Describe your ideal n scale freight car.

[tom mann]

What would it take to make you happy, ready to run speaking?  What features in an off the shelf model would you want?

For me, it would be:

1.  Distance from the top of the truck to the body equals that of the prototype.
2.  Correct trucks, be they 100 ton or 70 ton.
3.  Metal wheels with semi-scale tread width; nickel silver plated.
4.  Scale size, body mounted couplers that look like prototype couplers.
5.  Separately applied ladders that snap in without glue.  This way, I could replace them with finer scale blma ladders without shaving.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Get the proportions and major spotting features right, then make them available at the Trainman 50' boxcar price point, and in lots of numbers...

[Chris333]

Tom Mann applied weathering right out of the box.

[lock4244]

Tom, sounds like you need a shrink-ray 

[3rdrail]

Sorry, but to me the ideal N scale freight car would not be ready to run, but a kit. Personally, I think the Fine-N-Scale kits are close to what I would consider the ideal N scale freight car. If only they'd make a PRR Class XL boxcar. THE absolute ideal would be Westerfield kits in N scale, IMHO.

As far as R-T-R goes, I don't think you can get much better than the Atlas steam era cars, with the exception of the trucks using Accumates.

[3rdrail]

Tom, I just read your 3. and 4. more closely and think what you want is a static model rather than something to operate in trains. Yes, fine scale is possible, even in N, Proto160 as it were, but operations with it requires a degree of manual dexterity in laying the track that not many have. Proto160 and Unitrack would not mix!

[Denver Road Doug]

What Tom said, plus do one or more of the following when it's released:
1. Provide additional decals for renumbering/patching/build dates/alt reporting marks.  We're talkin' a decal set that's MAYBE the size of a business card, max.
2. Work with a vendor to ... (see #1 above) ... at the same release date.  It does less good to release renumber decals for a model that has been sold out for 4 months.
3. Provide number/reporting mark/etc. fonts on your website so we can print out correct decals ourselves.  (get real fancy, and let us build a custom decal set online using a "wizard" that will build the roadnumbers we want and either forward the file to our e-mail, or to a custom decal maker, or to the mfg for printing and snail mailing the decals to us...for a small fee of course)
4. Provide commercially (and currently) available paint mix on your website that closely approximates the stock paint job.  Or do like the car companies do...sell/provide "touch up" paint for painting grabs, etc.
5. At very least, communicate with decal makers months prior to release. ("hey Microscale, we're doing a tanker in a few months with 3pt Sans Serif white in case you want to do a run of decals")

[wm3798]

#1)  Reasonable prices to allow fleetbuilding without having to refinance the house.
#2)  Reasonable level of detail yet durable for every day use and handling. 
#3)  Body styles that get close enough to prototypical standards, with optional parts like doors and ends for those of us who can't leave well enough alone...
#4)  I like the idea of a decal wizard for additional road numbers.  That's a no brainer.
#5)  Hopper cars available in 5-packs at a reasonable discount.  Let's face it, no one runs just one or two coal hoppers...
#6)  Accumates that are uncompromised by a Rapido style draft gear box.  There is no reason to continue to bow to a standard that is no longer the standard.
#7)  Piggy back trailers that don't cost as much as the flat cars they ride on.

Lee

[SAH]

Sorry, but to me the ideal N scale freight car would not be ready to run, but a kit. Personally, I think the Fine-N-Scale kits are close to what I would consider the ideal N scale freight car. If only they'd make a PRR Class XL boxcar. THE absolute ideal would be Westerfield kits in N scale, IMHO.

I'm right wit ya on that one.  With so much good rtr out now (such as the Atlas steam era cars you mentioned) I can't see it happening though.  A line of accurate parts such as ends, roofs, doors etc would be good.  Like the Viking roof Des Plaines did.

Steve

[sirenwerks]

Tom,

Your list, with a modification to #5, plus...

5. ...besides seperate ladders, seperate grab irons and rails. Glued on is OK as long as they're easy to shear off and redrill the holes.
6. No molded-on doors or tack boards.
7. Finer, seperate door latch handles on boxcars and reefers, and seperate door rods on plug doors.
8. More realistic placement of brake gear elements (they need to be well below the frame in most cases - I'll add the piping, just get the height correct so I don't feel compelled to replace it all)
9. Mandatory - etched roofwalks and end platforms (and platforms on tank cars and open and covered hoppers), as well as the braces on covered hopper walks (no more solid brace castings) - Hello MT, are you listening?
10. Seperate and finer end posts on hoppers and covered hoppers - if they're finer and easier to damage, make them replaceable.
11. Cut-off levers, or at least mold on the body mounted hanging hardware to add them.
12. A greater attemt at matching the thickness of body element materials - rooflines, top lips on open hoppers and gons, and covered hopper and boxcar end elements and wall thickness profiles - ie - the sides of covered hoppers that extend beyond the car end and tank car end lips are dramatically thick on most models.

[cv_acr]

... it would be in HO, not N.

 

[TiVoPrince]

Available
in undecorated.  Possible to disassemble without damage for painting.  On dealer shelves or at distributors reliably.  Option for body mount coupler with reasonable looking draft gear and coupler pocket.  Scale size durable couplers would be a great addition...

[tom mann]

How about this:  the option to buy undec and unassembled, without trucks?   

[Iain]

No glue.

[RockandRail]

it has Rio Grande on it ;D