A1G 3130 Series: Box Car, Steel 86 Foot "HiCube" This series was one of the last of the "first generation," made by Roco for Atlas. I think you can see the difference in the quality of tooling and the painting. These are standout cars, and in a fair amount of demand, especially that really sharp "SP" car. All four paint schemes are closer to the prototype than many of the other A1G series. I think they still "hold their own" with some of the more recent issues of this body style of freight car. Key spotting features for this car are:
Be careful with the 3131 Baltimore and Ohio, as Trix released a similar car. The Trix cars have rib sides, though, if I'm not mistaken. There are no major or minor variations of these four cars of which I am aware. When these cars were produced, quality control was probably a bit better at Roco than it had been in earlier times. Note: The following information on conditions and "Approximate Value" prices are intended to be a guideline only and is presented with no warranties, express or implied. Caution: Definitions and prices can and do vary with collectors, buyers and sellers, and, of course, whether a person is buying or selling an item. That's the way a "free market" works... A 3130 series car in "as manufactured" or "AM" condition has:
A 3130 series car in "mint in box" or "MIB," meets all "As Manufactured" criteria plus:
These cars are "gettable" but becoming harder to find and as such there is a "runner" value of from 20% to 40% of the "As Manufactured" value based on condition. AM and NIB values are higher than with other cars because these cars had a higher original price than earlier issues in the series. Table of Releases: Where available, click on "Image" to popup an image of the actual car.
AV = Approximate Value (US$ range) AM = As Manufactured, MIB = Mint In Box. Abbreviations: Hld=Herald, R/N=Roadname, L/R=Left/Right Side of Car |