Atlas 40' container review

[jagged ben]

Just got some of the new 40' Atlas containers in today.   Here's a quick review. 

Overall I'm very pleased with these.  I wasn't initially going to go for them, as I have lots of similar containers from other brands.  But after seeing that they would be sold in three-packs instead of two-packs for the same initially announced price, as well as seeing separate numbers, I decided to pull the trigger.

BTW, these are a modern, no-logo-panel version of a 40ft container.  Very appropriate for the post 2000 era.

Pros:
- Accurate look and detailing
- Really nice printing on the doors.  They printed the latching hardware in silver and black lines for the gaskets around the doors.
- Two different door versions: variations in the corrugations and latch placement. 
- Six separate road numbers, in two sets.  (Kato did 18 separate numbers on their first runs of Maxi-IVs, then backtracked on that and did a single number of every container since.  No one else ever did more than two numbers for a paint scheme, AFAIK.)   
- The floor is easily removed with a small screwdriver if you want to add magnets.  No glue or other hassles here.   (Very similar to DI hi-cubes.)  See other comments below.
- Colors seem very accurate to me on the Hanjin and Maersk versions.   The Hanjin's are an excellent match for similar DI and Kato versions.  The Maersk, maybe not so much, but I think it's due to others being off.

Cons:
They are just about 1/64" too long, and will not fit in Interail or DI Thrall Lo-pac cars.  While frustrating, this is a common occurrence ,as those cars are really made to scale and with a thick coat of paint the wells are not even really 40ft long.  (You should have no real problems, though, with DI Twinstacks or any other intermodal car.)

Other: 
- They come with locating pins for stacking, like Walthers or Kato containers.  The dimensions seem to be very slightly off, but the result is that you get a kind of press-fit that holds two of the them together tightly enough to pick them up and shake them as a unit.  I'm not confident the pins will be durable for a lot of interchanging over time, but to me this doesn't matter as I have my self-developed magnet method that makes this moot.
- You'll need some tacky putty if you want to put weights inside and not have them roll around.  No big deal. 

I took some pictures but it's getting late, so maybe I'll post those later.  (I know, I should be banned for that.   )

[tdtrains15]

Thanks for the review.  I just went out and picked up a set of Hanjins.  Love em!  Thanks again!  td

[jagged ben]

Okay, pics!

First the door ends.  Note the differences between the Maersk and Hanjin.

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Side view, stacked.
I did have a bit of trouble stacking the Hanjin on top of the Maersk.  I gather the different door tooling makes them slightly out of line.  I mashed one of the pins together in the process.  As I said above, I will use my own magnets so I really don't care, but just letting you know.

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Door ends from left to right:  Kato, Atlas, Deluxe.  The Atlas really stands out.  Kato did make some containers decorated similarly, but those were the high cubes and don't come with well cars.

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Top to bottom :  Deluxe, Atlas, Kato
Note the Deluxe is an older prototype with logo panels.  Also no URL.  The URL seems to have appeared on new cans in 2002.  It would be nice to have a non-logo panel version with no URL, since that is most of what you'd have seen between about 1997 and 2002, and they are still common today.
As you can see, color matches quite decently on the Hanjins.  Prototypes vary considerably more when weathered.
I really don't care much for the oversize top and bottom edges on the Kato, and the compromised corner brackets.  The Atlas is a considerably better model of the same thing.

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[GaryHinshaw]

Finally! 

Those look great - and it will be really nice not to have to finish off the door hardware myself.   Now 53 foot JB Hunt please!

[Scottl]

Those do look great.  I might have to pick up some.

[Denver Road Doug]

Got some of the Maersk over the weekend.   Agree they look great, and yeah....about friggin' time we finally have a good 40ft no-panel container in N.

I wonder if Atlas intended for these to be a three-pack all along?   I know initially it was a two-pack at the same price.  Street was about $8ea, and DI's were approaching that.   The Atlas are much better with the painted door hardware, etc.

I hope Atlas wears this tooling out in a hurry.     (not really, but you catch my drift)  We need anything and everything regarding schemes.

[Scottl]

Is the door hardware really a separate piece, or is it just painted?

Also, they come in "OUT" and "LTR" doors- does anyone know the difference?

[jagged ben]

Is the door hardware really a separate piece, or is it just painted?

The latch hardware are molded on detail that's painted/printed to stand out.  The door gasket lines are printed.

Also, they come in "OUT" and "LTR" doors- does anyone know the difference?

Look at the first photo, the Maersk is one of them and the Hanjin is the other, but I couldn't tell you which is which.   

[Scottl]

There are more panels in the Maersk door- that seems to be the difference.

Funny about the door hardware, Atlas suggested otherwise in the announcement http://www.atlasrr.com/nfreight/n40shcontainer.htm#.VpxXt_krLIU

[nkalanaga]

If you need the pins, and have problems with the cast-on ones, they'd be easy to replace with brass wire.  I did that 25-30 years ago for some ore containers for my narrow gauge, built from pieces of MP 20 ft boxes.

[Atlas Paul]

Is the door hardware really a separate piece, or is it just painted?

Also, they come in "OUT" and "LTR" doors- does anyone know the difference?

It has to do with the way the door levers are oriented.  The Maersk container is OUT (all of the handles face towards the edge of the container).  The Hanjin is LTR (the handles are on the left rod, top one faces right).

[Scottl]

Thanks Paul, very nice models and an excellent addition to your line.  Here is hoping you "wear" out the tooling with different schemes!

[GaryHinshaw]

And here's to hoping that you consider adding this container to your N scale line:

http://www.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/ho53cimccontainer.htm

Or even better, this version with horizontal end corrugations (and paint scheme):

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3418711

[Apologies for sounding like a broken record.]

[peteski]

[Apologies for sounding like a broken record.]

It's ok to do that Gary (as long as you aren't discussing something like Bachmann's inconsistent quality) .

[MetroRedLine]

- You'll need some tacky putty if you want to put weights inside and not have them roll around.  No big deal. 

I use the same adhesive caulk I use for gluing down my track and roadbed to glue down weights on the floors of my containers. I use cut-up used bass guitar strings (the lower B or E strings) in bunches as container weights (I'm a musician and put those used strings to good use!).