Is Atlas O doing ok?

Just to set the right level of expectation here... the email I received on September 3rd indicated that there is an upcoming Golden Spike Club announcement scheduled for Sept 12th.  And while I'm very interested to see more details, I'm just not sure it will fall into the "setting a new course for Atlas" category.   But we'll know for sure this week.

David

While Atlas O makes beautiful stuff and I like having top notch equipment I tend to stick with the trainman line of Atlas trains. The Master line has incredible deatil and I have 11 cars for the California Zephyr but I may call it quits on the set too like David, I'm just sick of dealing with it. As for the Master line freight cars there is just no freakin way im going to pay $95 for a hopper or $100 for a tank car. While they are nice the value isn't there. Atlas O prices themselves out of the market with those high prices on freight cars. Now the trainman bulkhead flats can be had for around $45 when the come out and these are great cars with just the right amount of detail and I have a bunch of them. But when you look at the master line cars they are just too nice. I buy cars with enough detail that can be seen form 3 feet away and I can say "that's a nice car" Im not looking at the bottom of the car for brake lines when its running around the layout. They would be in abetter position to spend the time and money making a good car for an affordable price than insanely expensive and overly detailed items that nobody really wants to spend the money on.

The reason our hobby is suffering is because of insanely high prices. I was looking for some HO freight cars for my dad at my hobby store I work at and as im looking at all the cars there is nothing for less than $25. Holy crap, when I was a kid Athearn HO freight car kits were $4.00 and RTR cars were 8 to 10. Even the cheap Bachmann cars are retailing for over $20. Athearn locomotives were $25 to $30 and they were made in the USA. Now they are made in China and they are all over $100. Our hobby is in trouble for the simple fact that prices have gotten so high that people just arent willing to pay the price. I can go buy and X-Box or a playstation for $400 and it doesnt take up half the basement and when i am bored with one game I can just buy another game for $50.

But does it smoke?

The X-Box will smoke without fluid eventually. The point being that video games are the hobby these days

For those over 50, not so much.

But how long will those over 50 be around? The hobby needs kids to stay alive and if kids have more interest in video games than trains when they get back to the hobby age after they discover girls/boys and dating then what do they come back to for a hobby. If they aren't involved in trains as a kid they will most likely not get involved in them as an adult. There are not that many people active in the train hobby between the ages of 16 and 30. When you were a kid 45 years ago the toy to have was the train set now the tow to have is the video game system

Well, those arguments are some of the common ones that have been made by many spectators of this sport.

There are many hobbies that may fade, as electronic novelties occupy more time of young folks. TV probably occupies the most free time of people of all ages, for that matter. Not just trains are impacted; for example, how many kids build plastic models these days? Lots and lots of angles, no end of points to worry about regarding the future of this hobby. But trains still seem to enchant many children, if they're exposed to them, so it's complicated. 

After 2110 or so, it won't matter very much, as the world will be toast, or else under water. 

Trains enchant lots of people but the simple fact of the matter is the hobby isnt what it used to be. It takes up too much space and cost too much money.

I agree with Mat to some degree, Model Trains do take up a hugh bit of space.

However, if a child, son, sometimes daughters, are introduced to this wonderful hobby with involvement with the parents, and they get the Train Bug, (an encurable disease) then later in life, after college, Marriage, and the kids potty trained, they can get back in the hobby, it's a real relaxer, getting In our own little world...All of the current Toy train manufacturers are keeping our interest at an all time High....WOW.

I feel the same way about golf courses

The best way to ruin a day outside it to bring golf clubs

I just wish Atlas would re-run the Master O Family Lines SD35.  We never have many options of Seaboard/Family Lines.  It was of course a huge corp with a colorful history.  

I want my dash 8's that ive had on order for 3 years

Subject has been changed

I guess every one but me knows this, Is Sanda Kan /Kader/ Bachmann no longer Atlas's supplier?

Have they cut of everyone that they don't own?

Somebody correct me if im wrong but I think that particular manufacturer that cut all but its biggest train clients and left everybody else to find manufacturing elsewhere. Atlas was forced to move its track manufacturing elsewhere thus leading to production and supply issues that are making it hard to get the atlas smaller scale track

Atlas is a needed importer/manufacture in the O gauge market, I hope they continue at least in the trainmaster line.

JD's Trains, Petersen Supply Co., and The Western Depot are dealers that have Atlas O in stock and you can pre-order from them.

Andrew

The Train Man line is their most successful O gauge/O Scale line, so far. They are going to continue that line.

Andrew

Don't forget Public Delivery Track, an OGR sponsor.

Trainman Line is a good affordable scale line, I hope they will invest in making more trainman products

I wish they would make these...

I sure hope they continue with Master Motive Power too. If they ever get situated and decide to introduce a new engine I hope it looks something like this...

...A GP40...

MTH does a GP40 but I'd like to see Atlas have a crack at it. I know I wouldn't be disappointed.

The reality is that it probably won't happen for quite sometime, if at all, as the first priority for Atlas is to produce locomotives that were announced 4 years ago like the Trainman CW40-8s and Master GP7s.

I'm a decade+ over 50, but I'm hoping it's good long while until check out time!

It's my understanding that Atlas had to find new manufacturers for everything they have. One of the things that has taken them so long to get going again. I would like to get one of their Dash-8's also, when they become available again.

The current situation for Atlas is almost a good news bad news deal, last year they cancelled a large number of R/R[repainted/reruns] due to lack of reservations and bear in mind we are talking much smaller runs to reservations only. If this trend continues on their current catalog offerings they will have to decide where to put these MFG dollars, either new models Tman/Mline or limit their O guage investments to what they can still get sufficient reservations for and gradually phase out of O guage. Like any other business they have to turn over dollars[investments] to pay overhead and make margin.

Good Day,

I started a posted on the Atlas O Forum on May 23, 2008 / Viewed 38,495 times with 229 replies: How about EMD GP40-2’s for future production?, Some of the Railroads that ordered the GP40-2’s: ARR, B&O, B&M, C&O, CR, DRGW, DTI, FEC, KCS, L&N, RDG, RFP, SCL, SLSF, SP, SSW, WM, WP. Over 800 Diesel Locomotives

Regards,

Swafford

GP40-2 would be a great project for Atlas O to present!

This is the ATLAS O GOLDEN SPIKE CLUB Announcement.. Mine mistakenly say`s September 2nd, apparently it`s actually the 12th of September. 

Atlas O's Trainman series was originally introduced as a dealers' stock item.  Pre-orders in the strict sense weren't required.  They were supposed to be readily available and affordable. This was akin to "build it and they will come."

Somewhere along the way, this concept went by the wayside.

Fred

I always thought the Trainman line was good value for the money, both the engines and the rolling stock.

On the other hand, I also very much like the fine detail on the master line rolling stock.  The cars look great and since I leave mine on the layout all the time, I have never broken off any of the detail items.

I also have been very happy with both my Trainman and Master line engines.  I hope they continue to make more. I would love to see the F's redone, this time with an AB done for the B&O.

Jim

Did Atlas O use any pre-existing tools for its O line?  

Atlas has been having a hard time getting their products manufactured. This has to be causing cash-flow problems. Finally they are getting products to the market, I hope the survive the turmoil. It would be a shame to lose them and their fine products.

There were the EMD locomotives from P&D Hobbies that Atlas O acquired.

Andrew

I just hope they can get more track to store shelves.  I love their track and want to use it to build layouts.

All I can say is that economic conditions aside, Atlas O has not been the same since the loss of Jim Weaver.  IMO he was the heart & soul of Atlas O.  His shoes are not something easily filled.

Is there anyone out there in the modeling community that could bring some expertise and enthusiasm to replace Jim Weaver?  It's true that a good driving personality can do wonders for a company and it seems that Jim had that. I may have met him briefly on our fist visit to York in Oct of 09 but I really don't remember.

Will add a good report to Atlas' service last year when I had been looking for a long time for a GM&O F3 A unit or cab. I wrote, called, and finally spoke with Bill at the April York two years ago. Atlas didn't have one. He told me to "keep bugging him" which I did. Have no idea where he found a cab but Bill was very helpful and eventually dug one up for me.

I had a lone dummy A unit and a powered Warbonnet A unit. Now we have these beauties!

New tooling and designing new products is expensive and they might not have the business case for it right now.  I wonder what the break even point on on designing new tooling for a locomotive or freight/passenger car.

I'm with you Swafford. I'd take a couple in Chessie. I remember a post on the old Atlas forum regarding the GP40 that was started back in the early 2000's.

I really hope Atlas O gets back on track. I think it will be difficult though. MTH and Lionel have really upped their detail levels and 3rd rail is making the best plastic diesels you can buy IMHO. Without Legacy or DCS a Master line engine would be expensive without equal features. I think if we see anything new from Atlas it will be in the Trainman line at a lower price point.

For the price point I think Atlas has the best detail and their freight cars are superb bar none. No made by Lionel on the side of the cars and I like Lionel. I do agree their engine electronics are a generation behind. Who knows what the future holds, every company is a potential take over target. That said I would tend to think Atlas makes most of their revenue from the HO and N scale markets which are more popular, correct me if I'm wrong.