Large Scale Central

Aristo 40' boaxcar scale comparison to USA American Series?

Could anyone that has an Aristo-Craft 40’ boxcar and any USA Trains American Series car (reefer or boxcar) place them together and take a photo. Couldn’t find any comparison photos online after a very lengthy Google search, including YouTube videos. The American Series is USA Trains (usually woodsided) line of 1:24 scale cars.

I’m interested if they mesh well size wise. I don’t have any Aristo-Craft 40’ boxcars.

This info is for my sister’s Christmas tree train and appreciate any help.

Darn. Title should be “boxcar” instead of “boaxcar”. Stupid thumbs and cell phone.

Found a great video on YouTube.

Scale wise they actually look very nice together.

Ok, the dark blue boxcar is Aristo, the light blue one is the USA Reefer

Besides scale, you should be looking at the era you are modelling.

First off, the oh so common Aristo “40 foot box car” as built, was equipped with a steel underframe, and modern freight trucks…some that lasted to the end (And you would be hard pressed to find a 40 foot box car in service, let alone approved for “Interchange” after the late 50’s). of their interchange lives, a few may have been converted to roller bearings.

The US Trains “American Series” cars, which are/were the same scale as the LGB reefers, and box cars, whatever scale they were. They were models of narrow gauge rolling stock, with wooden underframes, and truss rods. They had draft gear that would not be approved for interchange after the early 40’s, if then. They also were produced with arch bar trucks which also were outlawed soon after or earlier than the mid 40’s.

The brake systems were also different…the older brake system was not approved for interchange at a certain time , possibly in the early 40’s.

There is more to model railroading than just "Do they look good together’, IF ANYONE CARES ENOUGH to actually research or care about the railroad transportation industry, that we supposedly are modelling.

So; it could be stated, generally speaking, that it is not appropriate to mix the two types of cars.

But…on YOUR Railroad…do what in hell you like…!!!..and have fun, at all costs.

Fred Mills

Gee Fred…

Fred is right about the 2 cars running together, if you are into serious model railroading. But if you just like watching the trains run, then it doesn’t matter as much. I seldom run the cars together, so I had to search for this picture of commemorative cars that I ran together once. Knowing the difference in scale, and era, they just don’t belong together in my mind. But I don’t think they look bad together, if you don’t get hung up on the scale and era thing.

Thanks for the info and pics.

I like your post Fred about prototype and era info. Sounds just like me for the HO and G scale layouts, and even the more toylike O scale. It has to be accurate, road name specific, era specific, even region specific…

But in a way researching history of a particular railroad is a hobby in itself. Which leads to a large train book collection, yet another hobby (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

As long as the difference in the spacing of the ladder rungs doesn’t bother you (it doesn’t bother me) they mix just fine. I use the USAT reefers to represent the 36 ft reefers of the 20’s and 30’s on my railroad. I suppose I could go whole hog and change out the ladders, but they look just fine from 10 feet, and I’m more interested in operation than in scale fidelity, anyway.

In Dave M’s photo the green in front is a LGB.

I have found the LGB steel sided cars are very similar to Aristo steel sided ones. The ladder rungs line up but the sliding door on the Aristo is bigger.

I’m like the others and don’t tend to run woodies with steelies, it just doesn’t feel right to me.

Yes, the GR boxcar is an LGB boxcar. The Blue Ma and Pa boxcar is Aristo. The baby blue reefer is USA. The tank Car is Aristo and the caboose is MDC/Roundhouse, all being pulled by an Aristo Little Critter.

So the loco is a fantasy 1:29 thing, the LGB is LGB scale, the Aristo is 1:29, the USA is 1:24, the Aristo is 1:29 and the MDC is 1:32.

So now that I have sent the rivet counters into convulsions (again), I still think that train doesn’t look too bad.

The picture is pretty misleading in my opinion.

The largest car, the LGB looks short because it is turned away from the camera and further away.

The other cars suffer from the distorted picture.

The tank car looks absolutely huge in comparision to the first 2 cars in the train, while in reality it is smaller.

I know you like this picture Dave, but it does not reflect reality. Greg

David Maynard said:

Ok, the dark blue boxcar is Aristo, the light blue one is the USA Reefer

Todd Haskins said:

I’m like the others and don’t tend to run woodies with steelies, it just doesn’t feel right to me.

I balk at this too. The other concession I make to prototype reality in terms of era is that I try to pull a train with a locomotive that could plausibly have been used for the purpose at the time. I did some research, for instance, to find out that indeed the passenger Alco PA eventually did some duty pulling freight cars (but you gotta find the right freight cars for the time, like NOT narrow-gauge reefers). I enjoy this kind of stuff, and I take satisfaction in knowing I’m at least in the ballpark prototype-wise, although personally I don’t get too carried away with it.

I haven’t studied features like the different trucks and ladders from different eras yet, but when they’re brought up I make a note of it and add it to my paltry knowledge base as best I can. Fred and a few other guys around here know a lot and I try to incorporate as much as possible.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss…sometimes I’m perfectly happy with a feature until someone points out it’s unlikely.

My ore train is all steel, but I wonder if I couldn’t add a couple of wooden cars to it and still look okay. Maybe when the youtube embed is working again I’ll post a video and get some feedback.

Matt Doti said:

Darn. Title should be “boxcar” instead of “boaxcar”. Stupid thumbs and cell phone.

That’s funny, Matt…at first I read Borax Car…probably no one even knows what Borax or the twenty-mule team is anymore !

I actually have a 20 Mule Team model that they offered many moons ago that my father had. Probably from the 40’s or early 50’s. If I knew what box it was in, I’d pull it out and take a picture and post it.

I have one in a box somewhere too, but it came to me missing a mule.