Trainworxs Vs Bluford Auto Boxcars...???

[Kisatchie]

I just won three Bluford auto boxcars on eBay for less than $15 per car. I won't receive them until Wednesday or Thursday, so I can't say anything about their overall quality. They sure look good on the Bluford website, though.

I also know Trainworx makes auto boxcars too, though they're much higher priced on eBay right now.

Does anyone have both types of cars? Got a preference? Any other comments would be appreciated.


Hmm... I would like to
comment on Winston
Churchill during the blitz...

[bc6]

I love Tranworx Auto boxcars much more than Blufords. I'm not  a big fan of the roofs coming off my rolling stock, they usually come off at the wrong time. I think Trainworx is a higher quality product personally.

[peteski]

I'm not  a big fan of the roofs coming off my rolling stock, they usually come off at the wrong time.

Couldn't those roofs be glued (or otherwise attached) to the cars?  If that's what it takes to end the frustration, why not do it?

[bc6]

Couldn't those roofs be glued (or otherwise attached) to the cars?  If that's what it takes to end the frustration, why not do it?

I understand the un-glued roofs are so you can make sound cars, but why should I have to glue down the roof in the first place.

[bbussey]

Each model is based on a prototype of a different manufacturer.  So it depends upon if you wish to have models of one prototype or the other, or both, rather than trying to determine which model might be a better representative of the same specific prototype.

[WP_Railfan]

The Blueford shops couplers are body mounted where the Trainworks are truck mounted like MTL 89' flats and Autoracks. Both cars don't like tight curves.

[ai5629]

Both the Bluford cars and the Trainworx cars are very detailed high quality cars.  One neat thing the TW cars have are the very detailed ladders on the left and right side of the cars (would be an excellent detail part to purchase as a stand alone item).  This could be done by TW due to them modeling the Thrall prototype.  The Bluford cars lack this feature, but this is due to their car being a PS prototype, and the manner that PS contructed their side sheets and attached their ladders.  From what I have read here, the roofs not being glued on the Bluford cars could really be a positive since this gives you the ability to add weight to the cars to improve tracking.  I have about 30 BF shops cars and 4 TW cars, so I really like the BF cars.    The TW cars I have (PC eight doors released recently) have body mounted MTL couplers.  I don't have very many TW cars since they have not produced very many eastern railroad paint schemes that fit my era, as where BF has produced a ton.  Thanks.

Jeff

[soo]

Both cars have filled a nice sized hole by other manufactures. The body mount that WP Rialfan mentions is of a "swing" design. Yes the couplers are not truck mounted, they swing side to side to allow for tight radius running.
  TW cars are now coming with metal wheelsets, and you can also find them with body mounted ( minus the swing) MT couplers.
   As said before they are two different prototypes. So choose the one you like the best. BTW there are threads out there on other forums on how to convert the crapumate to MT on the Bluford cars.

Adios, Wyatt

[lock4244]

IMO, you got a deal on the Bluford cars. They are great car, period. Not personally aware of the roof issue as have not experienced it myself, though have had to press a few down when first delivered. I'm sitting at 58 BS and 29 TWX, with more of each on order.

[fredmoehrle]

I've got about 3 dozen Bluefords and 1-1/2 dozen TW hicubes.
I've had to push the roof down on receipt of about 6 of the Bluefords.
Hand to do about 3 underframe fixes on the early TW hicubes.
The biggest issue I have is that the packaging that the Bluefords come in has a nasty tendency to warp the couplers on the car down.
Craig said their trying to fix it at the factory, but I've gotten into the habit of carving a bit of the packaging out when I get the car to protect the coupler.
The times I've replaced couplers, I've used the B'mann McHenry clone, don't gave a rodents posterior about the size or the spring, they work.  Slinky's look bad on these cars.
Both are properly weighted, at least the ones I've weighed, but could probably use 1/2 ounce more then the NMRA standard.

[unittrain]

I got so many of each I lost count! But they are both great models there are differences between them obviously being models of 2 different prototypes.  Never had a roof issue, and the trainworx now come with body mounted couplers and even lower ride height the earlier releases have instructions to body mount the couplers and lower the car to the exact prototype height which is only a difference of maybe less than 1/32". The blufords are at the exact height of 17' above the rail I think the side sill is not quite as deep as the prototype is. It seems in pictures of the prototypes the trucks are covered a little more than on the bluford model. I might be wrong though! But they are both excellent models

[jagged ben]

$15 for the Blueford cars is a total steal.   The same price for the Trainworx is also a total steal.  At that price, you needn't worry too much about comparing them.

[Kisatchie]

$15 for the Blueford cars is a total steal....

I figured it was. I probably could have won a few more, but I didn't want to bid over $16. 


Hmm... Kiz is just stupid...

[TrainReign]

Looks to me like all of the problems on the TW cars were fixed in the last release. The cars 1.) have now been lowered to the correct height 2.) the couplers are now body mounted and 3.) the floors are nolonger warped or crooked. It's now a great car.

Meanwhile to the best of my knowledge, Bluford still has the roof problem. And the fix is not to glue down the roof ends. The problem is that the entire roof sits to high. And the roof sits to high because the vertical supports inside the car are too high. If one just glues down the ends, one will get a warped roof with the middle part of the roof sitting too high. If one shaves those vertical supports down, the roof will sit at the correct height with no glue necessary. Not sure why Bluford hasn't corrected the problem. It's an otherwise great car.

[sirenwerks]

I prefer Trainworx product design, chiefly the separate end ladders/grabs.