One thing I really enjoy in the model rail hobby is building kits. Not a ton of O scale 3 rails kits out there and I am pretty 'thrifty' so I look for alternatives.
Both of the box cars came from the auction site.
The Weaver Rio Grande car came from a listing that said 'as is broken'. It was broken in that some of the corner step were missing. The rest of the car had just fallen apart. I reassembled the chassis/floor, added some weights, painted it and placed a used pallet near the door. Corner steps were added made from brass wire so I'll never have to replace them again. Not bad for about $10!
The MTH B&O round top car in a lot of parts I bought. It was, in a twist, the shipping container!! All the small parts I bought were stuffed inside the shell and wrapped in kraft paper! It made it fine! The MTH shell was the body and doors, nothing else. I found a brake wheel in my parts box, made a floor, very simplified, from sheet plastic and I beam stock. Installed a set of Lionel trucks from the parts box, more brass corner steps and now I have a decent B&O round top box! I figure I got about $7 total in this one....maybe not that much.
A fun and economical way to get more rolling stock. I have done many like this. Detail on the underside is sparse.....I want cars that run well. I have a number more planned! Thanks for looking!!!
