So Atlas now has 3 levels that include lower cost Trainman and Industrial Rail (027). They are even coming out with an IR steam loco? And they support 2 rail. Hmmm, move over Lionel and MTH, you got company!
I just bought an IR 027 gondola with pipe load.... very nice for the price. Considering Mike Wolf doesn't seem to care about the 027 market anymore, this is welcome news.
You forgot to mention that they are coming out with their own version of Fastrack/Realtrax.
I am a big fan of Atlas. Unfortunately, I do not think they did a very good job of designing their switches. The OGR board has had many discussions about their shortcomings. I had thought their problems were ironed out when I purchased my track about four months ago. Unfortunately, many of the problems still exist. I have been spending a great deal of time doing workarounds to get them to function correctly.
Having said that, I think they do a nice job with their sectional track, their engines and their rolling stock. The more players that are in the market, the better it is for consumers as the choices and quality will be greater.
Regards,
John O
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
It will be interesting to see all of the new stuff they come out with.
underworld
LOOKING to purchase an ATLAS engine in the future.
laz57
Last year, I picked up two Diesel engines from Atlas. I am very impressed with the detail and how well they operate with the EOB. The show speeds in the yard are amazing. I am glad Atlas is picking up momemtum. I look forward to getting one of their new steam engines.
Chris
I guess they got a lot of practice doing HO for so long.
Allan Miller Thanks, I had forgotten about Atlas making N scale....and I actually own some...packed away somewhere. Maybe I should try to find it.
Allan Miller wrote:HO and N--Atlas is big in both scales. I would imagine their combined annual sales in the three scales already make them bigger than any of the O gauge manufacturers.
Allan, You beat me to it, I was about to make a similar post. I am quite sure you are correct, but since they are a private company, no one knows exactly how much in sales they have.
Well I'm certain at least in their thinking, Atlas would like to go big time. Although they do not have the name recognition and the gneral retail exposure that Lionel has (which is an advantage for newcomers) Atlas does have a strong retail network with their other scales. And a very good reputation in those other scales as well as a growing one in 0 scale.
I don't think MTH ever had any real interest in the 027 market. Most of their semi-scale products were advertised from square one as not being the smaller undersized trains like Lionel. MTH made a big deal of this in their early advertising. Yet I think these are precisely the kinds of trains the 027 operator is looking for. Many of the former Railking items were too big to begin with. A few of the nicer smaller locos went to the Rugged Rails line. The last SD90MAC in my opinion is one ofthe nicest proportioned 027 locos MTH ever made. Yet the retail price increased $30 for the horn only SD90MAC, over the previously more electronically featured loco. And most of the Rugged Rails SD90MAC's got cancelled.
I personally feel if Atlas is going to make an impact with their Industrial Rail line, they need to do some things that haven't been done before or are not being done by Lionel. In addition to a new Atlantic steam engine, a modern 027-ized diesel is needed along the very lines of the Rugged Rails SD90MAC. We don't need another 027 F3 or Alco FA. And they really need to add some modern road names to all their existing selection in the IR cars.
And I would be curious to know if Atlas made the needed changes in the coupler shape to the IR trucks, or just used them as is (as I suspect). Despite the otherwise high quality of the UMD Industrial Rail cars, the open space within the closed coupler caused many derailments for 027 operators which have been discussed here.
It's unfortunate, but I see nothing yet in the Atlas IR line that I need to have. Should they offer a variety of their box cars, plug door box cars, gons and flats in roads like Conrail, Norfolk Southern, CNA, CPR, KCS, Soo/WC, CSX, BNSF etc., my interest will be raised greatly.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
The IR freight car lines looks nice. I'll most likely buy a few.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
The Industrial Rail cars are very good but more like 027 size cars, no complaints from me about derailments with IR brand cars. Hopefully Atlas will continue the work that Industrial Rail did and offer some nice freight cars at a lower price.
Lee F.
I just saw a color picture in OGRR of a Western Pacific GP9 they are making. My eyes popped out of my head!! Just AWESOME! I could easily be persuaded to add WP/Atlas to my roster after seing that loco!!!
Dep
Virginian Railroad
I am a steam man and am looking forward to Atlas first O-gauge model! They've got some pretty tuff competition on steam, so I am reserving judgment until its released. I have >30 pieces of Atlas rolling stock and it is well made, though it should be because its a premium price.
Paul
I visited the Atlas booth at the West Springfield ("Big E") show this weekend. I was told that Atlas is bringing back the Industrial Rail trolley (with improved drive and all-metal gears), will introduce a diesel sized to match the existing Industrial Rail cars, and will introduce ready-to-run Industrial Rail train sets.
phillyreading wrote: The Industrial Rail cars are very good but more like 027 size cars, no complaints from me about derailments with IR brand cars. Hopefully Atlas will continue the work that Industrial Rail did and offer some nice freight cars at a lower price.Lee F.
I saw some new Atlas IR flat cars with lumber loads at the LHS. All I can say is that Atlas will be making many people happy.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
PaulEFudd wrote: I am a steam man and am looking forward to Atlas first O-gauge model! They've got some pretty tuff competition on steam, so I am reserving judgment until its released. I have >30 pieces of Atlas rolling stock and it is well made, though it should be because its a premium price.Paul
I run Lionel PRR steamers and have about the same number of Atlas cars. I look forward to CTT's review of thier first steamer as well.
The Atlas high-end stuff is fantastic, but very expensive. I am consistently amazed at how well the speed control works on both of my GP-60s. The review of the Trainman GP-15, in the current MR, is great, so they are obviously producing a great mid-line product, as well. I haven't taken a look at the IR stuff yet, but you can't really complain about having too much competition in O gauge.
It will be interesting to see what they pull off in the next couple of years, especially since they are not encumbered with massive legal fees (ahem).
Santa Fe Kent wrote: Hmmm, move over Lionel and MTH, you got company!
Could very well be the truth. Atlas has experience steady growth in the O gauge market since their inception and pulled through our last recession like an old truck with a granny gear.
They do not have Lionel's name today but the Atlas name is very familiar to the next generation of aging baby boomers who grew up with HO in the 70's and 80's. More so than Lionel.
Atlas makes a fine solid product and their premium line is top notch. I have one of their Trainman RSD-5's and it is a fine looking engine that runs smoothly and pulls stumps. Their recently announced Trainman Espee RSD-15 gator tops my list of must haves.
Postwar will always rule in my heart but Atlas really can't be beat for scale fidelity and superior running qualities.
I do have an obvious preference for modern roadnames - in part because they are so excluded from traditionally sized 027 items. But I do have a soft spot for the northeast US lines that ended up going into the Conrail merger. So I was in a hobby shop a few days ago and notice some new Atlas Industrial Rail in stock, placed side ways on the shelft so the end flaps were visable.
I saw the Erie Lackawanna box car and my curiousity was piqued. Upon looking at the car, I hope Atlas does a much better job with other releases. Man, that car was the wrong shade of gray - entirely too dark. Lionel MPC did a far superior job with the molded color grey shorty 027 plug door box cars. The Williams version is far more accurate than the Atlas IR car.
What surprised me is that Atlas is such a good company with a long tradition of prototypically correct cars. Now I don't mind liberties being taken - that's a given being an 027 operator. But I would like the color to be correct when I purchase a car. I could have easily purchased the car, but the obvious too dark wrong shade of gray made it an easy decision to put the car back.
If Atlas can be given any condolences for this mistake, Lionel made the same exact mistake in the grey color on the starter separate sale EL gray box car from a few years ago. Gee, I remember seeing these cars and have many color photos of them, and the car is a very light shade of gray. Because of the light shade, the color on the real cars tended to not hold up well and to let rust show right through. The gray EL box cars didn't last long and the gray quickly was changed to box car red or EL brown.
Again, it just amazes me that a company like Atlas couldn't do a simple thing like get the color right. Even K-Line got the grey color right on their uncataloged EL/Conrail promo box car (another dumb move of K-Line to make all these uncataloged Conrail items not available to the public - I would have bought one or move of everything).
Why Atlas didn't just make a brown EL box car if they couldn't get the grey color right? There were far more brown and box car red ones on the EL than grey. I could do a better job painting one myself, except that no one makes the redish EL decals for this particular car, or I would make my own.
I hope Atlas does a lot better on future releases as well as include some modern roads on the cars. And yes, I did write to Atlas about this, and no, they never replied back.
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