Railyard Models PRR/PC/CR G41A Coil Steel Cars

[Ian MacMillan]

I would have to agree that the HO RYM X58's are fantastic, but $40 a piece!!!  And don't forget, you have to assemble and paint them yourself.  I mentioned this once already, but I know a die hard 1968 PRR guy in HO, and he will not shell out the money for these kits.  I will have to live with my N scale Con Cor stand ins for the time being.  I don't hold out much hope that anyone will manufacturer X58's in N scale.  I don't think 1960's PRR is very popular in N scale.  The thing is, X58's roamed the entire country in PRR, PC, and CR paint from the mid 60's up until at least 2000.  Everyone could use at least one or two, even if you are a western modeler.  I would buy at least a dozen or two.  I would hate to have to paint and decal them all myself, but you got to do what you got to do.  Especially since the MS PC boxcars with PRR letters is such a great base (demi data) set for PC or CR painted cars.  I can still dream.

Jeff

How long does it take you to earn $40? A price of $40 for a very detailed high quality HO scale kit seems very reasonable to me and I am sure that Gene isn't getting rich doing this. If $40 seems high it may explain why there is reluctance to offer N scale freight car kits. There's not much incentive.  Having said that we are going to release a Pullman Standard 86 foot boxcar kit later this year (as a bit of a gamble) and I am happy to provide a quote for masters for an X58.

Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.

[Bob Bufkin]

Here's a shot of an X58 from above:

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Bob, thats no X58

[Bob Bufkin]

Daniel what car is it?  Always thought it was an X58.

[bsoplinger]

Can't be a X58, there are no visible ribs. Check out http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=X58 for links to pictures and diagrams.

[Mark4]

Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.

What something is worth is clearly subjective and personal and I should state that I have a business relationship with Railyard. At this stage I guess the key question is: what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58  be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.

[Bob Bufkin]

Door is also wrong.  Checked my references and believe it is an X54.
Bob

[Ian MacMillan]

Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.

What something is worth is clearly subjective and personal and I should state that I have a business relationship with Railyard. At this stage I guess the key question is: what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58  be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.

I think $30-$40 would be a reasonable price for an N version as well.

[Iain]

While $40 is a little high for a fleet of these things, I'd be willing to pay that much for one since that is about all I would need.

[ai5629]

First, the overhead photo is of an X38K.  There is a good shot of one on page 80 of the first PRR Color Guide.  Second, it does not take me long to earn $40, but my wife is expecting, so money is going to get tight.  Third, I said that this HO guy won't shell out $40 for an unassembled and unpainted kit.  And this guy is the only person I know to have put together a Westfield H25 kit.  Fourth, what company is putting out an 86' PS boxcar.  Can you say PRR X60G!!!  I just think that once you broach the $30 mark for a freight car, your potential buyers will be limited in N scale.  I would like to hope that someone could make a hybrid kit with some cast one details and some free standing detail for around $30.  What do you guys think? 

Jeff

[GonzoCRFan]

Mark,

I am so desperate for a quality N scale 86' hi-cube that you will probably recoup your investment from my purchases alone. Would you be interested in selling bulk-packs at a discount?  ;D

[Mark4]

Mark,

I am so desperate for a quality N scale 86' hi-cube that you will probably recoup your investment from my purchases alone. Would you be interested in selling bulk-packs at a discount?  ;D

Speak to me my desperate friend!

The 86 footers are going to cost too much if we make them on the RP machinery. The current plan is to use a new resin casting process developed by a local model aircraft manufacturer. The molds cost a lot more than conventional silicone molds BUT we know that mold life is at least 5000 shots and he can pop them out at the rate of about 1 every 2 minutes. The process gives a crispness that is every bit as good as injection molding. The process fits between traditional resin casting and injection molding.

Given the fixed costs of mastering and tooling and the (relatively) low part cost compared to RP (although still a lot more the injection molding) there are definitely economies of scale and therefore discounting in order to get more volume makes sense. It's a little early to confirm pricing but I would like to think we can get under $25 for one and maybe a 10 pack for 180. I would like to do better than that but the US dollar is continuing to slide against our dollar.

[amato1969]

Thanks for the info, Mark!  These sound promising.  Now let's see what's out there for decals...

[ai5629]

I want to get back to the X58 cost issue for a moment.  I feel that $25 to $30 would be a fair price for a kit that you have to assemble.  I think cost could be helped if the side ladder rungs / grab irons were molded on and the end ladders we're separate.  If you wanted separate side grabs, you could remove the molded ones, and add them if you like.  If you wanted to model a car with lowered end ladders, you could scrape off a few of the side rungs to match.  The would put the kit on par with the newer MT and Atlas master line models.  The modeler could supply their own trucks and couplers.  I suppose you would need to include decals too, and this does not help the price.  I assume all of you reading this are following the X58 thread also.  Everyone there is thinking Fine N Scale will produce it.  The guy who initially asked about what a fair price for an X58 sounds like he is Canadian since they are the only other country that uses dollars I think (is Fine N Scale a Canadian company?).  Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?  Thanks.

Jeff

[cv_acr]

Any resin/craftsman kits I've seen are usually around $30+ CAD. Some more or less depending on the manufacturer and detail level of the kit. Rail Yard Models is at the high end of this, around $40-45, but they're also at the top end of the detail level, including photo etch metal for walkways, ladders, etc. I don't have any yet, but I could use a couple acid tank cars, and maybe one of those new sulpur tanks...


(I think Australia also calls their currency "dollar". New Zealand too?)