I was looking on eBay, and there's a couple old Atlas Mikados. I was wondering about how well they run. Anyone got any experience with these?
I have a couple of these (original owner). The motors are horrible. In spite of that, after much careful adjustment of the mechanism, mine run pretty well. They pick up electricity from the drive wheels and tender wheels. I have made too many small corrections to discuss in detail. I am also in the process of remotoring mine. When I got these (1972), they were among the few steam locos available - that's why I put so much effort into them. They don't have much detail. In spite of that you can make them look pretty good. If you were to buy one now, you might get a nice runner. On the other hand you might get one with a burned out motor, bad gears, and crumbling frame. There is wide variability in these models. Be prepared to do at least some tinkering. Good luck if you decide to spring for one. Mike - NYC1956
Be careful with the bidding - sometimes they go over $100 - for that kind of money you would be much better off with a Kato Mike or Bachman Consolidation. I wouldn't pay much over $45 for one of the old Atlas/Riv mikes.
ajb - I hadn't intended on paying more than $50. I could pick one up at a train show for about that. Who knows, I may not end up with it at all. The ad says that this one starts smoothly and runs well, so I'm certainly going to watch the auction anyways.
Be careful with the older atlas Mikes and Pacifics. Depending upon when they were made and the casting material used the frames in the mid '70s and early 80's had a tendancy to warp and bind the mechanism. If that occurred the only alternative was a retro frame. Make sure that the mechanism runs and doesn't bind prior to purchasing. Best of Luck Jerry
Well, it went for about $70-$80... Way more than I was willing to pay. Oh well, there's that much more toward some new Atlas Geeps.
$70 to $80 ??!!?? For an old ATLAS Mikado? Whew!! Thats what I love about eBay, you can have an item that should be worth about $25 to $35 tops. And somebody will buy it for about double what it is worth. If I was going to buy a MIKADO for $80 I would go ahead, add $20 to the total, and get a KATO MIKADO for around $100. At least I would know that the KATO unit would run great out of the box. At the rate that those Atlas Mikados are going for, I should be able to get aleast $80 to $100 for my old BACHMANN 4-8-4's!! LOL
