Atlas CZ passenger cars

I am not aware of ANY unlettered cars shipped from Atlas. Why would you want to re-letter any of them anyway? I thought that Atlas will be issuing ALL versions of the CB&Q, D&RGW, WP California Zephyr cars, plus that special PRR car.

Painted plastic.

In the first run, unlettered cars were available.

I am looking at them as generic Budd cars. Maybe not exact for NYC but likely close enough. I know, no domes.

Pete

Apparently Atlas O didn't get enough pre-orders for un-lettered cars. I have seen that happen with Atlas O freight cars. Took me more than three years to get un-letterd 8000 gallon tank cars from Atlas.

Atlas also listed unlettered versions in the second run.

You would have to do the research, but I don't think there were too many railroads that used the CZ version of the car.  The problem is the skirting.  Most railroads did not use full skirts and had the wheel wells cut out.

I haven't taken the time to verify it but Jeff Dobslaw of J. D.'s trains told me that Santa Fe had a couple of Budd cars with full skirts like the CZ cars.  I know they had a coach like that but think it was shorter than the CZ cars.

Atlas expects to come out Budd cars that are more prototypical for other roads, the question is when.  I have been told that the molds are easily modified.

Apparently Atlas O didn't get enough pre-orders for un-lettered cars.

I haven't seen one, but they were listed for sale on ebay.  I don't know.  Jeff Dobslaw was interested in some, I don't know if he was able to get any.  You have better contacts and some of the best hobby shops in your area, so I'll defer to what you have to say.

I have to admit I didn't pay close attention to the skirt. Relettering is one thing. Milling out the skirt could be a little dicey. On to plan B.

Pete

I know the unlettered cars exist because my next door neighbor owns two....

Alan

Milling out the skirt is not that bad.  I do it on aluminum all the time.  Mark carfully first.

There were three distinct Budd configurations.  One had full length smooth letterboard above the windos, like Lionel.  One had relatively smooth sides - PRR and some dome cars.

Don't confuse these with the Pullman varieties.

I would have to see how thick the skirts are before deciding. Aluminum would be easier to do as the clamping force could be greater. Too easy to misjudge that force and have the car fly out of the vise and have a $150 piece of junk. The NYC ESE Budd cars had essentially the same letterboard setup as the CZ cars.

I am thinking I will hold off until I am able to talk to Atlas and find out if they plan to release more generic cars with truck cutouts.

Pete

Recently, I saw an unlettered car on Ebay. I didn't even know Atlas made them.

These are plastic?  Plastic cuts a whole lot easier than aluminum, if you have the right tools.  I use a gentle cradle to hold the extrusion on the milling machine, and as I progress, I merely loosen the thumb screws for each succeeding window or cutout.  A vise would destroy either type of body.  My cradle is wood, with felt on the gripping surfaces.  You do need a solid floorboard to do this.

If you ever cut aluminum, you need green cutting fluid.  I understand water works for plastic, but have little experience machining plastic.

Bob, Shortly after I posted the above I figured out how to do this with little chance of destroying the car. I have milled plastic cars but wasn't sure how to handle the radius of the wheel opening. My first thought would be to clamp the body on its side. I don't have a horizontal attachment for the Bridgeport. Instead of that approach I would clamp the body bottom side up and use a ball end cutter to mill the edge. That would give the radius at each end.

No matter now. That project is on hold.

Pete

Seaboard had a load of Budd cars, I think they initially came with full skirting but the maintenance guys removed them over time as they took too long to take off/put on.

It's all about the window placement with me.  I know Seaboard had a nasty habit of ordering cars with slight differences or altered them later themselves.  The only 2 Budd models I have came from OK Engines.  I don't know how I would pay for it but if Atlas came out with a "correct" SAL Silver Meteor or Silver Star I'd have to get one.

Are interiors in the Atlas cars and are they easily modified to fit different configurations?

Pete - I use an end mill, 3/4"  diameter.  The car is on its side, because the windows are cut that way.  Windows are cut with a 1/8" end mill, using lots of fluid, and going counter clockwise.  The truck slot is perfect with the 3/4" mill.  Going at it from the bottom might set up harmonics and break the plastic.  It would probably tear the aluminum.

You plastics guys are lucky.  Those look like superb models.

Maybe maybe someone else can help. I have not seen them in the flesh yet. I am pretty sure they come with interiors. At that price they better have.

Bob, I have held the cars bottom side up in a vise with a carefully cut block of wood between the sides to keep them from collapsing in. A micro fiber cloth lines the vise to distribute the force. The styrene type plastic doesn't require cooling the tool. The bottom of pic shows the rag covering the milling vise jaw.

Pete