Old Athearn blue box kits

Perhaps I need to hang with those guys!! Its hard around here to find 'steam locomotives only' layouts!

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All the graybeards bought these shake the box kits tears ago. Unless they're new to the hobby is my point. And there's a glut, because Irv overproduced and to be blunt old people with big collections seem to be dying. I'm not saying transition or steam era doesn't sell, I'm saying everyone bought these cars already and there are more available. Thus supply and demand makes them worth bupkiss.

 

Yep, we graybeards are a dieing breed. YOHO you did say "Tears ago" right? Yes, many of the kits were bought up "tears ago" and when they reappear are being sold out again. As long as the prices remain reasonable, considering what these cars are. One thing Irv Athearn knew, he knew what his customers wanted and were asking for. There was a time when hobby manufacturers bailed out of the toy train business and ran to slot cars, leaving us model railroaders with little to nothing left on the market to buy. Many doom and gloom nay Sayers, predicting the hobby would dry up and blow away. Irv Athearn, saw his opportunity, seized upon it, the locomotives and freight cars just kept on coming. At truly an affordable price...unlike todays products.

Athearn blue's haven't died out nor are they undesirable, except in certain central California locations. With Kadee trucks and coupler's they can be turned into some very fine train equipment.

Just my two cents worth and I take change. Ok Heathcliff, open the door and get the car warmed up we may need to duck and run.

 

My kind of guys!

 

Oh for goodness sake, we're talking about the same cars tha used to sit on hobby shop shelves for years gathering dust. The market is saturated. It was true in San Diego and Portland too. If you guys in Big Bear are so desperate for bb 40' box cars, make a trip north, we have plenty.



And again, I like these kits, I just know they don't sell.

 

Alright YOHO, I'll back off. LOL

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The mic., must have been left on:
Love the SDP 45, good show.
Hey, GP 30, did you check out the GP35 or is that a 38?

Before we close our news show just a historical look backwards.
The LHS I purchased from as a youngster and the one I later worked at as an adult.... could not keep these bad boy blues on the shelves. Any old way, good to see they are still appreciated and yes we will hope to make our way to Central California, for some Athearn BB's (Box Cars).

That is if Athearn comes out with these same kits in HO and N scale.

Good to visit and don't change. I kind of like the friends I have,hboy: the way they are.

Happy New Year.

 

I see inflated prices too, it's because eBay is loaded with dumb people. I also see them sit untouched at swap meets at reasonable prices. And I base it both on places I've lived and shopped. Chicago, Portland, San Diego/LA and now Sacramento. And hobby shops with a section of unsold blue box on the shelf sitting for years is a regularly discussed thing. We've talked about it often on this very forum. Again, we just got a donation to the club from a widow. All MDC/Athearn shake the box. All Kadee equipped. We dropped the price to a dollar a car and most club members still turned up their nose, because they already have them.

 

Very well put. I couldn't agree more.

 

We're not talking about front range, those are anything but shake the box. And they are horrible kits generally. Still buy em though. Fine, Blue box transition era kits aren't in low demand, we've never discussed it as a problem hobby shops have had, I just made it all up in my head. And old people don't die and dump their collections on the market further reducing demand.

Yes, I said it myself, very specific models are in demand. Some of them may be transition models, but certainly all the modern kits are in demand. Perhaps the OP can run an experiment for us and try to sell his cars and see what happens. Maybe he can teach Vendors across the West Coast how to sell this. Since they can't.

 

I should say, one of the local guys up here who deals almost exclusively in new old stock along with Tinplate knows how to sell this stuff. All the modern or rare kits are in the display case while the boxes and boxes of steam and transition cars are stacked in the back taking up as little space as possible. The owner was once very clear. When he goes to train shows, he only brings the tinplate and likely to sell kits. Everything else stays home. Not worth the gas to transport it.

 

I find a couple things peculiar here. One: A large majority of us will quickly tear into a locomotive to install dcc and/or sound. Two: It seems that many of the layouts I see at shows or in magazines or on here, are modelled transition and newer. Three: At swap meets/shows their is enthusiasm for history. And the swap meets/ shows I have seen there is never a a room full of old railroaders to share the life and stories. That is something that I feel is lacking.
So when we talk about selling the pre-transition era, its hard because these men and women are dying off with untold stories to motivate the new generations. And also because they don't see it in operation. And steam locomotives in modelling still are high maintenance.
Perhaps, what is wrong is that we are not motivating enough folks about how nice it is to kit build/ scratch build. The stress it relieves, and a sense of accomplishment. Young or old. Maybe this is not such a good idea. Depending on the deal I can get. It seems no one wants to pay for more than the original prices back when these kits were made..

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It is a time versus effort issue. Athearn still sells the same car with metal wheels and knuckle couplers for $20 and with probably a crisper paint job and more road numbers.

Some of us here have more time than money or value the act of assembling the kit or finding the deal.

 

All I can say is that while I agree with your post about the value of kits - the accomplishment and stress reduction involved with building something - the economics cannot be ignored, at least in my own slice of the hobby. 99.99% of the time I visit any LHS, it is not to purchase a new locomotive or piece of rolling stock - either in kit or RTR. The prices are just too expensive. All those purchases are done at train shows/swap meets or on ebay. LHS is only viable (to me) for parts/paints/detail supplies...and that is because I am lucky enough to have a decent LHS close by.
Blue Box kits are known/valued for their nostalgia and low cost. Great value for the money. When you start raising the prices on them to what you perceive them to be worth, then they are in direct competition with current kits - which usually have the advantage of finer detail.....and also realize the BB kits are in competition with all the older rolling stock you'll find laying in boxes at train shows for $3-$8 a pop...most of which are admittedly junk, but a good many jewels in that junk too.
In that same thought, I have noticed standard practice at train shows is to stack these BB and other older kits on the table with just their ends showing as to what is there, and in no particular type of organization. While I can't think of any better way to bring and sell a ton of these kits at a train show, I have to say that from a marketing perspective that does NOT work. I don't have the time and incentive to sift through a hundred box ends while all the other items are laying out for ready inspection on surrounding tables.

 

What I am considering is picking them up from someone who is.retiring. As long as he gives me a decent price for bulk purchase. I would say $3-8 bucks sounds correct, watching eBay and others.
My idea was to sell as many as I can here, or trade, then give a portion to TB for being here for us. I understand the swap meet issue and rushing for the deals instead of reading every box! Time is precious at swap meets.
I am not looking to sell them for 20 bucks a box for the older ones. I understand the market. I am just thinking of maybe getting into a new business possibility. And see how it goes from there..

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Spent my life time either serving as a Funeral Director or AD type in a Hospital. Surrounded by the realities of life and death. For a minute there, as I was reading through the last posted comments to this thread, I thought I was back at work in an embalming room. Shop talk. The reality is we are all going to die...sooner or later. It's the trip there and how we arrive at the final destination.... that counts.

I have no idea why so many of today's youngsters snub their noses at the Athearn kits. They made possible, what no one else was willing to provide through the 60's, 70's, 80' and 90's. I remember a potential manufacturer saying he'd produce some fine detailed kits if we could get Athearn to quit selling theirs. Say what? No competitive spirit.

While Kadee and later Micro-Trains would look the situation straight in the eye and grab the bull by the horns. Taking a huge risk and it worked.

Say, I died today and my collection gets dumped out onto the market...I'd hope someone would realize the fun and joy they brought to this modeler. Would snatch them up to share in that joy. Instead, I worry that my collection will never be appreciated by anyone else but me. Bunch of smug...nose in the air, better then any body else, snot nosed brats. Kidding? Not really...well sort of. More of a lament.

I had in mind donating my train equipment to a club and found out they would drag it into the street and sell it for whatever they can get out of it. Never mind, my kids don't seem to be that interested in the hobby. I think their momma took care of that, like many do. Here's what I hear. Ok, if you'll build the layout for me. Hell, no build your own that's where the fun is. Can we build it in a 3X3 sand box. I'y yiyyi. Go get your own Thomas the Tank....stuff.

Mark my word: 10 or 20 years from now someone is going to write "Who is Irv Athearn?"

AND, If Irv is out there and can read this. Thanks for all you did for this railroad modeler.

Just my reaction as I read through things here. My two cents. I take change.

 

Focus Point: There are other toy train providers aka manufacturers that provided train equipment that was on a level of quality....TRASH....JUNK...(expletives I can't use here) that was worse then anything Athearn put out. Athearn was a cut above most of the providers through the time frame I've afore mentioned.

I was going to say sorry but I don't owe you or anybody else an apology

 

Maybe to the newcomers. It never did bother me that junk was made. But its not good the hobby when junk locomotive are created. Especially when it comes to kids who want to play and use their imaginations. A two hour loco can quickly wreck the interest..
When I was younger I remember my brother putting these athearn kits together. It was fascinating to watch them be built. And they were a far cry better than the Tyco RTR's..

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