Atlas acquires Microtrains

[basementcalling]

Damn, I mean I knew the N Possible couplers were going to cut into Micro Trains sales of trucks and couplers, but I had no idea Turbowiz would have this big an impact on the market so soon. 

[samusi01]

Any scalpers showing up on eBay yet? "I have an original pack of MTL 1015s! Don't lowball me! I know what they're worth!"

[u18b]

Actually, I have a big pile of early Kade wheels/axles with the spiral backs  I was planning on selling one day.   

[Kentuckian]

I’ve probably only bought a half dozen MT cars in the last decade or so. Seems like they haven’t had much for transition modelers lately. I have been trying to sell them, though. I’ve replaced most of the MT coal hopper fleet with Atlas and Bluford Shops products. Atlas and Intermountain boxcars have replaced most of the MT boxcars. Intermountain tank cars replaced the MT’s. I was converting to true scale couplers up until about 3 years ago when I heard about the N possible ones.

Their flats and gons are still in the fleet, but lowered.

I appreciate the company immensely and what they have done for the hobby. I believe that they have produced some modern prototypes that are near state of the art. But the transition era models and couplers have not kept up.

[cnw780]

So who's next for Atlas Borg? Rapido? Intermountain? Stay tuned.

If they aren't careful they will probably get eaten up themselves....
By Union Pacific.

~Tim

[Missaberoad]

If they aren't careful they will probably get eaten up themselves....
By Union Pacific.

~Tim

Just what we need, another n scale big boy! 

[woodchip]

I would think that there will be NDA's and all the other terms and conditions in place that are typical for this purchase by Atlas. In this highly litigious world we live in you have to careful about what you say and do.

[learmoia]

Any scalpers showing up on eBay yet? "I have an original pack of MTL 1015s! Don't lowball me! I know what they're worth!"

Not as much as my set of vintage 1015s with the early rounded coupler box..!!!

Then there is my collection of Kadee MT-5s !!!..

[delamaize]

Well boys, looks like we have another BLMA situation on our hands. I wouldnt be surprized if Atlas $hits on MTs product line like they did 90%of BLMAs line. Also, I 100% expect to have Crapumate trash boxing gloves shoved down our throats.

Thinking my changeover to NP couplers may be sooner than later....

[Maletrain]

Well, if Atlas doesn't keep putting out the vast collection of Microtrains coupler versions, it will probably give the Npossible option a boost in sales.  Especially if the Microtrains Z couplers go away.

[Bendtracker1]

Well boys, looks like we have another BLMA situation on our hands. I wouldnt be surprized if Atlas $hits on MTs product line like they did 90%of BLMAs line. Also, I 100% expect to have Crapumate trash boxing gloves shoved down our throats.

My thoughts exactly...

[mu26aeh]

The good news is that  I won't have to buy any more $75 weathered freight cars.

The bad news is that I won't be able to buy anymore $75 weathered freight cars.   

Yeah, now theyll be the low low price of 99.95

[squirrelhunter]

Atlas just doesn't do parts, so I wonder if they will even bother to release the trucks/couplers as seperate products. I am pretty certain all the other parts MTL makes will not be issued again.

That won't be an issue now, or even next year, but as Dave V noted, when the ready stocks run out, the prices will go to the moon.

You can have all the beautiful Chinese made locomotives and cars with all sorts of underframe details you will never see and operational class lights, but if you don't have a solid ecosystem of track, trucks and couplers, the rolling stock are expensive paperweights. Telling someone they have to wait two years to replace a broken coupler is not a winning strategy for the hobby.

[turbowhiz]

For those who have real MTL couplers, especially ones in boxes, that they are converting to NP’s there could be a case that there will be sufficient demand in the secondary market for “genuine” MTL parts before too long to entirely fund your conversions.

I would suggest one be very careful to not mix in any number of the almost identical, but not actually identical imposters out there. They just aren’t up to the same standard, and I suspect that in all likelihood the offshore Atlas versions won’t be either.

I’m genuinely sad to see MTL go, they were a great asset to the hobby and particularly N scale. They will be missed.

[NSEGeorge]

I’ve talked with a few folks involved in the transition, and the plan from Atlas is to keep Micro-Trains going as its own brand — similar to what they’ve done with Atlas O. Some comparisons get tossed around, but every past situation had its own complications. With BLMA, the big issue wasn’t lack of interest; it was that nobody anywhere could etch those detail parts anymore. With Life-Like, a lot of molds were literally missing or incomplete after factory changes overseas. Those were production problems, not decisions to ‘drop’ anything. A series of former Life-Like motive power has been modernized and is in production again.
 
With Micro-Trains, their goal is different. Atlas is already talking with select MTL employees to see who’s interested in staying on, because they want continuity in the look, feel, and flow of the product line. They didn’t buy Micro-Trains just to park it — that wouldn’t make any sense. The whole idea here is to expand what Atlas can offer, not replace or erase anything.

A lot of us would love to see everything stay in the U.S., and that’s understandable. But there are reasons — some obvious, some behind the scenes — why that isn’t possible right now. What is true is that there are people inside both companies who care about Micro-Trains and are working hard to make this transition as smooth as it can be.

There will be a few months of ramp-up while things get sorted out, but the combined Atlas team — along with MTL folks who decide to continue — will be doing everything they can to keep product moving and keep the Micro-Trains name alive and well.