New Atlas O Maxi IV Articulated Well Car

According to Rob Pisani at the NMRA show they should be available for ordering this week or maybe next and the ordering period will be through the York Show next month. All us modern fans better support these well because the conventionalists at Atlas don't think modern stuff will sell well.

There will be two different corrugation patterns for the 53' containers but no smoothside at this time.  I did not see opening doors. 

If these do well they will try to update the 40' containers to the modern variety.  Atlas also got the molds for the Weaver 20' containers but did not get the molds for the 53' roadrailers/trailers.

I have some of the Weaver 20' containers they are not as detailed as the Atlas [no operating doors] but adequate for their purpose. Too bad Atlas did not get the 53' trailers they actually come in 2 styles, true road trailers and the roadrailer style. The former are harder to find but better in my opinion unless you have to have roadrailers, for a while the CSX River line [Selkirk NY to Oak Island and the NJ ports] had standard 53' road trailers riding in well cars on a number of trains,have not seen this in a long time now.

Car pics

David,

Agree with you on pricing...how are O scalers to survive not that the price increases aren't hitting all scales but something's got to give.

Just my opinion.

Al Hummel

rdunniii,

If these items don't do well as Atlas indicated in this post,then we modern modelers can expect less modern models in the future. With the prices they want on these models,how can they do well?

As Atlas' puts on their product boxes,"The Future Of O Model Railroading Is Here!"

Well I agree with that statement,as of the 3 major companies out there,Atlas seems the most in tune to the modern modeler. But with what Atlas seems to need for their products,who can stand those prices? There's a hefty markup out there,as is proven by a few O Scale hobby dealers that have their products marked at reasonable prices according to the majority of other shops & you older modelers know who I mean. How they get by financially to do this,I have no idea,but even at those prices they're not selling at a loss. Perhaps it costs other dealers more to keep their lights on & can't sell for less,all I know is that the O scale market can't stand these increases.

Just my opinion.

Al Hummel

These cars and containers look fantastic!! Thanks for the awesome pics. Waiting in line to order them!

Spot-on, Atlas!  That's exactly they way they need to do it! 

I can see the Schneider markings on those orange prototypes in my mind.  Just like the CIMC prototypes you see on the roads and rails.

Bear in mind Atlas introduced these products 2001-2003 when nothing like this was available, the TT flats were run 5 times until the 2013 run was cancelled and the early runs were much larger than current BTO runs, all these products were quite successful for Atlas business plan by advertising repainted/reruns they are able to predetermine market interest if insufficient the product does not get rerun. Obviously new product introduction entails risk.

Martin & Mike,

Very good posts!

I believe these cars should sell well. I just hope that the pricing is not excessive.

Say what you want about the front-runners... but I have the entire "city series", and you won't see those making an appearance in my "collection-thinning, forum for-sale ads" any time soon!  Those are definite keepers!!! 

David

Just looking at these photos makes me want to get multiple sets of these cars--

Look for instance at the MTH Premier husky stacks- these cars were made in so many roads, all of them for the 48' cars, (many not prototypical to say the least) and most of them are sold out at every level and hard to find. Not only that, they command hefty prices on eBay when they are offered there. 

Just looking at these cars gives the impression of first-line, top notch quality and realism in every essence. 

Agreed. 

Would be great to have cut levers but not absolutely required for me. Easy upgrade.

I'm excited about these cars, and I believe they will sell very well. I believe these will not only be purchased by O scalers, but also by modelers in other scales if only for displays, similar to what was done with the Trinity 5161 hoppers.

I have a friend who's employed by BNSF, and who is also an avid model railroader in HO scale. I remember him calling me looking for a few Atlas O BNSF Trinity 5161 hoppers, wanting to make a display after the 1st run came out. He eventually found 3 cars to replace his HO display. He mentioned how there was a frantic search among some of his coworkers for the O scale version of the 5161 hopper to replace the HO scale versions. 

The Atlas O 5161 hoppers sold very well because it was/is a superbly detailed model of a modern and current prototype. The Atlas Maxi IV will make a statement probably bolder than the 5161 hoppers and grab the attention of other hobbyist and model railroaders in other scales. These new cars can potentially open the flood gates for more modern articulated cars, which would be nice!

Now how about some Trinity RD-4 hoppers, 64' reefer, 3281 hopper, PC&F 62' insulated boxcar. 

I don't care if the doors on the containers open, not if it's going to add $15.00 extra per container.

As a note, while the day long Columbia gorge tour was awesome at the NMRA, the half day tour of the Gunderson manufacturing facility was just the awesomeest.  They were busy making 40' stack cars, OBTW, a car is 5 wells.  Gunderson does BTO just like Lionel, etal and they have an order from TTX for 1300 cars.  They were cranking out 18 finished cars a day.

Got to see the entire process from plasma cutting the steel sheets to assembly and finishing.  They don't do steel casting locally but they do assemble castings, like the wheels and trucks.  The single use wheels are made from a very hard steel and we were shown a special carbide/diamond reamer that is used to machine the wheel bore to within 1/10000th of an inch. Also, the wheels are gauged to within 1/1000th of an inch. 

It really was just like watching someone build a craftsman car from scratch.

They requested no pictures be taken inside the facility and I respected that request so I have none.

So the Maxi Stack I still lives.  I suggested to Rob to cut the ends off of their old cars and they can add the latest and greatest to their catalog. 

Model Railroad Hobbyist website has a great report from the Portland show with a number of high res pics of the new Atlas MAXI-IV cars although the author has mislabeled the well and container size at 48' I posted a correction comment on this and yes the 2 rail versions should have cut levers as the previous Trinity cars. These are only test samples as the author noted Atlas had a problem fitting the containers into the wells.

I think these will be great sellers in both the 2R and 3R communities.  Especially since they are easy to see in real life and no one has yet made scale models of these cars.

I'm chomping at the bit to preorder 4 or 5 sets (3R).  I'm looking forward to die-cast and am confident they will be as well constructed as the Gundersons were.  Luckily for me, because of tunnel restrictions, I still prototypically see single stack cars. 

Jim

Fantastic! Thanks for posting the photos. I plan to order two TTX sets and one BNSF.

I do believe Rob said there would be 4 numbers of each.

Off topic but for those who might be interested, Rob said the CZ baggage and dome lounge car were currently in production with shipping expected in the next couple of weeks.  He expects them at Atlas before the end of October.

Yes.

Add to the "wish list," GP 40-2s,38-2s,centerbeam lumber cars,&Trinity 2 bay covered hoppers,like American Limited now has for sale in HO.

Al Hummel