Atlas-O 2016 California Zephyr Offerings... What Did You Do?

(A) - Sitting on the sidelines. No passenger cars, still all freight and I have way too many of those. Maybe someday?

Too expensive.  I don't see how these companies have the nerve to charge the prices they do. 

Bob posted:

Too expensive.  I don't see how these companies have the nerve to charge the prices they do. 

I think you posted in the wrong thread, Bob.    At $1549 for 12 of the most highly-detailed ABS 21" O-Gauge passenger cars on the market, these are the best bang for one's dollars.  Grant it, $1549 ain't chump change, but nobody's gonna pay this and think they paid "too much" for what they're getting.

David

Option A,  I am happy with what I have.  

I'm still tap dancing on the fence.  When it seemed that Atlas would not even finish the whole set, I decided to buy the un-lettered ala-carte cars and create a business train for my railroad.  With the cars I still have on order I'll have ten of them.  And just as they made the full set announcement at last October's York Meet, I found and purchased a 10 car K-Line CZ set.  So I'm inclined to be happy with that.

However, I still need power to pull the CZ set, so I may be interested in the ABB Western Pacific F units.  But I'm still liking a whole set of Atlas CZ cars.  After all, the CZ did have more than one consist, right?! 

David;

Thanks to you, I just had this terrible vision of Sr. Mary Flowerpot staring at me while wagging her pointer in my direction, so I decided not to sin (at least on this offering). I remember walking past the Atlas display at York and passing two older gentlemen, one of whom pointed out that the full 12 car set which they were running was even too big for the rather large layout they had set up. Also, the 21" cars are just to big for my 14'x16' layout.

And as for your penance of 1 Hail Mary and 1 Our Father, I think you should be on your knees giving thanks for the Year of Mercy   

I placed my full order on Tuesday.  I'm getting the 12-car Western Pacific set. For power I ordered WP A-B-B-A's.

YES, I know that WP used A-B-B on the point. But IMHO for a l-o-n-g Passenger or Freight NOTHING looks better that an A-B-B-A lash-up.

Now all I have to do is set aside $110 per week from now until the end of the year to pay for this package.

It is easier to ask forgiveness than requesting permission.

Rocky Mountaineer posted:

No "Glory Be"?

David

I cut some corners, and have O-31 curves!

Hi! I have already purchased several WP cars so decided to go with a WP 4-car set.  Have Lionel Legacy WP A-B-B set that runs really well so did not order any locomotives.  I thought about CBQ full monte but already have Lionel Allegheny and other stuff on order.  Saving a few nickels and dimes for new 911 GT3. Marianne says I can have it - all I have to do is pay for it!

Option A. Glad I have what I have and do not know how long it will take to get them to market.

Option A.

Atlas did a great job with the CZ offering. Expensive yes but when you break it down per car,  I think it's a good deal. But with the layout in planning stages I do not think I will not sin at this time. I watched the Atlas York CZ layout video and one will need a large layout with large 090+ curves to make that set look good. Look good it does. I understand the preorder process but feel under the gun in this case to make up my mind quickly or as they say on those TV sales ads ...quick order now before there gone... 

Just looking at my orders received:

• the engines were pretty much split a third each for the road names and about 2:1 three rail vs two rail.
• The car orders were almost half WP, and then 50:50 for the balance.
• Most people ordered all 12 cars; 80% in one road name; 20% mixed it up between road names
• There were only a couple of people that ordered one four car set
• Overall, we had more engines ordered than car sets ordered.

I am still taking orders through tomorrow night - use my MFNCAZ discount code for a better price. The link to my order pages is here.

I don't know totals, but when talking with the Atlas folks on Friday the volume of orders exceeded their expectations.

Since I already own more than a full set of CZ cars I was an even worse boy and went to the Golden Gate Depot site to reserve some of their offerings

Option E.

Thanks Mr. Muffin, for extending your offer time. I was waffling on the entire thing, and the date passed, and I thought I was too late, and I just placed my Denver/Rio Grande order for the whole thing, engines and cars... I don't have any of these, so get it all while the getting is good. Having rode in the Silver Pine, it's why I choose the D&RGW set.

Thanks so much. I think.

.

PhilInAustin posted:

Option E.

 

Thanks Mr. Muffin, for extending your offer time. I was waffling on the entire thing, and the date passed, and I thought I was too late, and I just placed my Denver/Rio Grande order for the whole thing, engines and cars... I don't have any of these, so get it all while the getting is good. Having rode in the Silver Pine, it's why I choose the D&RGW set.

 

Thanks so much. I think.

.

 

Thanks so much. I still need to order a set for us to run on our layout. I'm thinking I will follow your lead. 

Steve.... 

Thanks to Mr Muffin for extending the order deadline!! I just ordered the complete set of CZ cars in D&RGW 3 rail. Thought I lost out but the forum saved me again with great information from the retail sponsors. Cheers Don

I was as bad as I could be... All 48 cars and all 10 engines. Thank goodness my 2nd job has tons of hours in the fall! Also very glad I unloaded the mismatched colors and messed up windows I had amassed over the years.

Have 6-8 months to save, AND to build them a home.

No sale here. CZ is not my thing.

Still waiting on the 15" cars very us guys with smaller layouts, until then it's the K-Lines for me.

lionel1946 posted:

I was as bad as I could be... All 48 cars and all 10 engines. Thank goodness my 2nd job has tons of hours in the fall! Also very glad I unloaded the mismatched colors and messed up windows I had amassed over the years.

Have 6-8 months to save, AND to build them a home.

Wow. Now I am impressed. I stayed with the miss matched cars and I am more than happy.  Bought a set of Lionel  Burlington E-5's at York and I am upgrading them now....

BTW I hope that everyone that ordered a set realizes they will NOT operate on 072...

lionel1946 posted:

I was as bad as I could be... All 48 cars and all 10 engines. Thank goodness my 2nd job has tons of hours in the fall! Also very glad I unloaded the mismatched colors and messed up windows I had amassed over the years.

Have 6-8 months to save, AND to build them a home.

Wow.. I am sure Atlas would like more customers like you! 

Rather than build 5 more domes.  I sucked it up reevaluated my budget joined the Golden spike club and ordered the limited edition set. Now lets see just how limited the edition size is ?

Im buying the Amtrak version

Clem

clem k posted:

Im buying the Amtrak version ....

Clem, that's yet another reason why I didn't spring for one of these latest "set offerings".  About a year ago, I decided to start building an Amtrak Zephyr -- just about 7 or 8 cars though... not the full 12+.  Planning to head that train up with bicentennial themed locomotives, which makes for a very nice display of red, white, and blue.  

So I figured I didn't really need a third set. 

David

There's no way that I could run a train of some 15 or 16, 21" passenger cars on my medium sized layout.  So I suggested to Jerry Kimble of Atlas that they offer another, smaller set representing the Rio Grande Zephyr that was operated alone by the D&RGW when they refused to join in the new Amrak in the 1970's.  that train ran for about 10 years,  operating between Denver and Salt Lake City, three days a week in each direction.  (A book was written about that operation, called "Never on Sunday" I believe by Mel Patrick)  That train usually ran between six and nine cars, all former CZ cars.  

Atlas would be wise to package and promote this usually shorter train which was always pulled by F-7's in an A-B or A-B-B combination, featuring the last paint version of the D&RGW.  I had the pleasure of riding that train at least a half a dozen times.

Paul Fischer

RRaddict2 posted:

Still waiting on the 15" cars very us guys with smaller layouts, until then it's the K-Lines for me.

Same here. I can't run anything near these 21" cars, and no one I know can, either, so there's no interest in them. There are no basements in this part of the country, for one thing. 

We're all waiting for Lionel to start producing their plastic streamlined passenger sets in 15" versions.

breezinup posted:

...

We're all waiting for Lionel to start producing their plastic streamlined passenger sets in 15" versions.

If more folks would actually start building layouts, they'd realize how much better the 15" version of passenger cars appear on small to modest-sized layouts.  I almost cringe when I hear somebody ask if 21-inch cars will "look good" on O-54 curves.   

We're all guilty at times of succumbing to whatever the importers happen to be selling in any given time period.  So building a layout acts as a common-sense governor of sorts -- both in terms of which products to buy AND how many products to buy.    Gotta admit, I'm guilty of the latter issue a few times over. 

David

Seacoast posted

Wow.. I am sure Atlas would like more customers like you! 

Actually, over time I have downsized. At one time I had every 40-foot reefer and every 36-foot reefer. Way more $ than a complete set of CZ cars.

What is jacking up the price is the almost simultaneous release of the motive power. Been watching the bay FOR YEARS for a WP set of F units and/or CBQ. Bought/won a set of CBQ, but seller backed out, only saw one set of WP ever listed (2-rail). 

clem k posted:

Im buying the Amtrak version

Clem

I think they've offered 18 road names in Amtrak, yes? And what I find curious is that they've offered a handful in Amtrak livery but not in original owner livery.

Rocky Mountaineer posted:

breezinup posted:

...

We're all waiting for Lionel to start producing their plastic streamlined passenger sets in 15" versions.

If more folks would actually start building layouts, they'd realize how much better the 15" version of passenger cars appear on small to modest-sized layouts.  I almost cringe when I hear somebody ask if 21-inch cars will "look good" on O-54 curves.   

 

David

Yes. We have to be realistic about our space limitations, and go with what works and looks the best. Actually, the upper line Lionel and K-Line aluminum versions of 15" cars with scale sprung trucks, add-on detail parts, painted interiors and figures, etc. look very nice on any size layout.

One small point: with the shorter cars, it's often possible to run trains with more cars, and sometimes passenger trains with more cars can have more visual appeal than passenger trains with fewer cars, which may be necessary if the cars themselves are long.

Now... if only Atlas would announce some Alco PA's.  

SantaFeJim posted:

Now... if only Atlas would announce some Alco PA's.  

Sunset/3rd Rail just did!  But then the Alco PA's did't handle the CZ, except maybe on the D&RGW.

Joined The Golden Spike Club and went with the limited edition set. Hope to pull them with the Legacy CB&Q ABBA F units. One A and one B are powered. Should do the job.

Gweedo posted:

Joined The Golden Spike Club and went with the limited edition set. Hope to pull them with the Legacy CB&Q ABBA F units. One A and one B are powered. Should do the job.

The CB&Q didn't have A-B-B-A F3 units. They had only 3 sets of A-B-A F3 units, and those lasted less than one year. The CB&Q primarily used E7A units, until the E8A and E9A units were delivered.

Hot Water thank you for the information on the CB&Q. No worries for they will be running on my Bare Plywood Central RR.  A lot of stranger thing's have run here.

I see on the latest container report and A to Z ship schedule from Atlas  the last 2 CZ cars are on the water along with Pines trailers and Tman 40' box car,interesting these were all 3Q 2016 est ship date yet the new Gundersons and containers are listed as 2Q ship date, looks like Atlas is gearing up for big time CZ production. just saying!

Hot Water posted:

....But then the Alco PA's didn't handle the CZ, except maybe on the D&RGW.

Maybe. 

JDaddy, I'm going to try them out on the O72 just to see. They work great on O82 but look just bit odd at the turns. Same with the GGD El Cap.