0 Scale Atlas from '72

I have a bunch of those cars, I like the plastic wheels and trucks best way to run a quiet train. Im installing Kadee couplers on most of them. The 40' boxcar is my favorite.

Clem

Nice cars; much of the tooling lives on in 2014 as the Atlas Trainman line - same tooling from the frame up. I like the trucks; very attractive and well-detailed, with low,

scale-type bolsters.

The couplers work well with typical O-gauge couplers, and the vertical uncoupling "shaft" can be ignored or easily removed. They are dummy couplers to us - but so are almost all Weaver plastic couplers, along with anyone's couplers with plastic "springs" (read: broken).

I buy the trucks/couplers when I can find them for conversions/upgrades (yes, upgrades).

The graphics are pretty good for the era (1960's - 1980's or so). 

The cars are light; that's why the Cosmic Big Bang gave us lead.

Thanks for your comments. I have a bunch of those out of gauge Weaver cars that I "upgraded" to the Atlas plastic trucks with a bit of modification to the truck. Now those ACF hoppers run nice and low. And they track perfectly.  Rich

It might not be the same cars in the Train Man line.

Has anybody done a true side by side comparison of the Atlas cars made now and the latest Atlas O cars?

Andrew

Type in:

Atlas 1970s O-Scale Resource

That should take you to a site I found most interesting and helpful...

Mark in Oregon

Thanks Strummer. I'll give that a try.

I have a boxcar, stock car, gondola and a couple cabooses. 

Used weaver 3 rail trucks and couplers on most of them. 

For the cabooses, I popped out the plastic axles and popped in metal ones, then took modified 3 rail couplers and mounted them to the body. If you ever plan on backing up your train, add weights to these cars. Otherwise they will derail when backing through a switch. 

Thanks Flash for your input. So far so good backing through Gargraves regular 100's. One advantage is the plastic wheels can be adjusted slightly should one pick the switch. I'm sure you noticed the couplers on the cabooses are the same as the other types of freight cars, just mounted in a different position.

The F-9 diesels are pretty easy to convert to 3 rail, I've done 2 of them.  The ore cars sit down prototypically low, unlike everyone else's ore cars.

the ore cars are without a doubt the best ever made in plastic.

Some of these were available as unpainted kits.  They actually stand up pretty well to current detailed scale equipment.  Some of the casting parts are a little oversize by todays standards but they made up very nice models.

 They were all made for Atlas by Roco.

Talk about bargains.  The Atlas O F9 retailed for $30.00, the Atlas HO FP7 retailed for $25.00!

Rusty

You're right on that score. I always felt that line was much better than AHM's O scale stuff...

Mark in Oregon

I've picked up a number of these old Atlas 2 rail cars. $7 for a box car is a DEAL.....but not a lot less than what I pay today at shows and such. A little work and added weight and they work fine. I have added Lionel wheel sets to the trucks but kinda a tough conversion.

I was buying train sets and giving them to my girlfriends' kids.  I forget the actual deal, but I think it was $14.95 for the switcher, three cars, a caboose, and a complete oval of snap track.  The Rivarossi stuff was in the same ballpark. - I got a couple of 0-8-0s for $12.95 each, and several F-M Diesels.  I do not collect plastic anything, but still, at those prices . . .

To John, Kurt, Chuck, and Rusty. Thanks to all of you. F-9's and the switchers seem to attract more attention at auctions these days, and people may be wising up about the ore cars because they're not for sale as often anymore. The kits are a snap to put together, literally. Also easy to paint and decal. Rusty, those pictures are exactly what I'm looking for thank you. It's amazing most of this stuff is still available new in the box at very reasonable prices.

I've had fun playing around with re-powering the F9's. I put a Pittman 8000 series motor in one, and stuck a big CLW open framed motor in another,using aquarium tubing to connect them (the motors) to the drive train. Having said that,the original motors aren't half bad,either.

And yes,it is amazing how much of the stuff is still out there...

Mark in Oregon

I didn't say that they were the "same as the Trainman line"; I referred to the

body molds as used in the plug-door boxcar and the gondola, for example. The

trucks are of course different, and there are now Trainman O cars that never existed

in the earlier line.

I have indeed done a side-by-side comparison of the plug-door boxcars, and as I recall,

the gon. Same tooling for the parts in common.

Here is my complete set of Atlas Plymouth switchers...

I also have a lot of the freight cars and cabooses and two F9s one of which is in a mint ready to run set.

I wish I had the room to setup a small 2 Rail layout I would like to try running the stuff.

Something is wrong with video. To view click on the Youtube icon

lower right corner of black box (screen)

The gondolas look identical.

Were original injection molds put in a container and shipped to China?

Andrew

Good stuff Clem. P&D Hobby shop in Michigan used to make special runs of Atlas box cars. Are some of yours from there?  I like EV cabooses. Not sure how many road names they made but I've got seven different roads so far.

Yes some are P&D specials

Here is an old atlas caboose I repainted

On this one, I painted the ends yellow, glued in clear plastic for windows, popped in metal wheels, and mounted modified 3 rail couplers to the frame. 

This one has been on my work bench for a while. Someday I will get around to painting it. 

Nice work, gentlemen. There's something about these cabooses, and K-line too. The proportions look different enough to set them apart and even if it's not correct it looks right. I had an extra shell that I supported on railroad ties and used it as a yard office.