Atlas O Track Availability

Atlas has not shipped track and switches yet

I have the #5 you want in stock, but am out of the O-72

 

Richard

Brentwood Antiques

Check with Nicholas Smith Trains and/or Hennings Trains.  I visited both stores recently, and they seemed to have a good supply of track product.

David

I spoke to Atlas last week while ordering some parts. I asked about O-54 switches and they said they don't expect to have new switches until near year end. This also applies to switch machines (asked about that too). Said they are just now starting production.

Check scale hobby supply in St. Paul.

I ran across this old thread while searching for an Atlas O-72 LH switch, which no seems to have.  Does anyone have a guess as to future availability?  They seem to be producing the 7.5 switches but little else.

I talked to atlas last week and was told October on switched

I hope so!

Yeah that would be great if they are in by then. ...I've been waiting a while myself.

There have been several dates so far on the switches. I hope they get this one right for October. That would be this year - 2015, I hope.

I wanted some O-108. Placed an order direct with Atlas. Was told it would be "a few months."

 

After what has unfolded with the availability of their track product for a very long time now, I decided.

Canceled the order. Called Ross. Track shipped today. It's looking more and more like I'll "dump" my Atlas track completely. Fortunately, as I'm really just starting, I can make that decision without too much pain.

Too bad. Great track. But, I've had it! Their supplier problem is precisely that. THEIR problem! Sick of it being mine.

 

I know they're not wide radius switches, but if anyone wants two NIB Atlas O36 switches, I have a LH and RH for sale on the For Sale Board https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...-remote-switches-etc

 

In recent years, just about every model train importer has been hit with major supplier problems that none of us model train enthusiasts could have ever imagined in our wildest nightmares. 

 

• MTH all but stopped producing steam locomotives for a couple of years for the US market. 
• And MTH has encountered its share of challenges filling out and delivering its ScaleTrax product line of track. 
• Lionel couldn't deliver 990 Legacy kits with CAB-2 remotes for I-can't-remember-how-long.
• After decades of producing aluminum passenger cars as a regular part of its high-end product line, Lionel has pretty much transitioned its passenger car manufacturing away from aluminum to ABS -- reportedly due to aluminum supplier issues. 
• Atlas-O is taking over 6 years to deliver all the passenger cars for its fabulous California Zephyr train -- due in large part to losing its original overseas manufacturer and then needing to go back to Square-1 all over again with a new factory. 
• And after developing an entire O-Gauge track "system", Atlas-O reportedly lost its manufacturer and needed to spend lord-knows-how-long attempting to find another suitable overseas manufacturer to pick up the pieces (no pun intended) and fill one HUGE backlog created by model train enthusiasts committed to the line with layouts sitting half-finished for months if not years.

 

So despite the fact we live in the "golden age of O-gauge railroading", life in toy train manufacturing land is not without its problems... for sure.  But let's hope the importers have learned one heck of harsh lesson in the past 4-5 years.  As enthusiasts, we've come to understand that today's importers are basically front-offices to manufacturing facilities half a world away.  And it can't be easy to work in quicksand everyday.  So setting up a front-office facade definitely ain't for the weak-at-heart.  But I gotta ask, "Did it REALLY look that good on paper, to risk putting all their eggs in one basket 8,000 miles away?"   Oh never mind... I guess it did.  Those spreadsheet guys and gals can make just about everything look downright attractive for the C-level executives when they're told to do so.  But I wonder how all those enticing spreadsheets look now that the silver lining looks a bit tarnished?    Or better yet, perhaps the "Emperor with No Clothes" is a more fitting tale to tell here.

 

Back on point though... For O-Gauge hi-rail track, Atlas-O is an excellent choice, if -- and this is one HUGE "IF" -- you can source what you need NOW for your entire layout.  If you can't, then the decision should be painfully clear by now.  Choose Gargraves track and Ross switches.  If your timing happens to be off with those suppliers, you "might" need to wait a few weeks at most for order fulfillment.  But in the large majority of cases, the UPS truck will be dropping off Gargraves and Ross boxes on your front doorstep in a matter of days.    And if we need more stuff next year, we know it's being made right here in the good ole USA. How can our RR empires go wrong with that strategy? 

 

David

Well I have to say, its really unfortunate with Atlas having track supply problems. A few years ago I had bought a few pieces of their track for a small test layout and it rolls very nicely and quiet. I had thought on going with Atlas for a future permanent layout but now due to supply problems, I am going to also go with the GG/Ross switch combo. I bought a few pieces of GG sectional and one Ross switch and wow they are sweet. I know its odd saying that since so many here use GG/Ross all the time but its my first time trying this track system out. 

 

And it definitely nice that GG and Ross being made in the US!! 

If I understand the problem here. Atlas Model Railroad Co. had been

using Sandra Kan Mfg. to produce it's product lines. Sandra Kan was

initially purchased by JP Morgan Partners in 2004 and sold again

to Kader Holding in 2008/2009. Kader Holdings is the proprietary manufacturer

 of Bachman and other brands. Shortly after Kader's take over most of

Sandra Kans clients, including Atlas and Lionel had their contracts revoked and

were left with out a manufacturer. Why did Kader Holdings unilaterally drop Sandra Kans clients? My guess would be in order  to gain competitive advantage for it's Bachman line by choking off the competition. Since O scale trains are such a niche market by

dollar volume, this is a difficult problem. It would be great if Ken Haedrich,

from Atlas or a rep from another manufacturer could give us more insight/details on how

their efforts to retool from this are progressing and what their current plans for

their O scale divisions are and what are realistic time lines for the return to the market place. I believe that being up front with the consumer will go along way to build

band loyalty and patience among their customers.

Atlas sent out an email to all their email list subscribers a few months ago explaining some of the problems they were having and that they were committed to getting things back to normal with their O gauge products. I can't find it right now, but it was also posted here in a thread on the forum, if it is still around. It may have even been posted here by Atlas, I don't remember who the OP was?

 

As Rocky Mountaineer stated above, the manufacturing changes in Asia have affected all the train manufacturers, it is not just Atlas. I also read a recent article in an N gauge magazine about their manufacturers that have moved manufacturing to China having the same difficulties. If it is happening to N gauge it probably includes HO as well as other gauges with manufacturing in China.

Before an uncharitable should point it out, I am decidedly NOT a businessman!!

 

If this Atlas situation be the folly of "globalization," so be it.

 

Ross Custom Switches: More expensive than Atlas? Not as good? But an American Co., making their product in the US. Presumably with American workers and paying them a living wage? If none of this is true, I would be pleased to be corrected!

Atlas track has been a royal pain to me! Love their Master Series cars! Can wait for them though. 'Til He-- freezes over! But I needed track 7 months ago!!

 

I'm not American, BTW. No jingoistic waving of the Red, White and Blue here! Just a guy who wants to buy some track! And Atlas, after what?, two years now?, still can't deliver!

So, I've moved on. As "The Boss" sings it, "Foreman says these jobs are goin', boys and they ain't comin' back."

 

Pity!

 

Looking forward to getting my Ross track as soon as Canada Customs have their cruel way with me!

I have been to Richards Hobby Shop he has a great variety of trains including Atlas products and a nice operating layout  in Hampton Fallls, NH.