Atlas engines

The only time you hear news is when it is bad news.

 

For the most part they run well and pull well.

 

To ensure proper power distribution use Atlas O Track with an Atlas Terminal Track section.

 

Occasionally there will be a problem with a component.

 

 

Andrew

I have an Atlas O f3 diesel AA, only one unit powered.  It runs very well and pulls a consist of 15 cars at a good pace, with no problems.

I used to have a few Atlas engines. They looked and sounded good, and had no problem pulling up to 25 cars. They have some nice detail as well. Hope I helped!

Greg

www.youtube.com/trainbros89

I have an SD40 and an SW1200.  Both good smooth runners. 

 

The SD40 is a tremendous puller.  It's heavy and all 6 axles are powered.

 

Haven't had any issues with either.

 

 

I have about 50 Atlas engines   They look and run great  Only problem is that when you are pulling a decent amount of cars and run them awhile the motors start heating up and they will slow down and start drawing a larger amount of amps.  10 minute rest cures it

 

Atlas engines look great, run great, are smooth and powerful, and are durable.  In other words they are equal to or better than any others on the market in my opinion.  Only problem I have seen is that there is so much delicate detail that you have to be careful in how you pick them up and handle them.

We run them every Saturday for six hours straight. Very dependable models. 

I have 3 Atlas SD40s that are great pullers. As a previous post mentioned all 6 axles are geared which contributes to the pulling power. They are my heaviest locomotives which helps too. The only thing I've noticed is heat build up after running for extended periods of time.

 

Although the older version of Railsounds doesn't lend itself well to the 645 prime mover the prototypes had the sound quality is awesome because these engines come with a heavy diecast frame.

 

The detailing and accuracy of an Atlas locomotive is only outdone by brass models. These are not only among the best performing engines but without question, the best looking. This is why Atlas will always be my preferred manufacturer of O scale trains.

Andrew,

   I have a little Atlas Steam Engine that came with my Angle Train, I 1st thought it was a might mismatched for the larger passenger cars it had to pull, so I tested it by pulling 15 more big passenger cars behind it, pulled them without a problem.  Never did take any pictures of the little Angle train yet.  Nothing wrong with Atlas Engines that is for sure.  I like the Atlas Industrial Rail track also.

PCRR/Dave

 I wonder if they vented the shells, if that would help? Using screens at the intakes to let the heat out?

That's what I was thinking. By removing the radiator grilles on both sides of the hood and replacing them with mesh screens similar to MTH I think that may go a long way towards dissipating heat.

My Atlas O GP9 has sliding cab windows.

I just open the windows.

I have several Atlas engines and they run well. The detail Atlas put into them forced MTH and Lionel to up their game (competition is a good thing). They use die cast frames which improved tracking and pulling power.

The Atlas engines have also been hard to come by (new) the last few years I think due to manufacturing problems in China. I think Atlas makes some very nice products. I don't have any of their engines, but will probably be getting one of their BNSF Dash-8's with TMCC if they ever finally produce them. 

I have several Atlas engines and they look good & operate well.

 

Unfortunately, the death of COO Jim Weaver and the chaos in Chinese manufacturing has made it difficult to deliver planned equipment.

 

If your interested in Atlas, perhaps you should look at what Forum sponsor Public Delivery Track has in stock.

 

Tony

Up on "The D & H Bridge Line" in Colonie, NY

Thanks, I understand the problems they are having, but I have my LHS trying to get the Dash-8 for me if and when it becomes available. I might check Public Delivery Track for any other BNSF stuff they may have. I have looked around some.

Haven't heard this before. I run mine on Fastrack without any problem, and know a number of operators running them without problem on track other than Atlas.

I have 3 Atlas diesels, all are very smooth with excellent detail. One has lost its sound, will have to replace the sound board one of these days.

 

Breez,

   I never have any problems with Atlas engines running on FasTrack either, they run smooth as glass, course the Atlas Industrial Rail is engineered so close to FasTrack that it's almost the same track, with a twist here and there.  With the Atlas transition track, the trains run so smooth from one track to the other, that you can not tell when the train goes from one type track on to the other, now that is seriously nice engineering on Atlas's part.

PCRR/Dave 

I have a dozen or so Atlas diesels. I have never had any operational problem that wasn't directly attributable to electronics procured from outside vendors. The three problems I have had:

 

-- Lionel TMCC radio board DOA. (Common on TMCC engines; the boards all come from Lionel.) All were replaced under warranty.

-- Occasional tuning problems with Train America Studios Engineer On Board systems. (only on older models; TAS is out of business and I think Atlas is now using ERR cruise.)

-- Smoke fan motors running backwards. This was a common problem with Lionel and Train America smoke units for years. Both were apparently getting their fan motors from the same supplier, who didn't bother to check that the red and black wires were wired to the correct terminals. 

 

None of these problems are relevant to current Atlas products, and all were common to whoever was using the particular outside-purchased electronic items involved, including Lionel, Weaver, and 3rd Rail. Atlas makes a high-end product and their quality control is better than most.

Ive got three atlas engines,,,,run great, decent sounds.but the most authentic 3r models out there...imho.....crj

Do most atlas engines have smoke?  I noticed in the description for some is says ' new' operating smoke.

OK, why do you want smoke on a diesel?

Hot water-  I like the smoke.  Do you know if they have smoke ?

I have no idea. The two Atlas TRAINMAN units that I have, have been weathered, so like all my other locomotives, I NEVER use smoke. The smoke fluid residue messes up the weathering and also falls down all over the scenery, messing THAT up too.

The Trainman line of locos do not have smoke. Most of the Master line does.

Andrew, you get to choose what you like on your model railroad, so there's no need to explain that to folks here questioning your likes/dislikes.  

 

Some Atlas-O locomotives have smoke, some do not.  So it's best to check product specs to be certain.  

 

David

 

Count me in as another Jim Weaver-era Atlas O fan. A good number of their GP/SD35s and SD40s run on my railroad, along with RS1s, C630s, Fs, a few GEs and Geeps right up through the 60 series. I 'took a lot of deliveries' between about 2004 and 2008. Then the bottom fell out of the market and the toy train business in China, and Jim passed, and that was it. Atlas has not been the same since. For the last 5 years I have been maintaining my fleet upgrade 'strategy' by buying whatever new inventory I can find on the secondary market, but truly new inventories in the roads I want have pretty much dried up.

 

I still love Atlas O products - when I can find them. I do hope we see them return to the glory days of the mid-2000s.

Second only to Weaver offerings. I have several. If they did not have EOB drive systems I upgraded them.

There are (4) additional SW9's since this picture.

I have a pair of RS1s (8101 & 8102), a GP35 (6135) and a newly acquired F2 (1604) (with fixed pilot)...

 

All are awesome in their details, and sound great (now that the -35 has upgraded sounds).  I'm not allowed to smoke in the house.

 

 

 

You can here my upgraded sounds here:

 

Thanks,

- Mario

But the weather has gotten pretty lousy.