A Car Guy's Train Pet Peeve

I agree.  I really want to model 1946 thru 1948, right after the war.  I am having trouble finding enough pre-war cars, without having a ton of model A's and T's all over the layout. 

I agree also. i have plenty of the same old same old. I'm always on the lookout but really can't find what I want. 

Although model trains is my first hobby at age 4.....1/1 Pony cars and scale model cars are my other hobbies. I too  are sometimes bothered by so many '59 Eldorado convertibles'  populating a small rural town on a layout. But many guys are TRAIN guys and the autos are white noise.  The fact we don't have many 1/48 affordable cars hurts but even using 1/43 cars and trucks you need to repaint, detail and pick the right variety to look correct to 'car people'. So while it bugs me too at times.....it's not on everyone's radar and that is the best thing about this hobby....you make it what you want!!! 

Add to the pet peeve department the fact that there are virtually no 1/48 or 1/50 cars. They are all 1/43 as a result of the English companies Dinky and Corgi dominating the market back in the 1950's. I had this sort of shoved at me when I acquired an empty scale Auto-Loader and I couldn't find anything other than Corvettes, T-Birds, and Volkswagens to fill it because everything else was too big. What I want is some 1940's and 50's sedans, and at least a few that are actually made to American 0 scale, not English. 

Vitesse of Portugal makes alot of 1940s Chrysler products,Rex Toys of France makes a variety of American cars from the 30s and 40s,Solido of France makes American cars of the 30s,40s and 50s,these are 1/43

Mikey

I have all traditional size rolling stock or even the smaller size postwar cars, a few scale engines have crept in but there steam. So I refuse 1:43 I just don't want the big size. Matchbox and Hot wheels are 1:64 and just too small, crying shame because they have a tremendous selection. There just isen't anything between 1:64 and 1:43 except some construction equipment and a few trucks. At 1:50 scale .240= 1' so a 15' long car is 3.600 and 5' wide is 1.200.

I see Tuckers on layouts, they only made a half dozen of them.

I'm going to answer your questions on diecast autos. First is about a layout with more then one ltd. edition cars. That is a problem with many layout builders...cheap $5.00 cars is good enough for them with no clue about cars.

English 1:43 that's it...case closed on 1:48. Old Dinky is smaller then 1:43 and Corgi larger.

Solido, Rextoys and Vitesse are no longer made but they have a good assortment of 1:43 that can be found on ebay and train shows.

These days there are companies called NEO and IXO that are making cars that you never thought would be made but are a lot more then $5.00.

Search ebay for 1:43 cars and trucks.

I sometimes list cars on the forum buy/sell.

Bob

I do know where you are coming from - I model the mid '50s and want to have a reasonable amount of normal everyday Fords, Chevies, Plymouths, Mercury, Chrysler and Buicks and the odd Studebaker, Kaiser, Hudson, and Packard about . . .   

 

But, let me argue the other side of the coin a bit.  Diecast manufacturers make what will sell: not much market for a Plymouth Savoy or base Chevy coupe, compared to an Eldorado or a '57 Corvette.  

 

More important thought, most of us model what we like.  For example, my layout abounds with nice shiny Warbonnet F3s, and has lots of big articulated locos - BigBoys, Challengers, Alleghenies, Yellowstones, Mallets, etc., and big, big Northerns and Blue Comets and such.  There weren't that many of those around way back when.  There were a lot of tired, old, worn, wheezy junker locos about however, but on my layout? Nary a one.

 

It's the same with the cars, too.  In the two and one half blocks (maybe twelve feet max) of my tiny little downtown Sn Beattdaise mainstreet and the stores and parking lots about them, I have with a fair number of 'normal' cars . . . and only one Cadillac. But I have two Truimph TR3s, two Austin Healey 100s, an XK120 and a Jag sedan and a C-type too, an Aston Martin, a Cunningham, an Allard and a Morgan 4+, an Fiat 8V, an Alfa Guiletta coupe and five '50s Ferraris (two 212s, two 340s and a  375), two Porsche 356s, two T-birds, and two Corvettes.   Strange little town, this one I model . . .  Sports cars just about outnumber normal cars - I'm a car guy and I like sports cars, so . . .

 

Photo of part of my mainstreet from last year shows unrealistic "demographics" of cars on its downtown street.  Probably the most unrepresentative thing here is not that you see a Jag XK-120 parked across the street from a Ferrari convertible (red on the extreme left), but that you see even one Chrysler Airflow (the gray sedan in the middle foreground).  There is the  '54 Caddy on the right . . . and two harleys and a Vespa for good measure!

A fact of life is...if you want $5. cars, you will be stuck with plenty of Tuckers, as well as top-down convertibles.

If you are willing to pay $20.-$40., you have a much wider selection (and better quality in most cases). I blows my mind when I see photos of beautiful scenic'd layouts in OGR and CTT, with expensive trains, that have nothing but pickup trucks and cheap looking cars.

On the positive side, one can purchase just about any version of the Batmobile ever seen in the comics or film for your layout.

I'm a car guy, too, and this is one of my pet peeves, but this has been addressed on

here before, and some people have rightly said, to effect, "this is my layout and if

everybody in my little town is well off and favors convertibles, so be it!"  I often

see Model A's on layouts sitting in traffic with contemporary 18 wheelers.  Not my

thinking, but "diff'ent strokes".   I just personally met a guy yesterday, to avoid shipping it, to buy a hard to find Matchbox truck off the bay, of the era I model.

Obviously it is easier to buy "old dime store whatever" out of junkboxes.  For prewar, with the demise of Rextoy, you are left with $125 retail Brooklins, who now are on a Buick kick. A lot of Buicks on your layout (unlikely at Brooklin prices) is gonna look funny, too.  Of course, relatives and other unknowledgable viewers of your layout

won't notice, but your layout is for your personal satisfaction and YOU will know the

difference.  With all the influence the American market has on products, it is strange

that nobody has bothered to make in America, even in the past, 1/48 scale models

of American vehicles.

Would plastic 1/48 common sedans with minimum detail (to keep price down) be saleable OR would we have to go for the high detail in expensive diecast?  Just wondering.

Actually, 51 Tuckers were produced.

 

Rusty

Would plastic 1/48 common sedans with minimum detail (to keep price down) be saleable

Revell plastic models did a few 1/48 scale kits in the 50's-60's that were reissued a few years ago. A modern version of these kits, of 50's era subjects, would be welcome by me. A sale success?? Not sure as many folks here plastic equals bad. 

I agree totally with all the above.  I would love to buy common everyday Chevy's and Plymouths, a Hudson here or there etc.  You just can't find them.  So on my Christmas layout with 'snow' I have people driving around in a Buick convertible, a Mercedes convertible.  It would be great to be able to purchase cars of the 30s and 40s that were very common and not high end.  And of course for a reasonable price, like $6-10.  Of course I still believe in Santa Clause too.  

 

I remember my grandfather picking me up in his 1930s something Ford in the fifties and I was young, 6-10 but still embarrassed to ride in it.  Even my Dad had a 1950 Chevy coupe!  

Concerning American influence on car models:

Model car collectors drive the market, not train hobby people.

American model car collectors mainly want the larger than 1:43 scales. Outside of the U.S., 1:43 is the most popular scale...and although some American cars are bought, mainly racing cars and European and even Russian models account for the majority of purchases.

NEO, one of the largest "quality" 1:43 makers, just started adding USA cars to the line under the "American Excellence" name. They truly are excellent, but cost about $80. BTW, they are one of the very few who are making American cars from the 1960s-80s as well as earlier years.

FlaglerSystems,

 

Check: DieCastDirect.com.

 They have a pretty good vaviety!

 

Fredstrains

I see that some of you aren't paying attention. You have to go to ebay to see what's available. For starters there are cars that are new but no longer in production.

Franklin Mint has 50's cars like a Hudson, DeSoto and many more, Solido has 50 Chevy sedan and 48 Chrysler sedan, both come in civilian & taxi versions.

Prices vary and you have to bundle when you can. All you have to do is search.

How many of you realize that MTH used ERTL 1:43 cars?

Plastic with correct proportions but minimal detailing and "minimal" pricing would be

very much to my liking; I'd buy 6-packs of them if offered. Simple snap-kits would be

fine if it lowered the labor costs; I don't want to get into major auto-building - it's 

model railroading, not model automobiling. Unpainted would be more than fine. They

could be easy, fun projects. 

 

Just no generic, PW Lionel auto-carrier cars, please. It should actually look

reasonably like a '57 Fury 4-door, or whatever.

 

How about station wagons, ugly four-door sedans like parents tended to get, some non-

GM and non-Ford pickup trucks (in fact, more non-GM and non-Ford everything)?

 

Now, to contradict myself, a simple posable-front-wheel set-up would be great. Ever

notice that all those people driving the endless parade of Corvettes and '59 Caddy convertibles apparently NEVER turn a corner? Of course, an inexpensive plastic model

would be easy and non-traumatic to cut and pose anyway.

 

And as long as you're doing it, how about true 1/48 for us Left Side of the Atlantic 

modelers?

Lots of choice in US cars models......yes they are all 1/43...but even Atlas vehicles are.

 

http://www.modelcarworld.de/re...6373&language=uk

 

Some nice exclusive model like this Buick Century

 

 

I use 1/32 scale cars instead of 1/43, 1/48 and 1/50 scales. As a car guy, I want the cars to be as noticeable as my trains, and there is an excellent variety of vehicles in 1/32 scale. My price limit for a 1/32 vehicle is $6.

 

The vehicles in the photos are all 1/32 except for the two 1/43 scale pickup trucks. The structures and people are 1/48 and 1/50 scales. The trains are MTH Rail King. My thinking is that many small towns had lots of middle class folks, a few wealthy entrepreneurs and Wall Street commuters, so the cars on my layout are predominantly Fords, Chevys, Plymouths and Studebakers with a few Lincolns, a Chrysler Airflow, a Cadillac and a Duesenberg.     

 

I got into that German site, ModelCarWorld, and my computer locked up when I tried

to get out, demanding a restart...cars, all I saw, were what I categorize as "late model junk", or "used cars".  The Germans appear fascinated with the big, bulbous bathtubs of the '60's and '70's that had trouble passing a gas station.  One car on

there I owned and drove, the yellow Dodge Charger and I should order, except for

the payment method offered. (mine was a 1973 SE with the louvered quarter windows, a black vinyl top, ordered on a police chassis with 11 inch drums and clutch, hemi four speed, and the SMALLEST engine available, the 318.  It was the best car I have ever owned, and the one I drove the most miles on before trading)  Two years later that maker's cars, Aspen and Volare, were junk and I literally saw one new on the showroom floor with rust in a fender.  Chrysler soon went bankrupt, for the first

time.

If there is a site heavy on 1940 and prior American model cars, I'd like to hear about

it.

I have to believe there is as good a market for 1/48 cars as there is for 1/48 locos.  At a grandstand forum meeting several years ago, Weaver passed around a prototype of a 1/48 Ford (year 1949 as I recall) that they were going to make.  It never happened.  If some tool and die, model train enthusiast, would retire and make some tooling for the era we seek, I bet he could start a good retirement business and make money.

.....

Dennis

Dennis if I want to make 1:48 models where do I start? Should I make 100 or 1000 49 Fords, how about Chevy, Chrysler and so many other models of the 30's to 50's.

How many can I put you in for?

Bob 

I'd buy 1:48 if available, yes, but its not something I need.  Not only am I okay with the slightly non-scale vehicles available -- I think the variation of available scales can be worked in favor of a good look on a layout.

 

I prefer 1:43 models of smaller cars, like sports cars: the 10% larger size makes them a bit better - easier to see and "play with" for a layout, etc.  And they still look plenty "realistic" in size.

 

Many of the "New Ray" '50s cars, while listed with 1:43, are smaller - some too small - a few of the the late 50s olds and caddies are about 1:53 scale as I measure them.  One early 50s buick is minute when compared to 1:43 scale cars.  Some however are right near 1:48. 

 

1:43 scale "big" trucks - Peterbilts, kacks, etc., do look a bit too large for my taste.  But here, I've found a lot of 1:50 scale construction trucks (18 wheelers too) that I can use or modify and paint.  For really big trucks, 1:50 seems a better scale - only 2% off scale and that slight difference is very hard to notice. 

Hi Dave,

 

I'm an S gauger who also likes more common cars on my layout.  Fortunately, there are a few companies that produce very nice cars, and some of them are the more common variety.  M2 comes to mind with their DeSotos, Dodges, Chevies, Ford Fairlanes, Mercurys and Chryslers.  Since I'm not an "O" guy, that doesn't help you a lot.  But it's comforting to see that we all share a common concern.  Hot Wheels makes a few cars that are useable but most of them are fantasy vehicles, not remotely realistic.  Road Champions and Johnny Lightning are not around much any more except at swap meets.  However, I subscribe the the notion that it's my railroad/world, and if everyone drives a specialty car, so be it.  And sn*w isn't allowed in my world. 

 

By the way, when I was about 6-10, my grandfather also gave me a ride often in his 1931 Model A coupe.  But I was intrigued by the car, and loved it, in spite of my mom's embarrassment at seeing such a "jalopy" in front of the house.  We formed an immediate bond with that car.  He was a worker at the local Ford plant for over 45 years and took pride in his cars.  His car sparked a life long interest in automobiles that survives to my presently owning a 1937 Ford painted in a similar color to one of my grandfather's cars.  Thanks grandpa!

 

Jerry Poniatowski

S Gauger in Wayne, MI

 

1/64th scale has the widest variety of "classic cars" or automobiles available today.

 

Even the Lionel Nascar collectables racing cars are not available in 1/48th scale!

 

Andrew

BK Bob,

I will buy two or three of every car you make, so let's get started.

 

Joe H.,  thanks for the correction i.e. it was Atlas not Weaver.  If the reason you gave is correct, I cannot understand why they got all the way to prototype without figuring out the price point.  Even so, with the demand for realism in the high rail and scale market, $30 might even work.

.....

Dennis

I use these on my small "S" layout. They are very nice and cost only $6. each when you buy a set of 6 different ones from DiecastDirect. I recently bought a "HO" Woodland Scenics 1930s style gas station, and these cars look great with it (in fact, it seems too large for "HO" cars considering the height of the pumps).

That would make a heck of a used car lot.

I just listed some 1:43 diecast cars on the buy/sell forum.

The White Rose cars are earlier versions of what is now American Heritage.

Bob

Well I actually own a 69 dodge charger so I am definatly going to get one for my train garden

I have the usual assortment of O gauge die-cast cars like everyone else out there. As far as O gauge trucks are concerned, you can always go the custom route. A guy I work with (fellow driver) had these trucks made up. I made sure, since an extremely limited number of them were made, that I purchased two of them. They look great on my layout and are an excellent model of what I drive at work.

Cobrabob.

I've gotten to the point almost every time I walk through a variety store of some sort (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Meijer, Target), Toys-R-us, Walgreens, CVS, etc, I go through the toy area looking for vehicles that might work on my layout (6 X 15 ft).

 

In the photo below:

 

• the Bobcat and the auger truck came from Tractor Supply
• the SUV with the boat trailer and the HumVee came from Walgreens
• the white car, the Mini Cooper and the purple car from a box of 10 or 12 vehicles from either Toys-R-Us or Wal-Mart
• the Trailways bus is offered by MTH
• the New York cab is from a souvenir shop in Times Square

 

 

 

In the photo below, the SUV and convertible in front of the diner came from a ten to twelve vehicle set from Wal-Mart or Toys-R-Us.  The two "low rider" pick-up trucks in front of the diner were very, very, very expensive additions to the layout:  one dollar for the blister pack of two trucks from Walgreens!

 

 

I try to not get hung up on an individual vehicle's size.  My layout has a boulevard which runs diagonally across a major part of the scene and allows for showing a lot of vehicles.  This allows for using perspective and distance to compensate for the various vehicle sizes.

 

For modern modelers I saw a number of 1/43 scale modern vehicles at Tractor Supply store today all in the $7 range.....very nice vehicles but to modern for my 50's era. Some nice rollbacks, dump trucks, cars and even construction.

Dinky and Corgi were not all 1:43.  Actually they were all over the place. They made a variety of US cars over the years, including sedans and wagons.  You really have to measure them and compare with the real thing.  Some are decently done, others are pretty crude.  I have found a number of them that are in the 1:48 to 1:50 size.  I look for the play worn ones and repaint them. 

 

John

Particularly some of the Corgi buses and all aren't even fully 1:50 - a few are closer to 1:55, but I still use them (modified to run on Superstreets mostly - they look good there).  

 

I also buy "play worn" toy cars are swap meets, too.  Unpainted, even borken, they make good additions to wrecking yards, etc.