Atlas announces more former MTH items for pre-order, plus New Atlas Master tooling for 89' auto carrier

Beth,

Do you know if there have been or will be any changes made to the SD40-2 tooling?  I'm curious about the size of the fuel tanks, the positioning of the trucks (MTH's model left too much space between the pilot ladders and the front of the truck).

Also, do you know if these will come with the Proto 3-2 trucks?  If not, will the center drivers be blind, or will it be the inner ones like on first generation Premier models?  Or will they have Atlas style trucks where the center blind axle can be replaced with the included flanged-wheel axle?

Thanks.

P.S. either way, this is great news.

This is Great News.  I do wish they would offer the High Cubes with their own designed 2 rail trucks though; I have converted several of MTH's High Cubes to the 2 rail Atlas trucks and they look awesome.  Also glad the are releasing the TTX versions; now hopefully the Ebay nutters asking over $100 for these will get put in check.  That auto rack looks awesome as well.  Any know if the flatcar itself will be die cast like their actual flat cars?

Honestly, Id ask Drew Postle at Atlas about all the particulars.  I expect that the engines will be the same as the last MTH production, but I really dont know.   Also I would encourage ALL 2 railers to let Atlas know that u want 2 rail.

Im expecting all the former MTH cars to be the same as when they were last produced by MTH.   The later cars had the mounting pads for Kadee's.  The earlier tooling did not.   Again, I'd encourage u to ask atlas and let them know u are a 2 railer.

@rplst8 posted:

Beth,

Do you know if there have been or will be any changes made to the SD40-2 tooling?  I'm curious about the size of the fuel tanks, the positioning of the trucks (MTH's model left too much space between the pilot ladders and the front of the truck).

Also, do you know if these will come with the Proto 3-2 trucks?  If not, will the center drivers be blind, or will it be the inner ones like on first generation Premier models?  Or will they have Atlas style trucks where the center blind axle can be replaced with the included flanged-wheel axle?

Thanks.

P.S. either way, this is great news.

Hello, I used to own 3 of the sd40-2s in 3-rail.  Basically, because of the long back porch, there is no way to fit vertical can motors in a to-scale tooling when placing the trucks per-prototype.  So atlas cannot make these more prototypical.

Beth

what box am I supposed to CHECK??

Sorry, hard for me to tell from the pic.   The warning may be on top pf the box to check.  Depends on the browser and who knows what else.   You can always call to pre-order at 805-226-0320,  thx beth

Great to see anything from Atlas with new tooling.  👍😜😆

@AlanRail posted:

Beth

what box am I supposed to CHECK??

Alan, it looks like your browser is causing the pop up warning to cover the box to check that says you understand it's a pre-order etc..etc..

Here's what it looks like on Firefox

Thanks for showing this.  Its a browser thing.   You might be able to move the page up and down behinf the pop up window....

**** shame Atlas O went "Fantasy Island" with the 8k beer cars. I would have ordered all the realistic ones they do for their HO and N scale beer cars.

What's the length of the new Atlas O autocarriers please?

89' divided by 4 = 22 1/4" long.  if 89' is IL, then car will be a little longer.  Atlas says 042 min 3r curves, but id say O-54.

beth

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

**** shame Atlas O went "Fantasy Island" with the 8k beer cars. I would have ordered all the realistic ones they do for their HO and N scale beer cars.

Yeah, but Walthers offered a "Beer Can Tank Car Kit" that provided the ends and rails to attach to your 12-16 ounce beer can. I got one on eBay and tracked down a can from a Los Angeles-Based brewery and plan to build it out. The Atlas beer can tank cars look like winners.

The beer can tank cars are for the 3-rail crowd so no doubt those will sell (out). I think they are equipped with Kadee-compatible couplers, though, so they are probably an easy conversion to 2-rail.

Thanks for the information.  The auto carriers promise to be really impressive!  Look like O-72 minimum.

😎

Harold

I just now sent Atlas an email requesting these MTH premier freight cars be available in 2 rail. I don't know if they will hear me but I did my part for now.

Does anyone know the quick answer to wether Lionel 89' racks are full scale length. Mine are boxed and put away or I would measure one. Do you think Ebay will have a ton of Lionel racks listed in the future when atlas releases theirs. I still think my Lionels are so sweet.

@Beth Marshall-The Public Delivery Track posted:

89' divided by 4 = 22 1/4" long.  if 89' is IL, then car will be a little longer.  Atlas says 042 min 3r curves, but id say O-54.

beth

I think 89’ is just the inside length or just length of the floor of the flat car, the auto rack is built on.

Greenbrier catalog for the prototype car lists the overall length as 93’ 10” which makes it closer to 2’ (23 1/2”) in O-Scale similar in length to the newer Lionel scale auto racks.

These are just my opinion,

Naveen Rajan

The Lionel Auto racks are full scale.  Whether or not ppl will want to dump the Lionel for Atlas, IDK, but I wouldnt think so.   The Atlas ones will be more detailed, and be heavier, but they cost 125. a car.  The Lionel ones are hardly "junk".  Also there is little or no overlap in paint schemes.

I have 8 Lionel auto racks converted to 2-rail and I won't be selling any of mine once the Atlas auto racks arrive.

@Martin H posted:

Hello, I used to own 3 of the sd40-2s in 3-rail.  Basically, because of the long back porch, there is no way to fit vertical can motors in a to-scale tooling when placing the trucks per-prototype.  So atlas cannot make these more prototypical.

I thought they had featured Kadee mounts and 3/2 capability, though not offered in 2-rail/fixed pilots. Checking on MTH Number 20-21314-1 (released last fall), it looks like they indeed were. Best guess would be that you could detach the pilot from the trucks and install the replacement scale wheels but I have no idea on the operational capabilities (presuming Atlas carried everything over into the new production). The other thing up in the air is the availability of the 2-rail replacement wheel sets.

I'm guessing that the autoracks will be built on the Atlas 89 ft. flatcar

Hopefully Atlas will produce the trash train flats in O scale in the near future

My personal feeling is that Atlas was not really interested in pursuing...or even keeping up the former MTH items in 2 rail.  I told them that I had a lot of 2 rail customers, and please not to count 2 rail out.

That being said, it seems they will keep doing the Atlas Master and Trainman in 2 rail, as they have the tooling for that anyway.  And the new Master Line auto racks will be available in 2 rail.  Thats a good sign.

I also think that any MTH items that had Kadee pads previously, will still have them.  What would be the point of spending money to alter the tooling to not have them.  Thats a lose-lose proposition.

As for the fmr MTH engine electronics going forward with Atlas.  IDK if they will Keep the convert to 2 rail features or not.   I will ask MTH if they still have the tooling for the 2 rail engine wheelsets, and can make them again....  I would probably have to buy 300-400 wheelset, which is a considerable investment for something  that i probably wouldnt sell more than 100 a year of....but we'll see..

I do have some of the MTH 2 rail freight and passenger car trucks in stock, and should be getting more MTH Bettendorf and RB freight car trucks in 2 rail shortly.

beth

@jini5 posted:

Does anyone know the quick answer to wether Lionel 89' racks are full scale length. Mine are boxed and put away or I would measure one. Do you think Ebay will have a ton of Lionel racks listed in the future when atlas releases theirs. I still think my Lionels are so sweet.

Lionel Auto Racks are of full-scale length. I own 3 that I converted to 2-rail and I will still keep them despite reserving these Atlas Multi-Max. I will order more Lionel if they made more unique numbers for the railroads I like.

It is hard to compare the details of the Lionel model that has been delivered at least in 3 separate runs to an Atlas model that was just announced and never been made.

But comparing the prototype auto racks that each of these cars, the Lionel auto racks are bi-level auto racks, are based on a model that has been made for many years (probably since the late 1970's) and still being made by Thrall, now part of Trinity Rail. So Lionel could offer them in any railroad that owned them from the 70's to the current era and they would all be prototypically correct.

The Atlas model is based on the Greenbrier Companies, Multi-Max auto rack that was introduced less than 10 years ago. So there are not a lot of separate railroads that owned them unlike for the Thrall / Trinity model. The prototype could be used as a bi-level or as a tri-level auto rack according to this video on YouTube.

These are just my opinion.

Naveen Rajan

With Atlas now using a lot of MTH tooling that comes set up for Kadee couplers. Will Atlas finally change their own pads and come Kadee equipped or simply just have the holes drilled and tapped in the correct spot. Leaving you to add the Kadee of your choice.

I run 3RS. For Atlas to offer RTR MTH cars for 2 rail in their own box. You would think they would settle on a standard coupler.

I'm really excited for these new autoracks! They will look great with the Lionel ones I already have in my fleet. Hopefully this whole announcement is a sign of what the MTH acquisition will entail!

New auto carriers promise to be excellent!

😎

Ya know, ya just gotta leave it to Atlas to find one offs.  There are few types of auto racks that you see everywhere all the time.  Yet somehow they found a prototype I don't see anywhere.  Didn't stop me from preordering several, but...   Just like their articulated auto rack, I think I have seen about a dozen in the past 5 years.  

I do hope they are putting their new factory into high gear.

@rdunniii posted:

Ya know, ya just gotta leave it to Atlas to find one offs.  There are few types of auto racks that you see everywhere all the time.  Yet somehow they found a prototype I don't see anywhere. 

Not sure where you're looking... I see these things all the time! They're abundant on all the autorack, intermodal, and manifest trains I see.

Here’s hoping  
1) Atlas lowers all the MTH product to the same height as the Atlas product. The MTH products sit too high. It is Very noticeable when the two sit side by side for comparison.
2) Atlas uses the MTH factory to bring back their excellent lines of diesels. Back “in the day” we were graced with a steady stream of beautiful releases !!!! (I’d Really like to see a new run of the Erie-Builts - especially the Milwaukee Road Olympian !!!!!!!!!)
3) Get the Long promised GP release out. It was first cataloged TEN Years Ago !!!!  
Cheers !!!!

@Will Ebbert posted:

Not sure where you're looking... I see these things all the time! They're abundant on all the autorack, intermodal, and manifest trains I see.

Agreed. Although going back thru pix I've shot, I generally don't see a whole cut of them - at least not in the couple of places I've looked in my files - but do see them interspersed in strings of auto racks. Here's a few of them.

David

You guys are correct if that is what they are going to produce.  The artwork they have does not show roof ribbing.

I would also be up for several MTH 5 unit spine cars.  They're only 48' but are modifiable to 53'.  

If Atlas only changes the trucks on MTH freight cars for theirs that will be a big leap forward.  Any MTH models I do get, like the 50' hycubes, the first thing that goes in the trash are those trucks.

@rdunniii posted:

You guys are correct if that is what they are going to produce.  The artwork they have does not show roof ribbing.

Yes, you're right about the roof ribbing. I had missed that. The HO models Atlas made of the car have the ribbing. Hope the O versions do as well. Another difference is the end doors do not open in the HO versions - and there's the separately available rack to make it three-level in O.

David

@NKP Muncie posted:

Yes, you're right about the roof ribbing. I had missed that. The HO models Atlas made of the car have the ribbing. Hope the O versions do as well. Another difference is the end doors do not open in the HO versions - and there's the separately available rack to make it three-level in O.

David

I think the ends will be a pop off piece.  Making movable doors is a nightmare.  Ask anyone who owns the Overland cars.  But maybe they have a design engineer miracle worker .

I'm sure the model will have the same roof as HO. I don't get the point of the additional deck since there's no indication the body panels will be see through. Maybe they will be though?

Spinning bearing caps? I am sure these will be nice but it would be nice to hear more details from Atlas. Not to change the subject but I would have liked to see Atlas do open auto racks instead. I am sure I will own a few of these new racks.

Hey guys. I took 3 pics of my Lionel Autorack car with a tape measure. The end doors on these Lionel cars operate.
Donald