Atlas announces 3rd release of 40' PS-1, with 8' doors

[skm]

Sorry, little silly last night.

Yes, I'm sure the model will be correct, I just observed that the prototype had the short-lived script road-numbers........

[Specter3]

So Scott what you meant to say was that the car is prototype for as delivered but just x years later they changed the script to blank so it would be a narrow window of running for which this car would be accurate, right? 

[bbussey]

The numbers wouldn't have been repainted until the car was shopped.  It's more than plausible that many if not most of the class lasted through the 1950s with Calendar-style numbers.  By the time most of them got repainted, most likely it was into the PK scheme.  This is a non-issue.

[skm]

So Scott what you meant to say was that the car is prototype for as delivered but just x years later they changed the script to blank so it would be a narrow window of running for which this car would be accurate, right? 

I have modified my original post so that my original intention is more clear, I apologize if I was not lucid.

AFAIK when the PRR adopted the large shadow keystone (early 1954?) as their default paint scheme they used a script font for the road numbers. This policy was changed several months (?) later to a roman serif font.

As pointed out in an earlier post, the X48 was the first boxcar to be issued with the shadow keystone scheme as new. From the pic posted in this thread (really nice pic BTW) I noticed it had the script numbers. I have not seen a pic like that before.

Bryan is totally correct in that the scheme as issued would have survived until repainting, which would be some time. I have seen pics from the 60's with the X48 in the plain keystone scheme. The PRR only purchased 20 40' PS1 boxcars, so they must not have liked them much. FWIW the PRR version had a cushioned underframe.

[mmagliaro]

This is still where you lose me. The NYC had a small group of Pacemaker Service cars with 8' doors. Our model has an 8' door...

Cory,
Your door width is fine.  I observed that the initial reaction to the new car was a round of discussion on cars having the
proper door width (6' or 8').   But I simply meant that in the NYC car, getting the door color right was a lot more important,
and that even if the door were the wrong width, a lot of people wouldn't notice, but they would notice that
the door wasn't all red.

In other words, if the door were painted wrong, nobody would care about the door width because anybody who
cares about that sort of prototype accuracy would not want the car with the wrong color, even if the door were the
correct width.

I think I've beaten this dead one enough.  No need to belabor it anymore.  I'm sure you will make the door red
like you showed in your updated picture.

[peteski]

I'm sure you will make the door red like you showed in your updated picture.

...I see a red door and I want to paint it black..   That has a nice ring to it.   

[Big4Man]

...I see a red door and I want to paint it black..   That has a nice ring to it.   

Yes! Black door with an overspray of red! 

[bbussey]

The numbers wouldn't have been repainted until the car was shopped.  It's more than plausible that many if not most of the class lasted through the 1950s with Calendar-style numbers.  By the time most of them got repainted, most likely it was into the PK scheme.  This is a non-issue.

I saw the PNSM artwork yesterday, it's exquisite.  February 1954 build and serviced dates.  Calendar style numbers on the reporting marks.

[wcfn100]

Maybe they can get them made without the end Tack Board glued on so it can be moved without marring the paint.

Jason

[bbussey]

Unlike the doors, the end tack boards have pegs that go into predetermined holes so I doubt that's an option.

Large photo of undec PS-1

[skm]

I just received some undec PS1s and have been playing with removing the pegs, filling the holes and gluing the tackboards in the low position. I managed to do a pretty clean job, with the aid of magnification and some micro-files. Not too hard, but any pre-painted model would require touchups. As all 40' PS1s built after late 1953 had tackboards in the low postion, I wonder if Atlas would consider making adjustments to their molds?

While I was at it, I checked out the coupler mounts to see what would be involved in using the brass tubing as discussed in Gary H's thread to simulate the extensions of a cushioned underframe. From Rob's PRR site it appears that the cushioned gear added 22" to the length over strikers from several other 40' boxcars in the PRR roster. So roughly a foot either end or .075" in scale. Not a huge amount!

The Pullman list on Steamerafreightcars.com indicates that many/majority of the PS1s were built with either S2 or A3 trucks, so I wanted to see how hard it would be to swap the Atlas S2 trucks out for the BLMA A3s (70ton but WTH). I envisioned having to make small pads to raise the height to compensate for the lowered bolsters on the BLMA trucks, but the Atlas trucks also have lowered bolsters! Awesome....

[bbussey]

I hadn't removed the trucks from any of the Atlas PS-1 cars I bought from the first batch.  The fact that the bolster height matches the BLMA trucks is extremely good news for me, as the New Haven PS-1s ran on ASF A3 trucks.

[skm]

Yes, I guess Atlas really thought this one out! They have played this all pretty close to the chest. Now we can swap out the trucks with ease. 

[ai5629]

I am really hoping Atlas releases the trucks from the PS-1 as a separate part.  This would go a long way to fixing ride height problems on cars that use 50 ton friction bearing trucks.  We have BLMA trucks for 100 and 70 ton cars, so this would fill the 50 ton need that is currently not being addressed. 

Jeff

[bbussey]

I just checked the prototype specs for the four Atlas PS-1 cars I currently own (B&M, LV, Rutland, WP) and all of them ran on A3 trucks, so I have some swapping out to do.  Also have to swap in a Universal brakewheel on my Rutland car.