A1G 2420 Series: Open Hoppers, Steel, 41 Foot Offset Side, 4 Bay

This set of cars is very unusual and a bit tricky in that there is no identification that these are Atlas cars anywhere that I could find on the car itself! I was able to discern that they were Rivarossi products, thanks to Ola Ahlström's sharing of a European catalog and price list from the 1971/72 season, but there's not an "Atlas" to be found. At least on my copies!

Fortunately, the paint schemes done for Atlas are pretty unique. Only the Minneapolis and St. Louis car was done on a four bay by someone else, and there are differences. The Clinchfield, Erie Lackawanna and pretty sharp looking silver Canadian National have never been duplicated so if you see it, chances are it's an Atlas. Unless it's one of those cars that has been in a Rivarossi reissue set... Hmm, may have to go for the inclusion of the genuine Atlas box of the same vintage to more convincingly assure that this is in fact an A1G car. By the way, the Clinchfield, EL and M&StL cars were the only ones issued for those roadnames in the entire A1G series. And also by the way, if these cars look familiar to those who are veteran HO modellers, that's because Rivarossi also did these same four cars in 1:87 for AHM in the same timeframe. The paint jobs are the same right down to the road numbers.

As A1G's go, this isn't the easiest group to complete, especially when compared to the ubiquitous two bay hoppers, but that doesn't mean an imminent meltdown of the financial situation of the accumulator. You'll just have to be a little more patient and sift through a few more sales before completing this group, and you may need to shell out a little more. (Pun not intended.) Relative to each other, I can't say any one of these cars is harder to get than any other one.

Key spotting features for this car are:
- four bays with each pair opposed on each side of the car, flat ends
- ribs inside the car
- original trucks with wheels pressed on seperate axles and Rapido couplers, attached with "foldover" metal strips
- the actual paint scheme itself; only the M&StL has been done by others. The Atlas version of the M&StL has the road number 541002 on the left and "W2A" at the bottom right. The Bachmann version of this car is stamped "Bachmann" with the country of origin.

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 2420 series car in "as manufactured" or "AM" condition has:
- all four stirrups intact
- brake wheel in place with no breakage or bending
- no coal load permanently attached (!)
- 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.

A 2420 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" 2420 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
2421	Image	CRR 52564	Black/White, Roadname Across, Clinchfield	6-9	8-12
2422	Image	M&StL 541002	Red/White, Lg Init Across, Minneapolis & St Louis	6-9	8-12
2423	Image	CN 97274	Silver/Black, Roadname Across	6-9	8-12
2424	Image	EL 86000	Black/White, Roadname Across, Herald Right	6-9	8-12

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