Remember those ld Athearn ads from the mid90s? The ones where they’d use primitive photoshop to add their models. I remember those when I first got into Model Railroading.
Anyone else remember these?
No offense, but that is funny, because I remember Athearn ads from the 60’s…talk about primitive by today’s standards. It is just funny how people see the world.
Sheldon
Using the freebie access to the digital archive, was noting the Athearn ad for O Scale stamped metal freight cars in 48 or so.
“Old Athearn ad” covers a LOT of ground! (And I do remember the ones you’re talking about. [:)] )
Lenscap wrote ““Old Athearn ad” covers a LOT of ground!” that is a very true statement ! But in answer to the posters question. Yes. The modeling industry methods, qaulity etc…has grown by leaps and bounds. I think generally much better today.
YGW
Yes I do. I remember one with an HO scale Geep photoshopped on real tracks, with a real crew climbing the steps.
Another with a real UP loco pulling an Autoloader, complete with autos. The funny thing is one of the autos is missing the grill casting.
Another had someone holding a real Amtrak Genesis loco, in anticipation for the model coming out.
Not much out there.
Very strange:
The Athearn ad that got me all excited and doing hand springs was the mid 60 full page ad that stated “Athearn announces EMD’s SW1500” complete with artist rendition of a supposed SW1500.
A very disappointed deep sigh escape my lips when I saw the SW1500 was a SW7.[:'(]
Joy was restored after seeing the ad for Athearn’s SD45 and seeing them in person at Hall’s hobby shop.
Exciting times back then when new models was on the shelves when the ad came out in MR.
I got a HO catalogue in 1961 with Irv on the cover as pictured in this thread. This was about the time that slot cars and space models were giving model trains severe competition. When Lynn Wescott replaced Paul Larson in 1961 he later said that he was not sure the hobby would last. Irv Athearn had a unhappy - read financially disastereous time - making HO trains for Lionel and was thinking about shutting down the business about the time this catalogue came out.
Irv Athearn would go on and make cars and locomotives for Cox Models then later he supplied cars for Atlas. Then there was the Bev-Bel deal and other custom road name cars…It turn out Uncle Irv’s biggest competitor would be Roundhouse.
The fun part was the three way IPD boxcar war.Roundhouse was duplicating several road names on their FMC 50’ boxcar that Athearn and Bev-Bel was using on Athearn’s ACF(called Railbox boxcars for some reason) 50’ boxcars. Then enter C M Shops and Rail Runner using Athearn cars with the same road names.
Fast forward to today and Athearn is using the same road names they used 30 years ago on their RTR ACF and former Roundhouse FMC boxcars…
Another fun part was when Roundhouse got into making the 12-packs with multiple road numbers – packs of hoppers, boxcars, tank cars, whatever. For awhile, they put out a new 12-pack or two every month. I still have some to assemble. Athearn played the 12-pack game a bit (with Railbox and some mechanical reefers, if memory serves) but not to the degree Roundhouse did.
Model die Casting and Athearn were never really in competition with each other. In fact, Clarence and Irv worked to help each other.
Sure, there were a few overlaps in the two product lines, but seriously, look at any old Walthers catalog and compare the two product lines.
MDC concentrated on older, 19th and very early 20th century stuff, Athearn never went near that market.
Athearn hardly ever did any steam, MDC only did a few diesels.
MDC did stuff like the Milwaulkee horizontial rib box cars - Athearn never touched it.
Sure, basic 40’ and 50’ box cars, yes they both did them.
Yes, in later years, a few other direct competing items, but not many. Yes in the late 70’s and early 80’s they both added some similar “modern” equipment.
Athearn had heavy weight and fluted streamlined passenger cars, MDC had the full range of open platform wood cars, the palace cars and the Harriman cars - where is the competition?
When I worked in this business, in the 70’s and 80’s, it was commonly known that they worked together and helped each other.
A quick scan of the 1983 Walthers catalog show on
Yes I remember…[8D] My favorite,
Somehow I missed getting one of these…
Guy
Well, I don’t remember the Athearn steam engines, but as a kid in the 1970’s I mowed a lot of lawns to buy Athearn diesels from the old “Hobbies for Men” mail order store that had 4-page ads in Model Railroader. I still have some of those units on my current layout!
Todd
As long as we are on the nostalgia express, how about all those “Bi-Centennial” trains from the mid-1970’s? I had a few… I recall a TYCO 4-6-0 “1776” steamer… I don’t know what ever happened to it, but I wish I still had it. I do still have my first trainset though… A TYCO Amtrak “Intercity Express” Every once in a while I get it out and run it around the layout at about 300 scale MPH !!!
You can check this out on youtube. Go to the “bobozo389” channel and search Todds layout. It’s good for a few laughs!
Todd
True enough but,it doesn’t change the facts of the IPD boxcar war between Athearn and Roundhouse and Roundhouse was a competitor with the same road names it was basically a FMC car versus a ACF car and Roundhouse had the better car as far as paint and crisp lettering and the lack of the claws on the door…Working in a hobby shop you should have seen that in your stock.
Clarence and Irv may have been close friends and help each other but,down deep both was business men trying to make a living and therefore competitors or as Scrooge would say “Business is business.”
Again, that is just one narrow product area, in one short period in time, with two companies with broad product lines a 40 year history.
Agreed, all the MDC releases in the early 80’s were a step up. I don’t think Athearn was anywhere near as concerned with that market and easily conceeded that to MDC and others while maintaining their otherwise large hold on the rest of the market.
The transistion era was then, and remains now the largest part of the market, and Athearn had then, and still has, a solid product line for that group.
I would say that “current” or modern modeling is easily second, and having both lines keeps Athearn/Roundhouse/Horizon one of the top players still.
Irv and Clarence were smart enough to real
A short history from the current website:
History of Athearn### 1938
Musicians Jerry Joice and Perry Bodkin establish a hobby store called Roundhouse at 1301 North Catalina Street in Hollywood, California. The business is soon taken over by part-time employees C.H. Menteer and C.A. Voelckel. Shortly after assuming leadership, they are hired to build models for Cecil B. DeMille’s film Union Pacific.
Irv Athearn begins building an O-scale model railroad at his mother’s home.
1939
Roundhouse Products introduces its HO-scale 0-6-0 steam locomotive as a brass and lead alloy kit.
1942
World War II forces Roundhouse Products to suspend operation in February.
1943
After receiving a large response to an ad about his O-scale model railroad, Irv Athearn establishes Athearn Trains in Miniature and sells model railroad supplies.
1946
Menteer & Voelckel’s company is now called Model Die Casting, Inc. and resumes production of the Roundhouse Products line by summer.Irv Athearn becomes a full-time retailer of model railroading supplies.
1948
Model Die Casting relocates to Los Angeles, California. Irv Athearn moves his business from his mother’s home to a separate location in Hawthorne, California.
1951
Athearn purchases Globe Models on July 2. The Globe Models name is retained until 1956.
1952
Athearn introduces the 200-Ton Crane in die-cast metal.
1953
Athearn introduces the all-metal RDC-1, RDC-2, RDC-3 and RDC-4.
1954
The Globe Models F7 is int
Sheldon,It was exciting times back then with Athearn,Bev-Bel,C M Shops,Rail Runner cranking out 40’ boxcars in road names like EJ&E,IHB(NYC Herald),CSS&SB, Rutland,Wabash,C&IM, Ann Arbor,NC&StL and many more that previously require painting a undec Athearn or Roundhouse car and decaling it.
I was modeling the early 60s until 94 and starting in '96 I started collecting IPD boxcars and stopped after returning to N Scale in 2008 and resume after returning to HO in 2012.
I still have 5 of my favorite 40’ boxcars including my West India Fruit & Navigation boxcar with the car ferry logo.
That’s my point Larry, exciting for you. I was not modeling that era then or now.
My customer base covered all eras, so yes we had people excited about that stuff, and people excited about the latest MDC open platform passenger cars or 3 in 1 kits.
One of the hottest things in our store were all the new roadnames and products from TrainMinature…firmly in the earliest part of the transistion era or before. Those TM displays sold out quick…
Model Die Casting “old timer” steam loco kits were also very hot sellers for us…
Sheldon
Sheldon,You mean to say none of those 40’ boxcars fit your early 50 era? Cars like Monon,Wabash,NKP,Rutland,NY0&W SAL,ACL,Milw,GN,SP&S NP would fit since they all had the 50 era scheme.
As you know those cars made it well into the 60s… I recall seeing those NC&St.L boxcars and gondolas as late as 1964.
The 80s was exciting times for every modeler regardless of era they modeled.
The fastest selling items in Hobbyland in Huntington, W.Va was the transition era.