Years ago I purchased a guys layout up in the foxboro area of MA. I bought about 600’ of Aristo SS track, switches, some really nicely made buildings, and one consist of cars with a Climax. The gentleman had weathered the cars and scratch built a work car out of one of the flats. All have very nice detail with smaller metal wheels except the caboose which has larger wheels and different trucks. All have body mounted couplers that look like Bachmann but there is no markings on the cars that I can find.i got the whole consist fairly cheap as the climax had issues and I could tell the gentleman wasn’t very satisfied with it yet he had other Spektrum locos that he wouldn’t sell and was going to leave them on his shelves. I’ve owned these for well over 10+ years and about 18months ago ordered two new motor blocks for the climax and finally got to fixing it. Turned out he had replaced the rear motor block already so for now I just did the front. It’s running perfectly as of right now. This cars I had never run around my indoor just because so with the climax fixed I decided to clean them up some and run them. That’s when I realized just how nice and detailed they are. The scale of these cars seems to be smaller also but possibly they were done that way to simulate narrow gauge better? Any ideas?

They might be bashes.  The truck mounting looks like Bachmann Spectrum, but the cars don't.

In the second pic, the frame looks like it was milled from one piece.

I'm thinking home brewed with Ozark or another's details such as trucks and wheels, tanks and such. Notching the lower arch bar to access the wheels, seems truly a home solution.

The frames are all one piece molded plastic with wood grain even underneath. All the trucks are plastic with the grooves cut as you see except the caboose which are altogether different. All the detail parts are also plastic so that rules out Ozark white metal castings (not sure on the brake can). I might try and disassemble one to see if I can find any printing. There no typical “made in China “ that I can find as of yet. I’m curious because I’ve not seen plastic cars with this much molded in detail. I realize the work car has been bashed and the dog house scratch built but the flat car itself matches the other exactly. The tools on the work car seem to be what car originally with the climax and all appear to be Bachmann accessories. The caboose has a large side door that opens also and I’ll get a picture of that as it might help identify the maker.

Went downstairs and took one of the trucks off the bolster.on the bolster is “Bachmann, made in China. Trucks are all one piece molded and the sides don’t flex much for wheel removal so that probably explains the notches. The caboose is a Lionel as I found that on the bottom but it too also has some nice detailing which surprised me for Lionel. The brake lines, tank, and brake wheel shaft are all brass painted of course. These cars are too detailed for the average Bachmann so I’m curious if there was a higher end car like spectrum as you suggested. I really like the look of them and the caboose too. Should look good going back and forth to the logging camp rotating on the loop with my shay and log cars.

Not absolutely sure, but several of those cars resemble the 20 foot cars Bachmann touted as 1:20.3 a bit over ten years ago.  They had a shorter archbar truck with the smaller diameter wheels.  I'm pretty sure there was a flat car, a box car, and a low side gondola.  Other types could have been bashed from those original three offerings.

Going waaaaaaaay out here, and don't think this is likely.  BUT Lionel LS had Carter Brothers flat cars back in the day.  I bashed a couple of them into supply gondolas, and they turned out pretty nice.  Still really not sure there is any Lionel LS in the lineage of the cars in question. 

Regards, David Meashey

The flat, gondola and boxcar are what Bachmann sold as 20' Spectrum 1:20 scale cars. You can see the writing under the weathering in your photo. (Incidentally, they are not 1:20, they are 1:22.5 if they are really 20' cars!)

The gondola was just the flatcar with a top frame that lifted off. "Victor Mining" was another common name. Bachmann still sells those shortie trucks with the small wheels for $8.40.

https://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_75&products_id=10593

They still sell the flatcar, with a log skidder load:

https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=255_443_457_458&products_id=2964&zenid=skfabkcp04pk1c9r1bok2kr7s2

Great. Thanks for that info. I’ve seen that flat with the logging winch but never noticed the similarities. The caboose is definitely lionel as it says it on the bottom of the floor.

Back in the day, say 20-25 years ago there was a local guy (DFW area) that did beautiful metal trucks and under carriage parts in G Scale. I thought he manufactured them under the name, Shortline Foundry, but I could not fine anything on this, his product was just what you have, in other words it was all NG and rolling stock of your type of cars. If I remember he could have had some kits, but mainly he just sold the parts to build the cars, you cut your wood, etc. His product would have sold much better today as G Scale was just not that popular at the time for scale modelers and there was no such thing as Fn3. I do remember purchasing a few detail parts from him back then and him telling me that due to lack of sales he would be shutting down production, I don't know if someone else purchase his molds and it is done under another name. Trackside Detail has a lot of parts, the owner does do all the casting and is a very nice person to talk with, my orders were all processed quickly,  http://www.tracksidedetails.com/index.php

trainman