Looking for opinions on the New Bright stuff. I have their animated Christmas train with all the cars and really like it. But as I recall they made some regular stuff but was all back in the 80’s or 90’s. First, what scale is it? Seems like too small to go with Bachmann stuff except maybe behind a 440. Next, seems cheap/cheesey looking compared to Bachmann, but does weathering help with that. It seems inexpensive on eBay, but would have to add metal wheels, couplers, etc. Looking for others who may have done some of it and their feelings.
Mickey,
My advice to you is don’t waste your time and money on them. By the time you get them converted, you could have purchased a decent Bachmann car. I have tried it with a few, and all I have left is one New Bright box car that stays out on the railroad all the time and is naturally weathered. I use a New Bright gondola body as a coal bunker in my engine facility. BTW, I also put Bachmann trucks with metal wheels and couplers on the box car.
I have a box full in the attic. The plan was to cut them in half lengthwise then glue them to a wooden plaque and put them on the shutters around the house. Then my band saw broke, then I lost my mojo for the project.
I have a caboose less trucks on the indoor layout being used as a yard office - but it looks way too small compared to my 1:29 and 1:20.3 stuff that parks near it.
I agree with Joe. By the time you bring it up to your standards you could have paid for some Bachmann stock.
I agree with the others that New Bright stuff is cheap. I once bought 3 tenders with the plans to turn them into coal cars but they were so cheezy and the plastic seemed a bit “waxy”? I didn’t think it was worth the effort to mess with them so back on Ebay they went.
New Bright is fun with their animated cars around the christmas tree but for serious outdoor RRing you would probably be better off with bachmann gear. Just look for it on sale.
Happy RRing
“… have their animated Christmas train with all the cars.”
How many diff. cars were there ?
I believe it was 3 maybe 4 that I picked up after christmas during boxing week at Sears at least 6 yrs ago. Tucked them away with the rest of the xmas gear. I’ve got to pull them out in the next 5 months to confirm what I have since I hinted to the Rec’ Dept. (at the lodge that Mom lives at) that I had them and would be willing to use them as the dominant item(s) in a (g-gauge) static display.
Do you have a picture of the engine you could post ? I don’t recall seeing that at Sears.
thanks.
OK I’ll play devils advocate here. As the owner of many New Blight, EZtec/Scientific, Echo, and New Ray/Dickie battery toy trains over the years I can say that yes they are a cheap way into large scale but there are serious caveats to consider. First is quality, New Blight and Scientific/EZtec are best but they are noisy and they don’t last. The second is couplers the battery stuff across the board uses a coupler that’s different and not really compatible with LGB hooks. Converting is not easy as the tange mounts are different. Third is track you’ll have to choose ONE brand and stick with it. Each brand of the plastic track has a different joiner mount so you need to pick one or figure a way to glue two different brands together. New Blight is the best option as they offered turnouts and crossovers and can be pretty easily found on Fleabay. The thing is that sometimes it costs almost as much as just buying used brass track.
I can understand if you live somewhere that setting up a temp layout is your only option or you have very limited budget. But I think you could do equally well simply buying used large scale stuff. Bachmann Lionel Aristo all have lots of stuff on the used market just avoid the Buy It Now sellers they overcharge, often obscenely.
Doug, I don’t remember exactly as we didn’t set them up this year. The original set was engine, tender, caboose and 1 car. Set still available from them I believe. Available all over eBay. As I remember the cars were, handy dancer, ice skating, a log car, elves is a passenger car, Santa letters and I think another one. I also got the Dillard’s reindeer car but it a slight different color.
http://newbright.com/rccar/384-holiday-express-train-set-trains/
Vic, I already have engins and track, etc. was just thinking about maybe some cars, but as I said to start, between wheels and couplers probably not worth it. And that’s pretty much the feedback.
Nothing wrong with picking up a couple but your kinda stuck with that as a system. Just keep it till your ready to purchase brass track and track powered trainsets
Vic, I meant I already have Bachmann spectrum stuff and brass track. I also have the new bright Christmas train.
I like the tank cars. I put metal wheels on them and Kadee couplers. I have about a dozen.
Mickey Kelley said:
Vic, I meant I already have Bachmann spectrum stuff and brass track. I also have the new bright Christmas train.
Oh OK, carry on then 
I agree with all the points the others have made here.
A New Brite boxcar can certainly be repainted and weathered - I’ve done this, and I’ve also replaced the plastic wheels with, of all things, tinplate ones, as a cheap source of metal wheels. You have to create an insulated axle - I used a bamboo BBQ stick and it worked great.
Now, I only did this once, as the car was way too small for my 1:24 stuff, and also small next to 1:29 stuff. It made a good demonstration of painting and weathering techniques, though.
The guys who are telling you that’s it’s far too much trouble to try to make something out of them are quite right. I did get some useful mileage by using just the undercarriage of my New Brite boxcar as a kind of shorty flat in a construction train where all the other rolling stock was pretty small too, and it looked OK there. But only there and nowhere else!
If you’re going to get more New Brite anyway, I’d advise not trying to change the couplers. I tried it and that experiment was a dismal failure. Just live with the couplers that come with the trucks, trust me. There’s no way to fit regular couplers, and after you’ve cut the couplers off the trucks, you’re totally up the creek. Ask me how I know this.
Cheers!
“…I’d advise not trying to change the couplers. I tried it and that experiment was a dismal failure. Just live with the couplers that come with the trucks, trust me. There’s no way to fit regular couplers, and after you’ve cut the couplers off the trucks, you’re totally up the creek. Ask me how I know this…”
John; 2 posts above yours … it sounds like Jerry B. could help ya out with this ! I recall him mentioning this somewheres else 3-4 months back, too.
Personally even though a H’nL user, the new brights imho are (likely) the low-end.
Considered upgrading to metal wheels but if only using as static display and not running on ‘real’ track decided to keep the wheels for ‘real’ rolling stock.
doug c
Mickey Kelley said:
Vic, I meant I already have Bachmann spectrum stuff and brass track. I also have the new bright Christmas train.
If you have Spectrum stuff, then why would you want some New Brite stuff? Its a few steps down from where you are.
I used Kadee 821’s on the New Bright. Bolted it to the frame of the tank car, the walkway part. Had to notch out some, but they are doing okay. I did add some weights while I had them apart to re-paint or decal them. I was using some MDC type trucks but discovered you can notch out the New Bright ones some for wheels to fit in them, kept the price down!
Scroll down from this link and you will see how I did the couplers and trucks.
http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/21565/tank-car-run
There were two versions of the New Bright train sets made. One was a better quality than the other. I have the better Christmas set. Later RJD