quote:Originally posted by jwmathews:
Saw one of the new Atlas CZ dome coaches Thursday eve, Jan 12 while visiting a large 3R pike (Northwest Trunk Lines) near Seattle. One of the visitors placed a K-Line dome coach next to it. Imo, there was a great deal of difference; the Atlas model appearing far more realistic.
Reasons: Finish looks more like stainless steel rather than chrome as used on K-L. We didn't have a Sunset Budd car for comparison, but from memory I would describe the Atlas car as slightly grayer/darker than the color used on the Sunset NYC Empire State Express. Personal opinion after taking another look at my Sunset Empire State Express cars: I think the Sunset color comes closest to prototype.
Compared with the K-L dome coach, I think the Atlas roof looks better. The ends of the dome are much closer to the car roof proper; the K-L dome has plain bright "flanges" at each end that appear to be about 1/2" long, filling the "gaps" at the cutout in the roof for the dome. The windows under the dome on one side of the Atlas car are lower, unlike the K-L windows which are at the same elevation on both sides under the dome. The interior seems nicely-done also, with a better-looking floor than on the K-L car.
The owner of an Atlas car told me that the couplers can be adjusted & that the diaphragms can be arranged to touch one another yet still take O-72 (36" radius) curves.
Overall, I think the Atlas cars are good value for money and will be much more correct to prototype than the K-Line cars of about ten years ago. K-Line made a few nice pieces but I think they skimped on some of their later streamlined passenger cars.
Woody,
Greeting sir, I did some homework for all of us elaborating your findings with the K-Line cars you saw.
K-Line Budd Short Dome casting. (1952 Lionel Origins?)
Atlas Budd Short Dome with the previous "best" Midland Reproductions tooling developed by Oscar Nuebert in 1985.
1952 Lionel #2532 ???Budd Standard Dome???
Sunset's creative approach to the Budd Short Dome.
The 1:1 prototype.
Budd/CB&Q prototype "Silver Dome", made from 1938 Budd Coach "Silver Alchemy"
The K-Line cars look like a standard coach with a dome casting dropped in. The window arrangements make no sense at all. The structure of the Budd Short Dome car including the prototype "Silver Dome" required a stairway and reduced head room underneath the seating area above as a small lounge for sitting looking out the old coach windows.
Even "Silver Dome" required additional height than the standard Budd Dome limiting the access to areas with tunnels.
The Budd standard Short Dome production design utilized a sunken lower lounge with a full stairway and lowered isle. Most if not all other dome designs incorporated this concept. Pullman Standard, ACF, and home built cars.
The K-Line models were and are nice, with a fair degree of work and skill the flat tops can make exceptional models. The "Chrome" plated extruded bodies are IMHO just plain wrong. Maybe too toy like; but there in lies the origins of the market, toy trains. As toy trains they look fantastic. Please don't compare them to an accurate scale model.
