more, I suppose it’s inevitable that there will be a quarry, or sand and gravel facility on mine!

My first brass car was a NJ Custom Brass 2 bay covered hopper.  Bought it brand new from Jules Johnson when they came out, probably in the early to mid 1980's.  Downhill from there.

Interestingly, my dad who spent his life in O Scale scratch building brass engines and assembling brass kits of all kinds for others purchased only one brass ready made item in his entire life for himself, a PFM D&SL 2-6-6-0 when they came out, probably in the late 1990's. 

I never intended to get pulpwood cars, but fell in love with one and have been looking for them ever since.  Here are the painted ones I have now...I have 2 with load and 2 without.  Can't decide whether to leave as is or add a load to the empty ones...the more I get the more I lean towards leaving them as is.