Atlas 40 and 53 Foot Rebuilt Well Cars Have Finally Arrived

[sd75i]

 These are nice cars.

[sd75i]

 ...

[pmpexpress]

Well this is not good!

Atlas Customer Service Manager, Steve Millenbach promptly sent the following response to my email concerning the missing fifth wheel plate on one on my 40' well cars:

"We unfortunately do not have any parts or replacements for the N Well cars. What were are going to do is try and get extra parts for them. The factory is going to send us the unused parts. We can’t be sure what we’re going to get in but it’s going to be 1-2 months before they arrive. We’ll be happy to send you another plate when they come in but we can’t guarantee we’ll get them. Your only other alternative is to send the car back to MB Klein for a refund."

Given that a replacement car cannot be secured, this is not going happen.

If anyone decides to remove the fifth wheel plates from their cars in order to accurately model the TTX rebuilds (as was previously commented on by James Costello), I would be interested in acquiring the unused parts.

Although MB Klein's outstanding customer service department is going to send me a replacement fifth wheel, I am still interested in acquiring anyones extra parts for a couple of unrelated projects.

[ljudice]

Update:   More coming into MBK this afternoon or in AM...


- Lou

[transitionalman]

N Scale Supply has them in stock as of this morning as well

[jagged ben]

Wow.

(Just got mine.)

At least on appearances, I think these are the nicest RTR double-stack cars that have been made.  (And I own at least one of all such products.)  In light of the information shared above, I'm not sure why I didn't expect it, but there you go.   I really hope Atlas finds a way to bring the same quality to some articulated sets.  Thrall 53fters top of the list of course.

My only disclaimer is that I haven't run them yet.   

[pmpexpress]

Wow.

(Just got mine.)

At least on appearances, I think these are the nicest RTR double-stack cars that have been made.  (And I own at least one of all such products.)  In light of the information shared above, I'm not sure why I didn't expect it, but there you go.   I really hope Atlas finds a way to bring the same quality to some articulated sets.  Thrall 53fters top of the list of course.

My only disclaimer is that I haven't run them yet.   

Has anyone noticed the tiny little holes in the bottom of the wells on both the 40' and 53' cars?

Although there are only four holes (i.e. rather than eight, which might be used to secure a pair of 20' containers), I wonder if they were/are meant to be used to retain a container that is placed in the well?

While they would be in the opposite position from those found on the Atlas well cars, with four holes on the bottom and four pins on the top, Con-Cor has previously utilized tiny pins to secure their containers.

[jagged ben]

I'm sure that's what the holes are for. Most manufacturers use bottom pins, although not all compatibility sized and spaced.

BTW a Con-cor 40ft may not fit as Con-Cor modeled that container too wide, although as a rebuilt car it may also have a wide enough well.

[pmpexpress]

I'm sure that's what the holes are for. Most manufacturers use bottom pins, although not all compatibility sized and spaced.

BTW a Con-cor 40ft may not fit as Con-Cor modeled that container too wide, although as a rebuilt car it may also have a wide enough well.

Although I have not yet placed any of them in one of the new well cars, Atlas containers do have a bottom pin arrangement.

While there is no model manufacturers' standard for container mounting pins, the chassis holes were likely provided for Atlas' own line of containers.

It seems a bit odd that Arnold, Deluxe Innovations, Jacksonville Terminal Company, and Rolland Industries Limited were the only manufacturers to offer factory decorated N-Scale 20' containers in liveries that were/are commonly seen in North America.

Of the aforementioned four firms, only Jacksonville Terminal continues to offer twenty footers.

Wonder why Atlas, Kato, and Walthers never stepped up to the plate and released any 20' containers in paint schemes seen in the US and Canada?

[EspeeGoldenState]

Were the undecorated versions ever done? I was hoping to pick up 3 of them, two to paint up in the breast cancer pink versions from last year. DTTX 654811 and DTTX 475412.

Planned on using either the Kato Maxi-IV or the Deluxe Innovations for the three pack. DTTX 732301. (Sorry thread drift)

Not sure how close to the same the rebuilt 654811 version is being correct, but the 475412 is in the same number series that Atlas is offering.

DTTX 654811
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5051546

DTTX 475412
https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/7097303/931869376.jpg

DTTX 732301
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5085274

Chris

[pmpexpress]

Were the undecorated versions ever done? I was hoping to pick up 3 of them, two to paint up in the breast cancer pink versions from last year. DTTX 654811 and DTTX 475412.

Planned on using either the Kato Maxi-IV or the Deluxe Innovations for the three pack. DTTX 732301. (Sorry thread drift)

Not sure how close to the same the rebuilt 654811 version is being correct, but the 475412 is in the same number series that Atlas is offering.

DTTX 654811
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5051546

DTTX 475412
https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/7097303/931869376.jpg

DTTX 732301
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5085274

Chris

Although HogTrainz lists the undecorated 53' cars as being sold out, I never saw any of these models listed on the MB Klein site.

As Lou (ljudice) previously mentioned that MBK had some additional inventory coming, over the next week or so, you should probably keep an eye on what has been added to their site.

[sundowner]

Were the undecorated versions ever done? I was hoping to pick up 3 of them, two to paint up in the breast cancer pink versions from last year. DTTX 654811 and DTTX 475412.

Planned on using either the Kato Maxi-IV or the Deluxe Innovations for the three pack. DTTX 732301. (Sorry thread drift)

Not sure how close to the same the rebuilt 654811 version is being correct, but the 475412 is in the same number series that Atlas is offering.

DTTX 654811
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5051546

DTTX 475412
https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/7097303/931869376.jpg

DTTX 732301
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5085274

Chris

As soon as you do them Atlas and Kato will do them. 

[James Costello]

Were the undecorated versions ever done?

Still listed as TBA at Walthers, so I don't think they shipped yet.

[cfritschle]

While there is no model manufacturers' standard for container mounting pins, the chassis holes were likely provided for Atlas' own line of containers.

Neville,

That is not for a lack of someone trying.   

Jacksonville Terminal Company has certainly attempted to promote a standard.  https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1959/5441/files/Magnetic_connection_system_standards.pdf?11776714660056038565

And, the JTC container pin locations and Atlas container pin locations are compatible.  So if the holes work for the Atlas containers they should also work for the JTC containers.

[jagged ben]

Container fittings...  I tried some I had handy.

MT 53ft can fits in the 53ft car.  This is important because I believe the MT 53ft container is oversize out of scale more than any other.  So I think all RTR 53ft containers should fit the car, although Deluxe might be tight.  JTC 53ft also fits. 

I tried some JTC 20s and 40s in both cars.  No space issues, which should be no surprise, but the pins did not easily line up.  I don't think this is for lack of trying, just that the tolerances on this pin design are too tight for the materials used.  Atlas containers often don't line up with each other either, so there you go.  I'm really not a fan of pins, this didn't change my mind.

As a rebuilt car, the 40ft model has an oversize well and should fit almost all 40ft and 20ft container models, perhaps even Con-Cor and MT which are significantly oversize out of scale (wide).  But I didn't try those yet.