Did the original Bachmann RG stock cars come with metal wheels?
Mickey; way back when, the Bachmann original, Big Hauler stock cars (Cattle cars) all came with plastic wheels. Later on some were offered with metal wheels…
FJM
Looking at a pic for one on eBay, they looked plastic.
Not certain about Bachmann, but on Aristo cars, if the wheel back has the spiral detail, then it’s plastic. Metal wheels usually have a smooth back.
I’m not sure Bachmann ever offered any ‘Big Hauler’ freight cars with metal wheels.
The 1:20 Spectrum cars had metal wheels, and the 20’ shorty cars had the small metal wheels. But neither of those series had a cattle/stock car.
That being said, the first upgrade any owner did was to fit metal wheels, so a used car on eBay might have either plastic or metal.
Peter
I believe that all Bachmann “Big Hauler” cars (freight and passenger) have had metal wheels for a number of years. I checkes the 2002 catalogue and the cars all had metal wheels on them. Not so sure on when the cars sold in sets migrated to metal wheels.
Stan
Fred is correct. Later Big Hauler cars did come with metal wheels. What happened though is some cars being sold on Ebay had the metal wheels replaced with cheaper plastic wheels as the metal wheels could be sold separately for almost $20/car.
And unfortunately that is the eBay issue but it’s that or nothing as manufactures abandon G scale. It is what it is.
I do purchase just about all my engines and rolling stock on eBay and you really have to know what you are buying, plus really look at the pics very close as to what you are getting. Now since I do repaint and reletter just about everything I buy, you still need to check the pics very close for damaged and missing parts especially the ones that can’t be purchased separately from the manufacture. Many of the cars I find have the coupler mount cut off the trucks where somewhere along the line body mount coupler were installed, I don’t want mine that way. Many have the handrails and brake wheel assemblies missing, or broken, I have parts for those items. So will have metal wheels, I call this a plus.
trainman
I agree with John when he warns to look closely at the photos. If they are blurry, or don’t show all sides, ask for more.
I got lucky a few years back. I was buying a C-19 and was so excited to find one at a reasonable price that I bought it quick without careful study of the pictures. When it arrived, it was missing both covers for the classification lamps. When I reviewed the pictures posted by the seller, they were missing as well. My bad.
I was fortunate that when I put out a call for some I was rewarded with a set from a fellow LSC member. That was real luck. You can’t count on finding parts for out of production products of any kind.
Made the same mistake recently buying a Heisler. It was all there in the pics, but I was in a hurry finally seeing one. Is going to be more to get it back than if I had waited. Lesson learned, hence the original question about wheels.