Atlas - 43807 - Gondola, Bathtub, ACF Coalveyor - Wisconsin Electric - 12 Different road numbers

Prototype History: Built in the 1980's by ACF®, the Coalveyor Bathtub Gondola operated in unit train service to deliver coal to power plants. These cars were most often lettered for the utility companies that leased and purchased them. Many are still in service today.

C&D cars were usually run in blocks of 4-12 cars. They were used for construction and demolition debris/refuse hauling.

Road Name History: WEC Energy Group, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is one of the nation’s largest electric and natural gas delivery companies, with deep operational expertise, scale and financial resources to meet the region’s future energy needs. They focus on reliable service, customer satisfaction and shareholder value. They provide vital services to over 4.6 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Their scale and geographic proximity allow for operating efficiencies across 71,000 miles of electric distribution lines, 51,400 miles of natural gas distribution and transmission lines, and 7,700 megawatts of reliable power capacity.

In 1896, The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Co. forms to provide electric, steam and interurban rail service. Service area covers more than 12,000 square miles. In 1938, the company changed name to Wisconsin Electric Power Co. In 1987, Wisconsin Electric restructures, establishing Wisconsin Energy Corp., and several new subsidiaries including Wispark, Wisvest and Witech. In 2002, Wisconsin Electric Power Company and Wisconsin Gas began doing business as We Energies. In 2015, Wisconsin Energy Corp. acquired Integrys Energy Group, forming WEC Energy Group.

Brand/Importer Information: In 1924 Stephan Schaffan, Sr. founded the Atlas Tool Company in Newark, New Jersey. In 1933 his son, Stephan Schaffan, Jr., came to work for his father at the age of sixteen. Steve Jr. built model airplanes as a hobby and frequented a local hobby shop. Being an enterprising young man, he would often ask the owner if there was anything he could do to earn some extra spending money. Tired of listening to his requests, the hobby-store owner threw some model railroad track parts his way and said, "Here, see if you can improve on this".

In those days, railroad modelers had to assemble and build everything from scratch. Steve Jr. created a "switch kit" which sold so well, that the entire family worked on them in the basement at night, while doing business as usual in the machine shop during the day.

Subsequently, Steve Jr. engineered the stapling of rail to fiber track, along with inventing the first practical rail joiner and pre-assembled turnouts and flexible track. All of these products, and more, helped to popularize model railroading and assisted in the creation of a mass-market hobby. The budding entrepreneur quickly outgrew the limitations of a basement and small garage operation. Realizing they could actually make a living selling track and related products, Steve and his father had the first factory built in Hillside, New Jersey at 413 Florence Avenue in 1947. On September 30, 1949, the Atlas Tool Company was officially incorporated as a New Jersey company.

In 1985, Steve was honored posthumously for his inventions by the Model Railroad Industry Association and was inducted into the Model Railroad Industry Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, Steve was nominated and entered into the National Model Railroad Association Pioneers of Model Railroading in 1995.

In the early 1990s, the Atlas Tool Company changed its name to Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc.