Atlas ACF 70-ton covered hopper MIA from website

[SOMECALLMETIM]

I was looking at the Atlas website to see what models I could purchase and noticed that the ACF 70-ton covered hopper is no longer listed under the Master-series or any series of the website. It still shows up on the product archives. I knew it was still on the Master series page not too long ago. I'm curious why it came off - hopefully the mold isn't broke or something. My luck with Atlas responding to emails to relatively low. Anyone know anything?

[big train james]

In my experience, the items are either out of stock or in very low numbers of stock available if they are not listed on the website.  There are lots of other models also missing from the RTR pages, like the Trinity 5161 hoppers and nearly all locomotives, which suggests to me that Atlas has limited complete models in inventory.  Many of those missing models do show up on the parts pages, although I did not see the 70 ton covered hopper model listed there either.  Much like the complete models, the parts listings will be pulled when stock is low or nonexistent.

I would recommend calling Atlas directly about availability, rather than emailing.  I've done this multiple times with the Atlas parts department, and I always get a timely response from them.  It's also smart to call and inquire directly because they often have items in stock in low quantities which do not appear on the website.  They pull listings at some point when the counts get low to protect against selling items whose numbers may not be fully accurate.  A call will spur a discussion with someone like Bill Serratelli in parts, who has first hand familiarity with what's actually available, or an in-person verification of available stock.

Beyond that, ebay or one of the O scale shows will be your best option for finding older items.

Jim