Are ATLAS bumpers prototypical at all? And if not who makes them?[:D]
I can’t say I’ve ever seen one that looks like the Atlas one. Walthers has a kit that makes some of one style of prototype, I saw it in a hobby shop but passed, then deciding I DID want some I looked in my LHS and they didn’t have any [#oops]
Back in the mid-80’s MR had an article by Gordon Odegard on various prototype bumpers, with some examples of the most common types. That would be a good place to start looking for ideas.
–Randy
Danny,
If you use metal bumpers, make sure you electrically isolate it from the rails or you have a dead short. One of the other fellows found this out recently. I’ve seen a pile of ballast at the end of a siding that makes an effective stop, or crossties in the form of an “X”. Whatever fits your layout.
Mark C.
I scratch build my bumpers with plastruct I-beam and evergreen styrene plastic…there is a Kalmbach publication called “Trackside Scenery and Accessories?” (something like that ) that shows you how to scratch build various types of bumpers…Chuck
There used to be a Santa Fe station in Inglewood, California that had a tree for a bumper. Quite effective, as I’ve seen the results of a car shoved into that siding too hard.
Bob Hayes
Thanks guys, I’ll probably go the scratchbuilt route, but you’ve given me
some good leads.
Yes, the Atlas bumpers were prototypical, but only in one small area of the East coast. It is a model of a spring loaded bumper designed to take up the shock of running into the bumper. It is NOT prototypical in nearly all of the rest of the country.
As I recall (and I may be in error) it was found in a downown area and on some piers.