I suppose you could say having opening doors on a model boxcar is like getting a DCC board on a loco -- if you don't like it you can adapt it. Don't want the DCC, take out the board. Don't like your doors opening, glue them closed. (Why are you guys complaining about loose MTL doors instead of just gluing them on?) However to go the other way in both cases is difficult. Considering all the models made will be made the same way for the same price, why not have the "option" that can be easily changed, rather than one that takes a lot of work? It's called "appealing to every possible customer". Not sure if any of the "cars don't run with open doors" assertions apply to the transition era, which is what the Atlas cars are from. As for their doors, not only are they fixed, but there's no opening behind them -- so if you DID want to model an open door you'd have to chop out the door opening too. As for the advice "well don't buy one" -- Too late! This is why I'm in favor of still having professional reviews of new products. As I said, I never saw or heard anything about these doors being fixed and having no door opening, not on the Atlas site, not in the forum discussions that talked about it. However, that would be pointed out in any competent review.
However I think this falls under, having opening doors is a special feature, therefore the car not having it is normal, so we don't mention it unless the cars have opening doors.
Speaking of Atlas doors, what type of door is modeled on most Atlas box cars? The ones with the "V" shaped horizontal ribs? From the little research I have done, I have found that they are not Youngstown or Superior doors.
As far as a review on N scale cars there are a number of sources if folks just look. Both N scale mags. feature new releases and so does Model Railroad and that is three for starters. So you don't subscribe to any magazines well then okay here is what I consider a very competent reviewer that is easily accessible from your computer. http://www.spookshow.net/freight/fr...t1=3&sort2=2&sort3=4&compress=1&Submit=Submit
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page2225-2226.htm This style? Those are Pullman Standard doors, first used beginning in the 1960s IIRC. There's an optical illusion to my eye here; the ribs peaks do indeed face outward.
Oh, 1960's? I model the 1950's. Looks like I will have to order some replacements doors from MT. I wonder if anyone has ever replaced the stock molded-on Atlas PS doors with MT doors?
FWIW, I don't really "review" freight cars. It's mainly just a list of what's out there (with a little model history and prototype information thrown in where possible). Cheers, -Mark
However you did include with a number of cars their features. like opening doors. which can be a big help to someone looking for that feature in a boxcar. So in that respect it is a useful tool to folks and certainly can save some time in trying to find a specific car that has that feature. And for that I say thanks.
The Atlas PS-1 (Master Line) will come with about a dozzen different doors as all the versions of the car are released. They are very good about putting the correct door on the car. As it is, many roads haven't been released yet because they haven't created the right door for the right body to do that car yet. Also ends and roofs will vary with the production batches. If they haven't created the right door, give it time, I bet it will appear. They are hitting the most common variations now. As they run into more unique cars, more variations will appear. For a while at least, no two batches of PS-1 will be the same combination of parts.
Just because it's Master line doesn't mean it will be correct. Sometimes there are just too many combinations. One of the 1932 ARA cars for example has the wrong roof, doors and ends. I don't think there are plans to the Pullman door for the PS-1 as this was a very small portion of the total numbers. I know MN&S and RI off the top of my head, I'd have to check for others. If there was really a demand, one could easily be made using Rapid Prototyping. I've done this for other box cars. Jason
The Pullman door was available at least by 1955. It could have been sooner but I can't find any pictures. Jason
The announcement on display in the Atlas booth at the 2012 Springfield show indicated that both 6' and 8' PS doors were to be included in future production runs. http://www.model160.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/atlas-ps1-51.jpg In fact, production run #3 is supposed to include the 8' Pullman door style. http://www.atlasrr.com/NFreight/n40ps1boxcar2.htm It looks like the RI and CNJ cars will be so equipped.
Yeah I knew that the 6' and 8' PS doors were already tooled. I don't know what I was thinking. edit: I wonder if that was a conversation about the 7' PS door. Jason
I'm one of 'those' model railroaders who likes the option of opening or leaving closed a door on box cars, reefers and stock cars. There are several compelling reasons for not doing a car with opening doors in N scale or smaller scales... but... I just feel that it comes down to costs to create a mold for the separate door part and a more complex mold for the body with opening for the door. As for the Intermountain box car doors and the Micro-trains doors issues... that's just a design improvement issue. That correction hasn't been undertaken by IMRC or Micro-trains because they were successful selling them with the flaws... so there was no motivation to correct it. At an MSRP of $25.00... I would expect the option of opening or closing the door. I'm sure they could come up with a way to keep them securely on the car and not inadvertently slide open while in operation. BTW... I can always add a little water soluble adhesive to keep them in place.
Reading the thread it seems you guys have worn down those sliding door wells mine don't slide without the 0-5-0 accidentally sliding them open.
I could maybe see one car...2 at the most (empties) in a train with a door open or possibly all the way open. The only way I could see lots of doors open is if the cars where used to haul pigs !!! I delivered propane to PFFJ in Snowflake for 5 years. Between pigs and propane it was enough to gag a moose !!! The pig smell was the worse btw...LOL. * I do run my 'empty' TB MI boxcar with the door partly opened...but thats the only car.
Perhaps this is the time to give tribute to the guy that solved this question forever, well just for himself. The problems with opening doors is that they disturb folks like myself, so called rivet counters. With operating doors, the doors themselves are very much out of scale, much more so than the difference between code 70 and 55. When he owned Deluxe Innovations, George Johnson solved the problem, not with operating doors (sounds a bit too Lionel, doesn't it) but with positionable doors. The doors had a thinner cross section and a pin molded on the back side at each corner. They simply popped into place closed, at the factory. There was a gusset molded into the frame at the corners that the posts popped into. To model open, cut off the appropriate gussets and pins, and pop the door back in as open. I wonder how many have bought DI boxcars and didn't know about this feature! Thanks, George Bill Pearce
I'm probably too obsessed with proto, but once I started noticing, I've never really cared for the foobie plain bar bottom door guide, nor the too-heavy top ones, either. BTW the Deluxe cars can also be modeled with partly opened doors with Tacky Glue or similar to allow repositioning.
I've had some cars that were brand new, aka picked up from a hobby shop then ran within a few days, and as the car rolls along, the door slowly opens itself.
