I just wanted to pose this question to modeling authority such as you you are. I am currently an ATHEARN modeler. I have only a stock of "entry" level loco's and "blue box" rolling stock. I am considering upgrades to make them more realistic ie; metal wheel, kd's and lighting for locos, but am also drawn to the 20-30 price tag. I just wanted to hear some of your stories. Are there other folks out there that don't run "ready to run " railroads? Please take no offense, i only ask to learn from you veterans of the hobby. THE ROCK
Personally, I like them a lot, you get a lot of train for your money, and if your standards change, most of their range can be upgraded in lots of ways to make them look and run just about as good as any other make. I have quite a few loco's from Atlas, Kato, P2K and the like, and they are great, but I still have plenty of Athearn's in my fleet, upgraded to various degrees!
In my opinion, Athearn is the bestthing going in HO. They run forever, they're inexpensive so they make excellent bases for kitbashes. and some tweaking will make them run like beauties. My only complaint is the older shells with the non-Prototypical widths. [ 04. December 2002, 20:45: Message edited by: YoHo ]
I recently returned from my N scale adventuire and having sold all my HO stuff from before N scale I had to re-stock. I have a GP35, GP40-2 and a Dummy GP38-2 all athearn. Great detail for out-of-the-box. I am in the process of adding little stuff like new horns, MU,and Plows to all of them. A Majority of my freight cars are also athearn, great detail, all i did as add some type of knuckle couplers, and a satisfactory amount of weathering.
I don't have the years of experience necessary to really make my opinion count as much as some of the folks on the board, but I'll share a story or two. My first loco (and still my only one) is an Athearn GP38-2. It was $32 at a local hobby store. The only thing about it that I didn't like was that the headlight was just a bulb inside the cab- not very realistic. I went back to the store worried that I would have to buy many small electronic parts that I would have to install myself. It turns out they had pre-made ready-to-install custom headlight kits for Athearn locos! How easy is that! It was great, and it works fine. I instantly realized the benefit of buying a brand that is so popular that custom parts exist for that brand specifically. Also, even though they did not supply iron grabs for the engine, they molded little stubs on the body where the iron grabs mount to, if you feel so inclined as to do it yourself (which I tried with mixed success). Aside from the engine, I have many Athearn freight cars. The kits are easy to assemble, and the pieces seem to fit perfectly every time. A couple other kits from different brands I have bought don't seem to fit together as well, which makes breaking them a whole lot easier. I've also enjoyed the new couplers they include in newer kits. Enough rambling. Back to work for me Dave
When I was in HO, Athern was most of my motive power. Now I'm in N and I can't wait to see what they're going to come out with!
Most of my rollingstock is Athearn, you can't beat them for the money. Out off over a hundred cars I only have one that was ready to run, it was a Mantua aniversary car. I have not tried Athearn loco's yet but have been thinking about getting one!!
The late, great Irv Athearn was a true giant of the hobby, a truly unique individual with a truly unique company and products. The blue box line is his, and continues as his legacy.He made quality HO affordable for everyone. The newer stuff is necessary from today's market realities, and the competitive aspect, but is much like 'everyone else's'...so be it. The old stuff really HAD no competition...for it's time, for its' price /quality ratio, it was in a class by itself. I still have virtually every Athearn item I've ever had, since the late 50's...new wheels & couplers, yes...some remotored engines, yes, (remotored with Athearn 1960's drives)....some detailing and weathering, yes, a bit. It's not just nostalgia, it's an appreciation of something well worth appreciating for itself. regards / Mike
I got plenty of Athearn stuff, from the blue box cars to the loco's and have nothing bad to say about them. I like everything they've sold in the old line. I'm just not thrilled with the new Genesis line being the SD-70 bodies are styrene and not ABS so makes them more asumption to heat to melt! Not to mention the add on parts are brittle. But I'm fond of the original line Athearn... I've got plenty! and will continue to buy their blue box cars! And even loco's being I like the older generation diesels F-7's-9's, and PA units A and B's, and the GP-7's-9's, and SD-7's-9's even tho they're wider then prototype but I can live with it to a point. But, I also have some P2K units SD-7's or 9's I'm not sure which it is I believe the P2K was SD-7's.... I want to get a good set ABA of the P2K E-6's. Being I already have the E-8's in Rivarossi. All in B&O!
I've built and painted LOTS of undec Athearn, and AFAIK, everything in their line, including and prior to the Genesis series, has been styrene, and not ABS plastic. Offhand, I can't remember working with anything ABS from Athearn. As for a melting problem, I've yet to see any Genesis SD70s suffer from melting through normal use, and the four I own (soon to be 5, once my undec NS SD70 arrives! ) haven't had problems either. Oddly enough, I've seen blue-box Athearns get motor heat damage from years of constant, extremely hard running on a hobbyshop layout. But that was an extreme example - I've never seen any other instances of that kind of damage, even from operating on my club layout. Athearn stuff is great, and I have lots of their locomotives and rolling stock making the up a large part of my fleet. I've got a variety of equipment from Overland, Kato, Atlas, Intermountain, Red Caboose, Walthers, Eel River, Accurail, and other makers running alongside my Athearn and Genesis equipment with no problems. IMHO, Athearn is one of the best out there, and their newest products are great. Just wait til you see the new Auto-Maxes! [ 05. December 2002, 02:47: Message edited by: SP 8299 ]
Most of my HO motive power is Athearn. The rest is either Atlas with the Roco drive or Atlas with the Kato drive. Almost all of my rolling stock is Athearn, with a little MDC, Atlas, Intermountain, Proto2000, McKean and Bowser thrown in. While I'd buy the "blue-box" and "Ready-to-Roll" kits in a heartbeat, I personally stay away from the Genesis cars due to the high price. There are enough aftermarket parts (grab irons, metal wheelsets) out there to superdetail the car or diesel to what I want. And inasmuch as I've seen Kato, Athearn Genesis and Proto2000 power in use (and am impressed), I'll probably stay with Athearn, with brief forays into Stewart and Atlas. The debate of Athearn vs (your favorite manufacturer) is long-running, and can get lively (if not inflammatory). FWIW, if you buy Athearn, even as a starting-out model, you won't go wrong.
outstanding points from all, I am definitely reaasured now. Some of the local hobby stores raise their noses when i pick up a cheap (12-15) dummy loco, or powered for cheap, and thumb through the walthers to get upgrades. They ask why not buy the atlas, or kato, and be done. I dunno I suppose i am a fan of building it myself, all be it, just wheels and couplers but...... OOOOOOOOO , now i am worked up! Well anyways good to see some spirited discussion, the board had gone cold for a few days.
SP, Have you cut into an older Athearn Blue box diesel versus the handling of the new Athearn Genesis???? The plastic is different! The Genesis is plastic is lighter, and brittle! The older plastic has strength and is heavy compared to the Genesis line plastic..... the older plastic has the reliablities of ABS plastic thats WHY I addressed it as ABS, even tho it is Styrene, but reenforced styrene thats not so prone to heat as the Genesis plastic is.. Take it upon yourself to compare the 2, take an older Athearn Blue box diesel, and a Genesis diesel and compare JUST THE BODDIES once then tell me what you think! I'm telling you the plastic on the Genesis line is wayyyyyyyyy lighter and not sturdy as the older blue box is.... I know I've cut into both and the Genesis no matter how detailed or how good running they may be and are. I'm not fond of how the plastic body casting was preformed and done and turned out to be so brittle and heat prone that light plastic will absorb heat more then the older plastic will being the older plastic absorbs and disapates it, where the Genesis being lighter plastic can't disapate it and will melt at lower temperatures!
After today, I LOVE Athearn!!! Because of them, i have cars that I can chop apart and craft into the NEW Aurora-51!!!!! Perhaps the hobby shop owner has forgotten what a true blood modeler is?
well, they suggest the indusrty is going awayfrom, ANY!! kit type product now, do to the lack of interest. Better said they believe the the industry is heading toward RTR rolling stock/locos because "people want to run a railroad not build one anymore." HUH i suppose i am furtunate to start at an age 30 where i have time/love for building cars and engines. I can always do scenery later....... I could sit down to a blank piece of wood and a rats nest of switches and not even notice the grain in the plywood More is the pity if "we" lose an institution like build it yourself!!!!! Later
Just about all of my rolling stock is Athern too. I have never had a single complaint about quality or design. I figure you get what you pay for. Like many of you have said, I too have super detailed some of my locomotives. Athern will be my first choice for plastic until something better, and cheaper comes along Rock Island railroader .. you hit the nail right on the head about the industry going away from kits. The best experience I have had in all my years of modeling was when I "built" a MDC 2-6-6-2 logging Mallet from a kit that contained over 300 parts. I had to rivet the valve gears together as well. Getting them to work smoothly was the challange I am currently converting that locomotive to a cab-forward, which only adds to the pleasurable experiences that I've already had with this model. Are there any other members out there who have put a locomotive kit together, such as this one? I sure wish they continued to produce locomotive kits. ~sigh~
Bill, I've assembled Bowser kits, as big as the Challenger, 4 and 5 of them, and still working on one thats an older one that will be a UP and belongs to a TB member thats been very patient with me, it was in rough conditions and alot needed rebuilt, redesigned etc which all takes time. The new Bowser Challenger parts will work on he older loco, just they need alittle custom fitting to do the trick so. I have been their, done that on many a set of valve gear! It is a challenge to get the valve gear moving freely and smooth... I haven't made a 2-6-6-2 MDC so. I never even knew they have made a kit of one! WOW that must be an old kit forsure. OR maybe it might be a Mantua kit. I know Mantua made the 2-6-6-2 in kit form and in RTR so.... Very possible. Anyway if they take all the kits off the market I'll be lost! HA! All I do is built kits, I'm not much on RTR stuff as its taking the actual "modeling" out of Model Railroading.. Where I like to use my modeling skills!
Let me add my two cents in for Athearn. I have over 200 blue-box freight cars and 22 diesels. Adding KD's, metal wheels, grabs, and weathering will make an excellent model for most purposes. They are reliable and durable...important if you have occasional cat problems, (Thankfully I no longer have that problem). I have nine Kato and a handful of P2K, Atlas and Walthers diesels to compare to...costwise the Athearns are the best. I really don't like the cost of the RTR's, besides I'm a modeler. Good Luck!
LOL - oh yeah, I've cut into plenty of Athearns! On most blue box stuff, like a couple of CSX SD40-2s I'm working on, I'll hack off the cab, nose, sub-base, ECAFB, fans, inertial filter hatch, blower duct, long hood end, jacking pads, exhaust stacks, air reservoirs, and steps, in order to replace them with more accurate and/or see-through Cannon and other aftermarket parts. The Genny SD70s don't get as much hacking, since there really isn't much that needs replacing, IMHO - just the steps get removed, so I can replace them with Cannon etched ones, and the inertial filter hatch get removed, so I can replace it with a Cannon part. That, and the "bank vault" nose door gets thinned down a bit. About the only difference I've noticed is that the castings Athearn uses on the SD70s are thinner. The plastics between the blue box and Genesis generally look, feel, and glue the same, but I guess the thinner Genesis castings save on plastic. I keep plenty of sharp X-acto blades, razor saws, and #11 microsaws on my work table, and they'll cut through Genesis or blue-box plastic without too much trouble. I'm sure that we can both agree that sharp tools are a must when cutting into plastic shells these days! Also, thinner shells aren't just unique to the Genesis line; Kato, Atlas, and P2k's shells all use thinner castings, at least compared to the blue-box stuff. About the only time I ever had trouble cutting into a shell was when I was about to cut into an Atlas C30-7 body, so I could splice and shorten the long hood to make a B30-7. The thin hood would warp and twist whenever I'd try to put it into my mitre box to razor saw it. To solve that, I raided the styrofoam from one of my locomotive boxes, and cut a rectangular piece the length of the body, and wide enough to snugly fit inside. I stuffed it inside the shell, set it in my mitre box, and sawed away. That styrofoam gave me the rigidity the shell needed to prevent it from twisting, and I was abe to make square cuts that needed only a little sanding and filing afterward. Worked great, and kept the shell sturdy enough to work with. When it comes to running, most manufacturers try to leave some "air space" between the shell and motor, which is a must in order to dissipate any heat. That, and most models today use high-efficiency motors, which generally run cooler and use much, much less current than motors from a decade or two ago. Heck, one of the guys in my club calls older Athearns and others with really old motors "amp-suckers", since they can really gobble up the juice.
Got to say nothing wrong with athearn Great for modeling. i go to my fav hobby shop and buy the used equipment. Get just about any kind of cars. Even buy by the box load. Take them home and refit as much as i can to a good looking model. Its like building a kit i even have a hard time telling if its athearn, life like, mountain, atlas, roundhouse etc. What i really like about that is i get a wide variety of rolling stock. i also have more athearn engines but that is changing. All the engines i buy are decoder ready. Which means i'm buying more Kato and Atlas now. Too bad everything is packed all i get to do is look at it, yet i have lots to look forward too
