# Ore Cars



## punkin (Jun 13, 2015)

Hello all,

I'm thinking about adding a couple nice ore cars to pull behind my USA 0-6-0T Docksider. USA doesn't stock them anymore and I wanted something nice that would look to be in proper scale behind it and with my beer can tankers. The nice folks at Raindeer Pass are recommending the PIKO ore cars but I can find very little about them. The price is very nice but a couple things do concern me.

#1 - what couplers come with them? The LGB or the grabber types like the ones that come with the USA trains?
#2 - are the wheels metal? If not, not a deal breaker but, can I get properly sized metal wheels for them after the fact?
#3 - how do they look? Are they nice (and I do realize this is subjective).


Thanks!


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I think the Piko ore cars are from the old MDC (Model Die Casting) molds.
More specifically: Do they have standard LGB coupler shanks and wheel axles? 

Google knows all... http://www.gauge-1.co.uk/mdcround/mdcround.htm

Andrew


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

In my opinion the LGB iron ore cars are the best representation of the iron ore cars used in Minnesota to help win WWII. You will need metal wheels and to shorten the coupling.

I'll post some pictures later on how I converted these cars to a realistic consist.

Chuck


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

That is a lot of information! The do have hook and loop couplers with plastic wheels. They are reasonably priced and available. The LGB have much more detail, but are getting pretty hard to find.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Actually the MDC/Piko stuff is 1:32, well scaled... but smaller than 1:29.

The USAT ones are actually Lionel, again 1:32, but with an extra spacer between the chassis and truck to make them taller, so they looked ok with 1:29.

Check my site for pictures under rolling stock, MDC, Lionel, USAT...

Greg


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Punkin;

The USA Trains ore cars were originally made by Lionel Large Scale. You may want to cast about for used LLS offerings as well. The Lionel cars had knuckle couplers, but only came with plastic wheels. I have over the years added metal wheels and Kadee couplers to my LLS ore cars. They are a fairly decent car.

The MDC (now Piko) model is small compared to other offerings. It had hook & loop couplers and plastic wheels standard when new. I changed my only example of that ore car to resemble an early production, and somewhat smallish, steel car. I have heard and read that these cars were closest to 1:32 scale.

Here are two other ideas, depending upon your modeling ability. The LGB two axle ballast car can be bashed into a four axle car that probably would not look too bad as an ore car as well.










The other possibility is the PlayMobil container ore car. It is very toy-like out of the box, but can be bashed into a fairly robust ore car.










Just thought I'd throw the ideas out there "just in case."

Have fun,
David Meashey


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks Greg and David. I was not entirely sure on the scale.

Andrew


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

You know MDC had a really nice offering in terms of scale fidelity and detail, but their trucks and wheels were junk, often the truck sideframes would just crumble with age.

Glad Piko has resurrected them, but I hear Piko did not get all the molds, a company in the US got some of them, but seems to have failed.

Greg


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

A little history, I have been a fan of the DM&IR since 1948 when I went on a canoe trip to northeastern Minnesota and southwestern Ontario. The Yellowstones and the long ore trains were amazing. I've been back there five more times. The last time was a few years ago when my son, son in law, and my grandson went up on a canoe trip. We scattered some of my Dad's ashes in the Quetico, a Provencal park in Ontario. Dad had his first trip up there in the 1930's. He and mother were back in the wilderness 10 days before they learned that Germany had invaded Poland.

Enough family history. I think that the LGB ore cars are the best representation of the cars that moved the iron ore from the mines on northeastern Minnesota and the upper pennisula of Wisconsin and Michigan. There is nothing wrong with the other makers cars, but I think that they lack the detail of the LGB offerings.

Over the years I have compiled a 32 car iron ore train, pulled by my AristoCraft Mallet. This is as close as I can come to the real thing, short of getting another 128 cars or so.

Sorry, all of a sudden I CAN'T GET INTO MY FIRST CLASS SPACE TO POST PICTURES. 

I'll keep trying.

Chuck

What ever happened, I'm now back in.

Here is the 32 car iron ore train at Dr. Rivet's layout. It is too long for my layout.











The ore cars started off about three inches apart. In real life the wheels from one car almost touched the wheels on the next car. Something had to be done to get close coupling.










I created quad units like the DM&IR. Connected the inner cars of the quad with wire and used Kadee couplers on the two end cars.










This is how I joined the inner cars in the quad.










They are still farther apart than they should be, but they are a lot closer than when I started. 

It makes a very nice train and always brings back fond memories of family trips to the canoe country.

A shorter version on my home layout of the Clear Lake Lumber Company, a railroad museum that functions as a short line connecting to major railroads and a tourist line with scenic rides. Scale to be determined when I set the trains out for the day.





























Note added. LGB did not produce any cars with the correct (any) DM&IR lettering. I want the thank Stan Cederleaf for the decals to make the cars look correct!!! My cars started off as AT&SF and Pennsylvania. A little paint and Stan's decals worked magic.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Nice looking ore train chuck. I have memories of the DMIR in the 80's and 90's working hard up the hill and seeing them on the docks. Would have loved to see the Yellowstones in action. Closest is seeing the one in the Duluth rail museum with the operating wheels.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

LGB provided a link for closer coupling.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, they did, but I didn't think it was close enough for my purposes.

LGB close coupling.










A little closer with my setup.









Ore train in Duluth.











Chuck

Note added, I used Kadee #835 on each end of the quads.


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## punkin (Jun 13, 2015)

Wow...this is a lot to take in. I didn't realize there were so many different sizes. I wanted to get a couple that would look good behind my 0-6-0 USA engine. Looks like the PIKO will be too small. I will ponder this a bit more and look for some 1:29 sized cars.

Thanks everyone....a lot to consider.


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

We call that G Scale Overload!

Welcome aboard!!


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

You might try Nicolas Smith Trains, in Broomall PA, for the LGB ore cars. They come in sets of four, and Nicolas Smith had at least one set the last time I was there.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Punkin

Not to worry, in my opinion any of them would look fine behind your dockside. It has been a long time since I measured mine, LGB, I recall being surprised that they scaled out closer to 1:32. Those are all short (24') cars. They will look small mixed in with your other standard sized cars, usually 40 or 50' long in the real world.

The biggest difference is the level of detail, and price. You get what you pay for.

Chuck


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The LGB ore cars are almost spot on for 1:29 when compared to drawings that were published in _Model Railroader._ (I don't remember which issue; I asked the folks at Kalmbach dig up the drawings for me when I reviewed the LGB cars for GR.) At the time, I asked LGB if this was a conscious decision on their part to go with 1:29, and they indicated they were pushing for all their US standard gauge stuff to be 1:29 to be compatible with USA and Aristo. Alas, this was before their bankruptcy, so nearly 10 years later, all of that may have since flown out the window. 

Note that on the LGB cars, they come with removable extensions along the top. These were added to the cars in the 60s as changes in mining techniques made the ore a bit lighter, so the cars could hold more ore. For cars from the 40s and 50s, you can remove the extensions, which will lower the top of them about 3/8" if I recall.

Later,

K


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

Before the Aristo demise, they were planning on, and showed pictures of an ore car they were to produce. In seeing the pictures of the test sample; my only hope was that it could have been almost as good a model as the LGB product.
It was a model of a different car, but was rather typical of ore cars I have seen.
Apparently the moulds were made, and some product was produced. I wonder if the the market place will ever see it...
Fred Mills


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## bdp3wsy (Mar 14, 2008)

The last time I talked to Lewis as they were closing Irvington he said that two containers are loaded in China but they would not release them till all the ordered old stock has been sold. Which has Scott stuck from offerering anything as far as new rolling stock, he doesn't have the cash to get all the old stuff released. Also talking a Bachmann at the model expo show they now own the ore car molds. (They own the license on the molds but in China the molds can't leave the country or the mfg company). And they are trying to get the two completed containers before Scott can. Jake


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

How long ago was that Jake?

Makes sense Bachmann "owns" the rights to use the molds or the license to produce since clearly Kader actually owns the molds and Kader owns Bachmann.

Well, now we can lobby Bachmann to make some.

The problem is that the ore cars were 1:29... the only thing Bachman makes in 1:29 is the Peter Witt street car.


Greg


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## Zack72 (May 2, 2016)

lovely train models.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Dr Rivet, aka Jim Stapleton found this video, by Scott McDonald, on youtube the other day and sent me the link. It is of my 32 car, LGB, ore train at one of his meets.






Thanks for the link Jim and thanks to Scott for making the video.

Chuck


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## punkin (Jun 13, 2015)

Wow, that's very nice. By chance would you know what brand of ore car those are and what scale?


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Those are LGB and the scale is supposed to be 1:29. It is being pulled by an AristoCraft mallet (1:29). The box car contains the battery and the REVO receiver.

Chuck


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