This series was manufactured in Austria by Roco, and since the release of these cars as part of the A1G series there hasn't really been a lot of action on these molds. I can understand why; the molds are kind of crude and when Atlas redid plug door refrigerator cars they switched from a ribside to a rivet side body style. The paint jobs are, well, definitely not the best possible, even by late 1960's standards. The manufacturers could, and did, do better on other cars. The thick ribs and door detail may have required thicker coats of paint for coverage.

There are two variations of the 2301 Santa Fe, and the difference between them is fairly clear; the orange versus yellow is easily seen. The orange variation does not have the "MTC" device on the door but does have simulated "circle cross" insignias along the bottom of the side. These were reflective on the prototype.

There are more subtle variations of the 2302 Safeway Foods refrigerator. I believe that these have to do with the color of the underlying plastic that was painted more than with paint shades, although given how long these were produced it's quite possible that different shades of "yellow" paint were utilized. You'll also note that the dimensional data information is different on version 2302c than on the "a" or "b" versions. Also note that the black lettering sometimes looks almost dark green on some of the Safeway cars.

Barry Wingard reported number variations on the 2303 NYMX (road number 1000 or 1020), and Edward Bridges notes paint and lettering differences between the two numbers as well; see the images this page and also here for some scans Edward has thoughtfully provided for us.

Finally, Wingard also reported paint variations on the 2304 Pacific Fruit Express, see his book "The Collector's Guide to N Scale".

Key spotting features for this car are:
- underframe stamped "Atlas Austria"
- very large protruding ribs and plug door detail, not likely to be confused with other plug door refrigerator cars
- indentation in the body under the ladder on the right side of the car, on one side of the car only (it's on the end opposite the brake wheel); meant to suggest bay in which the mechanical refrigeration equipment is placed on the prototype the images below show this side of the car, except for the 2304 Pacific Fruit Express, which shows the other side of the car
- original trucks with wheels pressed on seperate axles and Rapido couplers, attached with "foldover" metal strips

Note: The following information on conditions and "Approximate Value" prices are intended to be a guideline only and is presented with no warranties, express or implied. Caution: Definitions and prices can and do vary with collectors, buyers and sellers, and, of course, whether a person is buying or selling an item. That's the way a "free market" works...

A 2300 series car in "as manufactured" or "AM" condition has:
- all four stirrups intact
- brake wheel and running board (roofwalk) in place with no breakage or bending
- no weathering
- no abrasions, scratches or other damage to the paint
- the original trucks with the original metal wheels which were fitted to the axles
- "Rapido" type couplers, truck mounted (this is a case where changing to Micro-Trains® trucks and/or couplers is not a plus!).
Note that minor paint flaws on these cars were common and should not be considered especially "collectible"; in fact, I'd rather have a "perfect" paint job. In addition, the paint is particularly thick on these cars, especially later versions of the 2302 Safeway Foods car.

A 2300 series car in "mint in box" or "MIB," meets all "As Manufactured" criteria plus:
- no dust, dirt or wear on the car itself
- no wear on wheels (although discolored wheels are common)
- kept in the original Atlas box
- box itself is intact with no cracks, breakage or crazing, with original Atlas label (usually white with black printing), plastic liner (usually blue), and cover. Both inserts and labels vary as the A1G series was sold for years. Store price stickers may or may not detract depending on the placement, size and wear.

There are no approximate values for "runner" 2300 series cars.

Table of Releases: Where available, click on "Image" to popup an image of the actual car.
Approximate Values Updated July, 2024.

Catalog #	Popup Image	Reporting Marks	Description	AV AM	AV MIB
2301a	Image	SFRD 2248	Yellow,Black/Black,White, Large Herald R "MTC" on door, no small circle crosses along bottom	5-7	7-9
2301b	Image	SFRD 2248	Orange,Black/Black,White, Large Herald R no "MTC" on door, with small circle crosses along bottom	7-9	9-12
2302a	Image	NADX 2615	Bright Yellow,Black, Safeway Foods Capy 132000 data	7-9	8-10
2302b	Image	NADX 2615	Dark Yellow,Black, Safeway Foods Capy 132000 data	5-7	7-9
2302c	Image	NADX 2615	Dark Yellow,Black, Safeway Foods Capy 140000 data	5-7	7-9
2303a	Image	NYMX 1000	Yellow,Green/White, Aluminum Roof, Ends	5-7	7-9
2303b	Image	NYMX 1020	Yellow,Green/White, Aluminum Roof, Ends	9-12	12-15*
2304	Image	PFE 300207	Orange/Black, Aluminum Roof, Ends, UP Shield Only L	4-6	5-7

AV = Approximate Value (US$ range)
AM = As Manufactured (see above)
MIB = Mint In Box (see above)
Abbreviations: Hld=Herald, R/N=Roadname, L/R=Left/Right Side of Car
*Because the relative scarcity of the 2303b NYMX 1020 has not yet been established (by me, anyway), this estimated price range is more speculative than others here.