New Paint Schemes on Atlas Shorty Heavyweight Cars

[Nato]

            The Atlas Shorty Heavyweight cars are back with new paint schemes. Rio Grande is very nicely done. I just finished reading "Colorado Rail Annual No. 33" "Rio Grande Standard Gauge Passenger Trains & Cars, published by the Colorado Railroad Museum. Atlas has really done their homework here. Yes I know as a semi Rivet Counter, that these short length cars except for the Railway Post Office car are not really correct, but the car numbers and the "Spanish Fork Canyon" name on the observation car are correct.The four stripe Grande Gold(orange?) and silver paint scheme is really nicely applied there is even a Drum Head / Tail Sign on the rear platform of the observation car. The prototypical Black car ends add a touch of class. Milwaukee Road cars have an Orange and Maroon paint scheme found on heavyweight commuter cars. The name"Snoqualime" located in Washington State is on the observation car. The numbers on the other cars appear to be correctly researched . The third set I purchased ,along with single add on coach's to make each set six cars, is "Grand Trunk Western". This set is in the 1950's era Canadian National Green and Black paint with yellow gold? striping and numbers. I do not have any reference books to check out car numbers however I would be pretty sure Atlas has done their homework on these cars . Nate Goodman (Nato). 

[CRL]

I picked up a couple of the green & black unlettered Combine cars. I’m pleased with them generally. The trucks seem a little cheesy, but I may cut the couplers off the trucks and go with body mounted Z-scale couplers... or not if they run ok.

I found (then lost) an online photo of the SP running a green & black Combine on the Clifton & Globe, Arizona branchlines during what appears to be the 1960’s... or thereabouts, so they’ll fit with my planned layout.

[thomasjmdavis]

Nato,
The GTW cars are numbered with logical numbers for coaches, baggage, etc.  The baggage numbers are for cars that were 60', but much wider spacing between the doors (overall, it is close enough for me- and this saves me having to paint one).  The MT RPO is closer (if you close one window on each side of the MT, you end up with a car that is very close to the GTW).  The coach numbers are OK, but otherwise I think the cars are complete foobies- should be full length cars- in fact rebuilt parlor cars (here, again, the MT parlor is close, would need to have the drawing room windows replaced paired windows).  The single car obs is numbered 84, which was the number of an 82' business car (wood on steel frame, but rebuilt with steel plating).  67 (number of the obs in the set) I have no reference for- but I will assume the number was off the roster (or had moved to the CN roster) or renumbered prior to the 1954 ORPTE, or the couple GTW books I have. As you say, the folks at Atlas seem to have done their homework as far as finding plausible numbers, even if many of the cars are representing cars 20 feet longer.

[CRL]

I’m willing to put up with the shorter than prototype cars since they look so much better on the typical radius curves we encounter on our layouts.

[Tom L]

The Milwaukee Road combine looks similar to the one in this photo. Mixed train service on the Mineral Point branch. They ran the combines behind the engine and with a caboose, which you can just see behind two 70 ton hoppers.

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Tom L
Wellington CO

[garethashenden]

So for the B&M cars:
The RPO has too many windows, otherwise it’s pretty good.
The baggage car should be 65’ and on 4 wheel trucks.
Both the coach and combine should be 80’ cars. The windows on the combine are about right, but the coach windows should be notable higher.
The B&M didn’t have any observation cars and Atlas didn’t make any. They probably could have sold them, but I think it’s good they didn’t try. On the whole I’m glad these were made, it’s nice to have more B&M passenger equipment. The head end cars will look good in between my BLI E7s and Rapido OBLW coaches.

[nscalbitz]

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            The Atlas Shorty Heavyweight cars are back with new paint schemes. Rio Grande is very nicely done. ... not really correct, but the car numbers and the "Spanish Fork Canyon" name on the observation car are correct.

The four stripe Grande Gold(orange?) and silver paint scheme is really nicely applied... The prototypical Black car ends add a touch of class.

Far be it for me to critique your widely supported opinions Nato, but "prototypical Black" - only just. Those rivets on the ends are plainly on a narrow painted strip. (Sure not as wide as the stripe on the ends of F/Px locos I know).

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... I do not have any reference books to check out car numbers however I would be pretty sure Atlas has done their homework on these cars . Nate Goodman (Nato). 

Hmm dunno- research yes, choices made- not a lot?
Still can't understand why they didn't use the '700-739 series Baggage 4-axle, 61ft for closer to prototype length than the 740-744 series 71ft ones. Anyone tried 2 axle trucks under these? Do they look and run ok? If so, its worth doing for a closer style.

And no combine Nato, when we know the DRG had them. Sure, not in 4-stripe, but (as they were mostly converted way before then), but as just a model in the 'set'?

I'd swap them under this and wait for decals:
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regards
dave