Atlas new N scale model announcement

[ek2000]

From the atlas insiders mailer:

Come see Atlas at America's only online train show experience April 17th at the World's Greatest Hobby Online! This one-day event is sponsored by the World’s Greatest Hobby program and exhibitors include the five primary sponsors of the WGH.

At the show, Atlas will be announcing THREE ALL-NEW PRODUCTS in N, HO & O Scales. Which models they are you will have to wait and see but we promise that they are some truly fantastic surprises.

In addition to that exciting news, attendees will be able to see and chat live with three Atlas representatives and pick their brains about the latest announcements and arrivals that Atlas has to offer.

Last but not least, Atlas will be offering a show special on the NEW Atlas Track and Accessories Catalog for attendees only, details of which can be found at the Atlas booth on the day of the show.

The show will be open from noon to 7pm ET on April 17th. For more information or to register for the FREE event, please visit https://www.wgh.events/.

See you there!

[Englewood]

I've been trying to think what Walther's tooling Atlas hasn't used yet, but I just don't know the Walther's line well enough. That would be my first guess. Second guess would be a new intermodal well car.

[peteski]

That's what I was thinking too.  I wonder if the Atlas "new" models are the ex-Walthers/Life-Like models that are new to Atlas, or a brand new tooling from Atlas?
Not that there is anything wrong with either being considered "new".

[CRL]

Intermodal seems to be where the big bucks reside for rolling stock sales. Not only do you sometimes have to buy a multiple car consist, but you have to buy the multiple containers to fill out the loads.

Sure glad my modeling focus never headed in that direction.

[cjm413]

I've been trying to think what Walther's tooling Atlas hasn't used yet, but I just don't know the Walther's line well enough. That would be my first guess. Second guess would be a new intermodal well car.

The former True Line Trains models are another possibility

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The former True Line Trains models are another possibility

I would LOVE a modernized C424!

[Point353]

Still waiting for the N scale Alco RSD-15 model that Cory promised before he left Atlas.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

A retooled Thrall well car?
BL2?
FA2?
PA?
GP18?
Erie Built?
C Liner?
E6/7/8/9?
C424?
GP9R/GP10 rebuild thing?
The Berk?
The Mallet?
50' Auto Box?
Northeastern Caboose?

Those are my top guesses. They actually have a TON of engines to pull out of the LL/Walthers vault. The low nose GP18 and most of the E series would need retooling to bring them up to modern quality.

Less likely would be a re-issue of the PD hopper. They would either do no retooling and release an awful car or retool everything and make the last 15 years of my PD kit bash odyssey completely pointless.

A retooled F40PH might be possible, but that would need a lot of work - new fans, pilot, chassis, cab glass. I think it would just be easier to make totally new tooling. I think it could make for a good Trainman line engine though.


Did they run the ballast hopper yet? Those were also bad and would need the same kind of updates the PD hopper needs.

I don't see the cryo car ever getting released again as it was a very specific model that only lasted 10 years on the prototype and would need a ton of retooling to get knuckle couplers to work.

The newsprint and 0-8-0 are out of the question due to not getting the tooling.

I wonder what they will do with the SD7/9 and other models that are duplicated in their lineup.

[keeper]

Still waiting for the N scale Alco RSD-15 model that Cory promised before he left Atlas.

Yes, a RSD 15 for the LS&I please! I would buy every road no.
With sound and a smoke generator...

Thomas

[GaryHinshaw]

FWIW, the announcement does say ALL-NEW models.   To make it easy for them, I'll restrict my wish list to Master Line freight cars they already make in HO (all modern, of course), listed in order of preference:

1. 73' center-beam flat
2. Trinity 3230 covered hopper
3. Thrall Triple 53' Articulated Well Cars (HO model seems to be discontinued)
4. Gunderson 7550 double door box car
5. Gunderson 7538 single door box car

[learmoia]

Yes they did run the Ballast hopper..
And I think the side dump too.

They haven't done the Cryo Reefer yet.
.. I dont recall seeing the 50' NACC box either..

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Yes they did run the Ballast hopper..
And I think the side dump too.

They haven't done the Cryo Reefer yet.
.. I dont recall seeing the 50' NACC box either..

The NACC car was announced I believe, but hasn't been released yet. I brought up some issues with the old Walthers tooling, and they were looking at whether it was possible to fix it (there were some areas of the car where the rivets were 6" tall.)

[martin station]

 I seem to remember that when ScaleTrains and Atlas both were releasing their HO Gunderson Multi-max auto carriers, that Shane from ST said in a podcast that they had spoken with Atlas about them coming out with a N scale version first and allowing ST to bring their HO version to market before them so they would not be competing against each other on such a high dollar car. So I wonder if Atlas is going to now release their N scale version of the Gunderson Multi-max?
Ralph

[thomasjmdavis]

@ek2000 - Thanks for the link to the show info.  I didn't have anything on my list for Saturday, so I will tune in and assemble some boxcars while watching.  My ankles don't hold up well to 4 hours wandering around on concrete floors (as encountered in the average exhibit hall), so I am hoping that some of the virtual stuff continues even after the current restrictions on live events are in the rearview mirror.

As to speculation, well....what the heck. If I had my druthers- (a) a 60' mail-baggage to compliment their other passenger cars, but preferably with the several major flaws of the earlier cars addressed, (b) late 1920s ARA era single sheathed boxcar (every manufacturer made these 50 years ago, but no recent version), (c) an RSD-7 (I could probably make do with a high nose RSD-15).

What I think we'll actually see- (a) some modern car used in unit trains or (b) a locomotive to pull a unit train.  Outside my layout/collection era, but hopefully makes some modelers of more modern equipment happy.

But if they used the word "product" instead of "rolling stock" or "locomotive" it could be anything. Improved code 55 turnouts or another bungalow.

[jereising]

Any triple articulated well car will sell well.  Since DI's demise (and the non appearance of the promised FVM model) there is only Kato - and without a lot of work I wouldn't touch that one with YOUR ten foot pole.  And of course this will breed container sales as well.