Atlas California Zephyr Baggage Car

As has been mentioned, the next two cars for the California Zephyr were announced yesterday.

I received word from the factory today that the Observation Car and 6-5 sleeper are planned to be on the next container, which should leave before the Lunar New Year shutdown.  In that case, we should receive them mid to late March.

As far as the Conductor Window car, from all of the information we have been able to put together shows that Jim Weaver had originally planned to do this car with an insert.  When we moved the tooling to our new production facility, it was found the tooling was not set up as expected, which is why the conductor car was removed from the 2nd release.  Contrary to some reports on here, we will not be modifying the tooling to create the conductor car at the expense of being able to run the chair car in the future.  When the conductor car is done, it will be created so that the existing tooling is not damaged.

As far as all of the delays and product availability are concerned, Thomas Haedrich addressed that in an open letter last month.  If you have not seen it, it can be read here: http://www.atlasrr.com/News/at...open-letter-1214.htm

What is a chair car? I looked it up and saw both domes and regular passenger cars like a coach called chair cars.

Congrats to Atlas with a caveat.

Thanks

Dick

Ah... so what exactly is the load of BULL???    If you're referring to comments made about the car w/conductor's window, that is information that we were told by Atlas-O in October 2013 at their behind-the-booth York seminars.  If anything has changed for the better, in terms of non-destructive tooling, then that is new news.  So yeah, we're all happy.  But quite frankly, whether Atlas-O produces a car w/conductor's window is pure icing on the cake at this point.   The enthusiasm for that variation of a car is gone for many of us -- at least for me, and I suspect others as well based on some of the earlier posts.

As I said earlier, the observation car (which we'll likely see in April 2015 if Atlas-O gets it in mid- to late-March) allows some of us to call it a train and move on.  If a baggage car ever arrives, that's a bonus.  Beyond that, the project pushing past 6 years has grown tired.

David

I didn't view it as an "attack".  Believe me, I'm WAY passed that stuff here.  My point though is that info wasn't just some rumor perpetuated on an online forum.  It's what we were told by Atlas-O personnel at York in 2013.  If you were there, that's what you would have heard too.  So if that has changed for the better now, then that's great.    We're all happy for that change -- even if some of us don't purchase that car variation.

David

i would think it is up to the buyer as they are sort of in the know what is needed to make their CZ train. I would think that on any given day most anyone watching some ones CZ trains powering around the tracks wouldn't know the dome conductor car from any other dome car. I would say 99% of the people wouldn't even know it existed as their eyeballs would be watching the TRAIN and not counting rivets. You know, I'd go as far as 99.9%. So speaking of this I really don't care if it is produced but if it is I'll have to buy it just so I can say I have the whole enchilada. I am more interested in the baggage, postal/baggage, and observation. The Observation defiinitly as it is the end of the train for many many yrs. Today a red light will suffice on any passenger train they make up.

Phil

Me too, but I just keep going.

Living in real time from thirty minutes ago.   These are the facts, but I don't know if they're true.

me:

Hello Beth,

With the announcement of the two new Atlas CZ cars, there are a total of six possible order numbers for 2 or 3 rail.
On your website, I see only the CB&Q baggage offered.

Any insight?

two minutes later

beth:

There are 3 baggage cars on the web site now.  Silver Coyote, Antelope, and Beaver.

I am putting the dome-dorm cars up on the web now.

beth

First place anywhere I've seen these available for ordering.  How can anyone stop with observation, but not go for baggage?  Second most important car in a non-dome set, third on the CZ (just joshin, nobody need get outraged).

Now, I'm gonna go test the truth with beth.

Rocky Mountaineer said:

I put my dibs in for April/May 2016.  I realize it's not being optimistic, but this train already celebrated its dubious 5-year anniversary in July 2014 with "Status: Incomplete".

And I'm still sticking with my overly optimistic Nov 9, 2015 arrival on shore.  Just too late for 2015 outdoor running in the northwest.  So Rocky's May 2016 will do me fine.

This CZ strory has really been strange......people lining up with their checkbooks and having nothing to buy.  Not having any interest in buying this set,but admiring it,I  hope that everything works out and everybody can get the cars that they want and have time for enjoyment (and Atlas can move on).

Norm

Eric,

Sioux City just keeps going. 1.7 billion (yes Billion) fertilizer plant going in along with a 90 million AGP addition. Still the world's largest meat plant (Tyson, Dakota City), worlds largest Honey Co-op (Sioux BEE Honey), and World largest privately owned pop corn plant (Jolly Time) and 20 miles up the road the largest privately held Ice Cream maker (Well's Blue Bunny). We are always just floating along. Life is OK. And my wife's cancer is beaten and I am 66. Will I see the last CZ cars that Atlas is selling?

You could sue them for breach of contract?

Tell me exactly why Atlas is obligated to do all this in a timely fashion?  Is there a law that says one has to do exactly as advertised, even though the advertisement was to the general public?

The American way is, if it is not being done the way the market demands it be done, then another enterpreneur steps up to the plate, and we press on.  Ask Ford why Toyota is now selling so many pickup trucks?

I do not care for plastic models at all, but I think you are kicking one of the most prolific suppliers of good plastic models in the shin.

Atlas can do whatever they want as long as there is no other company that would rival them in the R-T-R market. I'm with those who think that the delay has been excessive, but I'm also aware of the value of Atlas in our scale. I mean, take away their reefers, tank cars, passenger cars, hoppers, switchers, gunderson stacks, high cubes, bulkheads and all of the sudden O scale is a really, really sad place.

Maybe some are tired of cheering up for them? I love Atlas, but I also wonder how much I would love them if I could just go to other manufacturer that would produce something as good at their price point. MTH passenger cars? Lionel tank cars? Thanks, but no thanks.

Which Lionel tank cars?  I think the Lionel TankTrain and ethanol tank cars are really nice. 

Great to see Beth leading the way here.   I placed my pre-order for an observation car with Beth (i.e. The Public Delivery Track) back in December 2013.  And now that I see she's posted the baggage car on her website for pre-ordering, I figure it's certainly worth putting my dibs in for one.  If Atlas-O delivers, great.  If not (for whatever the reason), I'll call the train "complete" (with the cars I have after the observation car arrives) and move on.  Beth is a super person to deal with.

David

By the way David, Beth signs her name with beth; so it wasn't a typo or a sign of disrespect.  I'm glad you pointed out her business is known as "The Public Delivery Track"; I should have.

Talking about project put on hold, It seems even before the start of the CZ cars Atlas announced and suppliers were taking orders for the GE Dash8 wide cabs. I have been in that prison seems before the turn of the century, NOT but a long time. Maybe I should be happy in that it will now, hopefully, come with DCC and other newer features when it is finally released to the public.

Longhorn, yes I think I was in my 50's when Atlas talked about the CZ cars and I still wish Atlas would have produced more/different freight cars. Thrall all doors, about as off the wall as the coil car and a lot more colorful. But with the knowledge that Atlas says they now have a supplier/manufaturer I am confident we will see more and better models, especially with the new 3D printing systems available to make dyes and faster and at a lower cost. ???. Now if we can setttle the port strike??? haven't heard if it is over yet.

Yes, they can be. But they are less detailed and at the very least you have to install 2r wheels, scale couplers, cut-levers and brake lines. Which is $30plus dollars per car just to bring them to Atlas' standards. Which adds up quickly if you wanna have a 20 or 30 tank car train. Not to mention the time and worked involved!

I am stuck. After the Lionel disaster. I have no choice but to wait for these last 4 cars and try to find the first two. I have the ones in between. And, I love them.

As we all are.  While these cars admittedly have the best price/performance out there today, it's still a tidy chunk of change to plunk down and not see it through.  I'm sure Atlas-O needs/wants to close the book on this chapter as well. 

David

RedFlag? It is mid January and Atlas has not yet posted their Jan-June 2015 catalog,maybe they are waiting for Big E Show Jan25? JAT

Thanks for posting those pictures of the Expo.  I was not aware the CZ was its continuation over the same three roads,  and that the heavyweight cars could be

cars of any of the three roads, as was practice for the CZ's lighweights.  Would hate to guess what those brass cars cost...luckily I am not modeling a transcontinental.

Quick question here, is there a complete list of what has been produced so far in the series? I have three of the cars in Amtrak and really like them.

All the best,

Miketg