undecorated car rant....

Atlas O did produce a number of undec cars at one time.  Haven't followed up with them in that regard recently, but if they're available they would be listed with all the production runs on their website.

I think that the reason that there are no undecorated cars in 3-rail O is that they don't sell.  You may be one of the few people in the 3-rail hobby who wants to custom paint cars.  In fact, very few people in any scale custom paint equipment anymore.

I have a large group of friends who model in all gauges.  I am a member of 3 clubs including a large HO club.  I only know one person who custom paints equipment in HO. 

Joe

Usually, we rant because reality is not providing what we want .  My guess is the volume just isn't there to justify the production costs/inventorying.  Same reason no one makes kits for O gauge three rail rolling stock and locos as All Nation once did.  But it never hurts to ask, so I hope you get what you wish for.

Rich, not only the serious modeler, but the completely fanciful one, also.   Before K-line tanked, it made some great "kid" sets... with a lot of play value and fun... their construction set, their alien sets, their Desert Storm sets.... all done for fun. 
MTH made a bunch of sports trains, but put them with freight cars.  My soon to be ex and my oldest son asked.... "who would send their sports gear on a train? A team would send it's fans on a rail trip on passenger cars!" The marketing guys are missing the mark all the time. 
Perhaps some influential people read this forum and would consider producing these.  I remember from years ago a member making a dinosaur train for his son... so I know I am not alone doing projects like this.
I'd also like to see the rolling stock of any other forum member who has done this, either serious or fanciful..... The soon to be ex and my boys have all my project trains, so I am really inspired to create something new.... I'd like to see other members tries, both good and bad.... an entire new sub group of O gauge hobbyists.....   

Not sure what you really want, but here is a current release from Atlas O. 

FWIW

I like the idea of unpainted or at least undecorated items. Would make creativity easier and cut down on the need for oven cleaner and brake fluid.

It would seem that the majority of three-railers would rather wait for "the factory" to produce the car or loco they want in the livery they want. I was shot down on another forum for suggesting to a guy wanting a certain roadname on a tender (that he could not find) to repaint the one he had (a plentiful Polar Express version). Apparently it is sacrilege to repaint anything Lionel makes because it will turn out like a 3rd grader did it with house paint and a roller. LOL

Probably why unpainted O-gauge stuff isn't made and when it is, nobody want's to be stuck with it in their inventory.

This probably goes along with why the decal companies are dropping O scale decal sets too.

WEAVER offers a variety of cars that are undecorated. One more great excuse to support them. The O scale decal market is a virtual wasteland. It's a great opportunity for someone to step up to the plate.

Gilly

Thank you for the link, I will look into these.  My issue is that with the divorce and down sizing, I am going to be forced to go 31 and 27 inch curves.... this may be too big. 
Again, thank you.  This forum is the best!   Should have stayed on the forum and divorced the wife rather than letting her squash my love of trains...

I was mistakenly sent an undecorated Weaver troop car a while ago, and just wanted to point out it was the same price as a finished car.  The market for such cars is probably weak, relatively speaking.  My guess is you are taking the best approach with purchasing less expensive cars and refinishing them.  There are some very good finish removers available for plastic models, unfortunately I can't remember the name of the stuff I occasionally use.

Stack

Atlas makes them.

I wish MTH and Lionel did as well.  It would make my life much easier.

Dave

I'd also buy undec cars......assembled or kits!!! But the original owners of Industrial Rail offered undec and they claimed they could not give them away. True these were semi scale cars....but pretty decent....and I bought a number from them cheap.

Weaver is the only company currently manufacturing cars that MIGHT be convinced to offer undec cars......even if they are just box car red with no tampo. Maybe we need to go to them and see if on their next run of a car they do 100 with no tampo. 

I do my best and if it looks like a third grader did it, I will just point to all the home built stuff in G gauge... LOL

I do all my own decals.... I have found that a printer and water slip paper is a lot less expensive than buying lots of pre made decals.....

may I be so bold as to suggest that you call the folks at Weaver and ask them if they would sell you some undecorated cars? they do all types of custom work; they have access to undecorated cars; they are in the business of selling a product and they contactable

Please contact the Weaver Dealer listed above to place your order for the cars listed. For additional information concerning your own Custom Run, please contact us by phone at 570-473-9434 or by e-mail at customerservice@weavermodels.com. Our knowledgeable Graphics Department will be happy to assist you with any design layout you have in mind.  Please note, we require a minimum production of 75-100 Ultra Line Engines and 100 Freight cars.

As has been mentioned, Weaver and Atlas both make undecorated versions of most of their rolling stock. You have to order them - your average LHS isn't going to have them in stock. These are all scale items. i just saw a lot of four Atlas cars on the Bay last night at a reasonable price for the bunch - two USRA rebuilt boxcars, a single sheathed woodside boxcar, and an 11,000 gallon tank car. Thought about buying them but I've got enough projects already. 

Atlas and Weaver also sell undecorated versions of their diesel locomotives. The Atlas ones come with a lot of the small parts not attached, which lets you do a better job painting the shell and the detail parts. When Weaver was making generic die-cast steamers (i.e. the Consolidation and the USRA Pacific), those were also available undecorated.

I doubt there is much of a market for undecorated traditional or semi-scale rolling stock in 0 gauge. Most of the people who want to roll their own are going to want scale. What I would advise for those who want to decorate their own 0-27 cars is to buy secondhand, strip the paint off the old shells, and then clean up the shells and paint them with spray cans. It won't look like a pro job with an airbrush, but with a little practice you can get it to look good from normal layout viewing distance.  

Too bad that listing says RUN CANCELLED at the bottom...

Now this is IR boxcar is well within price range to do a repaint/bash.

This Loaded Gon is a bit more.

The Passenger cars are quite a bit more money, but look good.

These are examples I would use for a rework / repaint of non scale equipment.

Atlas may deserve a rant for having a web site that is not searchable by road name.  But Atlas has offered most of their freight cars in undecorated versions.  They usually received the first product number for each car series.

Weaver does undecorated cars as well.  They may be your best bet for inexpensive modestly detailed cars.

If you search the MTH web site for unlettered you will get two pages of items including these O scale freight cars.  If you use the dealer locator button on the item pages you will find two retailers that say they have the undecorated hopper and 50 foot box car in stock.

Given that those cars were cataloged in 2006 and two dealers still have them in stock I think you can understand why there are few undecorated cars that are actually made.  We just don't want many, and that goes for all scales.

when I go to train shows, I look under the tables and buy the junkers nobody else wants and repaint them. I also have purchased undec shells and painted them and added my own trucks.

Go over to e-bay, there are a lot of traditional size rolling stock that you can pick up cheap for repaints.

I agree! About time for this rant!

I was looking for a scale PS-1 box car, or an early AAR type brown box car I could create some decals on a laser printer and make for the club. I have come up empty handed many a times. The problem I have been having with the Weaver cars are; they are too light, and their plastic trucks tend to separate. I have not purchased any new stock with the metal trucks, so maybe its time to look again.

Not sure what Atlas has in 3 rail, I have not seen any.

Thank you ... did not know this one even existed. Time to order one up.

hmm seems they are due in 2nd quarter?

I agree! About time for this rant!

It is about time to rant against people who can't manage to sit on their butts in front of a computer and order an available undecorated car! 

Try the U2100LD with diecast trucks.  You can buy it now for $47.95.

http://www.weavermodels.com/page33.html

Western Depot has several undecorated cars in stock.

http://www.westerndepot.com/ad...extra_value_id10=229

Yep its the Weaver freight car trucks that has me scared... and operation wise just too light... to many derailments...

The diecast trucks on my Milwaukee box cars have performed well.

Thanks Ted, maybe it time to try one out... the price is right.

Mr Hikel,

I'm happy with what's available on my end of the rainbow. If there's one running wild, it won't be for long.  

For what it's worth, in the late Postwar-era there were some O/O-27 cars that were unlettered from the factory, typically just came in unpainted colored plastic.  Might be able to find some at bargain tables at train meets.

(Don't let the postwar purists know I said that). 

 Atlas was only doing THEIR custom reefers for storefront hobby shops.

Not true, at least not now. Maybe sometime in the past. I talked to them recently about doing some reefers for my club. I haven't placed an order yet, but they were quite forthcoming. And, did you miss the whole saga of the Natty Boh reefers? Those were commissioned and distributed by a private individual who just happened to be a fan of National Bohemian beer. I have one, and I'm glad I got it. 

Weaver will do commissions for Joe Blow or anybody else with the money. Of course their are minimum charges and quantities. 

I realize this will go against the grain here and nobody will believe it but they just don't sell well. A manufacturer needs to turn product and not have warehouse space taken up by stagnant product and unfortunately there are a few items that seem like a good idea but just don't sell very well - undecorated locos, undecorated rolling stock and dummy engines - oh, and separate sale tenders in HO.

Am I missing something here?  When I saw the title of this thread I thought it was about someone wanting undecorated cars: not to have so they can be painted, but to keep them as undecorated cars.

Otherwise, this whole thing seems moot to me: if you plan to paint and decal an undecorated car, well, just paint a decorated one.  I've done a dozen or more.  You're going to paint over it so who cares what's there to begin with.  You can strip them if you want but I don't - just sand/remove lettering, prime them, then paint and such.  

Cost can't be a concern either: if anyone did offer undecorated cars I'm certain it would not lead to any big discount in price because they won't be painted -  the cost of offering a special undecorated model, keeping it i inventory and all, would probably be about as much as any savings from the paint.  

I'd just search for clean, low cost painted cars, of which there are tons available, of the type you want and have at it.  

In HO, Accurail has cars that are painted with data, but no road name.  Bachman Spectrum HO offers some small locomotives-the 45-tonner, for example, that are painted but unlettered.  Is there a market for these items in O?  These items might appeal to modelers of shortlines and industrial roads.

Well, that is good about Weaver doing custom cars for anyone.  Atlas WAS strictly adhering to  historical prototype cars (no fantasy cars) and that I applaud.  I HAD understood that Atlas only did the cars for storefronts.  I had never heard of that brand of beer or seen any of those cars, except on this forum,  so know nothing of their history or origin.  While I hadn't heard of any Atlas Club cars (I have some

by Weaver), that, like the storefronts, would be no surprise.  The individual beer

cars are a surprise, and if prototypical, are an achievement.  (maybe more of one, if

NOT prototypical, as I understood those weren't done by Atlas .)

Weaver offers undecorated cars.  And if you specify on their website when ordering you may even be able to get them unassembled (easier to paint).

Here's a Weaver "Northeast" Caboose that I got unpainted and disassembled.  I am turning it into a Weirton Steel caboose for my slag trains.

George

less than 2 months ago our group was seriously looking at producing some custom cars featuring one of our historic local companies per year as a local collectible. Weaver was the best price we found, but they were more expensive to purchase undecorated then to have them print them in lots of 50. But at $40 a car and needing 50, we couldn't justify chipping out $2k plus shipping. 

With the help of this forum, I have purchased "orphan" cars, cleaned them up with lacquer thinner, then applied custom printed decals. The few cars that we have produced look great. IMHO.

Here is an angle shot of two of them...you should hear the visitors start talking about Bloomfield Clay Products & the Reick McJunkin Milk Condenser.

Yes you are missing something. You just don't get it, do you?

No, I really don't.  I just buy inexpensive cars of the type I want and repaint and rebale them.  Works for me - and I have the biggest possible pool of candidates.  

I am certainly willing to follow Lee's advice, but I do want scale models, and Atlas

cars, certainly not their reefers, are not found in junk boxes. There are a GREAT MANY toy train bad models, that do not look like a railroad car (in current catalogs, still, no less!), and can't even be made a model, without as much work as scratchbuilding it. There are a lot of fantasy models I would instantly want to spray primer on, but if what I get is now a gray out of proportion toy.....?  What I usually find in junk boxes do not come close to being a scale model I would want to use, but, of course, that is luck of the draw, and reaching into the right junk box at the right time.