Like most model railroaders, one of the things I most looked forward to was adding a roundhouse and turntable to my layout. There’s just something cool about a roundhouse.
My grandfather had the Atlas roundhouse on his layout, and I have many fond memories of operating the turntable and changing out the engines when I was a kid. Much to my dismay, there is very little selection on the market when it comes to these magnificent structures…especially in N scale.
Walthers Modern Roundhouse
Generally, I cringe anytime I see the word “modern” when it comes to railroading. There’s nothing particularly modern about this roundhouse, my guess is that it was just Walthers’ way of separating this newer model from their previous version.
One significant feature of this roundhouse is the 10 degree stall spacing, which is very compact. This is a nicely put together kit, with great detailing. The structure itself is somewhat boring in my opinion, but then again, it’s a purpose building and not designed for looks.
The major drawback with the Modern Roundhouse is the investment. The kit retails for around $50, and only has 3 stalls. Walthers also has an add-on kit, which features 3 stalls as well for around the same price. In other words, for a 6 stall roundhouse, you’d be looking at a pretty hefty price tag of nearly $100.
Walthers Union City Roundhouse
This is one of Walthers’ older kits. In fact, it’s made by Heljan (the logo is molded into the roof panels). Each of the 6 stalls are on 7.5 degree centers, which gives it a larger footprint than the modern version.
The Union City version features a more interesting roofline complete with smokejacks and clerestory (a raised roofline with windows that allow light into large buildings). While not marketed as a modular kit, this version can also be added onto simply by building adjacent stalls.
Because this is an older kit, the plastic moldings are not as detailed. Really, it’s a much lower quality kit overall. But, the price is right at around $40. It can also be difficult to locate this kit since it is no longer in production.
And we have a winner…
Having both kits in your hands can really help put things in perspective. In one hand you have a nicely detailed, yet overpriced model. In the other, a lower quality model that has a better design and is priced right.
Value was a major factor in my final choice. Not because I couldn’t afford the Modern Roundhouse, but because it really didn’t make much sense to spend twice as much in order to get the 6 stalls offered by the other kit. In the end, I chose the Union City Roundhouse.
Upon arriving home from the hobby shop, I immediately inspected my new purchase. The brick detailing isn’t the greatest, though it does look better than the picture on the box. There is plastic mold flashing on a lot of the parts, but that’s also to be expected with these older kits.
Final thoughts
If I had to make this decision again, I would make the same choice. There really isn’t much to these kits, they’re just large. Molded plastic isn’t that expensive to manufacture, so I’m not sure why the newer Modern Roundhouse is so much more expensive. Seriously, Walthers…$50 for 3 stalls?
At the time of this writing, Walthers is having a sale on their Modern Roundhouse and add-on stalls kits. My guess is, they’re not selling too many at full retail price.
