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Atlas - 50 004 536 - Maintenance of Way, Snow Plow, Russell - Rio Grande - X67

Collectors value this item at an average of 25.0025.00Collectors value this item at an average of 25.00
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N Scale - Atlas - 50 004 536 - Maintenance of Way, Snow Plow, Russell - Rio Grande - X67 Courtesy of Atlas Model Railroad Co.
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Production TypeAnnounced
Stock Number50 004 536
Original Retail Price$32.95
BrandAtlas
ManufacturerAtlas
Body StyleWalthers MOW Russell Snow Plow
Prototype VehicleMaintenance of Way, Snow Plow, Russell (Details)
Road or Company NameRio Grande (Details)
Road or Reporting NumberX67
Paint Color(s)Orange
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeAccuMate Magnetic Knuckle
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileStandard
DCC ReadinessFriendly
Announcement Date2018-11-01
Release Date2019-09-01
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeMaintenance of Way
Model SubtypeSnow Plow
Model VarietyRussell
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era II: Late Steam (1901 - 1938)
Scale1/160



Specific Item Information: The Russell Snow Plow is a critical piece of MOW equipment for Northern railroads that have to deal with harsh winter storms. The Russell Snow Plow is most often used for clearing large snow drifts and snow embankments along the railroad right of way. In the summer months Russell Snow Plows can typically be spotted in yards and service facilities alongside other MOW equipment. The Russell Snow Plows have been a mainstay of Northern railroading since the 1920s and they don’t appear to be going anywhere soon.
Atlas has improved upon the original Walthers design to include:
  • Weighted, Detailed Underframe
  • Crisply Molded Body Detail
  • Knuckle Couplers
  • Window Glazing
Model Information: This tooling was originally produced by Walthers, but was acquired by Atlas in 2018.
Prototype History:
By the early 1900's, the Russell Car and Snow Plow Company of Ridgeway, Pennsylvania, was a leading supplier of wedge type plows. The design had been modernized with a cupola and seats for an operator, headlight for night operations and a pair of air activated side wings to push snow up and away from the side of the tracks. Wooden bodies were still common, but within a few years, all steel plows had proven to be more durable. Both single track (as depicted by this model) and double track (which had one side of the blade enclosed to prevent snow from being pushed on to an adjacent track) were offered. Russell continued supplying steel plows to virtually every railroad that fought snow until early 1950's.
Road Name History:
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (reporting mark DRGW), often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1988, the Rio Grande's parent corporation, Rio Grande Industries, purchased Southern Pacific Transportation Company, and as the result of a merger, the larger Southern Pacific Railroad name was chosen for identity. The Rio Grande operated as a separate division of the Southern Pacific, until that company was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad. Today, most former D&RGW main lines are owned and operated by the Union Pacific while several branch lines are now operated as heritage railways by various companies.
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.
Item created by: CNW400 on 2018-11-16 12:01:41. Last edited by CMK on 2020-05-17 08:55:40

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