Manufacturer
Atlas Model Railroad Co.
378 Florence Ave.
Hillside, NJ 07205
www.atlasrr.com
Era: 1945 to late 1970s
Comments: Atlas now offers a transition-era 40-foot boxcar in its Master Line of ready-to-run rolling stock. The Association of American Railroads 40′-6″ postwar boxcar, originally offered as a kit by Branchline Trains, features separately applied grab irons and ladders; prototype-specific ends, roof, doors, door openings, and ladders; and a detailed underframe. Modeler-installed brake hoses and uncoupling levers are included.
The ready-to-run car, like its kit predecessor reviewed in the December 2002 issue of Model Railroader, closely matches prototype drawings in the 1946 Car Builders Cyclopedia.
Our sample is decorated as Northern Pacific 25549. The full-size car was part of the 25000-25999 series built at the railroad’s Brainerd, Minn., shops in October 1947. During the second half of the 1950s, many cars in this series were modified with square sill reinforcements, including car 25549. While the model accurately has 10 side panels, eight-rung ladders, a Murphy rectangular panel roof, and 4/4 improved Dreadnaught ends, it should have seven-panel Superior doors, not Youngstown doors.
The boxcar weighs 4 ounces, which is .2 ounce too heavy based on National Model Railroad Association recommended practice 20.1. The metal wheelsets, mounted on plastic axles, are correctly gauged. However, the wheels don’t roll that well. Using a truck tuner on the sockets or replacing the wheelsets may resolve that issue.
The Accumate couplers are at the correct height. Though the press-fit covers for the draft-gear boxes are snug, I’d recommend securing them with screws so a hard coupling doesn’t cause them to fall out.
Despite the few NP-specific detail inaccuracies, Atlas’ AAR 40′-6″ boxcar accurately matches many other prototypes. If you model anytime between 1945 and the late 1970s, this boxcar would look right at home in a manifest freight.
