Atlas - 50 004 264 - Gondola, 52 Foot, Thrall 2743 - Dakota Minnesota & Eastern - 80133

Model Information: This model was announced in December of 2008 and first released in May of 2009. It is comparable in quality to the Micro-Trains fix-end 50 foot gondolas in quality of construction and model features. The features include: Prototypical scale height reflecting the new higher capacities standard; Fourteen side posts; Separate ladders; Detailed stirrups; Accurate painting and lettering. Of particular interest are the detailed ladders and stirrups which are more typical of a 3rd generation model. The truck-mounted couplers and plastic wheels, however, squarely put this model in the 2nd generation zone.

Prototype History: Introduced by Thrall Car Manufacturing Co., in 1995, with its new interior height of 5' 6" (i.e., a 6" increase in height over the previous standard), the firm's contemporary design for a 52' 6" length 2743 cubic foot capacity gondola car took advantage of a (then) newly allowed increase in Gross Rail Loading (GRL) of 286,000 lbs, which was up from the previous limit of 263,000 lbs.

Acquired by Trinity Industries (now TrinityRail) in 2001, from 1995 to 1999, Thrall produced over 6,700 of the 2743 gondolas.

The manufacture of the 2743 design was resumed by Trinity in 2005.

Road Name History: The DM&E launched in 1986 as a spin-off of Chicago & North Western. The mainline ran from Winona, Minnesota (where there are Mississippi River docks) west to Rochester, Mankato, then onto Pierre and Rapid City, South Dakota. At that point the line split with one leg headed west to Colony, Wyoming, and the other leg headed south to Crawford, Nebraska. There were also a few other branchlines. Total mileage was 965 miles (putting it between Chicago & Eastern Illinois and Montana Rail Link in relative size.)

Operations began with 39 locomotives, mostly rebuilt SD9’s of Milwaukee Road heritage. Eventually DM&E dumped these first generation engines and in later years had a fleet of 69 rebuilt SD40-2’s, GP40-2’s, GP38-2’s, and a few one-offs. They also had about 5,000 freight cars, mostly grain hoppers.

In 1997, DM&E announced their intention to build a line to the huge coal reserves in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. The project would have included rebuilding nearly the entire mainline plus building a new (and long) branch to reach the Basin. It would have been the biggest new construction since Great Northern’s Oregon Trunk in 1931. They did receive permission from the government but NIMBY opposition dragged out the start of construction for many years.

In 2008, The Dakota Minnesota & Eastern and sister road Iowa Chicago & Eastern were purchased by Canadian Pacific. After a bit of study, CPR wisely backed away from the Powder River Project.

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.