Atlas Ore Car Trucks

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I recently had this discussion with someone who was writing an article on the ore cars, and I located the tooling drawings for the N scale ore car in our drawing files, and they were drawn and tooled in the US.  I found no evidence that there was an N scale ore car tooled in Europe.  The O scale line was tooled after the N scale ore car, so it is likely that the drawing information was shared with Roco for the O scale car.

This would also explain why the Roco/Trix N scale car is so similar to the Atlas model: they simply took the drawings intended for Atlas's O ore car and used them to make a competing N scale ore car under contract for Trix.

The tooling IS different... just look at the cable rigging on the side of the car. But using the same engineering drawings would explain the similarities,

[Missaberoad]

This would also explain why the Roco/Trix N scale car is so similar to the Atlas model: they simply took the drawings intended for Atlas's O ore car and used them to make a competing N scale ore car under contract for Trix.

The tooling IS different... just look at the cable rigging on the side of the car. But using the same engineering drawings would explain the similarities,

That could be it. I can't seem to find a date for the introduction of the Roco car. It seems the earliest ones were Postage Stamp, how late did that brand last? 

[narrowminded]

This would also explain why the Roco/Trix N scale car is so similar to the Atlas model: they simply took the drawings intended for Atlas's O ore car and used them to make a competing N scale ore car under contract for Trix.

The tooling IS different... just look at the cable rigging on the side of the car. But using the same engineering drawings would explain the similarities,

I think you're looking at the two different sides which are different.  Mechanisms, shafts, roller chain, etc on one side and crossing shafts primarily on the other side.  Those mechanisms and their details are so identical that it's one of the items that suggested to me that the tooling was the same.  The stuff you can get at with calipers even measures the same within .001".  I took some closeups of each side when facing the same direction and I'm saying there is no coincidence that came up with those similarities.  But it also doesn't matter other than an interesting circumstance.  Here are some more pics as good as my phone gets 'em.


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Keep in mind that these are mirrored when stacked so what's left side in the upper is right side in the lower.
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[wcfn100]

Those are completely different. 

Jason

[narrowminded]

Those are completely different. 

Jason

Not even the same road number!!!    

[Missaberoad]

Looking at those large pictures I'm convinced there is no connection tooling wise between the two models.
The more I look the more differences I see. they are based on the same car but not at all the same...

Here's some I can spot and if you start counting rivets they really are different all over...

[peteski]

I found some info about Roco's history here (Google-translated from German to English).

From 1960s: Roco produced 'Minitanks': Model railways in  H0 and 0 scale.

1966-2010 Production of  N scale models.

From 2011 under the brand name Fleischmann.

Active Time / History:
The company 'Ing. Heinz Rössler' was founded 1960th
From 1970 Roco produced freight wagons for Minitrix.
1973 Takeover of the molds from the former company Rowa.
2002 family business was sold.
2005 bankruptcy filing. Rescue company was the newly founded Modelleisenbahn GmbH.
2006 Roco back on track producing N scale models. Modelleisenbahn GmbH re-released many N scale models as "new for 2006"  with new car numbers with attractive pricing.
2010 Last time models were sold under Roco name. From 2011 Roco models are now sold, relatively unchanged, under the brand name Fleischmann.

NOTE:    In the early years of military models'Minitanks' and model trains were produced in the gauges H0 and 0, mainly for the American market.

[Atlas Paul]

I have a few boxes with three ore cars in it. Some boxes are labeled for Atlas, the others for Rivarossi. All the cars are marked 'Atlas USA'.
It seems that Rivarossi sold Atlas cars in Europe under their label.

Thomas

There was a point in time where Rivarossi was selling product in Europe under the Atlas brand, as well as their own.  I haven't found the particulars of the ore cars, only that they were sold as you have seen, with 3 pieces per box.

[keeper]

...  I haven't found the particulars of the ore cars, only that they were sold as you have seen, with 3 pieces per box.

The boxes I have contain 1 brown Great Northern, 1 black Soo Line and 1 black LS&I ore car.

Thomas