Atlas summer catalog

[learmoia]

If I recall Bryan was going to use Walthers tooling with his under frame to do a run of those cars.. But Walthers wanted so much money for the shells  it was cheaper (or not much more expensive) to develop his own detailed model with modern tooling practices.

If Bryan can work a deal with Atlas to utilize his under frame that would be sweet!!...

I wonder if Bryan will continue to develop his own now that the tooling is in Atlas's hands?

Same situation with the MT SW1500 and SW9

~Ian

[Cajonpassfan]

Is the NYC 60’ Baggage car anything close to what the Central had?
Interested in plausible head end cars in transcon service to the West Coast.
Thanks, Otto K.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

One thing I would like to bring up...

Does anyone else think these ex Walthers cars deserve the "Master Line" brand? They are tossing the NACC box and ICC caboose into the same category as their ex BLMA models. These cars have major issues and it dosen't seem like Atlas is going to spend capital on retooling these cars.

[wazzou]

The 53' 6" flats interest me. They say its a new model. Is this the car BLMA did?
The MSRP of $29.95 doesn't make me happy. 

Jon

Technically, it says "New Atlas Model", so I concur it is likely the all cast metal Walthers car which I recall picking up for like $8.00.

[learmoia]

One thing I would like to bring up...

Does anyone else think these ex Walthers cars deserve the "Master Line" brand? They are tossing the NACC box and ICC caboose into the same category as their ex BLMA models. These cars have major issues and it dosen't seem like Atlas is going to spend capital on retooling these cars.

Some of the new stuff that had some detail.. (the side dump car comes to mind.
Things like the Cryo Reefer, Ballast Car, Covered hopper, Evans box.. No...

There are many things in the master line that are older tooling on par with the Walthers stuff..

[ljudice]

One thing I would like to bring up...

Does anyone else think these ex Walthers cars deserve the "Master Line" brand? They are tossing the NACC box and ICC caboose into the same category as their ex BLMA models. These cars have major issues and it dosen't seem like Atlas is going to spend capital on retooling these cars.

We'll have to wait and see, but except for the Difcos and Greenville hoppers, I'm not expecting much...

[thomasjmdavis]

One thing I would like to bring up...

Does anyone else think these ex Walthers cars deserve the "Master Line" brand? They are tossing the NACC box and ICC caboose into the same category as their ex BLMA models. These cars have major issues and it dosen't seem like Atlas is going to spend capital on retooling these cars.

It really depends on what they look like when they get here.  One assumes, for instance, that they will come up with a way to glue on boxcar doors that does not warp the side of the car (and doors).  And they will provide a better quality coupler and maybe better wheelsets.  However, it is difficult to see how they will sufficiently upgrade some of the old Walthers/Life Like/Roco cars without a major upgrade of the tooling.  I think that the cars I have cost me about $6 each on average, so I will take a wait and see attitude before dropping $25 or more per car.  That said, if they have upgraded the tooling, and if they add some road specific details (correct doors for boxcars, the right brake wheel for a given road, that sort of thing), I could see them being well worth the price, given the current competitors prices.

My latest Atlas rolling stock purchases were 60' passenger cars (admittedly "Trainman" but still carrying $37.95 MSRP).  My impression of those is that they are a vast improvement over the Bachmann shorties (models of the same CNW cars).  But compared to a Micro-trains heavyweight passenger car that carries an MSRP 25% less?  The MT is superior in everything I can think of from detail to rolling qualities to couplers.  The Atlas cars I bought were all undec, so I can't compare paint jobs.

[James Costello]

I wonder if Bryan will continue to develop his own now that the tooling is in Atlas's hands?

@learmoia
Release dates still scheduled on the ESMC site for September 2019, so at least BB gets his to market first.
http://www.esmc.com/2280/Item2282.html WP
http://www.esmc.com/2280/Item2281.html PC

[learmoia]

Ohh, he is doing them... I didn't realize they were this close..

~Ian

[Brian M]

Is the NYC 60’ Baggage car anything close to what the Central had?
Interested in plausible head end cars in transcon service to the West Coast.
Thanks, Otto K.

Otto,
There are two things that jump out at me regarding how "close" to actual NYC cars these are.  First, the NYC used 4 wheel trucks on their 60' baggage cars, and these Atlas models come with 6 wheel trucks.  And the next thing that pops out to me is that the NYC 60' cars had two different sized doors on either side (6' and 8' wide), and the doors were spaced a bit closer to the ends of the car.  So, to a NYC person, they aren't very close.  If you want something closer, check out Mr. Denton's nice casting of a NYC car:
http://www.skytopmodels.com/nycbaggage.html
Requires a little bit of work, but you'd end up with a much more accurate 60' NYC baggage car.

-Brian.

[thomasjmdavis]

Atlas does make a 4 wheel truck for the 60' cars as well. For some reason, most or all coaches come with 4 wheel trucks, while baggage cars & RPOs come with 6 wheel trucks. The 6 wheel has an offset bolster, so it APPEARS that they could be swapped for the 4 wheel, but I haven't done it, and all my cars are baggage and RPO- so I don't have a coach to compare to. There does not seem to be any effort to be "road specific" with 4 wheel and 6 wheel as appropriate (but then, the cars are foobies for almost everything they are painted for.

I've tried my best to locate prototypes for the baggage car (in addition to CNW) asking both here and at N scale Varnish.  The only ones I can find that are close in terms of door size (and matching) and similar spacing were some 60' cars on the NC&StL.  Of course, there are similar cars with Harriman or similar arched roofs, but that car is already made by Wheels of Time, and since the Atlas roof and body are one piece, alternate roof would be a pain.

The Skytop car is modeled from a cut-down MT car.  The only thing that bothers me is the door- all the NYC cars I can find photos of have wider door in 2 sections, where the photos of the Skytop car appear to have a single wide door. (willing to be corrected on this if there were NYC with single wide door or if the model in final form has split door)  But it looks a lot more like a NYC car, or any of a number that were similar, or those that were copies or inspired by the 1918 USRA design, than the Atlas.

[bbussey]

@learmoia
Release dates still scheduled on the ESMC site for September 2019, so at least BB gets his to market first.

Production of the X72 (and the latest X58, X65 and ASF trucks and wheels) will be finished 7/22 and hit the ocean before the end of July. Aiming to have the products in the stores around Labor Day. X72 holiday car will be held back until 11/1. Production samples of everything will be on display in Chicago next week, product videos to follow.

This entire boxcar run would have been to market last year if not for the Affa dissolution forcing us to tool our own trucks and wheels.   There will be formal announcements here after Chicago.

[bbussey]

The 53' 6" flats interest me. They say its a new model. Is this the car BLMA did?
The MSRP of $29.95 doesn't make me happy. 

This is the former Walthers all-diecast model. Likewise on the bay window caboose.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Bryan... you need to get those Conrail X65 and X72 out the door. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

@learmoia
Release dates still scheduled on the ESMC site for September 2019, so at least BB gets his to market first.
http://www.esmc.com/2280/Item2282.html WP
http://www.esmc.com/2280/Item2281.html PC

No CR?