Your Opinion on Weaver Freight cars

The latest ones are great.  I have piggyback trailers and boxcars too.

i have several and the latter one's are really nice. not brass quality but if you need fillers they do a great job and the prices are low. it all depends on the detail level you are looking for .

Detail is irrelevant to me. Price is the concern. I was going to buy some on a  "banned" website. What you guys have said is encouraging me to go that road. Thank you.

Nickstrains

i have several of their reefers and flat cars with loads.  nice stuff. occasionally will find a weak coupler, but that is easily remedied.

I have a lot of their rolling stock and one engine. The quality is as good if not better than other manufactures until you get to brass models. I also run some of their passenger cars with no problems.

  Customer service is a notch above the others and they have a good product line.

Douglas

New question, are their "Ultra Line" freight cars 1:48 scale or "semi-scale?"

I have quite few Weaver Ultra Line freight cars, and the "bang for the buck" is unbelievable. Very good molded detail, and the printing on them is really good. Plus, they're relatively easy to convert to 2R.

My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that I find them rather light, so I usually add some weight. 

They're reasonably priced new, but you can typically pick them up used for $20 and I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Fred

I'm pretty sure that virtually EVERYTHING that Weaver makes & sells is 1:48 SCALE. I have a number of their "limited run" freight cars, such as the B&O wagon top boxcars, Milwaukee Road ribbed side boxcars, and the PRR large covered hopper cars, and all are truly spectacular. My only issue with the Weaver boxcars, over the years, has been that they are too light in weight, thus I add lead weight to the inside.

Most Weaver freight cars are sold new with plastic trucks. It will likely cost at least 10 bucks to upgrade to their metal trucks. Base your value on whether they have plastic or metal trucks.

Pete

Weaver freight cars are all 1:48 scale as far as I know, and I think are also based on real prototypes as opposed to "looks like".   For example, the "steel side" boxcar is a model of at 1923 ARA boxcar which is about the same size as a PRR X29 but different rivets patterns and some other details.   The PS-1 boxcar is a model of the PS-1.    All the hoppers are based on prototypes too.   The old 2-bay unfortunately was based on a modern 2-bay welded car that was used extensively by the L&N.   Not sure how many other roads had.    

They have done some unique "gold edition" or whatever they call it cars also that have been mentioned, the B&O wagon-top boxcar for one is one of the best models of this car including brass made.   The mounting of the doors and door channels are pretty much correct.   Many of the brass versions have the door cut into the ribs which it incorrect I think.    The Pennsy H30a covered hopper is a simple gorgeous car and the Milwaukee ribbed side boxcar is well done also.

The Ultra line cars have molded on hand grabs and details as opposed to separately applied parts as much of the newer MTH Premier stuff.   However, the price reflects this.

PS: the Weaver Outside braced Boxcar is based on a prototype too.    It is not the USRA car which Atlas O modeled.   It is slightly more modern.   There was an article in Railroad Model Craftsman some years ago and it described the prototype for this car.   At a minimum, it was built for some Western roads.

Know what you are buying. There was a stretch where Weaver cars were sold with not only plastic trucks, but plastic wheels and axles also. That is what the lowest priced Weaver cars you see will be. Add at least the price of 4 new metal wheelsets to those ultra-bargain prices.

Jim

Weaver gave up on the plastic 3-Rail trucks some years ago, due to all the "issues" with the wheel sets furnished with those plastic trucks. I'm pretty sure that ALL their 3-Rail products now come with diecast trucks.

I have many Weaver freight cars, all with the die-cast trucks (the plastic trucks are no longer available) and every locomotive that they produced in the Boston & Maine livery. All of their products are 1/4" to the foot, well made, mostly in Pennsylvania, with excellent graphics. The level of detail is not equal to the top of the line competition, except for the steam locomotives, but are priced accordingly and can be handled by children as well as adults. Their latest B&M steamer is as detailed and as well constructed as any O gauge locomotive on the market.

I have a few of their boxcars and am very happy with them.

I wish I had started with Weaver rather than buying non scale cars when I came to O from HO.

I do rework most of them....paint the frame, add weights and when I buy used cars most corner steps need replaced. GREAT looking cars.

Custom painted for Ashalnd Chemical. Dad worked for Ashland.

Reworked and weathered Weaver box.

I have one and it works well with new trucks.  Not as much detail as MTH, Lionel, and Atlas but a good value for the money.

Art 

I agree with most of the thoughts expressed here on the Weaver cars. I recently bought some of the Milwaukee Road ribbed boxcars and they run smoothly, are nicely scaled, and have separately applied grabs, ladders, brake staffs, roofwalks, etc. I think that all Weaver cars now come with diecast sprung trucks that couple easily. They are made in the USA which is a big plus in my book. The paint and lettering is excellent. They may ride a bit too high, though, which I can over-look but other manufactures do this occasionally, also. They are a great value in my mind.

"  Is their quality comparable to MTH premier? Should I avoid them, or are they a great deal? "

    I've built as lot of Weaver cars over the years and I think they are a great value. They can be bought on ebay at quite reasonable prices and make great starting points for detailing projects. Here's a Weaver covered hopper I cut down to make a 2 bay cement car and a Weaver 50 foot boxcar I cut down to 40 feet for an SP copper service car...DaveB