Rumors & Rampant Speculation

Welcome to this ongoing column, in which Atlas personnel will refute, confirm, debunk and/or explain things being said about our company and its products in the model railroading world. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek and other times quite serious, this section will give you the facts, and nothing but the facts. If there are any rumors and speculation you would like addressed, please email them to Laura Kolnoski, Editor, at .

Is Atlas Being Sold?

This is a persistent question, prompted primarily by all the transition currently occurring in the industry currently, according to Atlas Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Thomas W. Haedrich, who said the answer is, “Absolutely not.”

“We receive requests from typical broker agencies on a weekly basis and we get serious proposals about every other month, but Atlas has been a family-owned company for 80 years, 50 as a model railroad company,” Tom said. “We have no intention to sell it now, or in the future. I’d like lay this rumor, which circulates amongst industry insiders, dealers and consumers alike, to rest once and for all.” Done.

It Takes Weeks for Atlas to Return Repairs

Not so, says Jim Weaver, vice-president of Atlas O, who oversees the Repair Department. Generally, its takes ten days to repair an Atlas O locomotive, and even less for an HO or N Scale locomotive. The O locos take longer because those units have more complex electrical systems. Misinformation about repair time recently appeared in an online forum not related to Atlas. Jim will gladly answer your repair concerns/questions via email at .