NTS Atlas N Scale Announcements

[CBQ Fan]

Hmmm ....  just pointing out that Atlas utilizes more than two contractors, so this never was a situation where there would be no Atlas products at all coming to market.

Ya, their locomotives and rolling stock are fairly minor when looking at the whole picture!   

[ljudice]

@PGBowler2 the Walthers NACC car had some serious problems such as rivets near the doors being a scale 4" long. Will the tooling be updated as you announce new product? The cars you have chosen with this announcement were the best of Walthers previous tooling. The PS covered hopper was pretty good as well, but could certainly use a new roof with etched roof walk. The cryo cars were fairly good: the end steps need to be thinned out and a new under frame is absolutely necessary. My favorite car is the PD5000, but the current one wouldn't even pass for Trainman. It really needs new end cages, steps, etched roof walk, body mount couplers and proper ride height 100t trucks. Elevating the model to standards similar to the BLMA model would also reduce confusion (they are both large PD style hoppers though they are very different prototypes).

Also, do you know what the plan is on the inherited engines? Will they be converted to DCC/sound as you are doing with the current master line? Will the Walthers mid phase shell be adapted to take the standard Atlas GP38/39/40/-2 chassis? Will the same happen to the GP18/20 on the GP7/9 chassis?

The wood rack cars are salvageable too...

[BCR 570]

On the subject of acquired tooling, I would like to know if Atlas acquired the Life-Like chassis for the Hobbycraft Canada ALCO C-424.  It is a great running mechanism and the ALCO C-424 and C-425 are gaping holes in the Atlas N Scale locomotive line-up.

Tim

[cjm413]

@PGBowler2 the Walthers NACC car had some serious problems such as rivets near the doors being a scale 4" long. Will the tooling be updated as you announce new product? The cars you have chosen with this announcement were the best of Walthers previous tooling. The PS covered hopper was pretty good as well, but could certainly use a new roof with etched roof walk. The cryo cars were fairly good: the end steps need to be thinned out and a new under frame is absolutely necessary. My favorite car is the PD5000, but the current one wouldn't even pass for Trainman. It really needs new end cages, steps, etched roof walk, body mount couplers and proper ride height 100t trucks. Elevating the model to standards similar to the BLMA model would also reduce confusion (they are both large PD style hoppers though they are very different prototypes).

Also, do you know what the plan is on the inherited engines? Will they be converted to DCC/sound as you are doing with the current master line? Will the Walthers mid phase shell be adapted to take the standard Atlas GP38/39/40/-2 chassis? Will the same happen to the GP18/20 on the GP7/9 chassis?

The biggest problem with the Walthers 4427 is that it's not the Exactrail 4427:

https://exactrail.com/products/n-scale-ps-2cd-4427-covered-hopper-cnw

However, the tooling is probably good enough to sell it as a Trainman car at a significantly lower price than the Exactrail model.

[EmdFan]

On the subject of acquired tooling, I would like to know if Atlas acquired the Life-Like chassis for the Hobbycraft Canada ALCO C-424.  It is a great running mechanism and the ALCO C-424 and C-425 are gaping holes in the Atlas N Scale locomotive line-up.

Tim

The C-424 was unfortunately not part of the tooling acquisition.

[Mark5]

Here's one of the Wabash RBLs in 1974 so I will be getting one of these:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/wab/wab783659ags.jpg

Nice pic from 1966:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/wab/wab783632s25.jpg

Mark

[Curtis Kyger]

So... does Hobbycraft own the tooling for the C424 mechanism?  And who owns the dies for the shell?

[learmoia]

I thought LL/Walthers had the C424 since they did 1-2 US releases a few years after the Canadian models.

~Ian

[EmdFan]

Paul may chime in with more information. I don't know where the Century tooling went, likely to Hobbycraft. That and the 0-8-0 were not included in the transaction.

As far as upgrades to the WKW cars and locos, we are taking them on a case by case basis. Some are suitable as they are, others will potentially be upgraded. Locomotives will, for the most part, be upgraded to DCC/Sound. There may be an exception or two but we're not done with our analysis yet.

Steve

[CBQ Fan]

Paul may chime in with more information. I don't know where the Century tooling went, likely to Hobbycraft. That and the 0-8-0 were not included in the transaction.

As far as upgrades to the WKW cars and locos, we are taking them on a case by case basis. Some are suitable as they are, others will potentially be upgraded. Locomotives will, for the most part, be upgraded to DCC/Sound. There may be an exception or two but we're not done with our analysis yet.

Steve

Oh the 0-8-0 really hurts, was hoping to buy one on the Walthers cancelled run.  Bummer!

[Mark5]

That and the 0-8-0 were not included in the transaction.

Does this mean the Berkshire and Y3 are now Atlas?

Mark

[peteski]

Oh the 0-8-0 really hurts, was hoping to buy one on the Walthers cancelled run.  Bummer!

Yeah, that stinks!
I wonder why it was not included in the purchase?  I could sure used few more of those, and being able to purchase its tender as a spare part would have been great too.

That makes me wonder if the 2-8-8-2 Mallet was also not part of the deal.

[nkalanaga]

Sirenwerks:  All of the GN RBLs I'd seen pictures of were PC&F cars.  But looking at a print roster, there was a group of five, 200075-79, for which I have no pictures.  Do you have any other information on them?  The side sill is a little different from the Walthers car, but I'd consider buying one if offered.

[BCR 570]

So... does Hobbycraft own the tooling for the C424 mechanism?  And who owns the dies for the shell?

My understanding, and I may stand to be corrected, was that Hobbycraft Canada owned the shell and Life-Like did the mechanism for them, which was then made available to Life-Like for their own run of U.S. road names.

It would be nice to see the mechanism surface somewhere as it runs so well.


Tim

[nscalbitz]

Wouldn’t this just be the ultimate N scale irony if Atlas is able to crank out ex Walthers products while their own tooling becomes dormant?

Irony?
Really, so according to you a major industry player has just plain dumb luck to ensure its survivibility?
Do you really think that contracts for transfer of major income assets are handed over in a matter of weeks? Or that proposed closure of manufacturing lines wouldn't have been discussed a year or not more in advance?

Or that maybe negotiations have been ongoing for 12 or more months? And the selection and provision of a line to supplant OR supplement existing production would be planned in with arranagements for warehousing (given the vendor) of future production and mass distribution capability.

With future distribution rights and costs deferred both initial capital savings and a revenue stream are assured both parties. Seems like a win-win far into the foreseeable future.

The apparent early closure of a plant may or may not have interupted a schedule, or be right on time.
FWIW, regards d