Weaver Ultra Line cars

James the newer weaver cars are scale and have die-cast sprung trucks but some of the older weaver cars had plastic trucksand are scale too. I have several weaver cars and i like mine really well. They are not detailed like the others but are nice heavy cars.  

Thanks, Jeff! that was helpful Does the "Ultra Line" designation identify if it is the newer type? 

 

Your welcome James!! Yes the cars i have made back in the 90's up to date is ultra line but idk someone else would know in later years any different hope they chime in.  

Ultra Line means the body was made in the USA.

 

The molded in detail is similar to the older Premier line and Lionel freight cars introduced in the 1990's.

 

Andrew

One thing that Weaver added over the years was weight. When I was in 3 rail (90s and early 2000s) I had a problem with the Weaver cars derailing a lot. These cars had no weights but the newer ones have weights installed. Once I added weight as per NMRA specifications they worked great. The spec is 5 ounces and then add 1 ounce for every inch. For example a ten inch boxcar should weigh 15 ounces. I went to a LHS that sold a little O but was predominantly HO and bought stick on weights. For the boxcars the shell pops off without any screws. I just stuck the weight right over the trucks because I figured it would be better to have the weight right on top of the trucks and if you open the door you can't see the weight. 

 

A friend of mine has a few Weaver boxcars that have plastic trucks but metal wheel sets. I added the weights for him and he hasn't had a lick of trouble with them. 

 

 

My 10 Weaver cars are excellent.  Their trucks roll well.  In my experience, the couplers on their passenger and freight cars have had a higher than average tendency toward undesired opening of couplers, but there are fixes and work-arounds for that problem.

Weaver changed over from plastic trucks to die cast trucks and couplers as OEM equipment around 2008. Any ultra line production previous had the plastic trucks snd couplers as OEM equipment.

Can't add too much to what's already been said, but I like Weaver cars and miss the company. I have a few dozen of them, mostly covered hoppers, a few box cars and a few tank cars. The common characteristic of all of them is that most of them are underweight per NMRA recommendations, especially the earlier ones that used plastic trucks. I've been bringing their weight up to spec when converting them over to scale wheels and Kadees as they're the simplest and Intermountain wheels fit the trucks perfectly. The detail isn't as good as the current offerings from MTH, Atlas and high-end Lionel but they could be had for $20 or so a car, plus shipping in the secondary market -- more for some of the newer and rarer cars.

71 freight cars to date, and will keep buying them as long as I can find them.....

I find Weaver Models 'Ultra-Line' freight cars to be well made with the metal trucks and MOST detailing.

For some reason with their box cars they must use a 1950's style PS-1 body for all cars, regardless of the car manufacturer and year the car was made in the prototype/real world, because if the car is supposed to have a lower height and 'Poling-Pockets,' then Weaver's 'Ultra-Line' cars are PS-1 cars having all the same height and NO 'Poling-Pockets.'

Some freight cars are spot on with the markings and some others are NOT and other type freight cars which in the prototype/real world have No 'Poling-Pockets, when the cars is supposed to have them.

Usually the Gold series are produced very similar to the prototype/'Real-Deal, but cost way more!.

Ralph

Weaver info –

 

All my Weavers contain spring die-cast trucks and couplers.

Either I bought them that way or converted them over the years.

 

Be careful as many in the market were mixed with both plastic and metal combinations generally by former owners.

There is another issue concerning internal metal weights. They can be cut and moved away from the door ways. Or remove when adding die-cast trucks, extra metal no longer required.

Don't run the car heavier than it needs to be after conversion.

 

There are plenty of plastic versions that flood the market place every day.

 

I always make the seller look at the car so I don’t get plastic anything.

The other thing to look for are broken, missing or cracked stirrup steps.

 

A safe bet for die-cast everything is the “LD” marking on the box.

Yellow sticker boxes also have die-cast T&C’s.

 

Don’t over pay as plastic T&C cars are only worth 18 bucks ea.tops.

If you can find die-cast to add, figure adding another 18 to the price making the car about the same as a Premier. If you go over, you are paying to much in my opinion.

Die-cast T&C cars top around 30-36, just under older MTH Premier prices.

 

S.

I love them...for exactly what they are!  If you can find them on the secondary market in the price range that Matt & SIRT mentioned, they are a very good value by today's standards.  And they have provided me with an inexpensive "canvas" to teach myself how to weather!

 

As several members have already pointed out, they have a decent amount of detail (some molded in, and some added on) that IMO tends to stand out better when weathered.  The 40' PS-1 boxcars, for example, have separately-applied roof walks, end ladders and brake wheel & rigging, but the grab irons are molded in. 

 

I also strongly agree with the comments regarding their weight.  All of mine have die-cast trucks and couplers and added weight (if necessary) to bring them up to the NMRA standard.  I use 1/4 & 1/2 ounce stick-on wheel-balancing weights purchased from Harbor Freight.

 

Here are some photos of six types of Weaver "Ultra-Line" freight cars:

 

-40' PS-1 boxcar(s)

-40' plug-door boxcar

-40' double-door steel-sided boxcar

-PS-2 covered hopper

-Both ribbed & offset-side 2-bay coal hoppers...

 

I think it is great how you train "vets" are so willing to share your knowledge. Us "rookies" really appreciate it! Oh, and JoeyA, you are an artist with your detailing!

 

I think the take-away for me is to welcome the opportunity to add Weaver rolling stock when the price is right while giving a strong preference to the later ones with the die-cast trucks and couplers. Again, I remain grateful to each of you for sharing!

Good morning

80% of my fleet is early Weaver with plastic trucks and plastic (Delrin) wheels never an issue. I convert all my Atlas,MTH,K-Line and Lionel to Weaver or Athern plastic trucks and wheels when possible. Use to have 0ver 300 Weaver cars. I use Kadee couplers, the Weaver plastic couplers not so good.

 

Clem 

 

I like them, but keep in mind their resale value is TERRIBLE!  If you want to buy something like tank cars at "new" prices, just make sure you are 100% sure you will never want to part with them.

 

Otherwise, try to pick up what you want at 30% of MSRP on ebay or the ogr buy/sell boards.

90% of my Weaver cars are club cars from another forum. I have several others that I picked up over the years, and I like them a lot. My two favorites are the outside braced boxcar, and the wood side gondola. There are a lot of load possibilities for the gon. 

Don

 

joeyA,

I love your New Haven PS-2 covered hopper. Orange has always been my favorite color.

Thanks, Jimmy!  I seem to remember you telling me that the orange New Haven PS-2 hopper was YOUR Weaver custom-run, am I correct?

They're great for building long trains at a cheap price, if bought on the secondary market.  

 

I really like the 2 bay hoppers I've bought.  

 

Not much else to add that hasn't been mentioned already.

Here's a DT&I AC2 covered hopper. This car was a custom run too.

Don

joeyA ,

Yes, that was one of our custom runs. I loved Weaver PS-2 covered hoppers. We also had this black New Haven PS-2 covered hopper made. Like I said their PS-2 covered hopper was my favorite car.