# USA Trains 1:24 to 1:32 Conversion?



## Jacobpaul81 (Jan 16, 2018)

I'm interested in WWII era railroading in the great plains - built around Santa Fe. I've chosen 1:32 scale for access to MTH's Hudson and DCS. 

Looking at rolling stock, there's not much out there. MTH and AMS boxcars are hard to come by. I've got 1 of the MTH ATSF cars with the appropriate paint / graphics. I can't even find an AMS for ATSF. Many other roads of the region - MKT, Frisco, Burlington, Rock Island weren't produced. MDC comes up a lot but these seem almost as rare and poorly detailed and undersized. Piko is producing the same molds but would require re-paint.

I've been eyeballing USA trains 1:24 boxcars - both the simulated steel and outside-braced cars. Many era appropriate paint schemes. The models are all 14 3/8" long (same as Piko). Steel boxcar has same exterior panel limitations as PIKO / MDC. Has anyone converted these to 1:32?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Hmmm... you have stated you know they are 1:24... conversion to 1:32 would take a lot of work.

You need to find some of the older MDC stuff, that was 1:32, and also look for the older Lionel G scale, that was 1:32 mostly.

If you wanted to convert cars, starting at 1:29 should be easier than 1:24.

Also there were some nice reefers made by Accucraft:

http://www.accucraft.com/modelc/1menu_32_rs.htm

Boxcar, reefer, hopper...

Greg


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a lot of the MDC cars, look fine to me. I put on MTH trucks with metal wheels and Kadees. The MTH cars are more detailed and come with metal wheels. Accucraft 1/32 are even more detailed and have metal wheels. A guy over on the Facebook G scale swap page has some MTH cars for $50, might go over an look. Good place to buy/sell. For tank cars I like the New Bright ones and put MTH trucks/Kadees on them. Other brands of tank cars seem too big to me.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Most of the MDC cars I measured were pretty much spot on for 1:32. Trucks were junk as I guess you found out Jerry since you replaced them... mine just disintegrated in many cases.

Greg


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## Jacobpaul81 (Jan 16, 2018)

Greg Elmassian said:


> Most of the MDC cars I measured were pretty much spot on for 1:32. Trucks were junk as I guess you found out Jerry since you replaced them... mine just disintegrated in many cases.
> 
> Greg


If the PIKO molds are the same as MDC, the cars are 14.3" in length (38.13 scale feet). The USA Trains cars are 14 3/8" in length (38.53 scale feet). That'd make the USA cars closer to scale length than MDC. I'd love to know if someone has a width / height comparison - I think the USA cars are 1:24 simply due to the ladders / grabs - that could easily be fixed with putty fill, paint, and new ladders / grabs. Like the MDC cars, they are short side panels.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

there are different sizes in the prototype... you need to consider all dimensions and the construction... 

many of the piko are the same as the mdc, but not all, someone did a detailed review/comparision a while back.

Basically, if it looks right to you then use it... to me, the USAT 1:24 stuff is the length you would expect for a modern box car, but the older style cars, and the details are the "wrong" scale if you want to believe they are 1:32

but, stand 10 feet away or so, and all you see is the length and height...

Greg


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi I model only in 1/32 scale since I started late, way after the garden railway boom. My very first American car I had was a Bachman boxcar which had been given to me and had sat in the cupboard for ages. I took out all the grabs and recut it into a pretty good model of a Pennsy XL boxcar. It can be done but it won't be perfect, like the siding is 1/24th scale for 1/32 scale (oversize) etc. Most of us use the very nice Accucraft box cars and reefers, the Piko (ex MDC) boxcars, reefers and hopper cars (two models) and the MTH ones although many MTH cars are modern ones like the beer can tank cars. I modify them a good deal to improve them. Th hopper is very good as is, the flat car can be made into a very close copy of the standard AAR design the box cars suffer from a very strange type of door which I have not been able to find a photo of the prottype yet, and the reefer which is excelent is equiped with pug doors a bit weird for a steam era sized reefer... Box cars and reefers need to have the trucks bought closer to the ends. Flat has to be lowered about 5 or 6 mm. but it is all feasable and some wheels (the brass ones) can have their flange returned. Outside of that there are sometimes some Row and co brass cars for sale but at a price.


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## OldNoob (Apr 30, 2016)

I once got a USA TRAINS "Ultimate-Series" reefer. i was surprised at how small it looked compared to my modern aristocraft and moden LGB reefers.
As i recall it seemed to look more on scale with the 1:32 piko cars.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

That's because they were indeed lower than the standard box cars, I heard because they needed the extra lowering so they could travel with hatches open.

Greg


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Can anybody give us the width and the height. That would be interesting as they do make some nice cars. So far I stayed away from 1/29th stuff but if it could be reworked into good looking cars then heck.


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