The Atlas Model Railroad Company Blog

All the news fit to print from the Atlas Model Railroad Company

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier Snow Plow

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier Snow Plow

For railroads in much of the U.S. and Canada, dealing with snow is a perennial problem. The earliest railroad plows were likely derived from agricultural plows, and were the first instance of a plow being pushed from behind rather than pulled by horses or oxen. In 1840, little more than a decade after the first steam engine plied American rails, Charles Lowbaert was granted a patent for a wedge, or “bucker,” railroad plow. Like our model, that pioneering snowplow featured an inclined plane to bring the snow up off the rails and a pointed, triangular wedge to throw it to both sides of the track. Over time, railroad plows evolved into an arsenal of equipment ranging from engine-mounted blades to the ultimate snowfighting weapon, the rotary snow plow.

york livestream

Learn all about the O Premier Snow Plow 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.

Features Include:

  • Metal Wheels and Axles
  • Die-Cast 4-Wheel Trucks
  • Operating Die-Cast Metal Couplers
  • Colorful, Attractive Paint Schemes
  • Fast-Angle Wheel Sets

  • Needle-Point Axles
  • 1:48 Scale Dimensions
  • Stamped Metal Floors
  • Separate Metal Handrails
  • Operates On O-31 Curves (3-Rail)
 
genesis
BOSTON & MAINE
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001674  
genesis
CANADIAN PACIFIC
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001675  
genesis
CHESSIE SYSTEM (C&O)
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001676  
genesis
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001677  
genesis
PANAM RAILWAYS
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001678  
genesis
PENNSYLVANIA
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001679  
genesis
ROCK ISLAND
3-Rail Item #:
 
3001680  

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Trainman® 60' Passenger Cars

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Trainman® 60' Passenger Cars

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.

york livestream

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.

Features Include:

  • Die-cast sprung trucks
  • Full scale dimensions and details
  • Separately-applied grab irons
  • Interior LED lighting
  • Separately-applied diaphragms

  • Interior details
  • Based upon C&NW protoypes
  • Minimum diameter curve: O-36 (3-Rail)
  • Minimum radius curve: 36" (2-Rail)
genesis
BOSTON & MAINE (60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001147 2001197
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN
(60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001148 2001198
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL (60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001239 2001289
genesis
SANTA FE (60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001240 2001290
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND (60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001241 2001291
genesis
CONWAY SCENIC RR (60' COACH)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001149 2001199
genesis
BOSTON & MAINE (60' COMBINE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001234 2001284
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN
(60' COMBINE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001235 2001285
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL (60' COMBINE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001236 2001286
genesis
SANTA FE (60' COMBINE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001237 2001287
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND (60' COMBINE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001238 2001288
genesis
BOSTON & MAINE (60' BAGGAGE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001327 2001377
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN
(60' BAGGAGE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001328 2001378
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL (60' BAGGAGE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001329 2001379
genesis
SANTA FE (60' BAGGAGE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001330 2001380
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND (60' BAGGAGE)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001331 2001381
genesis
BOSTON & MAINE (60' RPO)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001427 2001477
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN
(60' RPO)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001428 2001478
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL (60' RPO)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001429 2001479
genesis
SANTA FE (60' RPO)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2001430 2001480
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN (60' OBSERVATION)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2002722 2002772
genesis
SANTA FE (60' OBSERVATION)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2002723 2002773
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND (60' OBSERVATION)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
2002724 2002774

 

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier Northeast Caboose

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier Northeast Caboose

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.

york livestream

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.

Features Include:

  • Detailed Car Interior with Overhead Lighting
  • Die-Cast 4-Wheel Trucks with Metal Wheels and Axles
  • Separate Metal Handrails
  • Colorful, Attractive Paint Schemes

  • 1:48 Scale Dimensions, O-31 Radius
  • O Scale Kadee Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads
  • Measures: 9 1/8“ x 2 7/16” x 3 3/4”
genesis
BOSTON AND MAINE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001688 3002688
genesis
CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001689 3002689
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001690 3002690
genesis
SOUTHERN (S&A)
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001691 3002691
genesis
UNION PACIFIC
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001692 3002692
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
3001693 3002693

 

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier 2-8-0 Steam Locomotive

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier 2-8-0 Steam Locomotive

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.

york livestream

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.

Features Include:

  • Die-Cast Boiler and Chassis
  • Metal Wheels and Axles
  • Precision Flywheel Equipped Motor
  • Metal Handrails and Decorative Bell
  • Decorative Metal Whistle
  • Constant Voltage Headlight
  • Die-Cast Truck Sides
  • Remote Controlled Proto-Coupler
  • Synchronized Puffing ProtoSmoke System
  • Operating firebox flicker
  • Colorful Paint Scheme
  • Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
  • Die-cast metal tender body
  • Wireless Drawbar
  • Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring: Passenger Station Proto-Effects
  • Unit Measures:19 1/4” x 2 1/2” x 3 3/4”
  • Minimum radius curve: O-36 (3-Rail)
  • Minimum diameter curve: 36” (2-Rail)
  • All new PCB DRAWING BAR design for connection between the engine and tender.
  • Lost wax details on boiler body
  • Improved Back tender ladder
  • Gang plank with diamond plating between tender and engine- stamped brass material
  • Boiler features: Headlight/Fire Box Light/Interior Cabin Light/ Marker Front – All LEDs
  • Tender contains: LED Tailight (Backuplight)

Matching Cabooses and Passenger Cars Available!

genesis
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN LINE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138300
30138301
30138312
30138313
genesis
BOSTON AND MAINE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138302
30138303
30138314
30138315
genesis
WESTERN MARYLAND
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138304
30138305
30138316
30138317
genesis
SOUTHERN RAILWAY
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138306
30138307
30138318
30138319
genesis
UNION PACIFIC
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138308
30138309
30138320
30138321
genesis
NEW YORK CENTRAL
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138310
30138311
30138322
30138323

 

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier P42 Genesis Locomotive

The Atlas Product Spotlight - O Premier P42 Genesis Locomotive

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.

york livestream

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.

Features Include:

  • Intricately Detailed, Durable ABS Body
  • Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank
  • Metal Chassis
  • Metal Handrails and Horn
  • Moveable Roof Fans
  • Metal Body Side Grilles
  • Detachable Snow Plow
  • (2) Handpainted Engineer Cab Figures
  • Authentic Paint Scheme
  • Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
  • (2) Remote-Controlled Proto-Couplers
  • O Scale Kadee-Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads
  • Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting
  • Directionally Controlled Constant Voltage LED Headlight
  • Lighted LED Cab Interiors
  • Illuminated LED Number Boards
  • Lighted LED Front Marker Lights
  • Operating LED Ditch Lights
  • (2) Precision Flywheel-Equipped Motors
  • Operating ProtoSmoke Diesel Exhaust
  • Onboard DCC/DCS Decoder
  • Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
  • 1:48 Scale Proportions
  • Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
  • Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System
  • Featuring Passenger Station Proto-Effects
  • Unit Measures: 18 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 3 3/4”
  • Operates On O-31 Curves (3-Rail)
genesis
AMTRAK® P42  – PHASE VII
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138324
30138325
30138331
30138332
genesis
METRO NORTH - CONRAIL HERITAGE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138326 30138333
genesis
METRO NORTH - MTA FL9  COMMEMORATIVE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138327 30138334
genesis
METRO NORTH - NEW YORK CENTRAL HERITAGE
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138328 30138335
genesis
NJ TRANSIT
3-Rail Item #:
2-Rail Item#
30138329
30138330
30138336
30138337

 

Now Shipping Week of 3.12.24

The following products are now shipping from Atlas.

For a complete listing of order deadlines and shipping dates, please use the Atlas Production Schedule

The Atlas Product Spotlight - N Trainman 42' Gondola

The Atlas Product Spotlight - N Trainman 42' Gondola

Features Include:

  • Colorful painting and printing
  • Removable cement container load
  • Rivet detail
  • Detailed underframe
  • Ready-to-run
  • AccuMate® couplers

The guaranteed order deadline is March 13, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

genesis
CENTRAL OF GEORGIA (C. G.)
Item #:
50 006 746
50 006 747
genesis
CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN (CNW)
Item #:
50 006 748
50 006 749
genesis
DULUTH MISSABE & IRON RANGE (DM&IR)
Item #:
50 006 750
50 006 751
genesis
DULUTH SOUTH SHORE & ATLANTIC (DSS&A)
Item #:
50 006 752
50 006 753
genesis
ERIE
Item #:
50 006 754
50 006 755
genesis
MKT
Item #:
50 006 756
50 006 757
genesis
NASHVILLE CHATTANOOGA & ST.L(NC&STL)
Item #:
50 006 758
50 006 759
   

The Atlas Product Spotlight - HO & N 40' Standard Height Containers

The Atlas Product Spotlight - HO & N 40' Standard Height Containers

The development of shipping containers reached a turning point in the late 1970s when standardization began to take place. Prior to this time numerous designs and sizes of containers were seen throughout the world. The true intermodal era began in the 1980s with the expanding world economy, Panama Canal ship size restrictions, intermodal railway car (wagon) designs and the setting of ISO standards for international shipping containers.

Today’s commonly seen steel all-corrugated ISO containers still have some variations, primarily the doors. The new Atlas model will be a standard-height 40-footer which will exhibit a range of door styles, roofs, and front walls to more closely match the variations in the prototype containers seen throughout the world.

HO Features Include:
  • Rail guides
  • Roof corner pads
  • LTR style handles
  • Separately applied door rods and handles
  • Optional separate vents
  • Prototypically accurate “beveled” all corrugated sides
  • Each set comes as a 3-pack
N Features Include:
  • Prototypically accurate “beveled” all corrugated sides
  • Each set comes as a 3-pack

The guaranteed order deadline is March 13, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

genesis
NYK LINE
N Scale Item #:
HO Scale Item #:
50 006 824
50 006 825
20 007 469
20 007 470
genesis
ORIENT OVERSEAS CONTAINER LINE
N Scale Item #:
HO Scale Item #:
50 006 826
50 006 827
20 007 471
20 007 472
genesis
TRITON/UNITED ARAB SHIPPING CO.
N Scale Item #:
HO Scale Item #:
50 006 828
50 006 829
20 007 473
20 007 474
genesis
K-LINE.COM
N Scale Item #:
HO Scale Item #:
50 006 830
50 006 831
20 007 475
20 007 476
genesis
OCEAN NETWORK EXPRESS
N Scale Item #:
HO Scale Item #:
50 006 832
50 006 833
20 007 477
20 007 478
     

The Atlas Product Spotlight - HO Thrall Gondola

The Atlas Product Spotlight - HO Thrall Gondola

The Thrall Car 2743 cubic foot gondola was introduced in 1995. This new 52' 6" interior length design was in response to the newly allowed increase in Gross Rail Loading (GRL) to 286,000 lbs (up from 263,000 lbs). This allowed an increase of the inside height from the previously standard 5'0" to a new standard of 5'6", giving it a 2,743 cubic foot capacity. Thrall produced over 6,700 of these from 1995 to 1999. The design resumed production under Trinityrail in 2005.

Features Include:

  • Prototypical scale height reflecting the new higher capacities standard.
  • Fourteen side posts
  • Detailed brake components
  • Etched platform
  • Etched end reinforcement plate
  • Detailed ladders and stirrups
  • Metal hand grabs
  • Metal brake rods
  • Air hoses
  • Corner pins and correct open notch
  • Detailed side post support angle plates
  • Optional coupler pocket for Kadee #78 or Accumate Scale Coupler
  • Accurate painting and lettering
  • Ready-to-run

The guaranteed order deadline is March 13, 2024. Click here to find an Authorized Atlas Dealer near you.

genesis
IOWA, CHICAGO & EASTERN
Item #:
20 007 405
20 007 406
20 007 407
genesis
CEFX (WITH COVER)
Item #:
20 007 408
20 007 409
20 007 410
genesis
JTLX (CIT GROUP)
Item #:
20 007 411
20 007 412
20 007 413
genesis
CHTT 
Item #:
20 007 414
20 007 415
20 007 416
genesis
NORFOLK SOUTHERN (EX CSXT)
Item #:
20 007 417
20 007 418
20 007 419
genesis
CIGX (CIT GROUP) (EX BNSF)
Item #:
20 007 420
20 007 421
20 007 422
genesis
CSXT 
Item #:
20 007 423
20 007 424
20 007 425
genesis
CANADIAN PACIFIC
Item #:
20 007 426
20 007 427
20 007 428