After working on a couple Atlas and P2K diesels, and seeing pictures in MR reviews, I noticed that the two lines have very similar drives. Same weighting system, can motors look identicle, same drive shafts, identicle wheels, very, very similar sound systems, and both extremely detailed.
My question is, are Atlas and Proto 2000 diesels made in the same building by the same people? Or are they just really close copies of each other?
Interesting topic.
I doubt that both are produced in the same building by the same people.
What I find more likely is that one bought rights to a certain design of the other. If this was the case, my guess would be that P2k bought it from Atlas, being that P2k was a brand of LL and seemed to overall have higher prices.
Just my 2 cents.
No. Well, they did produced their own, once upon a time, when many things were made in America. For a while, Atlas locos were made in Austria by Roco.
They both somewhat copied Athearn’s design for the drive years ago. They probably buy from the same suppliers now. Especially when it involves sound.
But then again, everything today is made in China and hardly anything produced in quanity is made in the USA. Only in Quality.
ASK David Harrison. He’s not running either at Museum Of Science & Industry.
David. David. Are you there?
Atlas is not related to LifeLike. LL/P2K has been cloning other drives since P2K started, first Athearn and now it seems Atlas and/or Kato. Atlas has only in the last several years done their own manufacruring (in China). As far Atlas H0 goes, in the 70’s and the early 80’s their stuff was made by Roco of Austria (now Germany) and in the later 80’s, Kato manufactured the Atlas trains and finally Atlas cloned the Kato drive and had it produced in China and still does today. Even Athearn, with the introduction of the Genesis line, began copying the Kato drive. Kato seems to be the only company that has been designing and producing it’s own design as Athearn did prior to their Genesis line.
I understand that Atlas and Lifelike are completely different companies, as are BLI, Bachmann, Athearn etc. The fact is, that all of these are now made in China along with a host of others. Since it is very unlikely that any of these companies actually own the manufacturing locations in China, it is more likely that they are sub-contracted. Certainly the sound electronics are, and as we know Atlas and P2K share the same QSI decoder. Anyway, is it possible that some of these “importers” share the same sub contract manufacturer in China?
I collect diecast cars and I know that Action Performance gets their cars manufactured in the same building, by the same people that make cheaper versions with less detail of the same cars that Action sells that are very detailed. Its possible that some train manufacturers get their product from the same people as other train manufacturers.
Atlas is different Proto 2000 is owned by life-like by Walthers
Roco is in Germany? I thought they were still based in Austria. I know they declared bankruptcy about less than a year ago. I have some of their minitank line and their recent models are made in Slovakia. Not sure about their model trains.
I think Altas and Life-Like P2K are same but Altas got snow plow and other super detail
Life-Like don’t have snow plow etc
I got P2k BNSFGP60 LIMITED EDTION nice detail but i have to add up some more super detail e.g snow plow etc
I believe that the P2K is closer to Athearn. I have 2 of the BL2’s and it amazed me as to how close the guts looked. Unfortunately, my BL2’s are sidelined due to gear issues that LifeLike had. Thankfully, Walthers is honoring the warrenty and they are sending replacements for them. The other down side is that it may be another month or two before they are running again.
Same building/Same People - I doubt it and find that whole idea ludicrous.
What you are looking at is the fact that, just like on the prototype, efficiency has bred a certain standardization. Forty-five years ago there was considerable (?) difference between some brand names. I’m in N-Scale but I still have an old Varney F3. The motor was attached to - and swiveled with - the rear truck. A spur gear drove that truck and a frame-length driveshaft drove the front one. Tyco used to only power one truck - the rear one if I recollect right. Bowser (and Tiger Valley) used to have a chain-drive mechanism. I think that the latter of these two has bitten the dust - I haven’t seen their advertising in years - but they built a very smooth running mechanism - with metal body shells to boot. Do you realize that ole’ Uncle Irv used to power his early offerings with rubber-bands. Yeah, in the 21st Century, most models of diesels are pretty much going to look the same - both inside and outside - because you’re looking at the standard the (model railroading) public demands.
As an aside to this I might mention that I had, at one time, a couple of Athearn GP30 body shells which I had mounted on Hobbytown of Boston mechanisms. Most everyone elses diesels were also Athearns so, like Fords and Chevys they all looked the same. I had been told about Athearn’s non-scale width hoods on their Geeps and SDs (I know, it was a design requirement brought about because of the lack of narrower motors) but I didn’t appreciate the effect of that one scale foot until I saw an Athearn dummy unit paired with one of Atlas’ first diesel offerings back around 1974-75. The effect was absolutely dramatic!!! Atlas set a new standard of appearance and performance. When I see one today they look just a little bit crude. Admittedly, there were some flaws but what you get today is a direct result of those four (?) diesels of the mid-70s.
As I understand it, they were taken over by a German company, but are still manufactured in the same factory.
Thats funny, I’m looking at 6 P2K loco’s sitting in front of me on a shelf that HAVE snowplows. It must be a Canadian thing, lol. Some Proto stuff comes with plows, some don’t.[:X]
Thanks for the replies everyone.[:D]
Actually, Tiger Valley is still in business, but I believe that they’re a small company, most likely making it so they can’t afford much advertising. Here’s where you can find their products:
http://www.lynnet.com/~tigervalley/default.htm[:D]