Hartford Products 30' Box car kit

[beavercreek]

Well I had bought this Hartford kit really cheap some three years ago and stored it for a rainy day (well very many rainy days) and had totally forgotten about it (oh those senior moments). I was tidying up the office this week and low an behold there it was safely placed between two filing draw cabinets. On opening it once again I was confronted with an extremely comprehensive building project. I realised that it is possibly the most detailed and involved Railroad kit that I have encountered yet. There are literally nearly a hundred cast metal items, plenty of rods of varying thickness and wood that needs to be cut perfectly. I have to admit that I felt a little daunted by it!

I have just embarked on making the Box car and progress could be slow (this is really the wrong time of year to making a kit isn't it?) but I will post the progress as it happens, in big steps, I promise!

Has anyone else made one of these kits? Any specific advice would be warmly welcomed to help me stay clear of the possible pitfalls it may have in store for me.

The complete kit

The plans are superb and full scale which helps the less than perfect builder!

The start is made and the frame is taking shape.

 

[steven large]

wow..keep in posted mate....look superb....someone on this formus mite have same as yr but cant remember who is it....
mmmmm.....but it look kool and it sound like making a wooden balsa planes like this....printwork are useful....clever stuffs........

so when it done and so are u doing some sign names or logos?..stain it?.......does it come with bogies as well?..

 

[Jerry Barnes]

They are noted for being super kits. He still makes the parts, but not the whole kit. Those sell on ebay for around $200 or so.

 

[steven large]

They are noted for being super kits. He still makes the parts, but not the whole kit. Those sell on ebay for around $200 or so.

HI SO CAN U paste me a link to ebay for this kit?...thks u...

 

[beavercreek]

HI SO CAN U paste me a link to ebay for this kit?...thks u...

Hi Steve
They come up very infrequently. I bought mine about 3 years ago and I have not seen a complete kit since!
I paid a whole lot less than $200 so am pretty pleased that I bought it when I did....although I have taken three years to find it and start the process!

 

[beavercreek]

so when it done and so are u doing some sign names or logos?..stain it?.......does it come with bogies as well?..

I will paint and stain it with matt acrylic, weathering powders, pastels, alcohol washes. There are Rio Grande and box car detail decals in the kit which is a big bonus as finding g scale white lettering decals at a good price is hard now as Microscale have stopped making for G scale.
There is Stan in USA who can do to order, but that costs a fair bit.
I make my own but cannot do white lettering on clear background. I have dabbled with doing white on the colour of the box car/reefer/loco and this can work but it is hard to get exactly the correct background colour and although you can cut close to the edge of the white lettering it becomes very difficult with the smaller lettering! So more 'disguising' weathering has to be done. Even black backgrounds are hard to copy exactly as there are so many shades (or tones) of black.:wits:

 

[steven large]

ah kool..so i see tht...tht is interesting....sound u are going to be hard work on it like model making..so why are they so expensive?..thought it was nomal prices?

 

[beavercreek]

.so why are they so expensive?..thought it was nomal prices?

Hi Steve
are you asking about the kit price or decal/ transfer prices ?

 

[nico]

Now thats something i would like,looking forward to seeing your progress

 

[beavercreek]

Now thats something i would like,looking forward to seeing your progress

Yes but I feel it is going to be a lot slower than yours with the trestles!8|

 

[steven large]

.so why are they so expensive?..thought it was nomal prices?

Hi Steve
are you asking about the kit price or decal/ transfer prices ?

hi agian....yes need to know what it the real retail prices for this hartland kit? aslo decals?..etc.....
thought it about 3o pounds?..same as bachmann hauler kit?......boxcar....but yr is wood...

 

[nico]

Now thats something i would like,looking forward to seeing your progress

Yes but I feel it is going to be a lot slower than yours with the trestles!8|

couldnt be that slow,anyway what hurry are we in

 

[Richie]

What a great looking kit Mike have seen them at Back2bay6 forsale but have been abit pricey looks like you've got your work cut out with this kit i take it your garage has been put on hold If you ever get stuck for Rio Grande decals Steve still has some CDS lettering which i used on my Bachmann Fn3 stock and plow . How heavy will the completed box car be Mike our they heavier than the AMS ones ? . Look forward in following this thread

Cheers Richie

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Steve
are you asking about the kit price or decal/ transfer prices ?

hi agian....yes need to know what it the real retail prices for this hartland kit? aslo decals?..etc.....
thought it about 3o pounds?..same as bachmann hauler kit?......boxcar....but yr is wood...
[/quote]

Hi Steve
The kit is a lot different to the big haulers as it is 1:20.3 scale it is also a lot more detailed and has many metal detail pieces as well as very accurately laser cut wood. As to price, I have no idea what they are new to buy as I got mine, as I said, 3 years ago and got an extremely good deal complete with the bogie trucks (£50). I think they are about £150 or so to buy now and I am not sure if the wood parts still included. Richie says that he saw one at Back2Bay6 and it was pricey!
The decals' cost depends on what decals are needed but as the kit actually has them included, that is a cost that I will not have to bear

 

[beavercreek]

What a great looking kit Mike have seen them at Back2bay6 forsale but have been abit pricey looks like you've got your work cut out with this kit i take it your garage has been put on hold If you ever get stuck for Rio Grande decals Steve still has some CDS lettering which i used on my Bachmann Fn3 stock and plow . How heavy will the completed box car be Mike our they heavier than the AMS ones ? . Look forward in following this thread

Cheers Richie

No...the garage is still going to happen . Measured it up today. Got to now order the delivery of the wood, insulation and plasterboard.
I think that the car will weigh a little more than the Accucraft cars due to the amount of metal parts and the wood in the frame. As the kit has the decals already included I will not need any for this project but I will investigate the CDS stock at Back2bay6 as all Rio Grande decals are obviously sold out at CDS themselves. I want some for the Bachmann low gondola with side doors (I will imagine that it is the Accucraft drop bottom version as I cannot justify the £150 price tag for one of those!)

 

[steven large]

hi beavercreek....u mean £150 for this hartland kit?.OMG!! what a lots of monies for this!!!!!!!...but it got everything in the box.
i want one but cudnt afford it but it very intereting to built it as hobbies..so i was thinking if i get big hauler kit and can modfied it with wood strips..etc..worth it.

i have old big hauler boxcar kit somewhere in the house tht i been stored it in a box somewhere in the house..i will have a good look....lol.
i got loads.loads of coffee stirring sticks from cash and carry shop yr ago.wood materails in the shed.stuffs in the closets.
so yr hartland kit roof come with wood strips or ?

 

[beavercreek]

hi beavercreek....u mean £150 for this hartland kit?.OMG!! what a lots of monies for this!!!!!!!...but it got everything in the box.
i want one but cudnt afford it but it very intereting to built it as hobbies..so i was thinking if i get big hauler kit and can modfied it with wood strips..etc..worth it.

i have old big hauler boxcar kit somewhere in the house tht i been stored it in a box somewhere in the house..i will have a good look....lol.
i got loads.loads of coffee stirring sticks from cash and carry shop yr ago.wood materails in the shed.stuffs in the closets.
so yr hartland kit roof come with wood strips or ?

Hi Steve...you can call me Mike!
Yes it would be too expensive to buy for me ...but as I said,...I did not pay £160
I think Richie used an old plastic boxcar shell for his Snow Plow project. He fixed wood strips to the sides to make it look authentic. So you could easily do something similar. The roof, in my kit, is made using wood struts onto which the roof surface is constructed with wide strips etc.

 

[steven large]

hi mike..

nice to meet u..so yes i have seen richie scatcbuilting a plough..very clever.save time.
so i will do it on my big hauler boxcar kit..so i ave to post a wanted thread to see if anyone who mite sell big hauler boxcar kit..wink....

coz i loves scatchbuiltin and kitbashing a kit to save my monies and interesting to make it..as hobbies.
keep in posted mike..thks u....wink..

 

[Richie]

What a great looking kit Mike have seen them at Back2bay6 forsale but have been abit pricey looks like you've got your work cut out with this kit i take it your garage has been put on hold If you ever get stuck for Rio Grande decals Steve still has some CDS lettering which i used on my Bachmann Fn3 stock and plow . How heavy will the completed box car be Mike our they heavier than the AMS ones ? . Look forward in following this thread

Cheers Richie

No...the garage is still going to happen . Measured it up today. Got to now order the delivery of the wood, insulation and plasterboard.
I think that the car will weigh a little more than the Accucraft cars due to the amount of metal parts and the wood in the frame. As the kit has the decals already included I will not need any for this project but I will investigate the CDS stock at Back2bay6 as all Rio Grande decals are obviously sold out at CDS themselves. I want some for the Bachmann low gondola with side doors (I will imagine that it is the Accucraft drop bottom version as I cannot justify the £150 price tag for one of those!)

Hi Mike
I have used CDS lettering on my Bachmann low sided gondola and box car , Steve may still have some left he was selling them off for £5 a pack had two packs for my plow . The ones used on my gondola were the drop bottom gondola pack and the box car was the 3000 series .

Pic of CDS lettering on my gondola

Cheers Richie

 

[daveyb]

there really nice ,,,, and hattons selling the gondolas for 46 squids,,,

goooooood value i say,,,,,