Build your own trains ..

I think I would have the paint scheme red , black , yellow. The name of fleet would be maybe BBRS . BILLIE BUST RAIL SERVICE. Has a ring

Isn't what your describing the way railroad modeling was conducted for quite some time?

@Tom Dempsey posted:

Isn't what your describing the way railroad modeling was conducted for quite some time?

Tom,

To the exclusion of buying pre-assembled stuff?  No. Not at any time.

In addition?  Yes but barely, except for scale (outside 3-Rail and 2-Rail) locomotives and cars in the 1930's which did have quite a following at the time, and into the 50's and beyond for scale (2 Rail) cars.

Mike

I think during WWII Lionel had a  'build you own' set.

I am sure someone has a picture of it or the real thing.

Loco and car kits were common at one time - 1930's - 1970's. They were even the rule, not the exception, in scale model railroading during some periods.  All the common scales had them, but O and HO had the most, as they were the most popular scales. Heck, Lionel, back in Standard Gauge Tinplate days, even offered some "Bild-a-Loco" kits. Lionel's ever-so-famous 1:48 scale Hudson, the 700E, could be had in kit form, and guys could buy one area ("module" we would say now) of the loco to assemble at a time so that they could spread out the cost.

You learn a lot putting together kits; serves you well later.  Just the muscle memory. (Have you ever assembled 4 HO freight trucks, right down to the wee coil springs? I have, long ago. That'll put hair on your chest (or make you weep).

By gosh Bill.  You're right.  From the 1942 Catalog, p.16.  It was the 700E Hudson, as @D500 mentioned, which was divided into 6 individual basic kits:

I was about to challenge you until I found this, because I had heard that these kits originally came out in the late 30's (which they did; see 1938 Catalog, p.26).

I think that we're both correct here.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

By gosh Bill.  You're right.  From the 1942 Catalog, p.16.  It was the 700E Hudson, as @D500 mentioned, which was divided into 6 individual basic kits:

I was about to challenge you until I found this, because I had heard that these kits originally came out in the late 30's (which they did; see 1938 Catalog, p.26).

I think that we're both correct here.

Mike

Well, that was not the set I had in mind.  If memory serves, they came out during the war with a cardboard set with tabs and slots that you could put together.  With a little effort today you could beef it up with a motor and add command and control plus maybe some wheel sets.

What would be the cost in today's money ? Do you think one with today's technology could build something as good as assembled? 

I disagree Mellow Mike, et, al. Less than five years ago Des Plaines hobbies was selling an S Scale RS-1 kit, in brass, for final assembly by the modeler.

Well Bill,  Far better, no shortcuts, no time crunch to market, no compromises to meet a budget. 

I would buy in Kit form  If I didnt get stuck with Lionel or any one else's electronics, it would also give a bunch of us an easier time converting it to 2 rail

People are doing a lot with 3D printing now.

In the HO world I know Tyco has locomotive kits, and Bowser had kits. Athearn had some really nice and simple rolling stock kits which I built.

Kits are not as common as they used to be, but are there in O scale and I guess HO.     All Nation Line has been salvaged and now has kits for F units and NW2 switchers.     Labelle Woodworking has lots of kits of early 1900s prototype wooden passenger and Freight cars.    P&D hobbies still has some kits for F  units in stock.     There are other small manufactures that a few kits.     There are also lots of kits for buildings available - Korbor Models and BTS are a couple of manufacturers for those.    I think BTS also does rolling stock kits.

On the used market there are lots and lots of kits available at shows.     These are kits that were bought but the buyer never got around to building them and has now passed away or is moving out of the hobby - usually due to age.    In almost all cases there are "new" in that they have never been touched and all parts are there.    These included a lot of rolling stock and some locos.

As for electronics, it is the rule rather than the exception in 2 rail that modelers select their own electronics.     Most 2 railers, and some 3 railers, use DCC and there are multiple mfg of DCC components and everyone has their favorites.     You could also use DCS or a Lionel system if you can get the components.

Building your own equipment and painting it involves you more in the modeling side of the hobby and less in the collecting side.

I communicate with a few modelers who still scratch build locomotives, rolling stock and structures.

This was scratch built.

About 95% of my HO rolling stock was kit built. I still prefer to build my own trains rather than buy them built up. Its harder to correct inaccuracies to a built model than as its constructed.

Stevenson Perseveration still produces locomotive kits. Many of the castings are based on molds made in the ‘30s.

Yet to be completed.

Mullet River kits can still be found at shows and the auction sites.

Pete

@Tom Dempsey posted:

I disagree Mellow Mike, et, al. Less than five years ago Des Plaines hobbies was selling an S Scale RS-1 kit, in brass, for final assembly by the modeler.

Tom,

Notice that I didn't say there were none.  I said barely any (particularly true for locomotives after the early 1970's).

Mike

Thank you all for your input and knowledge.  I was not aware that there were some kits available. I was thinking that since I am a deadrail/ RC guy that building locos from Kits would be fun and would replace the need to buy and strip down a engine so I can put my own boards in and battery. Please feel free to follow up on any other ideas and information.

I just checked the P&D Hobbies website and they list a bunch of different F Unit A&B kits.  

These would fit what you describe.    You can get lots of alternate details to match them to what you want.    They come powered and unpowered.    The powered ones have no electronics, so you can install which ever type you like.

These make up into very nice models.    I built an A-B F3 set with the raised fans and "chicken wire" grills to match the original ones Pennsy purchased.  

Lionel offered an interesting option for kit building in their 1938 catalog. You could buy a Hudson Locomotive kit or you could buy kits of just some of the parts so you could maybe combine them with other parts... kit bashing?!

This thread is becoming muddled again with diverging answers and miscommunication.

If you are asking whether there is any current new-production in kit form for 3-rail traditional locomotives (the focus of this specific forum), the answer is “no.”

If you are asking if there were ever such kits, the answer is “yes,” but in very limited quantity, given that 3-rail traditional trains were toy trains. Hobbyists tended toward 2-rail scale, which is where you would find more interest historically. Never commonplace for locomotives in O gauge, however.

If you are asking about trains to assemble beyond locomotives, there were a fair number of choices historically. But since the 1970s, kits for O gauge freight and passenger cars as new production have been extremely rare.

In HO scale, locomotive and freight car kits were easily accessible until production migrated to China. In fact, in any scale, kit-form locomotives seem to be forbidden. Our O gauge manufacturers have to order extra locomotives just to supply parts as needed for warranty service.

Also, Mantua Metal Products was the producer of HO locomotive kits. Mantua created a separate division called Tyco to market built-up versions and train sets. When Consolidated Foods acquired the company, the renamed Tyco Industries continued to sell locomotive kits for a while, but that ended when the Tyler family bought back the original tooling and created Mantua Industries in the late 1970s. Tyco and Mantua were unrelated at that point.

Well train kits would be one way to get our manufacturers out of China.  Automated kit assembly lines would eliminate most of the labor on making today's trains especially if most came from sub contractors.  Of course many of us can not assemble one of today's locomotives with many being too old, not skilled, not patient or just lazy though O gauge, being larger, would be more doable than the smaller HO or Z gauges.

The kits would require less labor than the old model airplane kits that were a set of plans and sheets of balsa wood all marked up where to cut.  The train kits would probably have circuit boards pre-wired and most assembling would be connecting all the small parts of the train item.  It may include painting and decal application, still challenging to many of us.

These kits would not be appealing to many of us.

Charlie

If you want to build your own trains this may be for you. Saw this at the Timonium train show in Maryland last week. As I understand it, all of the engines, buildings, rollingstock, track, scenery, etc. are built from Legos in kits or as parts. Some of the legos are specialized. It looks fantastic, and is super quiet. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and Lego skills.

@John in California posted:

Lionel offered an interesting option for kit building in their 1938 catalog. You could buy a Hudson Locomotive kit or you could buy kits of just some of the parts so you could maybe combine them with other parts... kit bashing?!

See this was brilliant. its ashamed Lionel didn't follow through with its concept,  They could have dominated the 0 Scale Market instead of the toy train market

Charlie. I saw the same thing at the train show in Spokane WA. my thoughts were that's cute. I guess it's not for me.