Monday, September 22, 2014

Hopper wagon

Kit and box

Now for something completely different. My friend Chris Mead has been collecting American rolling stock during business trips. He's fallen for the Monon Railroad and has amassed a modest collection for a layout many years in the future.

Some of the wagons are kits and on seeing them, I offered to put one together out of curiosity. After all, I've been told many times that American kits are superior to ours...

In the box is a pre-painted hopper wagon body and some black plastic fittings on a sprue. The bogies are one piece mouldings and wheels are included.

Cost: $15.98 - £9.78 in proper money. That's got to be some sort of bargain. For about the price of a UK 4-wheel wagon kit you have a pre-painted and lettered bogie wagon. Of course this is all down to economies of scale. I'd bet that Accurail can knock out 20 times the number of these than Parkside can sell mineral wagons. Chances are the same wagon can be shipped in a variety of liveries too, making the unit cost lower still. The box it arrives in is rather good too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ive put a good few of these together. They really are simple. Though I prefer the more difficult UK kits.

Anonymous said...

Accurail kits are good value! Not only are they relatively cheap, they also go together very well. I've amassed quite a few over the years.