|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 15, 2021 17:37:48 GMT -8
Does anyone have one of the Atlas Trainman SEATRAIN plug door boxcar?
I really like this car, but in all the Atlas photos, I cannot see the build date on it. If you have one. Can you please tell me what the build date is so I can determine if it would be right for my era.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
Post by lvrr325 on Sept 15, 2021 19:05:38 GMT -8
Date on the left side looks like 1965 if I zoom in on the picture. Roofwalk on it certainly dates it to being built before 1964.
|
|
|
|
Post by 12bridge on Sept 16, 2021 3:22:28 GMT -8
For what it's worth, I am fairly certain these cars are foobies.
|
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 16, 2021 4:01:38 GMT -8
For what it's worth, I am fairly certain these cars are foobies. Thanks for the heads up on that. I would not have known. It looked real enough to me. Foobs are OK with me. If I like them, I will use them. I have a number of foobs in my collection. I used to be against anything foobish. Running a proto-freelance road is nothing but foobtastic so if a foob car looks right and I like it, it will be part of my fleet. |
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 16, 2021 8:43:40 GMT -8
I sent a message to the seller asking and it is 3-57. I bought it.
|
|
|
|
Post by lvrr325 on Sept 16, 2021 8:58:19 GMT -8
I went to look at the car again and I am getting "account suspended" messages for the entire Atlas Archive. Whoops I did find this on the Fallen Flags site - Hornell NY 1966 - rr-fallenflags.org/misc-frt/rbnx82127o10.jpgLooks fairly close to me. |
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 16, 2021 10:17:19 GMT -8
lvrr325, thanks for posting the link. Very cool and I am happy I bought the car.
|
|
|
|
Post by edgecrusher on Sept 16, 2021 10:20:57 GMT -8
That's a really neat car. I'm only familiar with SeaTrain being containers, I didn't realize they had boxcars as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by mvlandsw on Sept 16, 2021 13:01:37 GMT -8
RBNX initials were used by Fruit Growers Express and the car is a type used by them. Maybe it was leased to Seatrain.
|
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 20, 2021 15:20:15 GMT -8
Got this car in the mail today and promptly went to work on it. Never even thought of putting it on the shelf. - Stock Atlas Trainman body shell. - Accurail underframe. - Exactrail 70 ton trucks. - Kadee scale head whisker couplers. - Smokebox decals ACI label. I had to add a piece of 0.040 x 0.080 styrene strip at each end of the frame to make the frame the same length as the inside of the shell. Fits perfect and just a smidgen snug. No gluing necessary. To use the Accurail truck screws I had to turn the head diameter down a little to fit the truck bolster. otherwise it would have interfered with the free swivel of the truck. Lastly I painted the stirrup steps, door steps black , underframe and trucks black. Gave it all a gloss coat, added the ACI label, another gloss coat and then a satin varnish.  |
|
|
|
Post by Gino Damen on Sept 21, 2021 12:09:54 GMT -8
The muted colour looks great as does the car.
do have a question about replacing the underframe and the trucks. Were they damaged or is there an other reason to replace them I'm not aware of?
I see it often mentioned in other posts that the trucks are replaced.
Best regards,
Gino
|
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 21, 2021 13:08:00 GMT -8
The muted colour looks great as does the car. do have a question about replacing the underframe and the trucks. Were they damaged or is there an other reason to replace them I'm not aware of? I see it often mentioned in other posts that the trucks are replaced. Best regards, Gino Gino. The main reason that I replaced the underframe with an Accurail frame is the bolster. Atlas has a proprietary bolster that is a royal PITA to put anything other than Atlas trucks under. Even though you cannot see it unless you turn the car over. The Accurail frame is a better looking frame. May not be correct for the car, but it looks better and gives a better impression of the frame under the car. Now the reason to change the trucks is completely up to you. The Atlas trucks roll great and there is no issue with them other than looks. I want the trucks to look good also so I change them to manufacturers that use a separate brake hanger to help give the trucks more depth. My truck preferences are and not necessarily in order. 1. Taho Model Works 50 ton and 70 ton solid bearing (moderate expense) 2. Tangent 50 ton solid bearing (inexpensive) 3. Kadee 50 ton solid bearing (moderate expense) 4. Exactrail 70 ton and 100 ton roller bearing (expensive) 5. Kato 70 ton solid bearing and roller bearing (inexpensive) |
|
|
|
Post by stevewagner on Sept 21, 2021 14:29:05 GMT -8
Sept. 21, 2021, about 6:28 p.m.
fishbelly, thanks very much for y our useful and interesting posts on this thread!
|
|
|
|
Post by champagnetrail on Sept 21, 2021 15:13:18 GMT -8
The muted colour looks great as does the car. do have a question about replacing the underframe and the trucks. Were they damaged or is there an other reason to replace them I'm not aware of? I see it often mentioned in other posts that the trucks are replaced. Best regards, Gino In this case, I think the Atlas model comes with solid bearing trucks and the actual RBNX cars should have roller bearings.
-pat
|
|
|
|
Post by champagnetrail on Sept 21, 2021 15:23:09 GMT -8
RBNX initials were used by Fruit Growers Express and the car is a type used by them. Maybe it was leased to Seatrain. That is what I am thinking.
I find it interesting that the photograph of the car in the link above was taken on the EL in Hornell NY. Carnation had a milk plant in South Dayton, NY, that shipped a lot of their product to the Caribbean Islands. By the early 1970s this was done in Seatrain containers. The operation was interesting because supposedly the containers were loaded at the plant right on the flat cars. Often these cars would be seen on the head end of the train. So if you see a picture of an EL train on the east end with Seatrain containers on flat cars, most likely they are going from the Carnation plant at South Dayton to the Seatrain facility in Weehawken NJ. Was this traffic hauled in the RBNX - Seatrain insulated boxcars at some point? I don't know.
-pat
|
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 21, 2021 17:42:40 GMT -8
Yes, it does come with solid bearing trucks. It should have 70 ton roller bearing and that is what I put on it.
|
|
|
|
Post by lvrr325 on Sept 21, 2021 21:44:30 GMT -8
FWIW, Accurail also makes a 40' plug door box car. I think the side sill has a different shape though. I have one in inventory in an Ann Arbor paint scheme I thought about pulling and putting on my layout.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gino Damen on Sept 22, 2021 4:00:31 GMT -8
The main reason that I replaced the underframe with an Accurail frame is the bolster. Atlas has a proprietary bolster that is a royal PITA to put anything other than Atlas trucks under. Even though you cannot see it unless you turn the car over. The Accurail frame is a better looking frame. May not be correct for the car, but it looks better and gives a better impression of the frame under the car. Now the reason to change the trucks is completely up to you. The Atlas trucks roll great and there is no issue with them other than looks. I want the trucks to look good also so I change them to manufacturers that use a separate brake hanger to help give the trucks more depth. My truck preferences are and not necessarily in order. 1. Taho Model Works 50 ton and 70 ton solid bearing (moderate expense) 2. Tangent 50 ton solid bearing (inexpensive) 3. Kadee 50 ton solid bearing (moderate expense) 4. Exactrail 70 ton and 100 ton roller bearing (expensive) 5. Kato 70 ton solid bearing and roller bearing (inexpensive) Thanks for the clarification.
I did noticed that Atlas uses a different design for their trucks with sometimes those pushpins and sometimes odd screws. Regarding looks, well that is the same as replacing running boards, so I understand your reasoning.
I'm not so far, but that is also partially due to the fact that if I want something else I need to get it across the Atlantic to the old continent. That takes time and costs a lot of money (shipping is roughly 30 dollar excluding the import duties).
But yes the trucks on the Exactrail and Scaletrains cars do look a lot better then those from Athearn and Atlas especially when you weather or drybrush them.
Gino
|
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 22, 2021 4:06:50 GMT -8
FWIW, Accurail also makes a 40' plug door box car. I think the side sill has a different shape though. I have one in inventory in an Ann Arbor paint scheme I thought about pulling and putting on my layout. Yes, the Accurail side sill has a taper to it. The Accurail car also has a better looking running board. The Atlas car body does closely match the prototype photo and you could probably make the Accurail car look like the Atlas car by straightening the side sill. |
|
|
|
Post by captainwetrock on Sept 23, 2021 5:21:40 GMT -8
FWIW, Accurail also makes a 40' plug door box car. I think the side sill has a different shape though. I have one in inventory in an Ann Arbor paint scheme I thought about pulling and putting on my layout. The Accurail 40` plug door RBL is strictly a SOO Line prototype. |
|
|
|
Post by fishbelly on Sept 23, 2021 6:20:19 GMT -8
FWIW, Accurail also makes a 40' plug door box car. I think the side sill has a different shape though. I have one in inventory in an Ann Arbor paint scheme I thought about pulling and putting on my layout. The Accurail 40` plug door RBL is strictly a SOO Line prototype. Can you direct me to photos online. I like SOO LINE and would like to build a few. |
|
|
|
Post by captainwetrock on Sept 23, 2021 6:42:47 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by edgecrusher on Sept 23, 2021 7:37:03 GMT -8
I'm pretty sure Accurail offers that exact paint scheme too, the DF lettering on the door is yellow. Its a very sharp car. |
|
|
|
Post by lvrr325 on Sept 23, 2021 17:26:35 GMT -8
Accurail runs off X number of kits in a paint scheme and then may or may not run it again at some future point. They have run the Soo Line scheme twice but it appears to have been some time since the last one.
|
|
