Great photos Garry, thanks for posting them. Mike
I agree with Mike: that scenery makes it look like the horizon really is miles away!
Wayne
Mike and Wayne … Thanks for your comments ! … I was really just trying to show my RS3’s.
I have three of the Atlas/Kato yellow box diesels, two RS-3s and a GP-7.
I took one of the RS-3s to our club’s train show in February and it ran like clockwork for the two or so hours it was on the track. That was the first time I had run it. I’m happy!
Dave
I have several RS-3s, RS-1s, S-2s, and S-4s. Next to my Kato NW2s and Bachman switchers (the newer 1 motor ones, especially the 45 tonners), I absolutely LOVE the Roco & Kato drive locomotives.
When I belonged to the West Island Club 25 years ago, I ran a 15 car train behind an RS-1, S-2, and S-4 (in 3 separate trains). All three engines pulled their 15 car trains around the layout with it’s 3% grades without any hesitation and smoothly. They were truly remarkable running engines.
Dave, you might want to open up that RS3 and relubricate it. I found both of my engines were bone dry for sitting for so many years. If its never been run till that day, might be a good time to open up the model and relubricate the trucks and a drop of oil on each motor bearing. Mine ran good, and ran even better once I relubricated them. Mike
I have three yellow box Atlas: an S2 and a pair of GP7’s. I bought the S2 back in about 1994; the pair of GP7’s I bought about three years ago, still new in the box. Those are probably the best running locomotives that I have, and quietest too.
I have an S3 that I bought used a few years ago. I changed the motor and added a decoder. It runs great at low speeds. I have a few newer Atlas models and they run great too, but buying an older loco is like buying a project, not just a RTR thing that quickly loses my attention. In a sense, I get a better bang for my buck with an older loco… It’s a bit like buying a kit I guess. I also find that they are less fragile than the newer ones.
Simon
Hi Mike:
Thanks for your suggestion. I should have been more clear. I replace the grease automatically on every loco that I buy, that is unless it has been manufactured very recently. They all get a drop of 85wt. Nano Oil on the gears and 10wt. on the motor, axle and gear bearings/shafts. The Nano Oil works wonders, but apparently it will affect styrene so I only use it where the plastic parts are Delrin or nylon.
Regards,
Dave
This thread is bringing back some memories. I bought quite a number of these 20-25 years ago, mostly switchers, which I’ve always had a thing for. Here’s my yellow box/older Kato roster (sorry for the caps!), I had started trying to switch them over to DCC but that project has stalled for the moment. Plus I’ve simply started looking for DCC-equipped Atlas Silver or Gold locos, if I can get them for a good price it saves a lot of effort doing the DCC conversions on the older ones.
LV 120 NW1 KATO
LV 150 S2 ATLAS AUSTRIA PRE-WAR PAINT DCC MY INSTALL
LV 151 S2 ATLAS CHINA
LV157 S2 ATLAS CHINA
LV 158 S2 ATLAS CHINA WEATHERED DCC MY INSTALL
LV 158 S2 ATLAS CHINA NON-WEATHERED
LV 163 S2 ATLAS CHINA
LV 213 RS2 ATLAS/KATO CORNELL RED DCC MY INSTALL
LV 218 RS2 KATO DCC
ERIE 933 RS3 ATLAS/KATO
EL 526 S4 ATLAS ROCO
EL 528 S4 ATLAS ROCO
NYC 8105 RS1 ATLAS/KATO
ATSF 234 RS1 ATLAS/KATO
UNDEC S2 ATLAS ROCO
UNDEC S2 ATLAS ROCO
When did Atlas come out with the redbox releases?
Not sure of the year, probably around 1998/1999. The last Atlas/Kato releases where the GP7 diesels. After those they shifted to Chinese production.