Model Train Journal

I have some Lionel automobiles and decided to get a car carrier to put them on.
The old Evans car carriers seem a bit expensive.



Looked around and found a new one for a better price.



The cars fit rather nicely.



But there seems to be a problem negotiating curved track, it comes uncoupled from the gondola.





Is this a scale size car? I wonder if scale (Kadee) couplers would work better?

Now Wayne, you know different radius/diameter track would change everything.

89 feet long. I think you can find the old red Lionel one for less the $300. It should be $10.00

robert. wrote:It should be $10.00

I love your optimizime Robert. I'll keep looking. Today even a broken car is $12.95 USD.

a little over $50.00 to your door. Keep looking with the holidays coming thing get pricey on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel-Trains-E ... SwxzBZpzYO

You should be able to find the K-Line Evans car that is or at least very close to scale (~13"). It would nominally hold six cars. Should be around $50-$70 (probably more $$ depending on the auto's that come with the car).

Thank you Chuck, I did not know about the K-Line Evans Scale Auto-Loader.
Today I see a Lionel Evans w/o cars starting bid $20 but it is rusty. I don't weather my cars, so I don't care if it is real rust--no sale.
If anyone is interested in how the real Evan's Auto-Loaders work, there are some images at this site: http://www.trainweb.org/seaboard/nycautorack.htm

Does Menards offer the auto loader? Will the MPC carrier work for you?

Roy wrote:Does Menards offer the auto loader? Will the MPC carrier work for you?

Thank you Roy.
Menards has no Auto-Loader, only single cars on a flatcar.
I have a couple of MPC carriers. Did you know you can take the rack off the MPC flatcar and stack it on another MPC carrier to get a five high auto carrier?

webenda wrote:Did you know you can take the rack off the MPC flatcar and stack it on another MPC carrier to get a five high auto carrier?

I've never had one, but the stackability doesn't surprise me. The carriers that came with cheaper sets only had one level. As I recall, separate-sale cars had two levels. Five levels would've been monsters.

[quote="webenda"Did you know you can take the rack off the MPC flatcar and stack it on another MPC carrier to get a five high auto carrier?[/quote]

How about a double double-stack?

Raise the bridges, bore the tunnels higher--I love it!

Love the siren on that police car too!

webenda wrote:Love the siren on that police car too!

Actually, that is a PA horn speaker; the car is the Blue Mobile from the movie The Blues Brother following the scene where Jake and Elwood "acquire" the horn from a city parks. I have the movie on a laserdisc.

webenda wrote:But there seems to be a problem negotiating curved track, it comes uncoupled from the gondola.

Is this a scale size car? I wonder if scale (Kadee) couplers would work better?

If the car measures about 22" it is scale length. As far as KDs, probably no better on that radius.

Apparently the Lionel autoracks have articulated Kadee pads so that may being the minimum radius down a little bit for someone with slightly tighter curves