Atlas boxcars

Sounds like you have some of the older Atlas O cars. The newer Atlas O cars are some of the best on the market.

rattler21 posted:

Are the wheels in gauge and the axles straight?  John

I agree. I think you have a 1970s Atlas car. When Atlas got back into O scale in the late 90’s all of their rolling stock had metal wheels and die cast trucks. Yes those plastic trucks and plastic wheels are junk but if you put good trucks on the car you will have a nice car. 

Look for Atlas -O box of this style

If these are the cars from the 70's the trucks are held on with a plastic pin. I removed the trucks, then used a dowel rod that was the same diameter as the pin which I cut off a piece long enough to plug the hole the plastic pin goes into. Then I drilled the plug to fit a #2 screw. At least I think that was the size. I then attached weaver trucks with the screw through the truck bolster into the wooden plug. Atlas trucks should fasten the same way. Atlas has trucks and they also have truck mounting screws. The screw appear to be 2mm or 2.6mm depending on what parts page you look at. Their parts pages are very poor and incomplete. With a little effort these can be made into very fine running cars. I converted a few with Weaver trucks back when Weaver was still in business. Weaver trucks may be getting hard to find. Good luck.

Forest

MTH has the Weaver trucks available now in model railroad stores. 

https://www.mthtrains.com/20-89023

Andrew

Awesome advice. I will do just that, swap out the trucks. I like the dowel idea too.

Thanks everyone.

I like the older Atlas O with the plastic wheels, they dont short out if you dont get it on the rails correctly the first time.  Especially the livestock cars.  Guess I am in the minority though. 

Hawkshaw posted:

Awesome advice. I will do just that, swap out the trucks. I like the dowel idea too.

Thanks everyone.

Petersen Supply Co used to have Plastic Plugs that you inserted into those holes of the 1970's Atlas O freight cars to ad the Weaver/MTH trucks.

Hawkshaw posted:

I’m a newbie regarding model trains. I have a question regarding Atlas O scale boxcars such as WP 586047 and others?

Why are the couplers, trucks, wheels and axles cheap, barely moveable, plastic while the car itself is so finely detailed?
I bought a few of these cars and can’t run them because the trucks and wheels are horrible.

I have none of those problems with my older Atlas cars. The couplers are indeed dummies,  but many "operating couplers" were so poor that they became functional dummies. "Barely moveable"? Mine roll and turn just fine. The cars are very light, but that is what added weight is for. The 60's/70's plastic trucks are also well-detailed and good-looking.

I have indeed mounted modern trucks on older Atlas that I got "truck less" using a piece of plastic sprue glued into the car bolster holes, the drilled for the screws you are using on the new trucks. I also use similar methods to convert cars from 2- to 3-rail trucks - and sometimes I use old Atlas trucks to do the job. (Occasionally they show up for sale at good prices.)

I have a whole fleet of those early Atlas cars, I run them all the time without a problem.  In fact I think the trucks   are nicely detailed. They even have oil ports and prototypical axle profiles, and an adjustable length coupler. that coupler also hooks to Kadee and three rail style. Just use a good grade of oil and they last a long time. being plastic they are also quiet. The cars also have nice low ride height 

rattler21 posted:

Could you use the plastic plugs which are placed in plaster or drywall gypsum to hold screws?  Cut to appropriate length by trimming after inserting.  John in Lansing, IL

No unless you obtain some really small plugs because the limiting factor would be the truck mounting holes. Weaver/ MTH trucks use a 2/56 x 3/4 screw to mount the trucks.

Using another mfgs trucks will cause the "high water pants" look as the old Atlas 1970's cars sported a full bolster in the frame.

Guess what? I oiled and added weight as suggested. The suckers are running just fine. What a deal. Wouldn’t have thought that. Thanks everyone.