New Atlas NSC 50' Plug Door Boxcars in at Kleins

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, which of these are good for the mid 80s again?

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-50-Box-Cars-s/1821.htm

[RSWController]

Yep saw them last night. Already place an order. Looking forward to these.

[cv_acr]

Ok, which of these are good for the mid 80s again?

Any of them.

The Atlas car(s) are a 1977-80 production design.

CNIS/BCOL are both new -80

GTW is -79, and is actually XF (Food service) while the others were built for newsprint/paper. (GTW is technically a foobie, door width is off by 1'0")

CPI new -77

QC and ONT versions are also -79 and -80 respectively.

(Edit - OK, like the original HO release pattern, the CP/QC/ONT versions will be coming later. GTW is a one-time only run, as it's really the CP/ONT version prior to adding corner posts to the tooling.)

[cv_acr]

Back when True Line Trains was advertising pre-production samples of (almost) the same car on their site, before getting totally scooped by Atlas, they were showing a 1989-90 version of the car.

Which would be interesting for 1990-present modelers to have both versions available, but I think that project has been well and truly destroyed by Atlas's successful release of the 1977-80 version(s).

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, so it sounds like they're all good for the era.

Next question: which would be the most common?

Were there many GT ones? CN?

[cv_acr]

For the current release:

CNIS 413000-413199 200 cars Blt. 1980 Paper svc.

(+ 500 more in 412000-412099 and 413200-413599 Blt. 1989, slightly different version with straight door posts)

GTW 598000-598199 200 cars Blt. 1979 Food svc.

BCOL 851001-851028 28 cars Blt. 1980 Paper svc. (to UNPX ~2004, to YARR)

[unittrain]

Any of them.

The Atlas car(s) are a 1977-80 production design.

CNIS/BCOL are both new -80

GTW is -79, and is actually XF (Food service) while the others were built for newsprint/paper. (GTW is technically a foobie, door width is off by 1'0")

CPI new -77

QC and ONT versions are also -79 and -80 respectively.

(Edit - OK, like the original HO release pattern, the CP/QC/ONT versions will be coming later. GTW is a one-time only run, as it's really the CP/ONT version prior to adding corner posts to the tooling.)

The Atlas site says they come with different prototype specific details such as 9' and 10' door width and two different end configurations. Not sure what the GTW door width is but hopefully the models pretty accurate.

[cv_acr]

The Atlas site says they come with different prototype specific details such as 9' and 10' door width and two different end configurations. Not sure what the GTW door width is but hopefully the models pretty accurate.

I'm assuming the models follow the pattern of the HO release exactly. So far that seems to be the case.

The two main distinct versions, with accurate prototype specific details are:

The CNIS/BCOL version (first release) - built 1980, with no corner posts, 10' doors and 10 ribs on the end (all the way up to the roof)

The CP/ONT version (next release) - built 1977-1980, with corner posts, 9' doors and 9 ribs on the end (leaving a distinct space at the top)

The GTW (model) version is identical to the CP/ONT version but without corner posts - that's why it's in the first release and only a one-time run - I presume that the tooling is then modified to add the corner posts to run the CP/ONT cars. Thing is the (prototype) GTW cars are unique in having a 10' door, so it doesn't quite exactly match the model in that respect. All other details do.

[wmcbride]

The Atlas description doesn't specify body-mounted couplers but I am assuming from the photos that's the case ... unless there is some weird voodoo going on?

[Mark5]

These have body mounted couplers with extended draft gear on the GTW version that I inspected yesterday. 

Awesome job, Atlas!

Mark

[craigolio1]

http://www.atlasrr.com/NFreight/nnsc50pdbc.htm#.Vk0Wh6nIbER


I picked up my four BCR cars the other day and finally had time to sit down and evaluate them.  It's been a while since I bought some NEW RTR freight cars and Atlas has outdone them selves.  I'm no expert on the cars but they look like they are bang on for accuracy, and paint and lettering is perfect.  The ride height looks right and they they have metal wheels that work on code 40.  On top of that they have body mounted couplers and appear to include some thing to convert them to truck mounted couplers, although there is no instructions.  They also have etched cross over platforms on the end.  Nice touch.

If this is the state of things to come them I am very happy.  At $30 Can. each one might argue that they are expensive (I could have ordered them for cheaper from a US website but with shipping and exchange I wouldn't have saved much and I would rather pay a few bucks more to support my local shop) but ask any BCR modeler how much accurate rolling stock is available and they'll likely laugh... and then maybe cry a little.  I recently built 6 Kaslo combination door box cars which were a mainstay in the BCR fleet in the 80's.  $25 for the kit, $6 for Micro Trains trucks, another few bucks for couplers, maybe $7 for decals and $20 for paint (primer, green, and silver) but that did all of the cars so lets say $3 per car.  About $6 for some Fox Valley wheels plus some Gold Medal Models etched cross over platforms/brake wheel, lets say $2 for those since I have a bunch more in the set.  That put's the cost per car at $52 and that doesn't include my time.  I don't know that I'll ever decal boxcars again, let alone six at once. 

Don't get me wrong.  I like kits and painting and what not and I know I can buy foobs and RTR but I'm aiming for accurate models, and so I toil.  I welcome the opportunity to add an accurate car to the roster without having to research and build it.

$30 for an RTR car of this quality!?  I'm in. 

Got to go.  I have a lot of BCR kits and kit-bashes waiting for me.

Craig 

[milw156]

I picked up a CN and GTW at Trainfest and was also impressed. The extra thingies in the box are actually to allow for cushion under frames where appropriate. IIRC, the GTW and the BCR come with the extended draft gear set up, and the short draft gear as spare, and the CN was the opposite, looking at the pictures in their ads you can see the difference in draft gear lengths. (although the Atlas ad shows BCR with jshort draft gear, BLW shows extended, so you BCR experts gonna have to decide with is correct, maybe some came each way?) Which means that if the underbodiess are availible seperately, these can be used to get body mounted extended draft gear to retrofit other 50 ft cars with.
rick

[Scottl]

I might need to pick up some of these.  Are they excess height?

[milw156]

No, plate C, internal ht 11'0"

[craigolio1]

Thanks Rick.