New Atlas 4750s

Yes,been that route.

Someone here gave ma custom decorator to check out

The decals would be designed by Highball,which would cost $50 for the initial set up. That's not bad. But then the car costs another $50. Then the painting/weathering,which I need no weathering,cost was another $185 per car,plus shipping a minimum of 2 ways. $285 per car.

That's salty right now.

Thanks for asking.

Al Hummel

I am sorry but what are you tying to say[ other than custom jobs are very expensive-compared to mass production]

Atlas O did this car in their trainman line:

this was first run in Jan 2011:

for 3 rail#2001603 and 2 rail #2001653

Well what I was hoping for was to get Atlas to do the run of PS Family Lines hoppers done for L&N as well as SCL in the 1980-'81 time frame. The car you refer to is a 1977 lettering scheme. My pic's show a completely new scheme-see my photos again. Also a new CSX hopper with conspicuity stripes would be  nice. Was trying to see if any modelers besides me want these hoppers. I have 3 of the cars in your photo,plus an extra of car 241828. Can't find car 241811. Would like to have a variety of grain hoppers,mostly CSX,but other hoppers to to keep things mixed up.

Does that clear things up a bit?

Al Hummel

Many of Atlas O projects have previously been done in their HO & N scale lines, the 4750 was done in the Thrall version [I did not really notice any big difference] they did 6 runs in each scale and tend to stick to the same RD names in all scales. I would suspect they will do more PS 4750s in the future.

I wonder why Atlas O is not offering more graphic scheme variations on the PS-2-CD 4750 Covered Hoppers since the first ones were built in 1972 and the last ones were built about 1992. There are 20 years of original railroad and leased company schemes and another 20 years of repaints to catch-up on in production.

Andrew

Andrew,

This wonders me too. There's so much to do in those years,but no one at Atlas does it.

Thank you,

Al Hummel

Atlas has only been offering two car numbers for their Ps-2-CD 4750 covered hoppers. I would like to see more car numbers of the same road.

Yes,Atlas only does 2 numbers on the 4750 on some roads,but 4 on others. I don't get that. They did 4 numbers on the LN/Family Lines System 4750,which I'm glad they did,but only 2 numbers on the CSX 4750,which was announced in the same production run. CSX is a popular Railroad too,but it seems Atlas didn't think so.

I can buy BNSF 4750s in 4 numbers,so to this modeler,I can assume nothing else.

I'm not by any means putting down any railroad,I love 'em all,just model CSX because I'm near to the line & enjoy it.

Atlas is in the "driver's seat," so-to-speak. What do we as modelers do? I'd nicely complain if I knew who to address my comments to. I've called Atlas & have been transferred to research & development,but never can speak to anyone so I leave a voicemail with my phone # but never any reply. This is discouraging especially to new guys struggling to make it in O Scale. It's this sort of thing that makes you keep wondering if the struggle's worth it. If you can talk to people,you get hope,without hope,you go nowhere. I'm getting too far along in life to fight & wait,especially never knowing if my voice is being heard or not. I did this in HO,since in my 20s,but I'm 57 now,& it's hard to face the same struggles in O scale,that I did in HO way back when.

If Atlas would supply car decals to renumber with,that'd be a nice compromise. This is done in G scale & look how small that scale is,so why not in O Scale?

Just my opinions.

Al Hummel

"If Atlas would supply car decals to renumber with,that'd be a nice compromise"

   The path of least resistance is probably to just go out and find some decals that would work. I've found it much easier to do these kind of things myself instead of trying to get manufacturers to do them.......DaveB

Dave,

Where do you find correct decals?

So far,I found dry transfers of letters & numbers at my hobby shop,but they don't match my 4750s. The size isn't right.

I know what you're saying & agree,it's easier to move a rock instead of trying to move the mountain. In my case,I moved the rock with no results. I can go another route too-just leave the numbers as is,since the plan for my hoppers are to be mostly set out in a grain train anyhow,or "tag" cars with thumb tacks of different colors. It works,I can bend,just seems manufacturers would be more responsive to modelers.(?)

Lionel's got a LOT of REALLY nice rolling stock that'd be great in 2 rail & they seem to be slowly responding as seen with some of their Autoracks & hi-cube boxcars,that's a plus.

Thank you,

Al Hummel

All of Atlas runs of models are based on dealer and customer reservations,if 4 rd numbers are made then that car was sufficently reserved otherwise 2 rd numbers at least to meet minimum reservations. From time to time certain rd names get cancelled for insufficient reservations.If you check the periodic container reports almost all models are fully reserved. BTO and min Atlas inventory are todays business plan.

All of Atlas runs of models are based on dealer and customer reservations,if 4 rd numbers are made then that car was sufficently reserved otherwise 2 rd numbers at least to meet minimum reservations. From time to time certain rd names get cancelled for insufficient reservations.If you check the periodic container reports almost all models are fully reserved. BTO and min Atlas inventory are todays business plan.

All of Atlas runs of models are based on dealer and customer reservations,if 4 rd numbers are made then that car was sufficently reserved otherwise 2 rd numbers at least to meet minimum reservations. From time to time certain rd names get cancelled for insufficient reservations.If you check the periodic container reports almost all models are fully reserved. BTO and min Atlas inventory are todays business plan.

When hobby shops do Custom Runs,is there a specific # of units they have to order before that order can be placed?

Al Hummel

"Dave,

Where do you find correct decals?"

     I'd probably start at Microscale's website and see if they offer anything that could work?  If not browse for other decal printers and see what they offer. Ebay is another place I find interesting decals. If nothing usable turns up it's always possible to find someone willing to print a sheet of re-numbering numbers in the right size and font. On my personal stuff since I do a lot of weathering and tagging it's often possible for me to just change one digit in the number by hand then blend it in......DaveB

Atlas Trainman does 2 road #s whereas Master normally does 4 but on occasion will only make 2.

The 4750 is a Trainman model.

You can contact Atlas for the details on a special run,I would guess it will be more than a year before another 4750 run or contact Jeff at AM Hobbies/JD Trains, Beth at Public Delivery Track they order quite a few custom runs from Atlas.

I have both BN hopper numbers. I agree, it would be nice if the gave you number decals or dry transfers. I've been tempted to buy more cars but I don't want the headache of going through the number removal process, etc.

The Trainman PS-4750 3-bay covered hoppers would be produced in more railroad schemes if everybody contacted the people at ATLAS O on Facebook and twitter, and used specific photos of the railroad paint schemes in their requests.

Andrew

Andrew,

I been trying Atlas for so long at their R&D Dept with no response,looking for email addresses for that dept,etc,.with no luck. Your suggestion sounds good. Can you point me in the right direction to get linked up with them via Facebook?

Thank you,

Alan

Paul,

I hate the idea,but instead of renumbering,you might want to use color coded tacks or something similar to sort your cars,until Atlas gets their act together. I don't like the idea I just advised as I had to use similar means in the early days of HO,& hated it. Now multiple numbers are common there & lacking in o scale. I think Atlas is looking at O scale as a scale not worth bothering wasting anything but the most minimal money on. That's a turnoff to new modelers like myself,

Al Hummel

Actually Atlas gets a lot of feedback from their large dealers Public Delivery Track, AMHobbies/JDTrains,McMuffins etc. these are the people you can easily contact to discuss this issue and the reasoning behind it and perhaps get some movement on it.JMO

The factories each have the MOQs (Minimum order quantities) that need to be produced for a) a given product and b) the road name/number combination of each paint scheme.  The amount of road numbers offered are based on our estimate of the number of pieces of each road number that we will be able to sell. 

For these cars, when we offered a run that was mostly private owner cars, the reservations were far below what we expected.  The most recent run was all railroad names and reservations were more in line with our expectations.

There are literally hundreds of schemes on these, so we try to mix up the offerings by road name, geographically area the railroad covered, "beauty factor" (color sells better than gray), as well as choosing schemes that we think will meet the factory's MOQ.

As far as O scale/gauge is concerned, we are committed to it.  We have new tooling in process for a number of pieces of rolling stock, and we are getting our track production ramped back up.  Of the three scales we offer, O has the smallest market share, so there won't be as many offerings and HO or N scale, but there will be offerings on a monthly basis.

Over the last 10 years of buying Atlas models I have learned to buy as many of the models I want when they are released as one never knows from Atlas if there will be  a re release of it in the near future or at all. The SD 40 is case in point which I learned quickly to my practice. It is easier to erase numbers than wait for paint schemes or models to come back. Atlas releases just so many railroads with each release and if another release happens ones RR may not come back and so it will be a lot more than erasing numbers.

Trainman line is nice that it allows many to own more cars, a fact that makes it possible for a 4 number run instead of the 2. Still waiting on the 8-40CWs, I believe now  for 5 years. Started when I was 61 and now closing in or 67 How long? Had my atrial flutter heart operation. and next the brain shunt one comes too. Like waiting for a new Star Wars movie. Esp.7 Just hopeing modern medicine keeps us alive for these releases and time to enjoy them. But then I could have been born a few decades earlier and never made it to the Atlas O 2 rail generation.  Guess I'd still be in HO

I love O to,but if you'd still be in HO,you woundn't,in most cases, be worring about the wait time either. I've got MORE HO than I need but this reminder that I may NEVER see another CSX 4750,makes me wonder if I'm smart going the O scale way.(?) My decision to make,size vs availability,no one other human can make that decision for me. Oh what a decision. I've learned I only have to have fewer 4750s to make me happy,but still like 12-15 car grain trains as modern day shuttle trains range from 65-105 cars in length so 5 cars won't do it. The O scale 12-15 grain cars makes a great grain train vs 30 cars in HO. The size makes up for the trade off in quantity.

Sorry about that little remark about being in HO,it was only meant to provide a little humor,sick at that,I apologize,no harm meant. You know how sometimes mouth opens without engaging brain-ha it was 1 of those moments.

Al Hummel

Paul,

Thank you for your input,glad O scale has 1 manufacturer's ear. I've only started in 2 rail O scale 15 months now after 30+ years in HO. I've got MORE than I need in HO & am selling the surplus & outdated items. I'm trying with the gentlemen's help on this forum & others to understand O scale & its production methods.

1 area we more modem modelers,seem to agree on,is some type of decal system that allows renumbering cars that go past the 2 or 4 numbers provided. I've found I often can find only 1 car number on different hobby sites and or ebay. Accurail had some type of decal made up in HO that matched the cars lettering color as well as the paint on the car. They made only 1 "master car" with as many as 12 different decal sets of letters & numbers available. This should further open up O scale to new modelers in O scale.

Another thing that would help modelers is the ease of ability to convert a 3rail diesel over to 2 rail. I can find 3 rail GP15s in CSX,but since my desire is to model in 2 rail,I'm sunk-if I were excellent in electronics,this might be more easily done,but I can hardly block wire,let alone anything else.

MTH diesels,as you know,require nothing but scale wheels & couplers to make the change,as their Premier line of diesels is made with a 3 to 2rail conversion switch to make the change from 3 rail to 2 rail or vise versa, a snap.

Another area that's lacking & most keen to more modern era modelers,era mid 70s to present day,is the lack of Upper/Lower shelf couplers in the E as well as the F variety. The F type coupler is not only a shelf coupler,but has the "tightlock" feature,which is also common to the H series coupler,used on passenger cars. O scale's large enough,even though smaller in market, to make fully working couplers with cut levers,or the use of a magnetic wand for those that don't want such high detail. Perhaps the market's too small for such products,but they're present in HO,so as far as prototypical operation,they still "belong" in O scale.

It was mentioned that The Public Delivery Track & AM Hobbies, (JD TRAINS),does a lot of production runs as well as being instrumental in getting projects to Atlas,at least this was the way I read the post,my apologies if I read wrong.

I've sent desired special run ideas to them with no replies "yes" or "no." So after so many try's,I give up.

Here are 4cvd hopper ideas I'd like to see done which fit a wide range of years,from the 80s to present in The Family Lines & CSXT/Seaboard System cvd hopper cars,& mostly more modern years in CSX,that I think would make nice models.

A CSX model for your 5161 cvd hoppers,would be with the HOW TOMMORROW MOVES logo,&conspicuity striping. Sorry I have no photos for these,but shouldn't be hard to find.

Also enclosed are photos of E double shelf couplers for tank cars,a lower shelf E coupler for all other freight & diesels. A full search of couplers can be found on the internet,as well as at Sergent Engineering in HO Scale.

A modern ground throw handle on a ground throw switchstand body is also enclosed.

1 question. You made a run of 50'6" boxcars in CSX. These,as well as the CSX 4750 cvd hoppers,are very scarce. Am I to assume future runs of boxcars in new car numbers or more updated lettering schemes,will no longer be rerun anytime soon,possibly ever?

These cars have new logos,plus conspicuity stripes since their 1st production run.

In the track area, derailers that slide off the tracks as well as prototypical switchstands that use a beveled gear on the inside to turn points on switches and move derails with rotating targets on top of the switchstand,would also be a welcome product development in O scale,that spans all modeling eras.

I have more highly detailed photos of the photographed freight cars if desired.

Last but not least,my congratulations for all of the fine models you have in production in the O scale community,as well as your commitment to it's future.

Thank you,

Alan Hummel

Email:ahummel72@yahoo.com

A Seaboard System PS-2-CD 4750 3-bay covered hopper with the SBD reporting marks and number, then the CSXT reporting marks and numbers would be worth getting.

Andrew

I had to post on the Atlas Model Railroad Company's Facebook page, because nobody else has done it yet.

You can also post paint scheme requests on the Atlas Model Railroad Company's Facebook page.

Andrew

Andrew,

That makes 2 of us for these models,how many more modelers to go before we might get any?

Thank you,

Al Hummel

Andrew,

Thank you for mentioning Atlas' page.

I got on it,read a few posts,did some experimenting,then put up photos that I had also posted on here,The Public Track,JD Trains,plus I posted on Paul Gaph's post he had on this Forum since I used to talk to him by phone before the computer age.

Thank you,

Al hummel

The first run of the Pullman-Standard 4750 3-bay hoppers were made in 4 road numbers for each railroad.

They could produce 4 road numbers for certain freight cars if a railroad had a large number on the roster.

Andrew

I have been in O Scale since the mid 1950s.  For some reason it never occurred to me that a manufacturer ought to produce the model I wanted most.  Ignorance is bliss, I guess, because it also never bothered me when my favorite models were not available at the exact time I wanted them.

On the other hand, over the years almost anything I could have ever wanted has indeed been produced in O Scale, sometimes in abundance.  In the case of this particular hopper, I would guess that a nice set of custom decals would solve your problem completely, and you could go on to the next project with a spring in your step.  Agonizing over why Atlas will not do this just takes the fun out of the hobby.

Opinion.

Seaboard Coast Line

SCL 241300-243824 a total of 2524 covered hoppers built by Pullman-Standard.

Production of only 1% of those road numbers would give you a train of 25 distinct road numbers.

Andrew

The whole point of the Trainman line was that they were supposed to be produced often and available all the time, as opposed to the limited production of the MASTER series.

Deviation to make the Trainman Series a slightly less expensive MASTER series means that less are produced and the price rises.

Andrew

Andrew,

I agree totally. Now it's getting atlas to do them. They need to make decals fortheir freight lines to,this would help the O scale market I believe. like now;I have 9 CSX 4750s,all devided up in the 2 car numbers 250812&250778. Major railroad cars should be kept in stock such as CSX,BNSF,UP,&so on. But Atlas is saying once that 1st run is done,GOOD LUCK! finding it. Not an attractive option.