Best 40 foot 1/48 Scale trailers??

There was also 42' and a lot of 45' Trailers. Most of the trailers I come across are wrong in width, thru the 70s  just 96 inches wide. 102' wide started in the eightys. 

Rarer than hen's teeth, K-Mart without knowing hit O Scale about twenty years ago.

with their 40' reefer.

Actually those "Champ of the Road" trailers are K-line 38' and a bit narrower.

A true good 40' O scale trailers were the Pecos River BRass ones that used to sell on da bay! Looking a bit like K-line, they are scale height and width 40' trailers and do show it's scale length. but it's ribbed sides and toylike tires suggest a reefer trailer rather than a smooth 40' box trailer. Us O scalers are in need of a  good 40' trailer. MTH comes close but that too modern front end, awkward molded in ladders, and those modern pressed wheel hubs make it a bit weird for RR 40' trailers of the 1960's and 1970's.

Either Lionel and/or AtlasO needs to come up and out with a really good scale 40' Box trailer with the 5 spoke "mack" type wheels and either smooth or ribbed sided trailer sides.

From top to bottom: Champ of the Road "40' Trailer"modified.

Barney Stumple"Clone AMT" 45' Trailer

Barney Stumple "Clone AMT" 48' Trailer

Weaver/Bowser 53' Wabash National trailer

The photo above shows the different lengths tks for photos and posts guys.

Yes I have a few of the K-Line style at the top of this photo brown trailer. They had them in the toy stores in plastic different types they are perfect and I use these with the old Lionel MiJack trailer loader on my layout. The K-Line were same design but cast in metal that fell apart and were heavy. I have a K-Line spline 5 car set with trailers and the trailers started to fall apart.

With a lot of TOFC in the 70's 80's using 40 foot trailers I am suprised that we do not see a lot more of these available with O Gauge to fit flats??

I had been looking at plastic sheets at the hobby shop to see if I could find a good corrigated look for a typical trailer, perhaps try to scratch build a fleet??

In the photo below Tokin 1/53 trucks/trailers upright they are best looking but undersized and heavy for a long string of Trailer on Flat cars.

On sides top left ribbed AMT 1/43 plastic model has large size wheels to large and to wide and tall, BC Rail upside down 35 foot 1/48 scale Weaver trailer, below this the ones I am building for my TOFC Berkshire Valley 40 foot 1/48 Scale. Top right??? forget where this came from someone was making these trailers many years back in 1/48 scale I think at 48 foot did not like the quality did not get any more, Blue/Flag Tokin 1/53 48 foot I think! Great northern upside down, Atlas 1/48 scale ?48 foot looks sharp a bit heavy but not to bad for TOFC.

But really the only thing that looks good for a 40 foot trailer for 1/48 is the Berkshire valley kit. If you click the link at top of page you will see all the different trailer kits that you can buy.

Photos following Berkshire kit on the Weaver flats I repainted. Trailers are $ pricy would be nice if some source for cheap light weight options for a long string of trailers on flats for the 70's/80's????

On sides top left ribbed AMT 1/43 plastic model has large size wheels to large and to wide and tall, 

Well the Box on those AMT kits are good 1:48 in height and width. The wheels and box trailer length are the issues. I purchased additional Atlas O trailer wheelsets/dollies for my Barney Stumple and AMT kits. these make the trailers look more 1:48 rather than 1:43. you still have to cut back the AMT 1:43 box trailers becasue a 1:43 trailer is a 1:45 trailer in o scale.

BTW, the "Brown Trailer" is NOT a K-Line trailer but the Champ of the road trailer like the REA trailer shown above.

I like the Weaver trailers that are now available without the flat car.  Very good detail and quality.

Paul Fischer

They are hard to find but Revell made a very nice trailer with a KW tractor in kit form back in the 50's.

George Lasley

Tks guys ! But the AMT kits are a bit wide for 1/48 scale they are scaled out to 1/43

yes the brown trailer same size as K-Line you could get the trailer in plastic Road Champ at lots of stores a few years back, and K-Line looked like it used same mold but did there trailers in a cheap metal that some fell apart with!

Still would be nice if someone did a good ready made light weight 40 foot trailer Weaver is 35 foot! to short for 70's /80's! TOFC

Took a couple of hours last night with contact cement to get another Berkshire trailer box together. Just takes a lot of time to trim and fit sides and parts and get the glue to stick and everything to line up.

I found some 1/43 NewRay tractor-trailer sets on sale at TractorSupply for $5.99.

The trailers seem to be a pretty good size. Length is almost exactly 45ft. Width and height of the box is a near exact match to the Bowser 53ft. 

The only problem I can find is that the tires are 4 scale feet tall! This makes the trailer overall taller than the Bowser 53ft.

Does anybody know where I can find scale sized wheels/tires to fit under this trailer?

Flash,

Maybe you can use the Berkshire Valley trailer dollies for wheels to go under the NewRay trailer.

Joe

102' wide started in the eightys. 

That would block an Interstate! <g>

  --Joe

FYI, Wiseman Model Services sells a plastic BV kit knockoff for those that do NOT like working with wood. [Both Dry and Reefer Versions]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/O-SCAL...;hash=item5d3555b5d0

Also note that Dan mills will make the trailer wheel dollies that fit within the K-line/MTH TTAX flat cars. [ the OEM BV ones are too wide]

I've been looking off&on for some small round nose city trailers and these 24'ers might just be the ticket.