The team at Atlas O have announced a series of O-27 Work Trains. It is surprising that Lionel has not produced these first. The Norfolk Southern Work Train is the most modern scheme.
You can see them at the Atlas O site in the Spring 2008 catalog. www.atlaso.com
O INDUSTRIAL RAILTM Work Train 3-Pack - NEW!
Chessie System*: Flat Car with Stakes, Gondola and Work Caboose with Crane 1009800
Delaware & Hudson: Flat Car with Stakes, Gondola and Work Caboose with Crane 1009801
Norfolk Southern: Flat Car with Stakes, Gondola and Work Caboose with Crane 1009802
Union Pacific: Flat Car with Stakes, Gondola and Work Caboose with Crane 1009803
This a first because before only one or two items were produced seperately.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Thanks Andrew and it's about time, huh? I've had some trouble with IR trucks, but could still consider purchases IF and the big IF they make some roads I want.
Beats the pants off me why the companies so ignore modern roads on traditionally sized items. So it's always nice to see something being made. Here's hoping Atlas will do a brown NS box car to go along with the black one that IR under UMD released.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
I think it is extra special neat that these will allegedly work on 027 curves. Cranes are fun cars to 'work'
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
There is a page up for the Industrial Rail Work Trains.
http://www.atlaso.com/IR/irworkset.htm
The Chessie System set looks good in the large illustration. I would like to order that Chessie System Set.
ArTrain USA had a run of a Lionel Union Pacific Silver Bunk Cars produced several years ago. The Union Pacific Set would work well with the Industrial Rail Union Pacific Work Set. I have one of the UP Bunk Cars and the UP Depressed Center Flat Car with Bulldozer. I wonder if I should get the UP Work Train Set to make a complete work train to run behind the CNW DASH 9.
If Lionel would make Chessie System C&O, Delaware & Hudson, and Norfolk Southern Bunk Cars then the Industrial Rail Work Trains would be even better.
Doug, as a clarification for you: YES the cars work fine on 027 curves. From my own persepctive, I've had trouble because I've broken some rules on layout as far as track design. I didn't have too much trouble with the IR cars on my older layout. But the cars do not like either "S" shaped track from either 1/2 curves or full curves. And especially if the "S" is with switches. They run OK running forward into these track arrangements, but derail constantly when backing up into them. Running a shorter length of only a few cars will decrease those backup derailments greatly. I should note, I do not have this problem with other makes of cars (but I also remove rivet mountings of all trucks and replace them with a truss screw and lock nut).
The coupler arm on the IR cars is about 1/4 inch longer than that of a comparable car, like K-Line, Williams or Lionel. The trucks are accordingly mounted to the frames or bodies about 1/4 further back. The opening of the IR coupler is also a little different than others. In the past, I've used a Dremel with a grinding bit to open up that opening space.
I've recently started replacing the IR trucks with reburbished postwar Lionel trucks and the cars work so much better. The derailment problems completely go away.
I do agree with Andrew, these are nice and welcome additions ro Atlas IR line up. It'd be cool to see them expand these with cars of related roads. The Chessie set could easily have some CSX and SCL/Family Lines cars, as the Nofolk Southern Set could easily have some Southern, Norfolk and Western, and Conrail additions. Conrail in particular had a wide variety of color schemes on their MOW cars.
I took the previous IR Norfolk Western Crane and made it into a Norfolk Southern Crane. I shortened the cab height, added back railings from a Lionel caboose, repleaced the trucks, added a pick up and lights, replace the IR crane with one from a toy crane truck. I've also repainted other cars into the orange NS MOW scheme.
On the Atlas O Shipping Schedule the information for the Work Train Sets is that they are delayed until 2009. There are now photos of what the work trains sets will actually look like whenever they are delivered in 2009.
The Weaver Models Maintenance of Way Rebuilt Troop Sleepers could be used with this set. The C&O Maintenance of Way Cars can be the first cars behind the C&O Chessie System Diesel Locomotive and the C&O Work Train Set can be coupled behind them.
There is plenty of scenery and structures to work on while waiting for them.
Andrew Falconer
There are plenty of scenery and structures to work on while waiting for them.
Oooh - I like that crane/work caboose car! I hope I can pick one up on the bay of E or at a local store from a breakdown!
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
For March 2009 Announcements Atlas has started a new ordering time period for the Industrial Rail Work Train 3-Pack. There is still time left to order them. They are supposed to be out in June or July.
A guy sold me a boom car like the one on the pic link ... my first IR car I have ever bought . Got/won it because it went darn cheap . I was impressed with the wheels and trucks ... all heavy metal . I did'nt have any problems with my fastrack 072 with it so far . I never looked at them before because they're usually listed under " other " in O scale .... but am from now on !
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