Atlas December Listings

[bbussey]

... Having been in N scale for 30 year I am thrilled at the selection of product, both new and in after market venues.... it's never been better and we're still seeing a steady, if not somewhat diminished flow of new offerings... and there is of course that arcaine art of kitbashing and scratchbuilding...

I'm sorry; but I can't subscribe to your opinion that "the sky is falling" in nscale...the sky is still bright and those clouds that are slowing new products are a function of world economics and will; as always, blow out, and in, and out....

Exactly, to both points.

[Scottl]

+1

[lock4244]

Another point would be look at all the goodies that have been released in N by other mfg's since 2010.

BB's (ESM) beautiful XIH boxcars (and we all hope some more CP are in the pipeline) plus upcoming X58
The IM SD40-2W (detractors aside, I love them), IM R-70-20 reefer
BLMA PS4000cuft covered hoppers, 52'6" gons and the spine cars, plus upcoming F89, those big reefers
Exactrail HS gons, 4000 and 4427 cuft covered hoppers, a few boxcars, that big reefer
FVM Hiawatha, GEVO, upcoming GP60M and GP60B
Bluford 14 panel and offset hoppers, upcoming caboose
Prairie Shadows (Rapido) CN PSC van
MTL 4427 covered hoppers
Trainworx trailers and upcoming 85' flatcar
Walthers Greenville ballast hopper and a re-tooled, redesigned and updated jewel case

Damn, that ain't a bad list, and it's not complete, either.

[James Costello]

Everyone wants an S2.  But how many are people a ready to buy at $150-$175 for just the DC model?
Jason

I don't want an S2. But I'd think about that price for a SW1500 that gets described as the "best N scale switcher ever made"

[ljudice]

I had forgotten about the Walthers jewel case....   

 

[ljudice]

I bet if you looked carefully, the number of new locos and cars (EXCLUDING KATO) are the same or HIGHER than the average over the past 10 or so years. The business model changed, the risk is spread out over more companies and the lead times are unpredictable due to the pipeline problems.

And then there's Kato.

Kato (and if anyone out there is more knowledgeable than me on this, please correct me) is in a class by itself. It is a much larger company than Atlas, has in house engineering, tooling and manufacturing - and frankly, you need to take them out of the equation, because right now they probably represent 75% of the new tooling in N-scale (count all the passenger cars that are newly tooled).  I bet they are also over half the volume.  Love em or hate em, they are not in the same league.


- Lou

[Puddington]

I don't want an S2. But I'd think about that price for a SW1500 that gets described as the "best N scale switcher ever made"

...and I'm the opposit; the Alco S unit would be a draw at a high price range but an SW 1500 doesn't do anything for me.... different strokes...........

[bbussey]

I bet if you looked carefully, the number of new locos and cars (EXCLUDING KATO) are the same or HIGHER than the average over the past 10 or so years. The business model changed, the risk is spread out over more companies and the lead times are unpredictable due to the pipeline problems.

And then there's Kato.

Kato (and if anyone out there is more knowledgeable than me on this, please correct me) is in a class by itself. It is a much larger company than Atlas, has in house engineering, tooling and manufacturing - and frankly, you need to take them out of the equation, because right now they probably represent 75% of the new tooling in N-scale (count all the passenger cars that are newly tooled).  I bet they are also over half the volume.  Love em or hate em, they are not in the same league.


- Lou

Kato Japan perhaps.  But Kato USA, while obviously not the red-headed stepchild, is still not the major focus of the parent company and never has been.  KUSA has to deal with limited production run slots at KJP, the same way most of the other manufacturers have to deal with limited production run slots with the contractors in China, but their trans-Pacific pipeline has a little less bottleneck in it.

[wcfn100]

...and I'm the opposit; the Alco S unit would be a draw at a high price range but an SW 1500 doesn't do anything for me.... different strokes...........

The S1-4 would be a good Trainman Locomotive.  Most people only know the different trucks that were used so Atlas could represent all four with a single model and just have second set of trucks if they want to appease those darn nit-pickers.


Jason

[Bob Bufkin]

Actually the Alco S series and the SW-1500 are both badly needed.  The S series served long enought to work beside the SW-1500s on some railroads.  I think both would go flying off dealer shelves.

[Brakie]

Don't forget price.  It's been 3-4 years since the last Master Loco which went for $140 and we've seen about 20% across the board (even Kato had to up their prices).

Everyone wants an S2.  But how many are people a ready to buy at $150-$175 for just the DC model?

Jason

That doesn't seem to be slowing the HO market down but,what does scare me is  near HO prices for  N Scale.

That could be damaging in more ways then one..

[Wardie]

The S1-4 would be a good Trainman Locomotive.  Most people only know the different trucks that were used so Atlas could represent all four with a single model and just have second set of trucks if they want to appease those darn nit-pickers.


Jason

No the S series is not a good trainman contention, every road I model had versions of them and they are the last major gap in my roster, I want them at the master quality level, with attention paid to the variations. I need some for my roster that are as specific as being equippend with MU on one end, and some double ended.

The radiators are quite different for one thing between the 600hp and 1000hp models.

[lashedup]

I think one thing that may or may not have been mentioned in the case of Atlas is that they have been shifting stuff to new production lines and that means a lot more logistics and delays to get up and running somewhere else.

I do think that we've been spoiled the last 5 years with a LOT of new stuff from a variety of manufacturers. Then the economy took a dump in 2009 and costs and production schedules in China went haywire. So now we have a little bit less completely new stuff from some of the biggies like Athearn and Atlas. However Kato, FVM, BLMA, ESM, Trainworx, WOT, Bluford and others are still cranking out new releases and all-new tooling of stuff not done previously or recently.

Separating out the new releases that I actually want/need as opposed to the stuff I'd personally like to see produced are two distinct things. Maybe that's part of the problem? Expectations are always difficult to manage...

- jamie

[TiVoPrince]

Nscale  
has a much higher order of tolerances regarding precision in moulding and assembly versus HO. 

I would like a new locomotive too, but I want it at the quality of research, moulding, mechanisim and assembly benchmarks Atlas has set.  If Atlas has not found a manufacturing site that can meet this standard I'm eternally glad they have not chosen to reduce quality just to release 'something' to quiet those who constantly clamour a 'new' toy...

[bbussey]

...and I'm the opposit; the Alco S unit would be a draw at a high price range but an SW 1500 doesn't do anything for me.... different strokes...........

And the S-1 / S-3 / S-4 switchers never have been done in N other than brass.  But I think the hypothetical MSRP that would have to be set probably makes any switcher a crap shoot these days, at least until the economy improves in a couple of years.

That doesn't seem to be slowing the HO market down but,what does scare me is  near HO prices for  N Scale.

That could be damaging in more ways then one..

Why?  Because an N scale model automatically should be 54% of what the HO model cost?  Z scale is more expensive than both of them.

I'm surprised N scale isn't more expensive overall now.  Less circulation, equally labor-intensive, equal effort regarding tooling work, not much less in regard to material usage.