I just opened up my new AZL TBOX set to find out the reporting marks are placed wrong along with a few miss-placed info and warning labels, like the ones on the top-left door. Plus these cars have an aluminum roof, not the white fiberglass ones seen on similar cars. How could something like this be missed? Have a look for yourselves... Here are two prototypes that match AZL's numbers. 660052 660293 ROOF
Eddie, Actually, it really depends on which prototype you look at. In the photo below, you will see AZL got it right: You will always have differences between prototypes. Cars in the same series can be very different. Even with all of the research that is done, the decision often comes down to choosing the most common prototype or the best documented. Rob
Rob, That's not the same car... you posted a National Steel Car 60' 9" Plate F 107 ton capacity high cube box... and please note I added photos of the numbers AZL made. NONE of the correct cars carry the reporting marks that way.
The roof on the proto car looks aluminum to me. The white may be only the paint on the ends for excess height. Yeah the reporting marks and number seem to be spaced differently than the photos. Would be interesting to see the actual car. Edit: OK there is a photo of a car with the same spacing.
I noticed the decal on the left door too, but decided that heavy weathering could hide it all. I did not catch the roof, but again, I weathered mine so heavy that you cannot tell what color the roof is supposed to be. Fortunetaly those are easy to fix, as a quick mask with tape and shot of silver fix the roofs, then scratch off the left door lettering and decal a new one on. I'll make some decals for the doors when I do my graffiti decal sheet.
Yep, TBox cars generally have silver roofs...the white ends on excess height cars fools a lot of folks. http://freight.railfan.ca/rbox/tbox660751.jpg Joe
That's not the same car FYI. There are no Gundersons with that type of spacing on the reporting marks.
Pretty much my thoughts, I'm going to be spraying mine silver today. These stay pretty clean thanks to some sort of treatment the metal gets so the roofs don't rust as much as the older "common" boxcars do. I have some photos that do show small amounts of rust forming on the very ends. Where the corner of the car meets the roof. I might want a set of those decals if you have a few left overs.
Eddie, what is the visual difference between the NSC and the Gunderson car. Its hard for me to spot the difference.
The biggest spotting features of the NSC are: X panels on the roof. The ribs are tapered. It has less ribs then the Gunderson. All the ribs are the same size. It's lacking those larger ribs you see over the trucks. Harder details to see are the shorter sills and lack of a corner brace. The brake set up and ladders are different too.
OK Eddie, I will save you some decals to fix up your TBOX set. Now on to bidness... You live in the SF Bay Area, and are really interested in Z Scale, therefore You are a BAZ Boy, like it or not! (It helps if you listen to goth metal or gangster rap, cause we are not an out to pasture group of silver hairs!) You have been selected to build a module in time for one of our train shows this season, which means you MUST start on it before starting on a home layout. We can help you get it to a presentable level of functionality and detail in very short order... think in terms of a few weeks. We like to put the "Bend" in Z-Bend Track, but you can choose anything from a simple 2' x 2' square to start with, or get down with an offset 30 degree double bend module if you like. Now is the time to start, as we have shows at the end of September (San Jose), November (Pleasanton), and around Feb/March (Cow Palace). Step in here Jeff and Kim, we got to get this guy more involved with the modules ASAP.
C'mon guys, get over such small errors, if you have collected Marklin stuff you would be very, very greatful to get such an accurate model like this... But still it's interesting that such "mistakes" happening to all manufactures even after intensive research (or no research???)
Yup Eddie, Robert is correct........since you live there you must abide by the rules of Z. What are the rules you ask? The #1 rule states....."Build it and they will drool" That's all you need to know for now. I'm also a BAZ member as well as my wife and these guys down in your pasture area are nothing short of excellent modelers and helpers. There isn't any higher energy level anywherre than right there in your neighborhood. Just start asking questions and soon you will be in the groove. I'm alreay planning two new modules since coming back from NTS just two days ago. Z is very contagious and there is no cure short of senility or death.....accept your destiny and jump in. All for fun, Loren Medford, Oregon BAZ boy
Whoa... talk about pressure. :wink3: How about this. I'll build a super nice mainline with a siding to a large Grain Elevator and all the works. Sound good? Here is the catch... somebody else has to store it for me. I guess the trade off would be is you could use it? I don't have to room to store it. That's why I jumped to Z to build a small layout.
We can find a place to store your module, no problem! Grain elevators are OK by me, in fact I have 5 of them on my Timesaver module! And yes we can use it! What you did not see was that I worked up some trough hatch and 4 bay mods for Will Wright Cylindrical Hoppers. That makes them grain cars. There are several other cars just coming available for grain trains too. Glad to have you onboard Eddie! PS: See... that was painless enough!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm You have one Hell'uva Point!!!! Just look at any of Marklin's US rollingstock in Z scale!!! I praise Marklin for introducing the world to Z scale, but their rollingstock just, just doesn't look right! I praise the purchase of Nelson Gray's hard work along with the original creation of Micro-Trains Lines, but in recent years, with the change of MTL's guard, our growing modern rollingstock requests have fallen on deaf ears! They produce a few new items but continue to release them in a collectors fashion. Oh, and the Gunderson Husky container wellcar has been proclaimed as MTL's greatest Blunder!!! It's not TRANSITION!! I praise the beginnings of what was Rogue Locomotive Works that is now American Z Line in their amaZing push to bring modern locomotives and rollingstock to the Z community. After seeing the NTS photo of the AZL Future Release board, I say double Kudos to AZL for their effort to bring MODERN Z to the world, for it is AZL alone who has helped Z scale grow so large in such a short time. Now, did the engineers constructing the newest of Modern Boxcars make a few bo-bo's? Apparantly so, but you know what, I can live with them for it is better to have than to have not. Bring on the Modern!!!!! Hobo Tim
To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have notice it, but I like the idea of having something done right. Once I find a big flaw, its like a pimple in the nose of a pretty girl. I am not looking at the girl, but at the pimple. I live in a area that doesnt have trains within 20 miles, so I cant spot the difference between a NSC and a Gunderson. Post like this, it helps me spot the differences. Tim, when are you going home, we need to split the Gundersons.
