Does anyone over here dabble in the early metal Athearn kit cars? specifically tank cars...

Looks like I have a couple of Mantua diecast tankers as well...They certainly need some work.  Does anyone run these with newer trains.  What type of couplers have you found work on these?  I am familiar with the older standard of Kadee #5's but not sure if they will fit the cast in boxes.  I also see Kadee has introduced versions with the springs integral to the coupler shank.

It never ceases to amaze me what you have stashed away in that closest of yours. Are those HO? Good looking cars.

Yes ho.  I ahh have kept some (or a lot) of ho stuff over the years.... My first new trains were Athearn ho from about 1970 or so. Still have those although they did not survive well at all.  Hey, at least these are tin and diecast, and so somewhat tinplate

most important trains!

I don't have any of the vintage Athearn or Mantua metal cars... yet.

BUT, I've taken a fancy to Varney's tinplate cars. They look surprisingly good. Just recently I purchased these three Varney's:

I have already fitted Kadee coupler boxes and Kadee's to the PFE and ATSF car, as well as installed steel wheels and attended to "issues" that I saw.  The MDT reefer is going to take a bit more work on account of the pot metal coupler pocket. These look plenty good enough to run among newer plastic models of such era equipment. I was specifically impressed with the sharp printing on the sides which is better than found on Athearn "Blue Box" injection molded cars!

I still find myself checking eBay for some deals on more Varney metal cars.

Andre

I think those are actually lithographed and yes they do look great!

Yep. 

I always felt that this era of H0 was the best: maybe because that's when I got started. To my mind you just couldn't beat these and others (Silver Streak, pre-plastic Mantua, Ulrich, etc.) for superior printing, free-standing details, durability (metal, after all). Sure, you had to build 'em, but that's what I liked doing.

Remember the Walther's annual "H0 Railroad Catalog & 'Craft Train' Reference Manual" of those times; a large portion of it was dedicated to parts and details, as well as all those wonderful structure kits.

Very much like post -war Lionel and Flyer, parts were always available, as were matching paints, trucks (think Central Valley), and I think the Kadee type you mentioned were number 58(?); an H0 version of their 0 scale coupler. I'll have to double-check on that.

Mark in Oregon

I dug out some more of my litter, think these are Silverstreak. They aren’t too bad but I am missing two buffer beams and one tank wnd between the four cars. I’ll have to clean them up up a little. Construction is a diecast frame, ends, and dome with a wood dowel tank and a metal foil wrap glued to the dowel. They have real nice sprung metal trucks as well.

Also found my Varney metal sided Gerber reefer. Neet to clean it up and get some trucks and couplers on it.

I think this D X tanker is a Globe but the frame is not marked.

*****Correction, I found this one in a Thomas Industries catalog and verified the details, it is indeed a Thomas ho tank car.  Really nice one too.

Catalog page courtesy of HO Seeker.com.  BTW, the HO Seeker literature page is excellent!!!!!!!

*************

I also picked up this fairly nice Magnolia tanker. It’s an Athearn shorty all metal tank car same as the Crystal car line above.

Dennis Holler posted:

I also picked up this fairly nice Magnolia tanker. It’s an Athearn shorty all metal tank car same as the Crystal car line above.

Oooo! Lovin' me a Magnolia tank! 

My mythical "Kansas City & Gulf" runs from Kansas City, down through Arkansas to New Orleans (the KCS needed some competition!), and passes through Magnolia, AR in the process. (I'm modeling a portion of my KC&G's Ozark Sub as it could have been in the early-mid 1960s.) The KC&G's main shops are at Magnolia, referred to as the "Magnolia Shops" by the railroad/railroaders.

In reality, there was a significant amount of oil industry around Magnolia up into the 70s, I think.

Gotta' have me one of dem' dare Magnolia tanks!

This is a really fun thread. Even by today's "good 'enuf" standards, these old metal cars look good 'enuf!

Andre

Speaking of Varney, I also won this one off the bay a couple of days ago...

I also got over excited and bought these two Globe Warren all metal tank cars.  

Dennis Holler posted:

 

I also got over excited and bought these ..........(fill in the blank with ANY train related item..."

Dennis that's so unlike you.......  

Really like the tanks n' boxcars n' reefers n' stuff that's in this thread. Gonna start watching for more such goodies in the future.

Andre

I picked up a few things. The Globe Warren cars came and look good. I need to figure out if the built one is just dirty, maybe nicotene, or was it weathered. I’ll want to change the red trucks as well. Also managed to buy a couple of unused Mantua tank wraps as well!

I guess the question will be wether I am man enough to try to install a wrap on my wrapless Mantua tankers.  Nothing to lose really they only cost $3 each.  Maybe I should scan them in first.

you got too many tankers laying on that bench Dennis

That bench is my layout, now that is the real problem!  I got to quit using the layout as my bench....

Found these two Varney tin litho Reefer kits, $4 each.

The roof's need repainted, but the Litho sides look perfect