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Rick:
I was just about to give up and go home, I was beginning to think that the group had dissolved. I'm learning more and more as I am doing an inventory on my collection. I didn't know at first that A1G included locomotives also, now I do and find that I also own a few of those. I have taken over several other collections and I am just now starting to understand what I have in the entire collection, thanks to the inventory that I am still in the process of doing. I have found several cars with "Austria" stamped on them, but the name above that has been melted off. I understand this took place due to changes in ownership of the molds, and also due to canceled contracts with importers, would these cars fall into the A1G class, or should I only be concerned with the Atlas early products?
Could anyone suggest some good sites for me to checkout where I might be able to get item numbers for some of my inventory's rolling stock, and some of the locomotives? I have them IDed as to model, but I need to get the item numbers for the inventory that I'm in the process of doing. I have checked George's site along with the "Spook Show" site that Doug has to offer, both of which helped a bunch, but I am still having trouble with a few of the locomotives by Minitrix, Lima, Arnold, and Rivarossi. I know what they are, and who made them, but my inventory program is screaming out for item numbers, if I can't get the manufacturing companies item number, then the importer's item number would work, but that group has been thru more hands than I can count on all my fingers and toes! I'm also chasing numbers for older Rolling Stock, that started out in Austria and is now coming out of China by way of Great Planes, it is called "Industrial Rail" now, but for some reason everyone keeps lips sealed about items they once sold, and my referance material only goes back as far as 2000. I know everybody sold cars like the "Texaco" Tankcar at sometime in the past (I'm still not sure if my Texaco is the thick one or the thin one), I would like to be able to match the name on the bottom of the car, with their item number for that car, when they were the ones in charge of marketing that car. I figure if I am going to the trouble of doing a complete inventory on all my collection, then I need to match the Name and Road Number on the side of the car, to the Name of the Company stamped on the underside of the car, to that company's Item Number for that car, even if the box is long gone. Call me a bit picky, but that's the way I see it, am I being overzealous?
Sorry to be longwinded, but it is starting to get to me as the pile of those without proper numbers grows higher, and I near the end of my inventory process. Hopefully I'm just dedicated and not yet demented, but since I do my inventory work from ten at night to eight in the morning, who could tell?
Of course I do thank you for the welcome, and want all of you to know that I am glad to be here.

Jimi G.

First of all, welcome to the group, Jimi.

Second, I'm sorry that I haven't chimed in before now. I don't have a lot of
time to write long winded replies right now (see some of my early posts :^)

Anyway, tracking down the manufacturers of past N scale releases can be a
hobby unto itself and no, you are not demented. I believe it is very useful to
document these things if not only for yourself but for future modelers. It is
also very fascinating.

See if you can find any of the past publications which already have
documented the different early releases. I have the Greenberg guide by Dallas Mallerich
which I found to be very useful. I know there are others but I can't think of
the names of them now. eBay may be a good place to look or hobby shops that
deal in past publications.

And, having typed the above, as Tom said, if you would care to post
descriptions of any of your equipment including road name, color, any special scheme,
and most importantly, the road number of the cars/locos, I'm sure that many of
us would be glad to help you identify who made them.

Also, as you stated, any markings on the bottom are useful too. The car you
said has "Austria" on the bottom but the importer or distributer melted off
would not be Atlas product but was most definitely made by Roco. Identifying the
seller can be done by using the characteristics I mentioned in the above
paragraph. Roco made rolling stock for several early N scale companys including
Atlas, AHM, Minitrix, Aurora, and others.

Again, welcome and don't hesitate to ask questions. I know most of us are
only too glad to enter into discussions involving early N scale, especially Atlas
:^)

Regards,
Doug Gosha

Rick:
Sorry to be longwinded, but it is starting to get to me as the pile of those without proper numbers grows higher, and I near the end of my inventory process. Hopefully I'm just dedicated and not yet demented, but since I do my inventory work from ten at night to eight in the morning, who could tell?

Rick:

No, not demented, just focused. You are not asking any wrong questions,
as they have been asked by hundreds or thousands before you.

Some manufacturers like Micro-Trains or the newer manufacturers have well documented lists of products complete with individual road numbers, variation notes and production dates.

As you know by now, N scale, like a lot of other industries when new, did not keep great records at the start. While with a lot of effort one can find some of the original catalogs, but that does not always mean that they are right. Some manufacturers would announce new products in their catalogs, but then for a variety of reasons the product would not get produced. It is things like this that have in part driven the formation of groups like a1g or the N Scale Collector.

As a person who has a large collection of cars from a variety of manufacturers who would like to know the same details that you do, I
can tell you it is a long road. Even when you find a car in a labeled
box, there is little proof that the car is in the right box.

In the case of the very early N scale, the use of the molds was passed
from distributor to producer with few if any changes in the colors, road numbers or even product numbers. Even when a car has a country of manufacturer or manufacturer's name stamped on the car, it is stamped on the bottom of the car and that car bottom is interchange-able with dozens or hundreds of other cars.

While there are some public databases, they have gaps. There are some private software/databases that list cars, but some of those are driven by simply scanning ebay and have a lot of false information in them.

So how does one go forward? Ask about a specific car. Someone here may a relevant catalog, the same car in a box or other relevant knowledge. If any of your stuff is European profile, let me know. I can provide some specific direction there.

Sincerely,
Tom Meserole

Of course I do thank you for the welcome, and want all of you to know that I am glad to be here.
Jimi G.