Atlas Trainman 60' HW Passenger Cars officially announced

[Ike the BN Freak]

Wonder if these could work for AFT cars, replace the Bachmann ones I currently have.

[mu26aeh]

I might get the undecorated ones for an excursion train . 

[jmlaboda]

While I have no need nor want of the baggage - coach and coach the baggage and mail cars will become kitbashing fodder since I do need some useful baggage - mail cars, including one with a 15' mail apartment.  Figure that from the mail car that sacrifices a half towards a baggage - mail can also donate the other door set and a window so the branchline car can be made... can't wait to be able to get a hold of some for this purpose... but I know a few of those MT single-window coach will also be screaming my name...

[brokemoto]

While I have no need nor want of the baggage - coach and coach the baggage and mail cars will become kitbashing fodder since I do need some useful baggage - mail cars, but I know a few of those MT single-window coach will also be screaming my name...

I wonder why they offered a full RPO over the baggage/mail.  My understanding is that there were more baggage/mail cars built than full RPOs.  Most of the movies and photographs that I have seen of B&O's premier mail trains, #29, #30, #31, #32 and #34 have the combinations, even when the train is carrying two RPO cars.   Someone else posted somewhere that most of the RPOs built were combination baggage/mail.

The CNJ observation still will be useful for bashing single window coaches.  Supposedly, the MT car is going to be based on a NYCS coach (WONDERFUL for some P&LE coaches!).  Many of the single window coaches that the other roads ran had window heights greater than those of the NYCS cars.  The window height on the CNJ car is closer to those cars.

Someone remarked that the window arrangement of the Atlas full RPO is better than that of the MT.  While the only photograph of a DL&W full RPO (DL&W is one of the road names that Atlas will offer) that i can find is on your site, it does appear to be a modernised version of the one that Atlas is offering.  I read somewhere that rather than buy new RPOs, as supposedly the POD wanted, most roads simply refurbished the old ones.  That proved the best move, as the POD started to non-renew mail contracts in the 1960s.

[jmlaboda]

I read somewhere that rather than buy new RPOs, as supposedly the POD wanted, most roads simply refurbished the old ones.

Most of the "USRA" RPOs were rebuilt to the configuration that is being offered by Atlas.  The rare (actually very rare) cars that remained much like they were originally built is by and large just Great Northern with few other lines not rebuilding them.  And some were even rebuilt to baggage - mail cars, as I documented on my Kato MT mail car kitbashings page...

RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MICRO-TRAINS' MAIL CAR

Need to work up a page for the Atlas cars since there is a lot of potential for the baggage and mail cars.  Looking forward to being able to do some kitbashing so as to make car types that will be useful to me... can only hope that the work on the Passenger Car Photo Index and two others that soon will be launched (yes... scary thought... two new sites coming around June 1st) allows me enough time to actually do some modeling...

[peteski]

I wonder why they offered a full RPO over the baggage/mail.  My understanding is that there were more baggage/mail cars built than full RPOs. 

That is a very good question. It seems that model companies prefer to make models of RPOs over just a straight baggage. I wonder if the answer is as simple as "because it is more interesting"  Baggage cars are plain - just couple of doors and no windows. RPOs have windows and different size doors, then  there is that mail bag catcher thingie. More features mean more model sales?   Just speculating here.

[thomasjmdavis]

Just so I am not misunderstood, I would also be a customer, like as not, for a 60' baggage-mail.  Several of the roads I model had them- but subject to the caveat that each road did things differently, and I would probably end up kitbashing no matter what, to get relatively accurate end results.  So, I will be happy enough with the baggage and RPO they are producing (assuming I can get some bodies and parts cheap enough to make bashing worthwhile).

Regarding the RPO v Baggage-mail question, in this particular case, I think it may be the 60' length.  My knowledge is not as comprehensive as Jerry Laboda's, but most of the 60' baggage mail cars I am aware of (as opposed to 70') were rebuilt from full sized RPOs.  In many cases, when a railroad purchased new full RPOs, the older ones would be rebuilt to baggage or baggage-mail cars.  Therefore, the 60' baggage mail cars were less uniform.  Some never even got baggage doors, just a partition between the RPO and baggage sections (with the baggage section often just for stored mail). For those, you can use the RPO as is, and just blank some windows (and maybe not even that) and add an interior partition. Sometimes one railroad would have several 60' baggage-mail with no 2 alike.  What does seem more or less standard in the rebuilds is that any new baggage door was usually located where the mail door used to be, so would be fairly simple to cut and paste.

The 6 window RPO was used by several major roads, and "major roads" is often a consideration for a manufacturer as well. 

And last but not least, I think Atlas listened to us.  When the rumor hit the street that they were tooling up to do the same CNW shortie cars that Bachmann had done in times past, quite a few of us chimed in that if they were going to make 60' cars, what we needed were RPOs, and they not only made them, but went with the later 6 window arrangement v the MT WWI era car.  Now, many roads had quite similar cars with 5 windows, and I would have been happy enough with that car (for C&EI), but either is good.

"It seems that model companies prefer to make models of RPOs over just a straight baggage."

Well... the real surprise from my personal point of view is that we are getting a second manufacturer putting out a major production run of CNW suburban 60' cars, and no one yet has done a plastic Santa Fe coach.  Just sayin'...  And if Atlas is going to tool up to produce better versions of old Bachmann stuff, I have 2 words for them- BIG DOME.

Frankly, up til now, model companies have preferred to make horse cars over full RPOs.

In terms of major N manufacturers in plastic, this is the second heavyweight RPO available in N scale.  Several HW baggage are out there- the venerable Rivarossi, WOT (60' and 70', the latter with roof, vent and door variations to approximate several prototypes), and MT.  Only the MT mail-baggage, although I suppose we could also count the old Lima Mail-Baggage-Coach combine.  In streamlined cars, there are lots of mail-baggage cars, but full RPOs have only become available with various Kato trainsets (and the ancient Arnold Budd car that is a few feet short, IIRC).

Tom D.

Tom D

[Chris333]

I'm still waiting for Atlas Andrews trucks to be available... 

[Blackout]

Price seems right for awesome products 

Yep its over priced. Street price will still end up higher than Microtrains heavyweights

[Joetrain59]

And when do we get tp order them? Any vendors have them posted yet?
 Joe D

[mu26aeh]

And when do we get tp order them? Any vendors have them posted yet?
 Joe D

Looks like Fifer's has them up on Pre-order. 

[CBQ Fan]

Five car sets.........ugh, that does me no good. I am really bummed out if you can't get them individually. I am very interested in the baggage cars and some of the coaches. 

[wcfn100]

Five car sets.........ugh, that does me no good. I am really bummed out if you can't get them individually. I am very interested in the baggage cars and some of the coaches.

You can get them individually.

Jason

[CBQ Fan]

You can get them individually.

Jason

That is good news, just basing it off of the shop website link and how they listed it.

[wes_sutton]

That is good news, just basing it off of the shop website link and how they listed it.

http://www.atlastrainman.com/NFreight/tmn60passenger.htm