i just got an atlas FP7 loco MIB (it looks like it may never have been used) by the looks of the box it appears to be from the 1970’s. Are the old Atlas any good -the LHS had 2 of these for $26.00 ea. MIB and i bought one. I have to wait til’ X-mas to open it. Question is–should i buy the other for that price?
Yes, that’s a great price for a fine engine. I had 2 of these, sorry I got rid of them (traded) but since they were dual headlight and I needed single headlight, I figured I might be able to come across some somewhere. Oh, well, I understand Intermountain is coming out with some this spring, with sound. I plan to buy a pair.
Brad
so i should buy the the other one for $26.00 the next time i’m at the LHS ( hope it’s still there)---- does the FP7 have flywheels and all wheel drive?
Short Answer Yes.
The FP-7 first came out in the early 70s. There performance was so good and detail so fine for their day they were really a generation ahead of their time. A properly maintained and lubed vintage Atlas is still competitive with modern. (Contemporary Atlas, Proto-2000, Stewart, ect) DC Configured locomotives The detail has progressed some since then. But I would rate it still very good. Comparible to what you find on Stewart and Proto-1000 Locomotives.
Just sharing my [2c] on the matter.
James
They were made by Roco of Austria (now of Germany), one of the top european manufacturers - the Kato of europe! They were way ahead of their time. Roco was the first to introduce the dual flywheel/can motor type drive in europe not too long after Athearn did here in the US.
There were two runs of Atlas FP-7s. The first run, made by Roco came out around 1980 (not the early 70s as stated above). The second run, which was even better and had improved detail on the body shell was in the late 1980s. The second run also had an improved motor. I have one of each and would not part with them.
You better head back to LHS where you got the first loco and snag up the other one for that price. These were good running loco’s, weak on details, but you can fix that pretty easy.
Thank You. for correcting my error. I was only going off what I had been told about Atlas Locomotives in general by friends who are actually old eneugh to remember when they came out. And both of them seem to remember “Oh it was the early 70s.”
But them memory is fallible so I can’t blame them to much.
James
i’m not sure how old it is but it’s a Santa Fe YELLOW and SILVER WARBONNET
which i think i read somewhere has something to do with Amtrak.
i don’t care much about detail as long as it’s well built and is at a good price.
They’re excellent - I have a couple of the later E R Models versions. DCC-ready (fitted with an NMRA socket and a hefty pair of resistors for the headlight), a decent can motor with flywheel, and a diecast frame. You will probably need to do some lubrication on them if they’re new old-stock models - a drop of oil on motor and worm gear bearings and some plastic-compatible grease in the trucks will get them running superbly. Hope this helps!
i’ll have to get a lubricant when i’m at the LHS buying the other FP7 what should i use?
what roadnames was the atlas FP7 offered with? will they be collectible?
thanks everyone
I’m not sure about collectable - I see mine as the best way to run a couple of FP7s at the moment, hence my fitting Kadees and planning to upgrade the lighting to allow both numberboards and a Mars light to operate (a couple of small bulbs or LEDs will be added for the numberboards, powered from the rear headlight output of the DCC decoder). Can’t really advise on the oils sadly - I used a bottle of some sort of light machine oil on mine and it’s had no noticable side effects after a year or so, but I’d seek proper advice at the LHS - they should be able to point you towards what you need. I know they were offered in Milwaukee Road, Reading, and Pennsy, there were probably others too but these are all I can remember (I bought a pair of Milwaukee ones, they still have Reading and Pennsy examples in stock here http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/ProdList.aspx?ManID=47&PrTyID=1&ScID=4 ). Hope this is of some use!
which Kadee coupler fits the old FP7? i’ll need to switch from “horn-hook” eventually
Mine took a #34 at both ends, though that does leave quite a gap between units - not sure how I’ll sort that out but I’m working on it, the problem is I want to be able to run them singly so a drawbar isn’t suitable. Kadee have a PDF diagram of how to fit the couplers at their website www.kadee.com
Use HobbyLube for the bearings and Labelle’s grease for the gears. You LHS should carry both or something similar. Just make sure they’re “plastic compatible”.
i checked out the kadee web site: atlas FP7 made is austria (mine is) #34
FP7 made in japan-kato #38
thanks everyone
I bought my first Atlas FP7 in 1978 and the second a couple of years later. They both still run great with an Athearn F7B splicing the pair. I am going to retire mine and pick up a couple of Intermountains when they come out. Keep the truck lubed and watch the wheels for wear if you run them a lot. Enjoy!
mine won’t be run as much as most of my loco’s. they will pull passenger trains and fill in as helpers on a freight train if needed should i lubricate it before i even run it? i’ll follow my standard break-in practce -run 10 min. forward at moderate speed and 5min backward at about half speed
No harm done and I won’t swear to the 1980 date. It could have been 1977 or 78 or so. I know I eyeballed one on a LHS shelf for YEARS (literally!) before buying it. I bought it in the early 80s when the shop closed and the owner opened a Mexican resturant in it’s place. When the next run came out I ordered one immediately. That was sometime between 1989 and 1992. I remember those dates because I bought it in Scottsbluff, NE. I lived there from November of 1988 till September 1992. Back to topic–Atlas stuff runs GREAT (with apologies to Tony the Tiger!).
Here is a link to some info regarding the FP-7 as well as the other early Atlas engines: http://tycotrain.tripod.com/atlashoscaletrainscollectorsresource/ I think these are some of the best engines ever made. The Mashima 1833 Flat Can motor is an excellent upgrade.
Jim