Atlas 53' Containers are Not To Scale - What's Up With That?

[MetroRedLine]

Atlas' 53' containers, in addition to having some issues with fitting into Kato 53' Maxi-IV wells, also have the distinction of being too tall for scale. I present to you Exhibit A:



The following 53' N scale containers are pictured, left to right:
1. Con-Cor (Hub Group - red)
2. Deluxe Innovations (Pacer StackTrain - blue)
3. Kato (CSX Intermodal - navy blue)
4. JTC (CSX Intermodal - white)
5. Atlas (UMAX - navy blue)
6. ScaleTrains (Hub Group - green)

What's up with that? The height difference is very obvious here.

[tehachapifan]

Some questions that come to mind are:

Are all 53' container prototypes created equal...height-wise?

Can some of the height dependencies (discrepancies) be attributed to the existence of a bottom mounting pin (or lack thereof), and/or could any of the container floors be seated incorrectly?

Do we know for sure which of the containers shown are absolutely correct...dimension-wise?

[Jbub]

Some questions that come to mind are:

Are all 53' container prototypes created equal...height-wise?

Can some of the height dependencies (discrepancies) be attributed to the existence of a bottom mounting pin (or lack thereof), and/or could any of the container floors be seated incorrectly?

Do we know for sure which of the containers shown are absolutely correct...dimension-wise?

I'm sure @JaxTerminal would know. But I would be surprised if they have different heights.

[sd75i]

  How do they stack up against the rest??  Lol
On a serious note, how do they stack on other brands minus con-cor because pins are on top.  Thanks for sharing pics!

[Spades]

http://containertech.com/container-sales/53ft-high-cube-container-domestic/

"A 53ft shipping container | storage container is considered a High Cube container. High Cube shipping containers | storage containers are 9ft 6in tall on the exterior. They are 1ft taller than standard height containers. They are also 8ft 6in wide, making them 6in wider than standard containers as well. "   

 and   

"Unlike 20ft and 40ft shipping containers | storage containers, 53ft shipping containers | storage containers are not utilized for international shipping. They are used primarily for domestic over the road and rail service."

[SkipGear]

I would just be happy if somebody would standardize the locating pins. It really shouldn't be that hard, we are talking about 1/160 scale product that in the real world will interlock with each other, no-matter the maker or size of container. I don't think any two different brands fit perfectly together. I've even seen some of the same brand that don't fit.

[MetroRedLine]

  How do they stack up against the rest??  Lol
On a serious note, how do they stack on other brands minus con-cor because pins are on top.  Thanks for sharing pics!

* Kato, Scale Trains and Atlas 53' have compatible pins.

* Deluxe has no pins.

* JTC is not compatible with any of the other 53'ers, but is compatible with Atlas 40'/45' and Walthers 40/48', as well as its own containers of course (Atlas 40/45' and Atlas 53' are not compatible with each other).

* MTL 53' (I forgot to include that in the pic) also has its own proprietary pin spacing.

[MetroRedLine]

http://containertech.com/container-sales/53ft-high-cube-container-domestic/

"A 53ft shipping container | storage container is considered a High Cube container. High Cube shipping containers | storage containers are 9ft 6in tall on the exterior. They are 1ft taller than standard height containers. They are also 8ft 6in wide, making them 6in wider than standard containers as well. "   

 and   

"Unlike 20ft and 40ft shipping containers | storage containers, 53ft shipping containers | storage containers are not utilized for international shipping. They are used primarily for domestic over the road and rail service."

The point here was, all of the other 53' containers are already 9'6" high cube (with very minute hight variations), but Atlas' 53' is even taller than that, with an extremely obvious height variation compared to the others (I hope you can see if from the picture...). 

[thomasjmdavis]

The point here was, all of the other 53' containers are already 9'6" high cube (with very minute hight variations), but Atlas' 53' is even taller than that, with an extremely obvious height variation compared to the others (I hope you can see if from the picture...).

This looks like a job for calipers.  While there is a height variation, is it because the Atlas is 6 scale inches too tall, or because the others are too short?

(Purely academic question for me, locked into a 1955-56 timeframe with my own modeling)

[Point353]

Atlas' 53' containers, in addition to having some issues with fitting into Kato 53' Maxi-IV wells, also have the distinction of being too tall for scale.
What's up with that?

[Mark5]

It's all talk until someone actually measures them.   

[Missaberoad]

Is it just me or is the Atlas container not flush with the ground? Perhaps thats the reason why it is proud of the others?

I see a gap at the bottom...

Have you measured them besides just lining them up?

[asarge]

Is it just me or is the Atlas container not flush with the ground? Perhaps thats the reason why it is proud of the others?

I see a gap at the bottom...

Have you measured them besides just lining them up?

The one on the far right sure doesn't look flush but if you look at the surface all the containers are on, it doesn;t look completely flat either. looks a little undulating but it could be my eyes.

[peteski]

Digital calipers can be had for as low as $10 (usually $20), There is no excuse for any serious modeler not to have one in their toolbox. Seriously!  Once someone gets one, they are always surprised with how they got along without it. 

[delamaize]

This looks like a job for calipers.  While there is a height variation, is it because the Atlas is 6 scale inches too tall, or because the others are too short?

(Purely academic question for me, locked into a 1955-56 timeframe with my own modeling)

I approve of this message.