Does Athearn have something against N scale?

Just one other thought.

Most companies want to avoid putting out duplication of a specific model. In the past we've ended up with F type units from more then one manufacturer. Good for those of us who appreciate the different quality but that can back fire on both model providers and the LHS's.

A bit of coordination with other model makers without spilling the beans is also needed.

Just my mind working overtime.

 

I agree Rick. Several years ago, I can't remeber which one came out first but Athearn and Kato both came out with Bethgons right on the heel of one another.

 

Soooo, is your hobby model railroading, or model forestry?

 

Um, are you a model railroader or a model arborist? Last time I checked, this is Trainboard.com, not Treeboard.com...

 

Could have fooled me.
In HO,
Explain why Athearn released SD70ACes in the Genesis line at the same price point as MTH ACes?
Explain with Athearn released ES44s in the Genesis line at the same price point as Intermountain?

Both of these could have been in the RTR line at a lowe price point with less detail and sold like crazy.

Of course, given that right now all Athearn can do is make Genesis, maybe that's why.

 

He's not a very good Arborist, because last I checked, Tehachapi is surrounded by Live Oak. There are trees everywhere.

 

OMG, what does Athearn have AGAINST HO?!?!?!

 

Yikes.... I need a new hobby.

 

Originally Posted by Inkaneer
Originally Posted by Inkaneer

Yes, I know about the Northwest but most of the layouts I see are not of the Northwest but of the Southwest. Not a whole lot of trees around Tehachapi is there?

I think they call it scenery. You know like farms, towns, streams, hills, valleys, mountains, trees, industry, etc. That sort of thing.

 

Did some one whisper trees and aborist when they should of been whispering locomotives?

I love when a story unravels itself.

 

Are you kidding me? Check Mapquest then go to aerial view. There is more barren ground there than trees, a lot more. Here check it out for yourself, go here:

http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?ci...=35.199902&longitude=-118.533379&geocode=CITY

Like I said, "...Not many trees there".

Now check out Horseshoe Curve on the old PRR:

http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?ci...e=40.483921&longitude=-78.556778&geocode=CITY

Or Sandpatch on the old B&O:

http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?ci...e=39.807968&longitude=-78.956581&geocode=CITY

See all that green color? Those are trees. Tehachapi is barren in comparison.

 

Exactly. And that is why we get Western stuff crammed down our throats. Sure it is great for the Western guys but Eastern guys look at what is available for them in N and compare it to what is available in HO. HO has it all over N scale for Eastern products and it sells. This does not help N scale. You can't ignore a large portion of the market and expect to increase market share. That has been my contention all along.

 

Not exactly a lush appalachian forest but certainly not devoid of trees.

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss88/lillooet99/TehachapiLoop-3.jpg


This topic deserves this quote from Abraham Lincoln -

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

 

Jeez, you PRR guys really are your own worst enemies! :startled:

The bottom line is....the bottom line. You can argue better scenery and more population and cooler steam locomotives and DGLE and Tuscan all day long but at the end of the day ANY PRR stuff that comes out gets panned and everybody has everybody talked into ripping it to shreds and not buying it. It's not just Pennsy either (although, if you think Kato is reluctant to do NP, wow...try multiplying that criticism 1,000x)....the exact same thing that a LOT of model railroaders do, too, and you see (as we are seeing in this thread) that there is a blood lust to just chew manufacturers up and spit them out with just about every release or every "refusal" to do <your idea*, that would obviously be an instant sellout.> Heck I've been guilty over the years to some extent...us BNSF guys--who are getting everything served to us on a silver platter if the rumors are true--have to deal with ridiculous renditions of BNSF's Heritage I/II/III paint schemes and 4,000 shades of mineral red freight cars BUT, the difference is we still buy 'em. And there's your bottom line and your "western bias" all rolled into one.

And for the rest... Hey, I'm passionate like the next guy...I'm not saying don't make your efforts how you see fit to keep on top of the manufacturers and "keep 'em honest" and make sure they are delivering value and pushing the envelope as much as they can whilst hopefully still making a buck or two. But since the "China Syndrome" with all the plant closures it seems like some folks just lose sight of what's happening....Athearn has essentially been IDLED, for about the PAST YEAR! If you stop for two seconds and think about what that means, your focus *should* shift not to how little Athearn has done for you lately, but rather...thank God they're still in business PERIOD. And for the n-scalers, (of which I am one) if you stop for two seconds and think about the market for HO being 4 times what N is, you can't still reasonably expect a 1:1 release pace industry-wide when compared to HO....and let me do some math for you so you'll be prepared....if N-scale increases it's market share by FIFTY percent (which happens all the time in every industry, right?) then guess what HO-scale is still about 3 times the market of N-scale. True, N-scale was gaining market share briefly in the early 2000's, but then onboard SOUND became all the rage and HO had a big advantage. (pun intended)

I'm just not sure why we set such high standards for the manufacturers and the prices they charge which by the way have never kept up with inflation over the years model railroading has existed. What are we comparing to? It's a level playing field....we--for the most part--all have the opportunity to buy the same products and the same upgrades and the same detail parts and the same paints and have access to the same web research and the same tools. We striving to be on the cover of Model Railroader or N-Scale Railroading, is that it? Those guys are on an even playing field too. Yes, they may have more talent, time, money, etc but they can't really claim some insurmountable competitive advantage. So if the yellow is off, well that stinks but it's off for everyone...so, feel some disappointment, feel some eagerness to correct....but, it's NOT PERSONAL, it's not just your model only, slapping you in the face while everyone else is perfect and content and the manufacturer in the background laughing an evil laugh....why the angst?

One thing I bet those guys on the magazine covers do have...the ability to shrug their shoulders. <Shrug> "Meh, it's not perfect but I'll do what I can to fix it."<Shrug>

PS. I don't have any problem with anyone expressing themselves however they want to within the confines of the forum rules...in fact I will defend your right to express whatever gripe you have with a product or process or manufacturer decision or industry trend....FIRE AWAY. But, I implore you to keep things in perspective. In this thread, and in a hundred similar threads I've seen recently, there have been some REALLY BIZARRE statements made with more disgust and disdain for our hobby than I think I've ever seen. At the end of the day, we're all in this hobby together....modelers, manufacturers, and everyone else in the chain have a stake, and I would bet that most people in that chain have at least a passing interest in trains or at very least making them good enough that their stake is secure.

"Nothing is ever as good as it seems, nothing is ever as bad as it seems".

 

You have to look back and realize HO got really rolling when almost everybody lived east of the Mississippi, a lot of eastern RRs were active and thriving, and passenger trains ruled. I think that this created a familiar bias on suceeding generations of HO model train producers. The preferences were for short, older style cars, eastern roads, much varied passenger equipment, etc. And HO stuff has carried over, if not the original models, copies of or re-dos of the cars and locos of the 30s-50s in much greater numbers. N scale started mostly with versions of 50s-60s stuff, or copies of HO versions. We've had to be working our way backwards (production-wise) in time to 30's-40s stuff and forward to keep up with modern equipment. We now have mass-produced 4-4-0s and 4-6-0s. And 44 tonners.... And HOW long since N scale started before we got them?
I think it's amazing that N scale is going backwards and forwards at almost the same speed, trying to cover the range of eras and equipment HO has been doing since the 30s. Maybe we should wait another 25 years and if nobody is making eastern RR stuff THEN, we can complain.

 

Western stuff such as the NS Heritage Units?

 

I don't need to check map quest. I've been there.