Time for a new Atlas 40' Plug door in N

[Dave Schneider]

And how do I order parts from IM? I didn't see any listing on the the website for them.

You can call or email. It is a bit of a confusing process.  I got an email invoice for my order but no indication of how to pay. I called them and they said to pay for the shipment when it arrives in the mail. That was a new one for me.  Note that it isn't clear what they have available or when it will ship.  You place an order and then they see if they have it. If they don't have what you want there is a wait for a new run of components. This is a minor part of their business and they do it as a favor to modelers.

Best wishes, Dave

[wcfn100]

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.

They don't list parts, and they may or may not have what you need at the time, but if you call them and ask if they have any, they'll probably send you one for nothing.  Otherwise, if you look long enough, you can find older kits for $3-5 and just harvest the roof and save the ladders and brake valves and such for other projects. 

If all else fails, IM is releasing the 12 panel car kits this year.  I haven't confirmed that they will have the diagonal panel roofs, but they should as that's what the GN cars have.  I would double check if you go this route.


Jason

[bbussey]

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.

Dave, I didn't see it as the standard "wish list" request.  And maybe I'm overly sensitive to it.  But I don't think it's fair to make the 40' plug door boxcar request of Atlas (more of a demand is how I read it, based on them offering the HO model already) when they are in the process of rolling out the new PS-1 boxcar program in multiple variations — a model that has been a huge request for years, ever since it was realized that the PS-1 model which ushered in finely-detailed scale N scale models 40 years ago has inaccurate dimensions.  And actually, it would make more sense in my opinion instead of a new 40' plug door car to tool new lowered-brakewheel ends and ladders for the PS-1, which adds another dozen or so body variations and satisfies a larger percentage of the consumer base.

[Dave Schneider]

Okay. Fair enough. I certainly didn't mean to demand or bash Atlas. Just like those plug door boxcars!
Have a good night.

Best wishes, Dave

[Dave Schneider]

They don't list parts, and they may or may not have what you need at the time, but if you call them and ask if they have any, they'll probably send you one for nothing.  Otherwise, if you look long enough, you can find older kits for $3-5 and just harvest the roof and save the ladders and brake valves and such for other projects. 

If all else fails, IM is releasing the 12 panel car kits this year.  I haven't confirmed that they will have the diagonal panel roofs, but they should as that's what the GN cars have.  I would double check if you go this route.


Jason

Jason,

I have 20 diagonal panel roofs on order for my beer car project and they say that they are in stock. They are charging me .75 cents a piece since it is a large order (plus ends).

Best wishes, Dave

[bbussey]

In regard to InterMountain parts — I've both called and emailed.  Only a handful of times have I had to wait until a production run arrived, such as the Pacemaker boxcar doors and modified ends which are a match for a series of New Haven AAR boxcars.  And the parts were either at no cost or for a nominal fee, depending on the quantity.  The majority of my kitbashes over recent years feature InterMountain parts.  I definitely recommend using their vast array of parts as a source.

Another tip:  The BLMA trucks are an easy way to lower high-riding cars.  The newer Atlas trucks on the PS-1, TOFC and modern coil car follow this design.  Many of the PS-1 models released by Atlas so far are based on prototypes that ran on ASF A-3 trucks and not Barber S-2A trucks.  The S-2A 50-ton trucks are a good option for many of the high-riding models based on earlier prototypes.  Atlas is planning on offering the trucks separately, but it hasn't happened as of yet.  So, by swapping in A-3 trucks on your PS-1 models, you have a source of S-2A trucks for other projects.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Not to jack this thread....

Bryan, did they mention if they were going to offer the roller bearing trucks from the 89' flat separately as well? If these are cheaper than the BLMA, that might help converting my 800 car fleet to lower height. 

[bbussey]

This would be one of the products that I would lobby Atlas for, given that it's already tooled.  And the coil car trucks also.

[cjm413]

Nothing "wrong" but it has a P-S roof which precludes using it as a prototypical version for some railroads and companies. I just wonder why they made one version in HO and another in N of the same type of car.

The N scale model of the P-S car is significantly older than the HO model of the FGE car.

[cjm413]

It's tough to complain about this Atlas model in this forum, when it's easy enough to extract the sides and combine it with various roof and ends to get the prototypes desired.  At least the dimensions of this 40-year-old model are close to accurate.  Same with the 40' double door.

...vs the 50' single and double door cars that are pretty much too FUBAR to use for anything.  Why not ask Atlas to put these cars out of their misery by offering N scale versions of their ex-Branchline 50' cars (and separate roofs, ends, etc) that are now part of their HO product line?  This assumes that any other N scale manufacturers that may be listening don't fill this giant void first 

Carl Marsico

[bbussey]

The 50' double-door is based on PRR X41 and is fairly accurate.

The models in question are in the Trainman line, which is used to introduce new modelers to the hobby in a cost-effective manner.  They've introduced an accurate 40' PS-1.  Athearn has accurate 50' PS-1 variants, and InterMountain has the AAR 40' and 50' variants.  That covers the bulk of the designs that were in general use and not esoteric.  The ACF and PC&F boxcar lines haven't been done, but it makes little sense for Atlas to introduce another mid-20th century 40' model when they're still pumping out new variations on the PS-1.

Again, if you're here on Railwire complaining about models not being RTR, the answer is to start honing your modeling skills and kitbash/scratchbuild what isn't available if you want it badly enough.

[wcfn100]

  That covers the bulk of the designs that were in general use and not esoteric. 

Maybe, but it's still just a small fraction of designs used during the same period.  Even the most modest rosters needs more variety.

Even the Atlas PS-1 as great as it is, isn't going to be accurate for many of the paint schemes they will offer,  I'm curious if they'll even do some of the 10' car schemes at some point.

Jason

[cjm413]

The 50' double-door is based on PRR X41 and is fairly accurate.

The models in question are in the Trainman line, which is used to introduce new modelers to the hobby in a cost-effective manner.  They've introduced an accurate 40' PS-1.  Athearn has accurate 50' PS-1 variants, and InterMountain has the AAR 40' and 50' variants.  That covers the bulk of the designs that were in general use and not esoteric.  The ACF and PC&F boxcar lines haven't been done, but it makes little sense for Atlas to introduce another mid-20th century 40' model when they're still pumping out new variations on the PS-1.

Again, if you're here on Railwire complaining about models not being RTR, the answer is to start honing your modeling skills and kitbash/scratchbuild what isn't available if you want it badly enough.

That's the best thing about the Branchline cars - you could use the separate roofs and ends to build pretty much anything...at least in HO...

[cjm413]

Maybe, but it's still just a small fraction of designs used during the same period.  Even the most modest rosters needs more variety.

Even the Atlas PS-1 as great as it is, isn't going to be accurate for many of the paint schemes they will offer,  I'm curious if they'll even do some of the 10' car schemes at some point.

Jason

The Atlas plug door car is a good starting point for a 40' PS-1 with a 9' sliding door...

[bbussey]

The Atlas plug door car is a good starting point for a 40' PS-1 with a 9' sliding door...

Not practical.  Only KCS, CGW and MDT had 40' PS-1 boxcars with plug doors.  Only CNW, GBW, L&C, L&N, MILW, MKT and Southern had 9' sliding doors. Not enough to tool new sides when there are at least 16 roads each (not counting scheme variations) of the 6', 7' and 8' doors.  Don't look for the double sliding doors either.