A funny thing happened......on the way to the Chicago March Meet. A sleet stormhit the Northeast and two different flights out of Philadelphiawere cancelled on us. I apologize to all the people I was supposedto meet and greet there. Hopefully, next year will bebetter. Worse, we have no photos of the many fine modelsthat are usually placed in the contest. If you were at Chicagoand had a model in the contest, send us a photo if you can.The Shape of Things to ComeI hope you will read our special report in this issue onready-to-run passenger equipment. For many years now, O<strong>Scale</strong>rs have pined for affordable passenger equipment. Theclosest we had come in the ready-to-run arena were conversionsof three-rail cars, and those have not been very satisfying.Meanwhile, passenger car kits from American StandardCar Co. and American Lightweight Car Co. have gone forpremium prices at meets. In most cases, you still had toassemble, paint, and letter the kit. All that is changing now,with offerings from Middle Division/AtlasO, Golden GateDepot, and Weaver. Finally, model building technology hascaught up with the marketplace and we have ready-to-runpassenger equipment that won’t cripple your budget. My hatis off to these folks, They listened to the modelers and delivered.Look for more passenger equipment to come.And speaking of things to come, check out the ad fromMountain Model Imports on the inside front cover. They areannouncing a diecast-and-brass USRA 0-8-0, DCC ready,for $970. That price might seem high when compared to theAtlas USRA 0-6-0 and the MTH 2-Rail 0-8-0. It also seemshigh compared to MMI’s own On3/On30 offerings whichwere nearly half the price. Personally, I’d rather see a smallroad engine than a switcher. I’m sure both Atlas and MMIdid their homework when deciding what to produce but, ifyou ask me (and no one did), a small 4-6-0 or a small 2-8-0(56-inch drivers) is what O <strong>Scale</strong> needs. Before you write totell me about the venerable All-Nation 4-6-0, let me ask youif you’ve seen one lately? Pre-WW II technology and roughcastings do not modern O <strong>Scale</strong> make. We’re also talkingready-to-run and not a kit.One thing is for certain, diecast steam locomotives andplastic Diesels have had a major impact on O <strong>Scale</strong> brass.The brass market right now is very soft. The On3/On30 MMIlocomotives knocked the pins right out from under narrowgaugebrass. Where once we saw $1100 to $2000 for a RioGrande K-class 2-8-2, they are now selling in the $500 to$600 range. Where a US Hobbies brass steam engine oncecommanded $1500, we now see mint, new-in-the-box, locosselling for $700 to $800. Many brass collectors have seentheir “investments” become as valuable as a Yugo.Another trend that I think we will see in the near future isa lot more ready-to-run locomotives arriving “DCC-ready”,and many as “DCC-installed”. MTH has acknowledgedthat DCC is a major player on the 2-Rail side of the modelrailroad house and they’ve committed to making DCS locomotivescompatible with DCC. Atlas O is already offeringboth DCC-ready and DCC-installed (Silver and Gold series)locomotives. I know Sunset has considered importing their2-Rail locomotives as DCC-ready. Personally, I think this is agreat idea. If you are already a DCC user, you should makeit known to your favorite manufacturer or importer that youwould like future offerings to be at least DCC-ready. In caseyou are not sure what that means, a DCC-ready locomotivehas a wiring harness built into the locomotive with allthe necessary connections for lights, propulsion, etc., andtypically has a location for a speaker to be mounted. In thecase of a steam locomotive, a trigger cam for steam chuffsis usually also installed for you. All you have to do is buy anappropriate DCC decoder and plug it in. Once you programthe decoder to respond to your cab, you’re ready to roll.Couldn’t be easier. If you have any doubts about how usefulDCC can be, look over Ed Reutling’s Lionel Crane conversionarticle in this issue.I’d like to welcome a bunch of new advertisers to OST,Caboose Hobbies in Denver, Colo., Hundman Publishing,Toys for Collectors, American Beauty, Evan Designs and St.Charles Model Works. Remember, when you order somethingfrom an OST advertiser, tell them you saw their ad inOST. That way they know their advertising dollars were wellspent.Advertising is what keeps OST rolling out the door ona regular schedule.As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.We also are always looking for articles on any subject as longas it is related to O <strong>Scale</strong>. I’d like to see some locomotiveconstruction articles. Anyone? We also need layout articles,too; small to mid-size layouts are what I’m most interested in.Keep highballin’u70 • O <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> - May/June ’07
ATLASOSCALE - Locos! Box Cars! Flat Cars! AVAILABLE NOW!ATLAS O ALCo C-630 & C-628LOCOMOTIVENew Model (C-630) & Paint Scheme (C-628)!• Correct body styling for Road Name• Multitude of separately-applied parts• Selectable Green or White LED Classification lightsCheck out these AVAILABLE Paint Schemes!• Conrail, PRR, Reading, Union Pacific † , ALCo Demonstrator (C-628)For more information, visit:www.atlaso.com/oc628a.htmwww.atlaso.comALCo C-630 & C-628 LOCOMOTIVE60’ HY-CUBE BOX CARATLAS O PULPWOOD FLAT CARNew Paint Schemes & Road Numbers!• Ready-to-run• Separate simulated detailed pulpwood load included• State-of-the-art detailingCheck out these NEW Paint Schemes!• Illinois Central Gulf, St. Louis Brownsville & Mexico,Southern Pacific †For more information, visit:www.atlaso.com/opulpwood3.htmATLAS O 60’ HY-CUBE BOX CARNew Paint Schemes!• Intricately detailed ABS body; Highly detailed die-cast underframe• Etched metal safety platforms• Finely die-cast metal ladders and stirrupsCheck out these New Paint Schemes!• CSX* (ex-Conrail), Missouri Pacific † , NW, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific †For more information, visit:www.atlaso.com/ohycube2.htmPULPWOOD FLAT CARUSRA SINGLE-SHEATHED BOX CARATLAS O USRA SINGLE-SHEATHEDBOX CARNew Paint Schemes!• Highly detailed ABS body; prototypical painting & letttering• Die-cast chassis & Andrews-sprung trucks• Wood or steel doors, different steel ends as per the prototypeCheck out these NEW Paint Schemes!• Baltimore & Ohio*, Maine Central, Milwaukee Road,Norfolk & Western, PMcK&Y (NYC)*For more information, visit:www.atlaso.com/ousraboxcar5.htmTo fi nd an Atlas O dealer, go to http ://www.atlaso.com/locator/locator.aspFor the NEW Atlas O <strong>Scale</strong> 2007 Spring/Summer Catalog, please send $5 ($7 outside the US) to the address belowAtlas O, LCC • 378 Florence Avenue • Hillside, NJ 07205*CSX Licensed Product †Union Pacific Licensed Product
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