Atlas O California Zephyr Cars

You're teasing us, right?  You talk about this beautiful train and you don't even post pictures.  Inquiring minds want to see . . . 

I was going to buy these in the unmarked livery to run as an Aussie train, but the whole buying/ordering process and delays put me off.

Atlas website suggests a 2Q delivery this year, now I personaly do not see that happening despite a limited production schedule on their calender for this year. In the past Jerry Kimble of Atlas has said this is their top priority to complete this set,however other than some changes of top mgm there has been no statement from them regarding this years outlook although to their credit the new Trinity 25K tank car is being delivered on schedule.Notice all the cancellations on their current shipping schedule[not enough reservations for these repaint/reruns]

I will be picking up a diner and a sleeper this year some time this year. Its like Ketchup on your Hamburger and fries... Anticipation....

 

Its worth the wait.... BTW dome cars are still available and so are the 4-4-2 's

 

These cars are fantastic and once the full set is out it will make an amazing set.

Just plan accordingly on your minimum radii, they do not like 072 when you start coupling them together!

 

 

 

I now have 11 of the cars and ordered the dome observation. Maybe this year it will finally be done or not.

Pity the poor passenger passing between cars on his/her way to a 'last supper' in the diner as the train enters this curve.!  And no diaphragms to ricochet off of!   Ah, well, it was a good ride, anyway!

 

I'm doing the Amtrak set, I was told by my dealer the observation is this year. I would like to do the VIA Rail Canadian by GGD my favorite train to ride.

 

Clem

Scrappy its real easy to remove those thumb tacks, and it greatly improves their appearance.

 

 

I picked up a couple of the 1st run cars with the window blinds on the outside of the windows. Atlas sent me the replacement windows, with blinds at no charge, but that means I had to open them up. They actually come apart very easily, the window swap was easy, but finding the right sized figures was a little harder. 1/48 people are to big. The dome really shows off the passengers, but the lower portion of the car is somewhat of a waste because the blinds hide most of them anyway. I completely filled the car (every seat),but you don't even notice most of the passengers in the lower level. I still have one more car to swap windows, and I'll pay attention to window blind coverage on this one, as to not waste figures that you can't see anyway.

Laidoffsick,

Thanks for the photos.

I had heard it was very difficult to open the cars.

Any tips on that?

 

Scrappy

 

Opening the cars is 4 screws and a wire connector. The window replacement instructions on atlas' website are pretty straight forward. The some bubble pulls out of the roof, but you need tiny people to put up there

Scrappy I posted the Atlas "How To" video HERE last May

 

I used 1:75 scale people I found on Ebay. Of course they are from China, but they are cheap and arrived in about 10 days. The colors were rather odd, but I fixed that once they were glued in the car.

 

Its easy but time consuming. A great project to sit at the table, enjoy a cold beverage, and watch the game....

Nice!, thank god they did the pre-war curved glass and didn't deplict the war time flat glass vistadomes..never liked those very much.

 

Oh, and those cars had better be on the smallish side if anyone is going to think of pulling them with the Atlas 4-4-2....

If anybody is still looking for the diner or sleeper, I saw them at Caboose Hobbies today. One diner (Silver Platter) and two sleepers (both Silver Aspen).  These were in 3-rail. They also had one of the Pennsy cars and one of the Amtrak cars in 2-rail.

 

Jim

At October 2013 York, we were told March/April 2014 for the observation dome.  That seemed optimistic at the time, but that's what we were told definitively.

 

I guess what now leads me to believe delivery of these is a bit further down the road simply comes from the fact that Atlas-O just "officially" announced the observation dome in JANUARY 2014 -- nearly 3 months after October 2013 York's preview.   

 

Now it's still possible we might see these in the time-frame we were told at the York seminars, but the realist in me is now thinking 2H2014 at the earliest.  Then again, perhaps when we were told March/April back at October 2013 York, they really meant March/April 2015!!! 

 

David

Thanks for the pictures John.  Beautiful cars, but they would not look good on my layout which has 72" curves

Which locomotives pulled the Zephyr cars?  I have the Lionel 6-19122, -23 and -24, and wondered what would be prototypical?

Best choice would be the Golden Gate Depot CB&Q E7A-E7A consist.

 

I don't know what those number are.  So, depending on what year/timeframe and region you are trying to model and your personal proclivity for manufacturers;

 

For WP, either Lionel or Atlas or MTH F3s or 3rd rail FP7s.

For D&RGW,  Lionel bumblebee PAs or Atlas bumblebee F3s or Lionel single stripe gold F7s.  The Lionel or MTH 5 stripe gold PAs are an older generation - pre 2004 but are correct.

For CB&Q  Either Lionel or Atlas F3s or 3rd Rail E7s or Lionel E8/9s.  There are also the older Weaver/K-line E8/9s and I assume MTH did them also.  

 

So, lotsa choices.

Since you have the 15" Lionel cars, I'd stick with any of the Lionel Legacy F3/F7 diesel sets.  And right now, some can be had for super-sale prices.  For CB&Q , you could configure an ABA.  And for D&RGW locomotives, you could go all out and do an ABBA configuration.  For WP motive power, it's best to do ABB if you want to be prototypical. 

 

But hey... on our RR's we get to do whatever we want, so I'd do an ABBBA with my Atlas-O 21" cars, regardless of who's heading up the train.    (And hopefully some time this year, we'll even have a nice domed observation to finish the train!!!)

 

David

 

P.S.  BTW, if you're not familiar with it yet, click HERE for a great website featuring terrific info on the California Zephyr.  It has all the info you'll ever want to know about the CZ's motive power and car roster... and more!!! 

A question for laid off sick.I changed the shades on my early Zephyr Cars but could not figure out how to remove the dome,can you help.

Thanks

Mikey

Mikey its been too many months since I did it. I know it wasn't difficult, but I don't remember if there were screws, or it just snapped in place. Sorry I cant be of more help.

Thanks, yeah the 072 inch curves just look really bad on these cars. My upper deck has 0100 and they look much better and do not derail. Its an art to get the couplers adjusted just right so they can mitigate the O72 radius, most of the time its just a headache waiting to happen.

 

Its easier to see if you remove the light strip. In each corner of the dome is a locking tab. Release them all and the dome pulls out of the roof. There are no screws holding in the dome. 

When you get around to putting people in the cars, contact 3rd Rail/Sunset models.  Scott Mann had his  "people supplier" do a run of seated people in 1940 - 1950's era clothing.  Since the CZ first was on the rails in 1948, these people would really be the right time period for the cars.. 

 

Differences are that women wore hats and skirts, the men were dressed more formally, too, with neckties, suits and white shirts.  These "folks" just look right for the cars.  We were a lot more formal or proper back then.

 

Paul Fischer

The GGD figures do NOT fit in these cars, especially the dome. Theh look like giants and they are too tall for the dome section. Even if you cut their legs off, their bodies are still too tall. Do NOT buy 1/48 figures thinking they will fit fine

Laidoffsick:  Didn't realize that the interiors of the Atlas cars were that tight.  I know that the 21" Golden Gate cars accomodate their figures, okay.   i have also used thes figures in my 21" Weaver passenger cars without problems. 

 

I know that the MTH figures are all a bit smaller than others; maybe actually under-scale.  Certainly, these would work in the Atlas cars, although you'd loose the vintage looks of the '40's and '50's.

 

Paul Fischer

I was able to use GGD people downstairs in the dome car, but upstairs is tight. Railking people will work in the dome if you dremel down the thickness of their rear ends and cut off the feet. Otherwise, you probably need to use OO or HO scale people, like LOS suggests above.

All my passenger car passengers signed waivers that they knew their legs and rears may have to be sacrificed for the good of the enterprise. 

 

Art

Hertz & Howe, the class-action attorneys of renown specializing in 'rough rides' and obligatory amputations "for the good of the enterprise", are not intimidated by your waivers! 

 

Recently they've found another gold mine to line their pockets: cruise ship lines.

 

 

I used some GGD people in the lower level of my dome as well. They fit, but still way too tall. If you look at my 2nd photo, large sized, their shoulders are well above the top of the seat. So yeah, after cutting off their legs, grinding down half their butt, their heads are up in thin air. Just buy the smaller figures and then you don't need to cut limbs off, especially considering figures are not cheap and then you only use half of them...literally

Laidoffsick,

They all have such good posture.

Sitting up so straight.

Looks like a "holdup."

Lmao...that is true!

I feel your pain, Eliot.  I'm waiting out Atlas' glacial chronological progress through EMD F-unit production.  I hope Atlas will get to the late phase F3 ("F5") rednose before I am too old to climb the stairs to the railroad.