Can we have new tank cars in On30?

[finderskeepers]

Saw your wonderful pictures of the new 1:20.3 frameless tank cars (Many people call them GRAMPS tank cars, any chance now that you have done all the research that you could make them in On30, and easily convertable to On3? I need about a dozen or so!

[japasha]

Back when I was fanatically involved in On3, I built a number of frameless tank cars from Grandt line kits. Not cheap but really beautiful in groups of six in a train. I don't know if they are still available but using one of those as an example, I just built a sinailar car for On30. 

If you can't wait, try one of those kits if you can find one.

[finderskeepers]

I have two of the Grandt line cars, they are now going for about $100.00 for an unbuilt kit. Grandt did a small rerun about 2 years ago and the cars were sold out at a convention. If Bachmann could do the cars for a third of the price as an RTR piece, they'd have  a winner. BTW the Grandt line kits were never an easy build, as even the tank was a three piece casting that had to be carefully aligned.

[Ned]

I suspect you know this but just in case: Bachmann does offer a "Gramps" car in On30 (item 27145) but it is not frameless.

I don't know how feasible it would be to convert one of them.

Ned

[the Bach-man]

Dear FK,
I'll pass along the request.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[kendoitall]

Mr. Bach-mann, if they are taking votes, put me down as very interested as well.

Ken

[Nick_Burman]

Yeah, I could do with some more modern tank cars... doesn't need to be the "Gramps" though, although thye would be welcome. Also some steel equipment (boxcars, gons) would come in handy...

Cheers Nicholas

[randerson]

I could use 3 to start & probably 3 more later!


Cheers,

Rich

[glennk28]

Grandt held the line on price of the tank cars for many years--Original price was $45.00--about 3 years ago while discusing the possibility of re-issuing the kits, Dave asked me what I thought the price should be--and he was surprised when I mentioned the price he felt he would have to charge.

They are very well-designed kits--not for the beginner, but they are straight-forward in their construction.  I think that at the current price they are still a bargain when you figure out how much time you spend building one, and figure the price per hour of your modeling fun. 

When they first came out, they were also offered in a "six-pack"--saving mainly on the price of five extra sets of instructions  and the extra boxes. I built 6 that way.  I presently have 9 serviceable and 8 more kits on the shelf--I figure that I'll need two sets of 8 to replicate the Grande's operations up Cumbres--picture 8 cars between two K-37's--gj

[finderskeepers]

I guess the beauty of rtr is that they don't sit on the shelves for years until magically rediscovered and then put away again just as quickly. Just imagine if Bachmann did these Gramps cars as an ON30 model that was easily convertible to On3, sold for $30.00 each, and were already painted and lettered. I'd have that 8 car train running in no time!

[shayman]

 
  Mr Bach-man
   I would go for that too!
    Shayman

[Woody Elmore]

I doubt you'd see the Gramps car from Bachmann at a price of around $30. Look at the list price of the new pulpwood flatcar.

When I used to build Grandt cars I always considered assembling them as something diverting and fun to do and well worth the extra money for the challenge.  If you look at kits as something tedious or unpleasant to assemble, then kits are not for you.

[japasha]

AMS will have )n30 tank cars before too long. Not as cheap as Bachmann but more than likely scale.. (That's Accucraft).

I agree with Woody on the complexity on the Grandt cars but if you want a frameless, that's the best bet these days. Now, you can build your own, Precision Scale and the Backshop offer the coupler/truck mount frame.

I will add that most of the real fun for us builders is to build what you can't buy.

[ksivils]

I agree that building kits is fun.  So is kitbashing them.

But given that the Grandt frameless tank car kits are essentially unavailable and the only narrow frame narrow gauge tank cars I have seen are brass and out of my price range, I would love to see Bachmann bring in one or the other of these famous narrow gauge tank cars, or at least something that was similar.

I just can't help but think that these would be good sellers.  Mr. Bachmann please take note!

[glennk28]

I have been wondering whether, and how, the UTLX frameless (Van Dyke) tank car might be simplified to make RTR production possible.  Grandt's car iis exquisitely detailed, contributing to its price.  On3 modelers expect that--Grandt and San Juan both have that reputation.

As an example, I will approximately quote from the instructions of Grandt's first On3 car kit--the National Dump Car (drop-bottom gondola) "There are over 235 parts in this kit, many of which can be left off and still have a presentable model " 

In conversations with the Grandt's many years ago, when the car first came out, one concern they had was getting the rivets properly shaped and still be able to get the parts out of the mold.  It is this attention to the little things that contributes to the quality, and thereby the cost of production.  gj