The prototype. Specialized 85-foot flatcars and high-cube 20-foot containers have been hauling trainloads of solid waste since the 1980s. This railroad business came from opposition to landfills that forced urban communities to transport their trash to distant disposal sites.
Standard shipping containers were initially used in the 1970s, but they overloaded the 70-ton intermodal flatcars and led to the lightweight skeleton car with a 100-ton capacity shown here.
The flatcar model. This Atlas Trainman Plus model closely follows the current open-deck car design. It has a cast metal carbody with individually applied wire grab irons and steps. Most of the details are cast, but the container pedestals are supplied as add-on parts.
The rigid-frame 100-ton trucks are molded in black acetal plastic. The car has RP-25 contour metal wheels mounted on free-rolling steel needle point axles. All of the wheelsets matched the National Model Railroad Association’s standards gauge.
Container models. High cube 20-foot containers are used to transport municipal solid waste (MSW). Each of the MSW containers has a lid and is 12 scale feet tall compared to the 8½ feet of a normal container. The MSW containers incorporate standard container hardware and have fork lift pockets at the bottom so empty containers can be unloaded and moved around in the transfer facilities. But loaded MSW containers require a crane or side loader due to the weight.
The Atlas MSW containers have one-piece molded plastic shells with a separate snap-in floor. All of the details are cast into the body. Each container is smoothly painted and lettered.
These containers fit perfectly onto the skeleton cars to make an interesting modern car.
Price: decorated cars, $24.95; undecorated, $19.95; container set (4), $19.95
Manufacturer
Atlas Model Railroad Co.
378 Florence Ave.
Hillside, NJ 07205
www.atlasrr.com
Era: late 1970s to present
Road names: Allied Waste, East Carbon-DSEX, ECDC Environmental, General American, Joseph Transportation, USA Waste, undecorated
Car features
- Body-mounted Accumate magnetic knuckle couplers at the correct height
- Detailed underframe with simplified brake system
- Weight: 7 ounces (with two containers); empty car is 2 ounces under the NMRA recommended weight
MSW container paint schemes:
AWIU (gray w/ red stripe), DSEU (orange), ECCU (gray), LWT (blue),
REGX (brown), USWX (green)
MSW container features
- Chain door latching details
- Simulated forklift pockets
- Weight: ½ ounce per container
As a retired manager of a waste to energy plant I can really appreciate the value of these trash hauling cars.