This review deals with a USA Trains articulated TTX 5-unit intermodal set (USA R17150) and multipack container sets 1 and 4 (USA R1710U and R1710X, respectively).

SHIPPING & HANDLING

The items were shipped from RLD Hobbies, Aurora, Illinois to Perth, Western Australia via USPS.  They arrived in three separate packages.  There was slight damage to one of the cars in transit (a broken piece of plastic).  The damage was simple to fix.

INITIAL SET-UP

There is some assembly required (i.e., fastening ladders).  It is very straightforward, as the parts fit together well.  Several of the axles had been jolted loose from their plastic trucks during shipment, so it was necessary to press them back into place.  This is something worth checking, as it is easy to miss.

Many of the plastic fittings on these cars are fragile.  Handle with care!

The cars are clearly labelled by letter, A to E.  The order in which they are assembled is B at the front, followed by C, D, E and, finally, A.  There are hook-and-loop couplers at one end of each of the B and A units.  The rest of the coupling is done by means of four small screws.

Coupling between cars C and D.

The screws are a tight fit.  One approach to fitting them involves spraying a small amount of powdered graphite into the screw hole, placing the washer on top of the hole, engaging the screw, backing it out and engaging it again, being careful at all times to apply light pressure only.  The amount of patience required to attach the screws will be proportional to the size of your fingers.

Screwing rolling stock together, while secure, is not prototypical.  It's difficult to see this approach as anything but a cost-cutting measure.

OPERATION

The cars in this set are approximately 25" long.  They work satisfactorily (i.e., no derailments) when coupled to a USA SD-40 or a USA GP-38 on a 10' diameter circle using the standard hook-and-loop couplers.  Given the relative inflexibility of the screwed coupling system, running them on anything much smaller will be problematic.

A double-stack is a big beast!

L-R: container pin, screw, washer.

The cars do not come with containers; these must be purchased separately.  Container sets 1 and 4 provide a dozen containers in total:  four each of 20', 40' and 50'. 

Each container set comes with a bag of small plastic pins used to secure the containers to the cars, or to each other.  These pins are easy to lose.  If you intend to run double-stacks, you may want to purchase extras.

The base of each car contains eight pairs of holes designed to accept container pins.  The bases of the 50' containers have six pairs of holes for the pins; the bases of the 20' and 40'

containers have four pairs.  The top of each container, regardless of size, has one hole in each corner.

The arrangement of holes in cars and containers allows a number of configurations for both single- and double-stacking.  A double-stacked car requires at least 8 5/8" of clearance - and that would be barely adequate even if the track and whatever lies above it (e.g., tunnel portals) are perfectly parallel.  Add an extra inch of clearance unless you are 100% sure of your arithmetic, or like living dangerously.

Because the car encloses the bottom third of its container(s), single-stacks don't require container pins unless the containers hold unusually top-heavy loads.  Otherwise, while it doesn't hurt to use the pins, they're unnecessary.

Single-stacking two 20-footers.

Double-stacking requires use of the pins.  It can be fiddly getting two 20' containers properly seated on a car, but don't omit the pins if you're stacking another container (or containers) on top of them.  We were able to induce some sway in the top containers of double-stacked cars by double-heading the SD-40 and the GP-38 and running at speeds we'd regard as at, or very close to, the acceptable maximum on our layout.  This experimentation suggests the container pin locking system is adequate for double-stacking when the top container is unloaded.

Container door detail.

The level of detail on the containers is excellent.  The operating door mechanisms are very similar to those used on older USA Trains 40' reefers.

TIPS.

1) It's unnecessary to screw the cars together unless your track has unusually tight curves and/or steep gradients.
2) Be wary of double stacking with container pins if the wind is strong. One owner on MLS has reported a car getting blown over!
3) When double stacking, the prototypical rule appears to be shorter container(s) in lower position.