Time for a new Atlas 40' Plug door in N

[daniel_leavitt2000]

It would be nice if we could get a core kit like we have for passenger cars and order sides/ends/roof that matched our specific prototype. Way too small a potential market for that I a afraid.

[MichaelWinicki]

The old PS1 had that nasty look door on it. Other than clunky steps and running board what is wrong with the plug door?

Even just replacing the running board improves this model a ton.  I've recently done that to several of mine and the appearance is night & day. 

[MichaelWinicki]

As long as it is done in a respectful way. BTW, we could use some new 50 ft plug doors as well. 

Best wishes, Dave

You said it.

Comparing my 40' fleet with my 50' fleet... Other than the ESM 50's... My 50' box car fleet lags behind when it comes to overall quality/realism.

[sirenwerks]

Maybe the point is we could use some more variety.  Look at 40' steel ice reefers.  The two quality models are both PFE prototypes.  Granted, PFE had the largest fleet but a large chunk of the market's still missing.  In regards to meat reefers, slapping the wrong paint job on them doesn't change the fact that they're the wrong prototype for many of Midwestern modelers.  In business you can follow demand or create it.  Both business models are viable.

[OldEastRR]

Be nice to hear what Atlas (officially or unofficially) thinks about this. I'm not saying they scrap the current Trainman plug door, just add a premium version of one, like they did for the PS-1. And I don't think that the demand for more kinds of plug doors is way way less than for PS-1s. Or AAR 1932 boxcars.  As for options, several kinds of doors could be offered, like with the Atlas PS-1. Just glue them in flush from the inside rather than on from the outside.
Kitbashing is great if you're good at it. Not everybody can saw apart a couple of cars and get all  the pieces reassembled so there's no gaps, mismatches, or overlap. And is there any listing showing which cars are used for which component parts? I want a StanRay roof on the current 40' Atlas plug. What model do I sacrifice to get that? 

[wcfn100]

I want a StanRay roof on the current 40' Atlas plug. What model do I sacrifice to get that?

If you're talking about a Diagonal Panel Roof), then Intermountain has one for their 40' box cars.  I did a similar thing with an Atlas Steel Rebuilt car and an Intermountain Panel roof.

This is the only shot I have of the car with the old roof removed.



IIRC, I removed the middle of the roof first because I could be a little more aggressive with either a dremel or drilling holes and using a side cutter, and then finished the edges with some files.

Roof fit.



Painted*.



Jason

[OldEastRR]

The Stanray Diagional I want is like that found on the old ConCor plug door or ice reefer, or the type on the MTL 50' covered gondola cover roof. I don't think IMRR makes any roof like that.

[central.vermont]

OldeastRR,
What does the roof look like? There looks like there might be a couple of variations of the StanRay roof you are referring to.
Take a look at this link and see what style it is you are referring too.

Jon

edit;
oops forgot the link 

http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/index.php?title=NEB%26W_Introduction_to_Freight_Car_Roofs

[wcfn100]

. I don't think IMRR makes any roof like that.

Jason

[sirenwerks]

It would be nice if we could get a core kit like we have for passenger cars and order sides/ends/roof that matched our specific prototype.

At last, someone else says it.

It would be nice if N scale had a source, other than IMRC, for an array of car ends, roofs, and doors.  Making a 'core' is easy enough, it's just a box, and even creating etched sides, with whatever range of panels, is within grasp of many, but filling it realistically is where the challenge begins.  Having a manufacturer that provided constant access to parts would help stop the vulturing.

[Scottl]

That sounds like a good opportunity for a  crowd sourced project.   Get the community to front for the tooling and find a small company that is willing to produce them.  Maybe Atlas might be willing to be involved, or another manufacturer so that people would be confident the components would be available.

It is a way for those without the skills to invest in those that do, and to push companies to invest where there is interest, but perhaps not the normal kind of economics to justify a model product.

Anyone with knowledge of tooling know what it would take?  $25K, $50K?  More?  I don't see those numbers as deal breakers.  Just need a champion.

[bbussey]

Correct. So why is discussing/advocating for a newly tooled 40 ft plug door a bad idea?  Bryan, I understand your points about limited resources, but the same could be said every time someone brings up a wish list. I think we all get the "do some modeling" response so that is always an option. That said, I don't see anything improper about lobbying manufacturers for new models. As long as it is done in a respectful way. BTW, we could use some new 50 ft plug doors as well. 

Advocating for a boxcar in general?  Nothing wrong.  Banging the company that's already providing a multitude of new tooling on an annual basis and just released the by-far #1 item on the boxcar list?  Not so much.

The ESM X58 is relatively new.  Aside from that, The Athearn 50' PS-1 is fine.  Etched roofwalk, good detail and correct proportions.

... My only issue is the 'logic' presented in the thread.  Just because a model is old, doesn't mean it should be automatically retooled in lieu of another car.

I agree 100%

It would be nice if we could get a core kit like we have for passenger cars and order sides/ends/roof that matched our specific prototype. Way too small a potential market for that I a afraid.

At last, someone else says it.

It would be nice if N scale had a source, other than IMRC, for an array of car ends, roofs, and doors.  Making a 'core' is easy enough, it's just a box, and even creating etched sides, with whatever range of panels, is within grasp of many, but filling it realistically is where the challenge begins.  Having a manufacturer that provided constant access to parts would help stop the vulturing.

Very unlikely to happen.  There's no money in it.  That's why the passenger car kit market dried up as far as plastic car sides are concerned.  One of the biggest ESM mistakes was doing the decorated passenger car sides.

People don't like to hear the "do some modeling" response, but it's pretty spot on.  Just about everyone here has done a major kitbash of one type or another.  When a new model is released, I always look at what parts/details can be harvested from it as well as how the model is overall.  I don't mind kitbashing a model I want to see.  At this point in N scale history, all the generic prototypes have been done, and we've moved to the esoteric prototypes.  That list is extremely long, and far too long to be exhausted while model railroading is still a viable hobby.  So the best thing to do, if enough components exist, is to kitbash.  It's extremely unlikely that the FGE 40' FGE plug door ice reefer I kitbashed will ever be tooled.  But I was able to kitbash it relatively easily because all of the components existed on other models.  Same thing applies regarding the FGE RB boxcar (which is the prototype for the Atlas HO model).  Con-Cor sides, InterMountain roof and ends.

[bbussey]

... Anyone with knowledge of tooling know what it would take?  $25K, $50K?  More?  I don't see those numbers as deal breakers.  Just need a champion.

That covers your tooling expense.  Add another $25k-$50k for each production run, from which you have to use the profit of each run to amortize the tooling expense.  Factor in the discount structure for distribution and retail, unless you think it's possible to sell everything direct.

It's not impossible, but you have to think everything through.

[Dave Schneider]

Advocating for a boxcar in general?  Nothing wrong.  Banging the company that's already providing a multitude of new tooling on an annual basis and just released the by-far #1 item on the boxcar list?  Not so much.

Wow Bryan, we really have different takes on this thread. I didn't see anything different here that the many, many, many requests/discussions that people have brought up before. I guess you saw it differently, which is certainly your right.  Totally agree with your point that there are many components out there that can be combined, and I am working on a new attempt at a Milwaukee Road 40' plug door. That said, still waiting for my Intermountain order of in stock parts to arrive (one month at present). I did thank them profusely for offering components for sale.

Best wishes, Dave

[OldEastRR]

Jason

Is that the 40' 12 panel (GN type) boxcar? And how do I order parts from IM? I didn't see any listing on the the website for them.