Product Review: Trinity 64-Foot Reefers

This week we are handling our product review a little differently.  Usually we just review one model at a time, but recently two companies have produced models of Trinity's modern 64-foot refrigerator cars.  ExactRail has produced multiple runs of these popular models, under their Platinum Series line, and BLMA Models has produced these cars in both HO scale and N scale.  I recently purchased one from each company.  I have some equipment already from ExactRail, and I have been quite satisfied with their products in the past.  I had never purchased anything from BLMA Models before, but I have heard good things about them, so I decided to purchase one of these cars from them as well, and see one of their products in person.  I am quite satisfied with both models, but before we jump to that, and other conclusions, we should talk about the models a bit!

ExactRail reefer model.  All photos
by James Ogden.

Exterior:
Both models are excellent representation of the modern reefers that can be found on today's railroads.  The paint quality is very good.  While the cars are basically white, the logos and lettering is all crisp and clear.  At first glance, the models appear to be identical.  They are extremely similar.  Under close inspection, one can notice a few small differences throughout both cars.  The ExactRail model tends to have more of the very smallest writing, and the smaller writing on the ExactRail car tends to be slightly clearer than on the BLMA car.  Other than that, and a few extremely small variations in the placement of certain warnings, the paint and lettering on the cars is basically identical.

BLMA reefer model.

Both cars feature an impressive amount of separately applied details, including grab bars, brake rigging, railings, hoses, and various other parts.  Upon close inspection I was able to find exactly one detail part molded on the ExactRail car which had been applied separately on the BLMA car.  Additionally, both cars feature prototypically accurate refrigeration machinery.  Both cars have a see through metal walkway for machinery access.  The ExactRail walkway has slightly smaller holes than the one on the BLMA car.  While both walkways look excellent, I would say it is the most noticeable difference between the two cars.  Additionally, the ExactRail car also features safety chains on either side of the walkway.  The refrigeration units are slightly different on the two cars.  This is not unusual to the prototype though, as there were several phases of these reefers, and through different construction contracts, it is quite possible that otherwise identical cars could end up with very slightly different refrigeration units.  The BLMA model did some minute writing and warnings on the "A" end, with the refrigeration unit, that were not present on the ExactRail model.  On the "B" end of the cars, the only difference was in the hand brake chains.  For the extremely detail oriented modelers, the BLMA model had a more accurate hand brake chain.

The "B" ends, side by side.  The BLMA model is on the left.

Both cars featured a well detailed under body, complete with brake gear and rigging.  These parts were separately applied on both cars.  On the BLMA model, the entire under body was modeled in a flat black, while on the ExactRail car, the under body was a very dark grey.  Both cars come with Kadee couplers, and feature air hoses mounted beside the couplers.  The BLMA model had plain black air hoses, while the ExactRail model had painted and molded glad hands on the end of the air hoses.  The trucks were very accurately modeled, even featuring the car initials and number stamped on them.  On both models, they did even match the actual car initials and number.  On both models, the end caps on the roller bearings was modeled in blue.  While this is accurate for a new bearing cap, it is unlikely that many blue ones would be found on the prototypes because as the cars run, they get dirty.  It looks good on the model, but it may not be the most realistic feature.  If any weathering is done to the cars, the end caps will likely be covered by that anyway.  The only difference between the trucks was only noticeable from the bottom.  The ExactRail trucks feature brake shoes and brake beams inside the trucks, which is not modeled on the BLMA car.  This is a detail that is not even very noticeable on the one to one scale, especially as a train passes by!

The "A" ends, with the BLMA model on the left.

Operation:
These cars operate well out of the box.  While the couplers are not mounted in a box that can swing, both manufacturers used couplers with a long enough shank to make these cars able to navigate a curve as tight as an 18 inch radius.  Both cars rolled smoothly, easily, and quietly.  I did find that the BLMA car rolled slightly better, although it was only noticeable when I was trying to take pictures.  The surface I was using to photograph the cars was a few tenths of a degree off level, and that was enough to send the BLMA car rolling.  While the ExactRail car also rolled with ease, it was able to stand still on its own on the same surface.

Door area detail on the BLMA model.

Overall I am very impressed with both cars.  They will look great operating together, and it would take a careful look to find the differences in them.  I will have no problems running them right next to each other on the same train.  Because the cars are such accurate models, they are very similar, and thus choosing which one is better really is a matter of opinion.  Personally, I like the ExactRail car better, and the only reason is purely a matter of preference.  I like that it has slightly smaller holes in the walkway deck and safety chains.    I am very pleased with both cars though and would not hesitate to buy more of them from either manufacturer.  Both companies managed to exceed my expectations with these cars.  I think they are an excellent value, especially considering the level of detail offered.

Under body details on the ExactRail model.

*Note:  Typically Steven and I only write reviews on cars that are currently available from the manufacturer, however we made an exception with this review because the ExactRail cars are still available at many local hobby shops and online retailers nationwide.  They are extremely popular and sold out at ExactRail completely within just a couple of weeks, however it is rumored that there may be yet another production run.  The BLMA car shown in the photos is no longer in production, however BLMA has announced another run of these popular models with a CEFX reporting mark.  They will be nearly identical to the model shown in the photos.  If you are interested in either of these cars, contact your local hobby shop.

Manufacturer: BLMA Models
Retail Price: $32.95 each, available individually or in packages of 6, 12, or 24.
Product Numbers: 52901-52924
*Note: These cars are currently not in production.  Pre-orders are due Dec. 31, 2011, and cars will ship in the spring of 2012.

Manufacturer: ExactRail
Retail Price: $32.95 each
Product Numbers: EP-81050-25 to EP=81050-42
*Note: These cars sold out at ExactRail very recently and are still available through local hobby shops and online retailers.  Contact your hobby shop for availability information, and let ExactRail know if you would like to see another run of these cars.