In the early 20th century, the rapid adoption of all-steel construction for passenger cars dramatically improved the safety and comfort of rail travel. These “heavyweight” cars, as they came to be known, were far less likely to catch fire than their mostly wooden counterparts, could withstand greater structural stresses in general operation, and as a result quickly became the premier choice of the traveling public. In the years immediately preceding World War II, however, due to the development of longer, aluminum sheathed “modern” streamliners, many original steel heavyweight cars were either rebuilt and restyled to run with the new sleek name trains, or became relegated to branchline and commuter service, where they continued to serve for many decades. Many examples still survive today in operating tourist railroads and in railroad maintenance of way departments.

Learn all about the O Trainman® 60' Passenger Cars from the Spring 2024 Catalog Live Stream

The guaranteed order deadline is May 22, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

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In 1924, the Reading Company produced an all-steel caboose, deriving its general design from the 1920 USRA wooden models. This iconic design, commonly called the “NorthEastern Caboose” by railfans, found wide acceptance by many railroads across the NorthEast and Mid-Atlantic region, with original owners including the Western Maryland (1936), Lehigh & New England (1937), Lehigh Valley (1939), Pittsburgh & West Virginia (1940), Central Railroad of New Jersey (1942), and Lehigh & Hudson River (1942). These cabooses had long lifetimes, serving through the 1980s across numerous railroads and traveling to many places outside of the NorthEast, and are one of the more common exhibits preserved in many railroad museums and operated by tourist railroads today.

Learn all about the O Northeast Caboose from the Spring 2024 Catalog Live Stream

The guaranteed order deadline is May 22, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

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The 2-8-0 steam engine was first developed in 1864-1865 to provide power for heavy trains running at moderate speeds, especially on steep grades. Alexander Mitchell, the chief mechanic for the Lehigh and Maloney Railroad, an eastern Pennsylvania coal hauler, designed the original 2-8-0. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was the first to put the 2-8-0 type engine on the rails when they rebuilt a Baldwin flexible-beam engine to a 2-8-0 configuration. For more than forty years, the 2-8-0 Consolidation was America’s standard freight locomotive, working hard on virtually every railroad.

Our model features a die-cast metal locomotive boiler, chassis and tender, each 2-8-0 is equipped with the state-of-the-art Proto-Sound 3.0 system for an incredible operating experience. You’ll be amazed at how slowly and smoothly she runs - up and down grades and around corners with or without a load. And when you see her smoke, with each puff timed to the revolutions of the drivers, you’ll know that you’ve just obtained the best value in model railroading.

Learn all about the O 2-8-0 Steam Locomotives from the Spring 2024 Catalog Live Stream

The guaranteed order deadline is May 22, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

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Amtrak’s Genesis was the first newly designed American passenger diesel in nearly four decades. Beginning in 1993, it replaced Amtrak’s fleet of EMD F40PH diesels, which were really modified freight engines — designed to be resellable in case Amtrak went out of business.

Amtrak’s president at the time was Graham Claytor, a lover of trains who had previously headed the Southern Railway and been Secretary of the Navy. Cesar Vergara, a young industrial designer who was Amtrak’s Manager of Car Design, asked Claytor for the chance to give the new engine a bold new look. The result was unlike anything else on American rails. It launched Vergara into a career of designing new passenger equipment for railroads across North America and around the world, from Talgo trains in the Pacific Northwest to the newest engines today in Boston area commuter service.

Unlike most diesels, whose structural strength comes from a heavy frame, the Genesis features monocoque construction, in which the body shell carries much of the load instead of just going along for the ride. This allows for a lighter frame, less weight overall, and greater fuel economy.

Learn all about the P42 Genesis Locomotives from the Spring 2024 Catalog Live Stream

The guaranteed order deadline is May 22, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

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AMTRAK® P42  – PHASE VII
3-Rail Item #:	2-Rail Item#
30138324 30138325	30138331 30138332
METRO NORTH - CONRAIL HERITAGE
3-Rail Item #:	2-Rail Item#
30138326	30138333
METRO NORTH - MTA FL9  COMMEMORATIVE
3-Rail Item #:	2-Rail Item#
30138327	30138334
METRO NORTH - NEW YORK CENTRAL HERITAGE
3-Rail Item #:	2-Rail Item#
30138328	30138335
NJ TRANSIT
3-Rail Item #:	2-Rail Item#
30138329 30138330	30138336 30138337