Atlas O CZ, Mail, Baggage, observation, etc, Cars

Best bet would be to contact Atlas.

I was talking to the dealer I get my Atlas O from and he mentioned that the observation car will be the next announcement. They realize that customers are getting impatient and wanting to run something resembling a train. We shall see.

Personally, I do not like when the importers choose this approach of announcing/producing individual passenger cars over a period of years.  I've tolerated it with Lionel's Polar Express (scale cars), but that's been my sole exception.  I much prefer when an entire "set" is offered... at least a 4- or 5-pack WITH observation so a short train can be run.  The overseas manufacturing relationships are too precarious right now to risk purchasing one car at a time.  But if you want the CZ from Atlas, that's the only way to do it.  Although Lionel's new version of the CZ cars will be 18" vs 21" from Atlas-O, I opted for Lionel's entire set approach due out mid-2013.

David

The Atlas scale length passenger situation is a "darned if you do and darned if you don't" scenario. In Atlas O's defense, they thought they were doing the right thing by spreading out the delivery of an expensive passenger train set, so that potential customers could then afford to purchase the whole set, spread-out over 2 or 3 years. Little did Atlas know that the manufacturer would "throw them out of their factory" due to the Bachman "expansion".

 

On the other side of the coin, Sunset/3rd Rail/Golden Gate Depot produces full 8 to 10 car passenger train "sets" all at once, and offers them at pretty reasonable prices for the 2-Rail and 3-Rail Scale modelers, which sell out VERY fast.

 

Guess the suppliers in O Scale can't please everyone, all the time.

We're in the process of shipping the second run of the 10/6 Sleeper and the Dome chair Coach along with having just finished taking orders for the Diner and 16 Section Sleeper. Advanced pre-production photographs of these two cars can be found on our Facebook page. 

 

Atlas is committed to the completion of the California Zephyr train and we’ll have additional important announcements shortly that will be communicated through our retailers and on our website, so stick with us as it’s going to be an exciting year, especially for Zephyr owners.

 

Thank you for your patience and continued support,

Jerry Kimble, Sales
Atlas Model Railroad Company

Jerry Kimble,

 

I have all of the previously released cars and I agree with all of the comments above.

I love the cars but I am unhappy with the Atlas O approach. For goodness sakes, give us the observation for the end of the train before you add more variations of sleepers and coaches.

Well, also in defense of Atlas as a company trying to make a reasonable return-on-investment (a.k.a., "profit"....hissssssssssssss), the dies/tooling for these babies do not qualify under 'chump change'.  If you want the accuracy of proper contours, window arrangements, interiors, etc., etc., blah, blah, then EACH one of the body styles is different, or heavily modified, tooling.  Based on the market size...predicted, now demonstrated...and the economy...oh, wait, there's nothing wrong there!...coupled with the fact they just had a major hiccup in the China production with change of factory to produce their mainstay...track...that has set hobbyists back many months waiting, waiting, waiting....why would we expect everything at once? 

 

I know, I know, we're part of the 'I-want-it, I-want-it-cheap, I-want-it-NOW!!' generation. 

 

So who cares?....just gimme!

 

A while back there was a thread speculation on what would be Atlas' next passenger train project.  What?  They would make that leap without finishing the first project?  Right.  Now THAT would be the way to run a battleship...or model railroading company!  'Lessee, sales/return isn't going the way we anticipated.  Hmmmm.  We must've picked the wrong train to model.  Let's pull the plug on this one and go to the Super Chief!  I hear tell you can sell ANYTHING in Santa Fe, Warbonnet, name and colors!'

 

 

Patience.

 

Go to York...give Atlas POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT in what they're doing.   It smooths over the rough edges of reality for today's manufacturers in discretionary income business. 

 

Happy Spring! 

 

KD

 

 

 

 

Good post, KD!

 

However, it looks like Golden Gate Depot may have beaten Atlas to the punch on the Santa Fe Super Chief.

 

Alternatives could be, the high level Santa Fe El Capatian, or ANY of the Union Pacific "City of" train sets, with their unique car sides & window patterns.

It is approaching 4 years since these cars were announced. That wll turn in to at least 5 years before we probably see an observation car and can run something resembling a train. You wonder why some have lost patience and post those little shocked and angry graemlins? I am happy they are making these cars and am resigned to just waiting it out. But, I don't think it is suprising or unjustified that some are not happy with the way these cars are being released.

Keep in mind there are significant price differences going on between Atlas and GGD. The Atlas CZ cars can be preordered for $129.95. The GGD Super Chief cars are at $239.99. The upcoming GGD Lark cars are at $199.99. The GGD Daylight cars were about $138 and seem like an absolute bargain now. If these price differences can remain in place, is there a market for Super Chief cars from both companies? Or will the cost of new dies/tooling bring Atlas prices in line with GGD? The advantage GGD has now is bringing a whole set to market in a shorter time frame.

I really like Lionel 18" passenger cars and have a bunch of them. As far as the CZ cars, all I have seen are the catalog pictures and they show only two dome cars. The observation car does not have a dome.  Do you know any more about the dome cars in the set?

An observation car with out a dome is not the California Zephyr!

I am really looking forward to the next release. I have 2 dome cars and the sleeper. they are fantastic, and I recommend anyone building a layout purchase one of these, their long wheel bases, small wheel flanges, and scale car lengths will tell all.

The only thing that looks odd is the blinds appear to be mounted on the outside of the windows and there are no people inside.

I will wait for the cars and I hope the rear observation car is next, not many people can fork out over a 800 dollars at once for a passenger set, but if you release the cars over time... it sure helps the wallet.

 

Atlas already offered replacement window strips with the blinds correctly located on the INSIDE. All you have to to is slide the old, incorrect, wind strips out and slide the new replacements in. Suggest you contact Mr. Kimble at Atlas, and he'll probably send you some.

For goodness sakes, give us the observation for the end of the train before you add more variations of sleepers and coaches.

In case you missed it, the diner and the conductor's dome are next!  Very important for a CZ set, especially the diner.

Bear in mind Atlas at their present pace is probably 2 years away from completing the current CZ set, too long a period to even venture a guess at what they might choose to produce after that. GGD is on a roll and clearly has the time frame to produce whatever passenger cars they get enough reservations for.

Thanks Hotwater I will inquire.

When are orders going in for the diner car? and who is taking them?

No local hobby shop out here.

Thanks!

www.jdstrains.com 

www.publicdeliverytrack.com

 

 

At the risk of hijacking this thread, I do hope that somebody comes out with a decent 60 foot RPO, whether it's John Santa Fe's or somebody else's. One of the things about three-rail that irritates me is that even where the prototype had decent short cars available and condensation wasn't necessary, the toy train makers chose to make toy-like models of baggage and RPO cars. The Santa Fe's streamlined RPOs did good service on the Santa Fe, and some ran for a while afterwards on the New Haven (until the Penn Central merger) and on the Nacionales de Mexico after the Santa Fe stopped running RPO cars

Au contraire...

 

Rider's Hobby Shop of Flint and/or Grand Rapids, Meeeeshigan, are both pleased to take advance orders for ALL manufacturer's products...including Atlas O.  In Flint, ask for Mike, Ken, Cheryl, Terry, Gary, Jack, Phil, Neil, ...et al..., of the Trains Dept..  In Grand Rapids, ask for Bill and his crew in the Trains Dept..

 

The CZ Dining Car...all 3 CZ versions, 2 Amtrak versions, and the undec...are IMMEDIATELY orderable...projected due date in October 2013.  (Looking at the choices on a separate screen at one of our several distributors as I write this.)

 

BTW...it's not uncommon for announcements/rumors/leaks of new forthcoming products to be made before the mfr has posted sku's, or distributors entered the items into their online ordering system.  Not a problem for us!  We take your order/info the old-fashioned way...on a genuine printed 5X7 order card with a buy-em-by-the-box genuine ballpoint pen...and enter the order later onto the whiz-bang computer when all the pertinent poop is available.  Baggage, Dome/Obs...we know they're coming...we'd be pleased to have you pre-order through us.

 

KD

 

 

 

Here is the link explaining how to get started on replacing the window strips on the first sets of the Atlas California Zephyr cars:  http://www.atlasrr.com/news/ca...lacement-windows.htm