Atlas Mechanical Reefer roof question

[nkalanaga]

I was fixing up an old Atlas reefer last week and noticed something odd.  While these two cars look identical, except for paint, they're actually different bodies.  Both are factory painted, with the roofwalks removed, the roofs painted silver, and a few minor decals added.

The WFEX car is straight from the box, and the floor says "Atlas USA".  The BREX car was bought, long ago, from Aztec, and has a reefer sound simulator on an MDC floor.  However, the box it came is is Atlas, with the Atlas logo printed on it, so I believe the car is also Atlas.

It wasn't until I put the two side by side that I noticed they have different roofs.  The BREX car, like the model shown in Spookshow's Encyclopedia, has a diagonal panel roof.  The WFEX car has a Pullman-Standard roof.  Does anyone know when Atlas changed roofs, or if they made both styles at the same time?


http://imageshack.com/a/img811/4092/v8jg.jpg


http://imageshack.com/a/img69/3424/ddq3.jpg


http://imageshack.com/a/img845/1700/z34d.jpg

[Kisatchie]

I have about 30 Atlas 50' reefers, and every one has a roofwalk. And none of them has fuel tanks like your green reefer has.


Hmm... Atlas cars from
another planet...?

[spookshow]

That's weird. Looking at Atlas 50' reefers on eBay all the way back to the "Made in New Jersey" days, they all seem to have the same roof as the current Trainman version. Maybe a screw up at the factory on that particular production run?

Cheers,
-Mark

[Puddington]

Um.... "Hello Paul and Cory...." ? Inquiring minds want to know...... 

[wazzou]

I think the BREX car could be a ConCor car, possibly retrofitted with an Atlas floor by Aztec.
Mind you, I have no firm proof, just a recollection that ConCor had a similar car.   

[spookshow]

Pretty sure the BREX car is Atlas - there's one listed on eBay right now with the same paint scheme / road #. It just looks weird because Aztec retrofit it with an MDC chassis.

Cheers,
-Mark

[Kisatchie]

I think the BREX car could be a ConCor car, possibly retrofitted with an Atlas floor by Aztec...

The Con Cor reefers I found on eBay have a significantly different body style:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-Con-Cor-Burlington-Northern-Western-Fruit-Express-/331067794744?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item4d152da538


Hmm... I bet this all has
a simple explanation...

[wazzou]

Sure enough Vincent.  I thought I recalled another manufacturer, like ConCor perhaps.
It may be Model Power or I may just be mistaken.  I can't really imagine a scenario where Atlas would Change a mold to have the current PS roof.

[Frisco Larry]

I have the same BREX sound effects car and it looks exactly like my other Atlas reefers.  The yellow car is the odd ball, but I cant find any car with that style of roof.

[nkalanaga]

Kis:  I missed that one!  Yes, I added the fuel tanks on the BREX car, and really ought to on the WFEX.  All they are are Evergreen strips cut to size and glued to the floor.  All of the Atlas cars I've ever seen also came with roofwalks, but they're easy to remove.

Mark:  Thank you.  I'm also sure it's an Atlas, and the floor itself doesn't change the appearance.  It's a boxcar floor, so nothing shows.

Bryan:  That's what seems odd.  It's a nice enough PS roof, but the WFEX car should have had the diagonal panel version.  Why change something that's already right?  If no one else has seen one of these, Mark is probably right, and the factory made a mistake.  I have two more just like it still in the box, Atlas #3673.  They still have the roofwalks, and haven't had any modifications made, except for an ACI label.

I have one of the ConCor cars in PFE, and it is the same body style as the eBay offering.

[peteski]

One possibility is that these molds have exchangeable plates in them for things like the sides and roofs. Maybe someone just used the wrong roof mold?

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  That would be my guess.  If it wasn't a common production version they certainly didn't retool for one road, especially when the more common version is correct for that road.  I thought maybe they had changed the molds between the two runs, since the BREX car is considerably older, but apparently not.   

[Cory Rothlisberger]

Um.... "Hello Paul and Cory...." ? Inquiring minds want to know...... 

The Atlas offices are closed on Sunday evenings sir! 

I'll have to ask Paul to chime in because as of now, we don't have a PS roof for those 50' footers, only the diagonal panel. We also never offered these cars without a roofwalk.

[mecgp7]

Had a thought, lost it

[Puddington]

The Atlas offices are closed on Sunday evenings sir! 

I'll have to ask Paul to chime in because as of now, we don't have a PS roof for those 50' footers, only the diagonal panel. We also never offered these cars without a roofwalk.

You mean there isn't a 1-800 Atlas Hot line staffed 24-7-365 to answer these questions that are, after all, more important than life itself.....? Shame Cory... Shame......

(Oh crap, now someone will ask Jason to have one at Rapido... there goes my weekends !  )