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Micro-Trains Product and Packaging Variations Guide

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This guide was designed to provide the key information needed to identify significant Kadee® Micro-Trains® and Micro-Trains® Line product and packaging variations.

Compiled by Neville C. Wilson, when relevant, additional information is added to any material that has already been referenced.

Also available online are " Micro-Trains: The "Standard by Choice" of Model Railroaders Around the World!", which documents the history of Micro-Trains® and "Micro-Trains: Early Kadee Production Trivia".

Notes:

Parts and packaging materials were regularly produced and assembled in batch runs, which resulted in the appearance of numerous product permutations for slower moving items.

Bearing this in mind, the listed dates of implementation for model components, plastic jewel-boxes, paper insert labels, and factory pricing should only be used as a general guideline.

MSRP is an acronym for "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price".

Micro-Trains® Plastic Jewel Boxes

  • Jewel box lids without any embossed company name - November 1972
  • Jewel box lids with an embossed Kadee® Micro-Trains® company name - July 1981
  • Jewel box lids with an embossed Micro-Trains® company name and a blank rectangle (the result of the milling out of the word Kadee®) above the company's moniker - March 1991
  • Short run of jewel box lids with an embossed, rectangular Micro-Trains® Line logo with a pair of injection molding holes in the jewel box bottoms - September 2001 - Mid-2002
  • Reappearance of jewel box lids with an embossed Micro-Trains® company name, the word Kadee® milled out, and no holes present in the jewel box bottoms - Mid-2002 - February 2008
  • Embossed, rectangular Micro-Trains® Line logo on jewel box lids with a pair of injection molding holes present in jewel box bottoms - March 2008

Kadee Micro-Trains and Micro-Trains Line Plastic Jewel-Box Lids

Micro-Trains® Paper Insert Labels

  • Kadee® Micro-Trains® paper inserts with black, blue, and green printing, and a factory printed MSRP - November 1972
  • Kadee® Micro-Trains® paper inserts with black printing and a factory printed MSRP - May 1975
  • Kadee® Micro-Trains® paper inserts with black printing and no factory printed MSRP - May 1977
  • Micro-Trains® Line paper inserts with black (and red with Car Information printed on the undersides by the mid-1990s) printing - October 1990
  • Full color printed paper inserts are packed with series car releases (e.g., Ringling Bros.and Barnum Bailey Billboard, Meat, Brewery, and Nestle) - July 2009

Kadee Micro-Trains and Micro-Trains Line Paper Insert Labels

Note: Magne-Matic® knuckle coupler equipped models were packaged with a white paper insert label, while Rapido coupler equipped models (circa 1971 - 1977) were packed with yellow paper inserts.

Micro-Trains® Factory Pricing

  • Product description and MSRP factory printed in blue (and very rarely black) on both ends of paper insert labels - November 1972
  • Product description and MSRP factory printed in black on one end of paper insert labels - May 1975
  • Product description with no MSRP factory printed in black on one end of paper insert labels - May 1977
  • Small, square, white, self adhesive price tags bearing the Kadee® name are affixed to shrink-wrapped sets and the front left side of jewel box bottoms ( Note: on occasion, white Kadee® price tags can be found on jewel box lids, or the undersides of jewel box bottoms) - June 1981
  • Large, rectangular, yellow, self adhesive price tags bearing the Micro-Trains® name are affixed to shrink-wrapped sets, plastic, hinged lid (aka "tackle box") boxed sets, and the front left side of jewel box bottoms ( Note: tags are often found secured to both the jewel box lids and the jewel box bottoms) - August 1990
  • Small, square, yellow, self adhesive price tags bearing the Micro-Trains® name are affixed to the front left side of jewel box bottoms ( Note: in the early 1990s, a very small batch of these labels lacked the traditional, red, Micro-Trains® name) - March 1991
  • No retail pricing on forty model releases - June 2000
  • Barcode and MSRP are factory printed on the bottom of paper insert labels - October 2000

Micro-Trains Insert Label Ends, Price Tags, and Insert Labels with Factory Pricing

Note: While the majority of the barcoded models have MSRPs, a few instances of barcoded insert labels without retail pricing have been observed.

Micro-Trains® Factory Shrink Wrapping

While plastic jewel-boxed models packaged in sets that were originally released by Kadee® Micro-Trains® and Micro-Trains® Line had factory applied plastic shrink-wrapping, for various reasons, only dealers and end-users shrink-wrapped individually boxed products.

Micro-Trains® Stock Numbers

  • Freight cars bearing five digit factory stock numbers are introduced to the market in November 1972.
  • With the exceptions of the all of lettered 50000 series 34 Foot Wood Sheathed Slant Side Cupola Cabooses that were released in 1975, three of the eight lettered 46000 series 50 Foot Fishbelly Gondolas that were released in 1975, one of the four 43000 series lettered 40 Foot Double Sheathed Wood 1-1/2 Door Boxcars that were released in 1975, five of the nine lettered 42000 series 40 Foot Double Sheathed Wood Single Door Boxcars that were released in 1975, all of the 38000 series 50 Foot Plug Door Boxcars (without roofwalks) that were released in 1975, four of the twelve 35000 series lettered 40 Foot Despatch Stockcars that were released in 1974, one of the four lettered 29000 series 40 Foot Double Sheathed Wood Outside Braced 1-1/2 Door Boxcars that were released in 1975, two of the eleven lettered 23000 series 40 Foot Steel Double Door Boxcars that were released in 1973 and 1974, five of the eight lettered 22000 series 40 Foot Combo Plug and Sliding Door Boxcars released between 1973 and 1975, six of the nine lettered 21000 series 40 Foot Single Plug Door Boxcars that were released in 1973 and 1974, three of the twenty-seven lettered 40 Foot Single Sliding Door Boxcars that were released between 1972 and 1975, and all of the unlettered, and unlettered with dimensional data model releases from 1972 and 1975, five digit stock numbers for early production November 1972 - December 1975 releases with factory fitted Magne-Matic® knuckle couplers end in "1" through "9".
  • While the factory stock numbers for most of the Rapido coupler equipped freight cars produced from 1972 - 1977 typically end in "1" for five digit stock numbers, or "-1" in the case of a few extremely early six digit stock number releases, stock numbers for some of the plastic shrink-wrapped sets and models from these sets bear stock numbers ending in "3" or "-3".
  • While most post 1977 five digit factory stock numbers end in zero, stock numbers for plastic shrink-wrapped sets and some of the models from these sets bear stock numbers ending in "2".
  • The factory stock numbers for blister carded car kits end with the number "9".
  • While most post 1990 five digit factory stock numbers end in zero, series models, sets, and some individual releases (often bearing different reporting numbers for products released over a very short period of time) have stock numbers ending in "-1", "/1", "-2", "/2", "/3", or "1" through "9".
  • With the exception of two Kadee® Micro-Trains® 10-pack releases bearing stock numbers 380-10/1 (which was released in September 1986) and 380-10/2 (which was released in July 1987), 19000 series Bonus Pack sets of leftover models were periodically released in the year directly preceding and the years following the establishment of Micro-Trains® Line.
  • The first six digit factory stock number (100010) is introduced in March 1996.
  • Eight digit factory stock numbers are introduced in January 2005.
  • While most of the later production (post 1996) six and eight digit stock numbers end in zero, select models (typically those bearing different reporting numbers or factory supplied loads) end in ".1" through ".5" (for six digit stock number products) and "1" through "9" (for eight digit stock number products, "Runner Packs", "Series" cars, and individual "Tabletop Set" items).
  • Although the eight digit stock numbers for "Runner Packs" retain the ubiquitous digits "00" in the center, typically, the stock numbers for the individual products that are packaged within these sets bear center digits ranging from "51" through "58".

Micro-Trains® Chassis and Steps

  • Turned upside down, with the brake wheel facing right, Kadee® Micro-Trains® and Micro-Trains® Line models (except for cabooses, which are listed below) that are fitted with a chemically blackened cast metal chassis are properly assembled when the smaller of the two cylindrical shaped appendages (i.e., canister like shapes, the larger one represents an auxiliary air reservoir and the smaller one a brake cylinder) that are cast into the bottom of the metal frame appear above the pair of long, horizontal center lines that run between the two trucks. The three or four links of chain that have been cast next to the small cylinder should face the right side (the brake wheel end) of the car.
  • Turned upside down, with the offset cupola positioned toward your left and the long roof section facing right, Kadee® Micro-Trains® and Micro-Trains® Line wood sheathed caboose models that are fitted with a chemically blackened cast metal chassis are properly assembled when the smaller of two cylindrical shaped appendages (i.e., canister like shapes, the larger one represents an auxiliary air reservoir and the smaller one a brake cylinder) that are cast into the bottom of the metal frame appear below the pair of long, horizontal lines that run between the two trucks. The four links of chain that have been cast next to the small cylinder should face the left side (the cupola end) of the car.
  • Turned upside down, with the offset cupola positioned toward your left and the long roof section facing right, Micro-Trains® Line steel cabooses are properly assembled when the square box and the smaller of two cylindrical shaped appendages (i.e., canister like shapes, the larger one represents an auxiliary air reservoir and the smaller one a brake cylinder) that are cast into the bottom of the frame appear above the pair of long, horizontal lines that run between the two trucks. The four links of chain that have been cast next to the small cylinder should face the right side (the long roof end) of the car.
  • Injection molded plastic stirrup step moldings are properly attached to Kadee® Micro-Trains® and Micro-Trains® Line cars with cast metal chassis with pins when the half-round notches (half circle shaped cutouts that are positioned on one edge of each stirrup step molding) face outward (i.e., toward the couplers).

Notes: Never factory installed on any production rolling-stock, beginning in the late 1960s (as stock number MT-1040) and into the 1980s (as stock number 1024), Kadee® Quality Products marketed blister carded packages of factory assembled blackened cast zinc-alloy forty foot boxcar under-frames with Magne-Matic® knuckle couplers (stock number MT-5 which were introduced in 1968 for the MT-1040 under-frames and stock number 1025 for the 1024 under-frames) and draft gear that were fastened to the chassis by a pair of steel screws.

As noted in the "Turn of the Century Tooling" section, for some models, old tooling has been replaced and the newer parts differ from those that are found on earlier production releases.

Micro-Trains® Door Variations

  • On occasion, the wrong style of sliding-door was inadvertently factory installed on 40 Foot Standard Steel Boxcar bodies.
  • In some cases, these door variations can impact the value of a particular Kadee® Micro-Trains® model.
  • Collectors often use the abbreviation "NR" (or n/r) when they are referring to narrow rib ("Youngstown") doors, while the abbreviation "WR" (or w/r) is used to designate wide rib ("Superior") doors.
  • Narrow rib doors have fourteen horizontal ribs, while wide rib doors exhibit six ribs.

Micro-Trains Youngstown Narrow Rib and Superior Wide Rib Doors

Micro-Trains® Truck Variations

  • Likely designed to simplify final product assembly, factory fitted with either Magne-Matic® knuckle or Rapido style couplers and a pair of mounting ears (as opposed to the customary king pin holes), the extremely fragile, Clip-On-Truck made a very short appearance in the marketplace from September 1974 to October 1975.
  • With all of the marketed models packaged with white paper insert labels bearing black, blue, and green printing and MSRPs, along with a pair of extremely rare 40 Foot Double-Sheathed Wood Single Door Boxcars (stock number 42080 Union Pacific bearing road number 100104 and stock number 42551 Hills Brothers Coffee bearing road number 161), the only other Kadee® Micro-Trains® freight cars fitted with factory installed Clip-On-Trucks were 50 Foot Steel Single Door Boxcars bearing stock numbers 31000 (unlettered light brown paint with dimensional data), 31118 (Missouri Pacific with road numbers 352253 and 352278), 31139 (Pittsburgh & Lake Erie with road numbers 23025 and 23029), 31170 (Northern Pacific with road number 31468). 31463 (Delaware & Hudson with road number 22169), and 31487 (Chesapeake & Ohio with road numbers 21422 and 21427), 50 Foot Steel Single Plug Boxcars bearing stock numbers 32000 (unlettered light brown paint and unlettered light brown paint with dimensional data), 32076 (Santa Fe with road numbers 6119 and 6169), 32144 (Frisco with road number 12074), 32166 (Seaboard Coast Line with road numbers 492964 and 492966), 32499 (Nickel Plate Road with road number 85496), and 32507 (Burlington Refrigerator Express with road number 79577), 50 Foot Steel Combo Plug and Sliding Door Boxcars bearing stock numbers 33000 (unlettered light brown paint with dimensional data), 33089 (Union Pacific with road number 170509). 33121 (Cotton Belt with road number 48075), and 33451 (Western Maryland with road numbers 35001 and 35007), and 50 Foot Steel Double Door Boxcars bearing stock numbers 34000 (unlettered light brown paint and unlettered light brown paint with dimensional data), 34033 (Norfolk & Western with road number 285228), 34091 (Southern Pacific with road number 202519), 34105 (Denver & Rio Grande Western with road number 63555), 34151 (Baltimore & Ohio with road number 471310), and 34472 (Pennsylvania with road number 32156).
  • Later re-releases of the aforementioned 50 Foot Boxcars (i.e., leftover stock that required final assembly and the printing of new insert labels) had white paper insert labels bearing black label printing, "Formally" stock number text, new stock numbers ending in zero, no MSRP, and factory installed, "standard" king pin mounted trucks.
  • Produced around the same time frame as their Magne-Matic® knuckle coupler equipped counterparts, with the exception (to my knowledge that is) of the aforementioned pair of 40 Foot Wood Boxcars, the 50 Foot Boxcar models that were previously listed as having factory installed Clip-on-Trucks were also marketed with Rapido couplers.
  • Shipped with the same paper insert labels as cars fitted with king pin mounted trucks, short of scrutinizing a model's chassis prior to purchase, the manufacturer's packaging materials provide no insight into whether or not Clip-On-Trucks were factory installed.

Kadee Micro-Trains Clip-on-Trucks with Cast Metal Chassis

  • While a few other models are listed in various collector guides as having factory installed Clip-On-Trucks, only the previously listed Kadee® Micro-Trains® 50 Foot Steel Boxcars and 40 Foot Wood Boxcars are deemed to be legitimate factory produced models.
  • With the exception of extended length models (i.e., those with medium and long drawbars) and Rapido coupler equipped versions, the undersides of pre-Micro-Trains® Line production (circa pre-1991) Archbar, Bettendorf, and Roller-Bearing freight car trucks were embossed with the Kadee® name.
  • Contemporary production (circa post-1991) Micro-Trains® Line trucks have the Micro-Trains® name embossed on their undersides, or the coupler box cover.
  • Although they were no longer factory installed on post 1977 car releases, the production of individually blister carded stock number 1500 Rapido coupler equipped Bettendorf truck sets continued well into 2000.

Notes: Never factory installed on any production rolling-stock, Kadee® N Gauge (i.e., not a typo, as early production Kadee® Quality Products blister cards actually had the word "gauge" rather than "scale" printed on them) stock number MT-1000 Bettendorf trucks had Celcon® plastic frames and pointy ended axles, blackened cast zinc-alloy wheels (which have the propensity to corrode over time) with a centered hole and rib detail cast on the back side, and screwed to the truck frame with a steel screw, a draft box mounted MT-5 Magne-Matic® knuckle coupler, which was introduced in 1968...

Rather than the contemporary, rectangular shaped trip pins that most of us are familiar with, early production (i.e., circa 1972 - 1974) Magne-Matic® knuckle coupler equipped Kadee® Quality Products Micro-Trains® Bettendorf trucks were fitted with round trip pins that were fabricated out of wire.

Micro-Trains® Wheel Variations

  • Starting in November 1972, standard and special-run models are fitted with three piece (i.e., a blackened cast zinc-alloy axle with a pair of Celcon® plastic wheels with a pointed axle end on the front and rib detail on the back) rib-backed deep-flanged wheel-sets.

Kadee Micro-Trains Plastic Rib Backed Wheels with Cast Metal Axle

  • Beginning in September 1987, with the rib backed wheel-set molds either irreparably damaged, or simply worn out, regular and special-run models are fitted with black (except for some of the more contemporary releases that were fitted with brown, green, red, silver, and yellow wheel sets), one piece smooth-backed deep-flanged Delrin® plastic wheel-sets.
  • Along with a factory installed set of smooth-backed deep-flanged wheel-sets, an optional set of buyer installed, one piece smooth-backed low profile Delrin® wheel-sets are packaged with regular production model releases in July 2002.
  • Shipped without any optional, buyer installed smooth-backed deep-flanged wheel-sets, regular production model releases are fitted with factory installed smooth-backed low profile wheel-sets in September 2005.
  • Along with a factory installed set of smooth-backed low profile wheel-sets, an optional set of buyer installed, smooth-backed deep-flanged wheel-sets is packaged with regular production model releases from October 2005 to December 2006.
  • Along with a factory installed set of smooth-backed deep-flanged wheel-sets, an optional set of buyer installed, smooth-backed low profile wheel-sets is packaged with regular production model releases from January 2006 to July 2007.
  • Effective August 2007, low profile wheel-sets are no longer packaged with, or factory installed on regular production model releases.
  • Effective March 2010, all Micro-Trains® Line N-Scale rolling-stock releases are fitted with new, "Standard", 33-inch Delrin® wheel-sets that look more prototypical, are closer to the NMRA RP-25 contour, and are compatible with code 55 track products.

Micro-Trains Line Production Releases with Standard 33" Wheels Notice

  • Although they would not initially be fitted to any of the firm's factory released models, on July 1, 2017, Micro-Trains® Line introduced its new, 33-inch wheel-sets with chemically blackened metal wheels, plastic axles, and relief details on both sides of each wheel.

Micro-Trains Line 33" Metal Wheels Available Now Announcement

  • Harking back to the original 1960s era Kadee® design, the metal wheeled wheel-sets that are currently manufactured by Micro-Trains® Line are comprised of blackened die-cast zinc-alloy wheels that are mounted on pointy ended Celcon® plastic axles.

Notes: Never factory installed on any production rolling-stock, introduced in 1968, Kadee® marketed its stock number MT-1057 ribbed back wheel-sets, which were comprised of blackened cast zinc-alloy wheels (which have the propensity to corrode over time) with a centered hole and rib detail cast on the back side that were pressed onto a pointy ended Celcon® plastic axle.

Model train operators have bestowed the moniker "pizza cutter" upon the ubiquitous, extremely sharp edged, deep flanged one-piece injection molded plastic Micro-Trains® wheel-set design.

Ribbed-backed wheel sets have slightly deeper flanges than the aforementioned, classic, deep flanged one-piece injection molded plastic design.

Turn of the Century Tooling

As original tooling was replaced, significant changes to the Micro-Trains® Line 40 foot and 50 foot boxcars were made.

Door stops were flattened, now attached to square pegs located on the sides of the cast metal portion of the chassis, plastic stirrup step castings are no longer attached via top mounted pins, no longer exhibiting tapered edges, roofwalks became thicker, and detailed, injection molded plastic underbody subframes that are attached to a new, chemically blackened cast metal chassis were created.

In many cases, these contemporary parts were not designed to fit earlier production releases.

Exhibiting a flattened top, rather than the ubiquitous, mushroom like dome top, a slightly different kingpin design has also emerged.

Micro-Trains® Line covered hoppers with separate snap in hatches that were no longer hinged, yet still removable, appeared in 2016.

Boxcars with body mounted couplers and lower riding underframes began appearing In January 2019.  By 2020, many of the Micro-Trains® Line boxcar body styles were retrofitted with new chassis.

With changes also appearing on other Micro-Trains® Line bodystyles, there will be more on this topic in the near future.

View additional articles like this one in the Trains N Scale™ Models and Prototypes Blog.


 
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