How Good is This Value Priced Model? - Unboxing and Product Review of an HO Scale Walthers Auto Rack

[@bobp2749]

Autoracks are found most often in unit trains. I like to run a 25-35 car string of mine on a large layout. I still have some cars dating back to the kit version by Walthers. The price point difference with the see-through screen versions results in a significant increased investment for rolling stock in a long unit train. Also, if I were to buy one see-through version car and place it amongst my other cars, it would make the remainder of my current Walthers fleet less prototypical looking, so I'm not going there. I weather the panels lightly with a black wash, filling the little holes to make the solid "screen" appear more like a screen. If I were starting a new autorack train, or just purchasing a couple for a mixed manifest train it might be different. Good review.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Your point about having a consistent level of detail is something that I've been thinking about lately, too. I might do a video about that at some point. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!

[@riogrande5761]

The problem with the some of the Intermountain auto rack is the metal see-thought side panels are curled which looks bad.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Most of my InterMountain cars are like that. So far I haven't come up with a fix. I have maybe a dozen of them. Thanks for watching!

[@riogrande5761]

@@DanielCortopassi Harry Wong actually pulled out the metal panels and uncurled them and put them back. Tedious and a lot of work. I only have a few but I'm trying to limit to early 80's am most of IMRC are mid-late 80's and later. I'm sticking with caboose era which limits me to around 1985 and earlier.

[@estebanmartinez7428]

I’ve leaned to adjust all couplers to correct height and I have decreased issues to almost none. Amazing how much difference it makes.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I agree. I do the same because I've had too many issues with unwanted uncoupling. Thanks for watching!

[@Trains-With-Shane]

I always consider the "value" options heavily when selecting rolling stock. Since I mostly model N scale it's often pretty difficult to spot the differences or lack of any details. Especially once the car is weathered. It makes me happy to see that there are some value focused offerings out there. Not every piece of rolling stock has to be rivet accurate and dripping with photo etched parts. Especially when it's just one piece in a long consist that will probably be moving when you see it. For me I'd save the more expensive purchases for stuff that is either mostly static or on the head or tail end such as locomotives of a caboose if that's your era. I think this Walthers piece will look great on your Donner Pass layout!

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. I have different expectations for detail with N as well, since even if it's there it can be really hard to see since it's so small. I will be running this car on the Donner layout eventually. Thanks for watching!

[@craytum6945]

Great no holds barred and honest review. Keep them coming and look forward to diesel reviews also. Thank you.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. The SD40-2 review will hopefully be out next month. Thanks for watching!

[@desertrailfan7118]

Nice looking car Dan. When did you film the section in the Cajon Pass, before or after the 138 re-alignment?

[@DanielCortopassi]

The Cajon footage is from July, 2015. I think that was before. I haven't been to the summit area since then, so I'm not sure how much it's changed. Thanks for watching!

[@YourLocalRailfan]

I have some like 2000’s run Walthers Proto autoracks and the coupler boxes are identical

[@DanielCortopassi]

They've been using the same or similar design for quite a while now. Thanks for the info and for watching!

[@IdahoRailfan]

Last year, I got 2 proto auto racks for $30 each at the Trainworld's website. The Bi-level looks great, but Wathers Tri-level auto rack has a lot to be desired for a proto model and much more fits the mainline product line as it is still very similar to the old kits they made.

[@DanielCortopassi]

That's interesting about the tri-level cars. This is the first Walthers auto rack that I've had in quite a few years. I had a couple way back when but those are long gone. Thanks for the info and for watching!

[@lucgagnon5241]

Hey Dan, with all those details on like underneath brake lines, hand brake, chains, etc... car should have uncoupling levers AND air hoses. From my point of view, Walthers is ... Walthers. They have good cars, very reliable but not as detailed as most manufacturers. Most of the time, they need to be upgraded. I own a lot of Walthers cars because plenty of them are only made by them. Sulphur trinity tank cars, 63' pulpwood flat cars, Sieco pulpwood cars, 61' wood chip gondolas and Greenville wood chip hoppers. At the end, Walthers never had me regret purchasing cars or engines. But they did with most of their structures ! Keep on your good work. Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I will probably add the uncoupling levers and air hoses to this car. It is odd sometimes how some of the mid-range cars like this come with some detail but leave other details off. Athearn RTR is often that way, too. If the parts are things that are easy to add, I don't mind too much if the model comes in at a lower price. Thanks for watching!

[@lucgagnon5241]

@@DanielCortopassi Hey Dan. Thanks for answering back. Most of the "special" cars I got are Walthers. Paper mill purpose. They don't offer nice straight 50' boxcars tho. I like Walthers cars too because they're easy to modify or detail. The last cars and engines releases show more details, high quality wheels, trucks and VERY crisp paint scheme. Like their engines too. Overall, Walthers stuff is reliable and affordable. Wish they would make better buildings. Most of them are always hard to fit properly. Especially the old kits. Thanks for sharing your work with us.

[@RonMontagueSWRR]

Nice review. I have 10 and I'm satisfied overall with them.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!

[@markiewodi3371]

I did the same thing with the Walthers passenger cars, that little shim of styrene. Worked great! Ever see those metal air hoses catch on a 30* crossing? The snap is worth the wreck. I mean for my budget ya can’t beat these……same with the mainline ones. Weather them up a bit, they look nice. Keep up the good work!!

[@DanielCortopassi]

Great minds think alike? It sounds like you had the same idea I did. I have not had any accidents like that, but I can imagine. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!

[@randallellison6421]

I really like Walthers autoracks mainly for their durability. They're just a nice solid model!

[@DanielCortopassi]

That is a trade off, less detail usually makes the models less prone to breakage. Thanks for watching!

[@conrailfan6277]

Great review Dan, I have quite a few of those Walthers Auto Racks I've bought over the years, they are a great train filler for the price, I loved seeing the Conrail SD40-2 used in the test run!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DanielCortopassi]

The SD40-2 review will hopefully be out next month. Looks nice so far. Thanks for watching!

[@aarongumbinger]

Always enjoy your reviews Dan. I purchased a couple of the ScaleTrains auto racks when they were on sale but both came with small broken pieces- so even the more expensive versions are not without issues…. Btw I sort of miss commentary by Nichole even though she is not part of your review videos…😅

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. Nichole does come on the channel sometimes, though not as often since we ran out of boxes of the month. We did a beginner video recently if you haven't seen it already. Thanks for watching!

[@timmydeee]

Thanks Dan. Good to see Walthers haven't changed😂. Also note that while TTX is a leasing company, it is owned by all/most of the class 1 railroads so they have a stake either way.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for info and for watching!

[@epacm50]

Great review Dan!

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@BNSF617]

Scale trains auto racks were on sale for $60 recently. It just sucks that the type of cars with the same design of the walthers and intermountain ones aren't made by other manufacturers.

[@BNSF617]

Also glad you mentioned the plano products replacement panels. Ill be looking for those now

[@DanielCortopassi]

The ScaleTrains cars seem like a pretty good deal, though as you mentioned, it's a different car. I haven't actually used the Plano parts on a car. I bought them for another Walthers car I had, but I ended up selling that model before I got around to it. I still have the one set that I showed in the video. Thanks for watching!

[@markhayes6407]

I purchased three Southern Pacific from walther's proto. I really like how they perform on the rails.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you like your models. Thanks for watching!

[@Jeremiaha284]

Dan, for those of us modeling the 60's - late 70's the Accurail open auto racks are just the ticket. Walthers has re released this in a built up configuration. The Accurail kits are great for kit-bashing later cars with retrofitted sides.

[@DanielCortopassi]

That sounds cool. Open racks are a little to early for my era. Populating the open racks with HO scale automobiles could be a fun project. Thanks for watching!

[@nyemt601]

So these cars are little improvement over the kits like you said. The kits were very light and regular significant weight to improve them. Personally me I like the intermountain because of the see through grills but I know a lot of people are getting a couple of them along with a few of these and mixing them together to simulate an autorack train without breaking the bank. Much like the sound equip refer cars mix them in with a few non sound ones and your off to the races. I’m unsure if the doors open on the walthers like the intermountain ones do

[@DanielCortopassi]

The doors don't appear to be openable on this car. They resisted attempts to gently move them, and the exploded view drawings suggest that they're rigidly mounted. Thanks for watching!

[@devernepersonal3636]

its always the F***ing couplers man.....that was so close to being a 100, especially considering the allowances for the price point.

[@25mfd]

yea you can count on them to NOT come through

[@tomoconnell4235]

No matter the freight car or its price point, the couplers should be 100% on. Yes I can and do fix coupler heights but I should not have to

[@devernepersonal3636]

@@tomoconnell4235 i was saying that despite the fact that the named things that Daniel said are okay regardless of price point, that the couplers kept this car from being 100.

[@FKHTrump2024]

I 100% totally agree with you. The coupler should be omitted. Nobody ever gets them right hardly and most people replace them

[@devernepersonal3636]

@@FKHTrump2024 i wasn't saying it should be omitted. i was just saying that this particular one was close to being perfect and the coupler is what caused it not to be.

[@williamkolina3988]

I wish you would review O gauge Could you explain the joint ownership on these cars TTX owns flatcar and SP owns upper part.this is interesting

[@DanielCortopassi]

I don't have that much O aside from the display loop layout that we set up in our game room. I have one locomotive and about 15 cars. It's all 3 rail. I'll think about maybe doing something with that stuff. I haven't bought any more O since I got that setup completed. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for the info and for watching!

[@kyaing9047]

The prototype for your car, judging by the L-shaped slots on the doors, seems to be a W&K autorack built in the late 1970s.

[@25mfd]

whitehead & kales

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks for the info and for watching!

[@danielfantino1714]

Nice review you made and comparaison. You mentionned that prototype have cushion underframe. That means a long coupler travel in and out. That explain may be why underframe is well detailed but without uncoupling lever. To be prototypical space betwen two of these cars should vary in lenght betwen pulling and pushing. On real cars, uncoupling lever lenght adjust to coupler extension contraction. On model There is no coupler movement. Keep in mind that betwen two real ones, you can talk of at least 4 feet of play. It´s a lot ! On all model, couplers don´t show that play. May be it would be destructive in operation but cool it would be to see train lenght vary. Couplers are fake, so why wonder so much on uncoupling lever ? And air hoses always hanging + the fake one on Kadee....when too much is too much. About see through panels, or not always sharp lettering, these cars are the more loved by vandals that don´t use spray paint. "Their" canvas is so huge, they often go with gallon of paint and roll to hide almost completely car sides minus id. Then are those tiny holes so important ? Giant lenght and height, what really matter i think is their stability on track. We don´t always just like prototype have perfect track. Also elevation change must really be gradual. I agree with Daniel about overweighting them. It probably improve performance. Thanks for that rrview of common see cars.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. You're right that the full sized couplers, while similar to what we use on our models, don't work exactly the same in all respects. I like uncoupling levers and hoses because i want my models to look like the real thing, just smaller, even if the operation is only an approximation of the real ones. I have seen some auto racks with huge graffiti like you described. I often wonder how these people have the time for that without getting caught. It must take hours. Thanks for watching!

[@anb7408]

The tri-levels are simply rehashed from the previous ones they made with a couple of details added. The side panels are crap, and over all, they’re not worth the price.

[@DanielCortopassi]

That's good to know. I don't have any of the newer tri-level cars. I had a couple Walthers auto racks years ago but those are long gone. This car is the first Walthers auto rack that I've had in quite some time. Thanks for the info and for watching!