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| Atlas Model Trains |
This is an article about Atlas Model Trains who remain one of the front runners in the model train industry. Atlas Model Trains began in the early 1900's and have grown into a massive company, way larger than anyone had expected.And as a result, the size at which the company grew, was significantly bigger than anyone had initially thought.The business was not even about making model trains...it was originally producing tools.
Stephan Schaffan Snr who formed the company started out so understaffed that he got his son Stephan Jr. in to help out. Stephan Jr. had a very active mind and found this job was not going to satisfy him and started to look for work elsewhere , the local model airplane shop was one of the places that Stephan would pester. The shop owner got so sick of his visits that one day he gathered up a heap of what he thought junk model trains and gave them to Stephan in the hope he would be left alone.
This track and set of trains that Stephan received were the beginnings of The Atlas Model Train Company. Stephan was very handy with electronics and found a way to make a switch that would start and stop the the trains through an electrical circuit. These switch sets became very popular and propelled the company to new ground, so much so that they quit making tools and focused on model trains.
They renamed the company to Atlas Model Railroad otherwise known as Atlas Model Trains. This gave Stephan the chance to really focus on his model train inventions. By 1947, Jr. opened his first factory manufacturing model trains. Atlas Model Trains were the true representations of HO trains.
Although Atlas do manufacture many of their model trains with many details, some of their model train sets allow the enthusiast to add parts themselves.
Some of the Atlas Model Trains which you can find in their catalog are the RS3 Boston & Maine number 1508 N series.This locomotive features directional lights, an armature motor, with low friction drive, and metal wheels. It is blue and black in color, just like the original diesel engine that was powered at that time.
Stephan went on to invent many time saving devices for the model train enthusiast including the invention of pre assembled tracks.In general his inventions helped save the time of many an enthusiast.
The Atlas Model Train did great detailed work in ladder, roof walks, brake gears, and the exact colors and numbers of the Great American full sized trains. Many of the Atlas model train lines are rumored to be discontinued soon. This is going to make them a bit of a collectors item and will send the cost through the roof.
Today, Atlas Model Trains is one of the biggest names in the industry. Stephen Jr. is no longer with us, his vision and his legacy made modeling trains into the giant pastime it is today.
