Old Atlas boxcars

The model was developed by Roco for Atlas using PRR X43c engineering drawings and is highly accurate down to the equipment trust plate.  Several modelers insert a wood plug and drill/tap it for 4/40 machine screws to mount scale trucks. Detail can be enhanced by scraping off the cast on grabs and replacing them with formed wire ones.  I add cut levers and thin the roof walk end supports.  The ladders can be enhanced by chiseling the cast on stand offs with a sharp blade to bring the ladders closer to the body.  Check out Greg Komar for PRR X43c dry transfers.  

 

Ed Rappe

Thanks Ed, this is a good start.  So am I to understand this is a PRR car only?

 

Old Hogger

Yes it is specifically modeled on the PRR designed X43c, but it may be a suitable stand in for other roads' with a 40' long 8' door box car built in the post war era.  If you are looking for a similar prototype to letter it for I recommend using the 10' 4" IH specification as a data filter.  As for spotting features look for cars with a riveted body, improved  dreadnought ends and diagonal panel roof.  With relative ease you should be able to replace the style of doors, side sill tabs, and tack boards if need be

 

Ed Rappe

 

PS. The Chineese made AtlasO Trainman 40' steel box car is a close derivative of the 1970's Austrian built Atlas-Roco box car.  Perhaps someone may be able to comment on the differences. 

No, this is great Ed, I don't mind stripping the paint and redoing it Pennsy.  At least now I know where to go and what to do and I can find appropriate car numbers etc.  Thank you so much for the help as I was at wits end with this thing.  Wish I'd found this site sooner!!

Thanks again'

Old Hogger

Old hogger

 

I wouldn't worry too much about repainting the car PRR unless you really want a Pennsy box car.  The X-43C isn't really so much a Pennsy design as it is a PRR designation for a specific batch of commercially built 40 foot box cars built to a very common post WW II design.  As Ed has pointed out the Atlas model has improved dreadnought ends, a Stanray diagonal panel roof and riveted construction.  Thousands and thousands of post WW II 40 foot box cars shared those features.

 

It is kind of odd how Atlas and MTH make 40' 1937 AAR box car models and Lionel MTH and Weaver make 40' PS-1 box car models but the Atlas Trainman 40' box car is the only plastic model available of one of the most common cars ever built. 

I wrote an article about upgrading these cars that was published in the July-August 2009 issue of O scale Trains. I used a Des Plaines metal runnng board, Chooch ladders and grabs, scratch built corner steps, San Juan brake gear, and Intermountain trucks. I modified the side sill. See the photo below.

 

The Atlas Trainman model is very similar to the Atlas/Roco model from 1972 except that the Trainman car has a nice see through running board, the Roco underframe is replaced with a less detailed metal underframe, and the Roco trucks are replaced with AtlasO trucks.

Eight foot doors were the least common door size on postwar AAR box cars. Only about 15% of the postwar AAR cars had them. Here is a list of the cars that had 8 ft doors from Ed Hawkins:

RDG      107000-107499          Superior doors

NJI&I    100-149          Twelve panel welded sides

NJI&I    150-199          Twelve panel welded sides

DT&I     14300-14549          straight sill between bolsters

WAB      6000-6299           straight sill between bolsters

PRR       70400-71899          X43c

GN        21940-21949          straight sill

PRR       86901-87650          X46, overhanging  diagonal  panel roof

WM        4201-4450          Twelve panel welded sides

CP         55200-55524

CP         55525-56024          Superior doors with ribs

 

Larry Kline

 

Great looking car upgraded car Larry.  I really like the improved look of the roof walk and steps.  IMO the Atlas-Roco car was a benchmark O scale product that raised the detail bar above that of stock kit built Athearn, All Nation box cars which dominated most O scale rosters in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Ed Rappe

You guys are awesome.  From no data to all this in one lucky stroke of the mouse! Think I'll hang around for a while.  Keep the good stuff coming and I'll soak up as much as I can.......

Thanks again,

Old Hogger

 

I second OH, in particular Larry's roster provides a valuable resource for those of us with these particular cars "in the queue" who may want something else besides another PRR X43C and aren't afraid to cut into one.

Likewise agree with Ed that the contribution of the 70's Roco car(s) to the shrinking scale 1/48 world then was indeed an event worth recognizing, that variations of these cars persist today says it all too. IMO ditto the G43

Well done gents. 

 

The reference article that Larry was talking about from Ed Hawkins is online, it was in the November 1990 RMJ and part of the RMJ Freight Car Models box car book #1:

 

 

http://www.trainlife.com/magaz...ovember-1990-page-60

 

Perhaps someday , with  3d modeling software I can take the ROCO/Bev-Bel undec car I have and re-engineer it without the holes and cast on details. 

Rob and group,

 

The on line Ed Hawkins article you referenced covers only the ACF built postwar AAR boxcars with R-3-4 ends. Unfortunately, Ed hasn't published the complete roster.

 

I plan to make replacement resin castings that include 7 ft doors or 6 ft doors and the two adjacent side panels in order to model the more numerous model cars with narrower doors. Specifically the other PRR X43 classes with 7 ft doors and P&LE cars with 6 ft doors. I plan to cut down the Atlas doors to make 6 ft and 7 ft doors. With this approach the joint between the styrene body and the resin casting will be at a side panel joint and should be easy to hide.

 

Larry Kline

Pittsburgh, PA

I just read Larry's article.  Printed it out in fact.  Good stuff.  Thanks Larry.  I'm about to dive into Ed's piece and yes Larry, if you are going to make those pieces available, Id be interested.

 

Old Hogger

 

Don't forget on those old Atlas O/Roco cars, one can replace those trucks with Weaver Models die cast trucks and couplers. Petersen Supply still sells the plug for these cars.

When I returned to model railroading in 1993, I went to the DuPage County Fairgrounds swap meet in Wheaton,IL., the only railcars I had were from the Lionel Set may father purchased in 1956. I looked at the Roco gondolas and asked the dealer if Roco made stockcars and boxcars(sliding door and plug door), he had these cars available undecorated and I purchased what he had, the detailing was great. I purchased the plastic plugs from Andy Petersen at Petersen Supply and converted the trucks to Weaver Bettendorf journal bearing trucks. Over the past years, I purchased specific items from Andy and considered our conversations cordial with on time shipments.  

I like the Atlas/roco car well enough.   Unfortunately after putting a bunch of the more detailed, newer Intermountain cars on the layout, the older cars with cast on detail do not come off as well.   But in a train, you can't tell.    I like the Atlas/Roco car better than the WEaver PS1.   I just like Riveted cars better and the weaver car is a model of a welded side car.  

 

The Atlas Master 1937 boxcar body is from the Intermountain dies I think.   I understand that Atlas bought all the O Gauge tooling from Intermountain which included the 1937 ARA Boxcar, a Steel Reefer, one of the tank cars, the USRA Gon, and USRA hopper.   Atlas replaced the underframes or reworked them to use their trucks.   

 

I have built a number of the IM kits and I find that the fragile detail parts in styrene do not stand up well to operating sessions compared to similar metal parts.   Most of these have been rreplaced with metal on the Atlas cars.   They would make good kits.   I don't think I would get too excited about the train man cars as kits or builtup.   Their detail does not match the other stuff.

The problem is Jim that as good as the 1937 cars are they are not the most popular 40 foot post-WWII box car. 

 

The Atlas/Roco car, with it's postwar Dreadnaught ends and diagonal panel roof is a significant car and one that ran right up through the end of 40'  box cars. 

 

It and the PS-1 are the  40 foot box cars for the late 40's through the early 70's.

I've always liked the Atlas/Roco trucks. I think they are much more prototypical looking than the current AtlasO and MTH trucks and I like them better than Athearn trucks because they have brake shoes. Brake shoes were also something new in 1972.

 

I use an 1/8" burr in my motor tool to open up the axle opening so I can use Northwest Shortline wheel sets with conical axle ends. Several friends and I went together and bought 1000 wheel sets when the bulk price was much lower.

 

The attached photo shoes a modified side frame and a truck with the NWSL wheel sets installed. Lately I have been using mostly Intermountain trucks with NWSL metal wheels. I still have quite a few Atlas/Roco trucks though. I was on a layout tour when the Atlas/Roco cars were new and noticed that the layout owner had replaced may pairs of Atlas/Roco trucks. I asked him what he did with the trucks and ended up buying several dozen pairs. I think I paid 50 cents a pair.

 

I would like to see a model of the American Steel Foundries A-3 truck. It had a big market share in my era. As far as I know it has never been modeled in O scale.

 

Larry Kline

Pittsburgh, PA

 

 

ASF A3's are listed on George Kohs site as being in the pipeline...   As are 2df8's.

 

At one time IIRC there was also a discussion about Protocraft doing them.  Might be worth asking Norm....

I suppose you all know Protocraft has a kit that plugs the big hole in the bolster with a tapped dowel and a cover plate with rivets.  Its complete with screws!  5 for $9.95.  My order goes out Monday.

The springs are the only suspect items I can see at a glance on the trucks.  I could make new springs but getting rid of the plastic ones might be problematic.  Maybe not worth it?

To my eye the cast springs on Atlas-Roco  and IM trucks look better than some metal ones as they have a heavier looking coil.   I've had no operational issues with either.

 

One nice feature of the Atlas-Roco truck & bolster set up is the three point suspension- they ride steady even over uneven track.

 

Ed Rappe

I'm glad to read all these positive comments on the Atlas/Roco stuff. For those of us who want to keep our spending as "thrifty" as possible,these models are a good basis for lots of upgrading, are still readily available, and at reasonable prices,too!

 

Mark in Oregon

I did not keep any of the Atlas trucks, but I agree with Ed - often cast coil springs look better than those skinny things we use in sprung trucks.  A couple of exceptions come to mind - Lionel in 1940 and Carl Auel used pretty much scale size springs.

Hi guys.

 

I am Terry and I just joined the Forum. I started with Lionel Trains at 7 years old, 50 years ago. In my 40's I had enough money to buy some additional items so I did. I have about 500 cars and 50 Locos ,all 3 rail and not many kit cars. I wish Walthers still made car kits now that I can afford to buy a few and have time to build them. I built 100s of plastic truck and car models in the 70s.

 

Sorry for so much idle chat. My reason for this post is I bought some unbuilt Atlas kits on Ebay and I have MTH trucks to go on them. I was reading your thread with great interest. I read where Old Hogger said he was getting kits for mounting trucks from Protocraft I went to their site and and did not find them. They had no site search function. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

My second question is does anybody know where there are pictures of the underside of these Atlas boxcars assembled?

 

 

Terry in Tennessee

There are only two parts to add to the underframe. The AB brake reservoir which is the cylindrical piece at the top toward the right and a casting which includes the brake levers, brake rods and the AB brake cylinder.

 

Here is an assembled underframe:

 

Here are the two parts:

 

Larry Kline