Re-badged Atlas?

Hi Ken, 

The Yugoslavian Mehano/ModelPower RSD may have been a rebadged Atlas. Back in those early days of N-scale there was a slightly incestuous period where you could get the same model (with the same markings underneath) in boxes from different manufacturers. Rivarossi was another one in the mix as well. It also depended where in the world you were at the time. Aurora(US) and Minitrix (Europe) were the same model of an EMD F series in different boxes. Mehano also had some models that had "Made in Austria" under them of Roco parentage.

Later Mehano also made some of its own locomotives. These could be picked as they were branded underneath "Made in Yugoslavia", and, when you took the body off the motor was connected to the drive bogie with a spring drive. The single-ended drive models were woeful performers, but some of their models drove both bogies and these were fair performers.

At that time Atlas N-scale was scarce out here but Mehano was available and the RSD was in other brand's catalogs in the US while the RSD was available out here from Mehano. In those days, the RSD made a "near enough" New South Wales Government Railways 40 class in the absence of an accurate local offering. The main differences were in the cab profile, overall length and handrails (what handrails??) More information on the 40 class is available at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_40_class_locomotive

The ghost may be a wire or light shielding that is close to the frosted cab window. But it is a cool effect. Also at that time Bachmann used to paint "passengers" onto the frosted windows of their shorter-than-prototype lighted passenger cars. Another "ghostly" effect.

Ghost Engineer exposed

"He" is actually part of the weight where the paint has chipped off!

I'm fairly certain it is the Atlas-badged product since the rolling stock and track of the same era are all Atlas (bought used from a friend). I'm finding mixed results online whether it is an RSD or RSC. Regardless, I've created a back-story how the Oregon Electric (SP&S) came to own it. My railroad, my rules.

Might put a sound card in it and use it in a consist as a dummy. Might set it in the yard as decoration. Its time as a functioning engine has ended.

Ken

Re Ghost Engineer

Hi Ken, If you chip some paint off on the other side of that weight, then your engineer can have an off-sider in the cab and won't feel so lonesome 

RSC

Excellent.

Thank you for the ID!

Ken