Industrial Rail rolling stock

[Anonymous]

Hey ya'll I'm wondering about these cars, are they worth having or not?

I'm a budget builder, and my layout it not hi-rail.  My layout plans are similar to this picture except I'm using classic tubular 3 rail, so hyper realism is not a necessity.

[wrmcclellan]

ATSJer,

The IR rolling stock in the past has been great quality (graphics, paint, and mechanical) and from the first Atlas IR units I have seen recently at the World's Greatest Hobby and TCA York, Atlas has continued the quality. These cars match traditional Lionel rolling stock (ie 6464 series box cars), have superior rolling characteristics, and the price is right.

I have a good collection of the pre-Atlas units. I am very pleased with them.

[Anonymous]

thanks much.

I've been eyeing them because they do look very similar and there are several options of rail lines to choose from, and the price seems to be significantly lower than the Lionel stuff.  My main concern that you did address, and thank you, was the quality and if these are indeed good quality rolling stock then I think I've found myself a winner.

Any other opinions, yea's or nay's?

[Dr. John]

I say a definite "Yea!" I've got several IR cars of various types and have found them to be excellent. The current batch from Atlas incudes diecast sprung trucks and couplers.

[Jumijo]

I have some IR hoppers. Very nice!

[Anonymous]

  I agree. I have a UP refridgerator car that I run with A Lionel 6464 style consist and it looks great. Superb grafics and stylings. Also their trolley car is worth a look.

[Anonymous]

Excellent!  Thanks all, my father recommended these to me, but being a newbie and one who only knows Lionel products I just wanted to get some other opinions.  It sounds like they are a pretty good product.

Note to self, trust Dad.

[phillyreading]

Don't be afraid to try Industrial Rail line or RMT(Ready Made Toys) or Williams.

Your layout looks good but you may want to consider getting more transformer power, from what I saw in the photo, as your layout may grow in space or the number of locomotives you have.

Lee F.

[brianel027]

ATSJer, I own loads of the original IR cars and like them. They are a quality car. For example, though the IR box car also comes with a plastic frame as do the $30 Lionel starter box cars, the IR frame is thicker and more solidly made and grabs the car body from 4 points instead of two as the Lionel one does. The only IR car to ignore is the caboose, which is far too small and looks odd even with smaller 027 cars. The IR work caboose with crane is fine.

BUT be forewarned.... if you are using 027 track with standard 027 curves, the IR cars will bind and derail on "S" shaped curves or running into switches and then a curve. The space inside the closed coupler of the IR cars is smaller than that on many others. The lack of space in the closed coupler causes the cars to bind and derail under the circumstances I mentioned. The cure is to use a Dremel tool and a small grinding bit and to increase the space inside the closed coupler, mostly on the side opposite the knuckle pin.

A small aggrivation for otherwise what is a fine line of cars. I don't own any of the Atlas IR cars because unlike the original owners, UMD, Atlas hasn't put any modern roads on the cars that I am interested in. And the grey on the Erie Lackawanna box car is just way too dark for my desire... it's just the wrong shade of grey. I think Atlas copied the recent Lionel one which was also the wrong shade of grey. Ironically K-Line got it spot on with the EL car in the last MDK issued Conrail employee set. Too bad Atlas didn't copy that one.

I don't know if Atlas made any modification to the couplers, but I suspect not.

[BMRR]

I have several Industrial Rail cars and plan to buy more. I really like them.

Stan.

[Andrew Falconer]

 I don't own any of the Atlas IR cars because unlike the original owners, UMD, Atlas hasn't put any modern roads on the cars that I am interested in.

That has changed because on June 8th, 2007 ATLAS O announced an upcoming Industrial Rail Norfolk Southern Caboose. This is the most recent Norfolk Southern Logo on the Caboose. That is one modern road that you are interested in.

Andrew

[Anonymous]

Don't be afraid to try Industrial Rail line or RMT(Ready Made Toys) or Williams.

Your layout looks good but you may want to consider getting more transformer power, from what I saw in the photo, as your layout may grow in space or the number of locomotives you have.

Thanks, but that's not my layout, its just a pic that I'm using as inspiration for my layout.

[Anonymous]

BUT be forewarned.... if you are using 027 track with standard 027 curves, the IR cars will bind and derail on "S" shaped curves or running into switches and then a curve.

Thanks Brian, I appreciate the heads up on the cars, the O-27 isn't an issue since all my curves and switches are and will be O-31.

[ChiefEagles]

Saw some today at Roy's trains in Mesa AZ.  They look great.

[brianel027]

Thanks for the lead Andrew. At least the caboose isn't being made from the same previous IR tooling (so it appears, and so the text says). The caboose body does bear a striking similarity to the previous Kusan/K-Line/RMT standard caboose, minus the end railings.

If I'd been calling the shots, I would have developed a tool that had the coupla as a separate piece, allowing one body die to allow a second wide vision coupla.

http://www.atlaso.com/IR/ircaboose.htm

Well, that's at least one modern road name on a Atlas IR product. Maybe, just maybe there's hope we can see some current modern roads on the box cars, flats, hoppers and gondolas. It's not like NS, CSX, BNSF, KCS, CPR and CNA are dinky lines that no one ever sees today. And I still see a lot of Conrail still on the rails, for CR now being a fallen flag. Given all the attention to other fallen flags, you might think CR would now finally get some deserved attention.

[Andrew Falconer]

Now that you mention the cupola. Take a look at the recent LIONEL:American Flyer section. The Center Cupola Caboose from the O Gauge line was modified with an Extended-Vision Style Cupola for the S Gauge Line. The modified Caboose is not being offered in the O Gauge Line though. Why not get more out of it?

If Lionel can offer other cupolas, can Atlas O also offer other cupola styles?

Andrew