I heard a rumor that Athearn is planning to come out with N scale stuff. Has anyone else heard anything like this?
Ask Athearn. http://www.athearn.com
Raymond,I don’t think you will see Athearn N Scale anytime soon.
As you know Athearn is taking their production to China.I suspect we will see a whole new and improve line of Athearn locomotives that will be RTR as well as their line of cars.They have already release some up graded locomotives and RTR cars…Plus they must keep the Genesis Line going also.
As you may know Athearn still outsells all the rest,therefore must keep up with H.O production.
So,It is my opinion that it will be a long time before you see any N Scale from Athearn if ever.
I was afraid that might be true as well…
I just hope they don’t stop selling kits! I for one have always enjoyed their kits. In fact, I think they are the main reason I still keep a little HO stuff around even though I primarily model N scale! I also love their reasonably priced locos. I really don’t mind assembling, detailing, and in some cases painting my rolling stock and locomotives if it will save me a few bucks! I also like the wide range of road names they generally offer on their kits!
I actually PREFER to assemble my rolling stock!
I have a severely limited budget to work with. Athearn has always represented good value for the dollar to me, so you can understand my excitement at the prospect of them going into N scale! lol
Now if they’d just put Kadee’s on their HO stuff. McHenry’s are OK, but they just don’t seem as durable! lol
Ya, Athearn taking their production to China, with all that cheap labor(.10 an hour). Do you think they will lower their prices?? HA,HA. Looks like more labor for the Big Mac. When is this all going to end??? Whats left to be maid in the good ol U.S.A.???
What’s wrong with Atlas, Kato and Micro Trains? Intermountain is pretty good too.
I’m just curious because I heard it from a friend of mine that they were. I would like it because I have always been a big fan of their HO stuff. I think it’s good stuff for the price. Please see my other reply for more on this…
Of the current N scale stuff out there. I mainly buy top end Life-Like and Bachmann locos, and Atlas rolling stock. I think this combination offers the best performance for the buck!
The other brands you mentioned are excellent, but too pricey for someone with my budget! I simply cannot spend $50 for a loco or $20 for a car! $30 and $10 is high enough! If I could I’d have every train on my layout led by a five loco consist of Kato sd40-2 snoots! lol
I do snap up the occasional piece off Ebay though! lol
Thanks for the reply and have fun!
RM
Pete:
What’s wrong with these manufacturers? Their quality is top shelf, but so are their prices. Not all of us have the financial resources to afford such extravagancies (A $33 caboose??? PLEASE!). Lifelike is a good value (I just got a GP20 - wonderful loco!). We need more of these manufacturers in N-scale, so you have to expect that people get more than a little excited over a rumor of Athearn getting into N-scale…
I talked to Athearn in March about them going into N scale, they said they wouldn’t rule it out. N scale has really grown so it would be a good move for them, several other manufacturers told me they would be expanding their N scale product lines.
Athearn isn’t mopving all their production to China, the kits will continue to be made in the USA.
Come on Model Railroaders and Railfans everybody in this hobby has to be above middle class.No body making 10 dollars or less can enjoy this Hobby 120 dollars for a Kato SD90 much less a Atlas 8-40B for 111 dollars Athearn Seco boxcars for 21 dollars and there Berwick 60 footers for 19 dollars.Please somebody tell me how i done it for over 30 years.I cant settle for anything less i have mention and like Proto 2000 Branchline Walthers’s Rollingstock Intermountain and all the other QUALITY stuff.
Bruce,
Yeah, you’re right. A $33 caboose is totally nuts! With $33 worth of acylic paint, plastruct & wheelsets, you can make a fleet of them. That stuff is pretty pricey. But there are a few worth the money like the Kato 2-8-2. The place to great deals on Kato equipment is definitely eBay. Life Like has become a great copany too.
Oops, you caught me. I confess. I have a family to support, and am not being paid a six figured salary. I throw myself on the mercy of the MRR court…
Trouble is the high dollar items isn’t getting any better and the price keeps going up,and up,and up, well,you get the picture.Seems to me theres getting to be some high price clunkers and incorrect models out there.I think quality just took a vacation.
Athearn “blue box” HO semi-kit locomotives and car kits absolutely defined the hobby in the 50’s and 60’s. Along with Atlas track, and MRC power packs, a modeller of modest means could have a very nice layout. I’ve been in HO since 1956, and the only time I considered N scale was very briefly in the late 80’s, due to a temporary lack-of-space situation.Had there been the equivalent of Irv Athearn’s “blue box” models in N, I might have gone that route, but there wasn’t. At times there were derogatory comments about “shake the box” kits, but in an overall price-quality matrix, there’s never been anything to compare with these Athearn kits.MDC-Roundhouse gets a strong second place in this regard…[ but you had to throw a needle file in, before you shook the box ! ]
I feel that N scale would have enjoyed much greater participation, if the equivalent kits to Athearn’s “blue box” HO offerings had been available in the late 60’s and early 70’s…but this was not the case. Now it’s too late. The hobby has changed, and the manufacturers are producing [or buying overseas ],what the majority of buyers seem to want.Ever increasingly, that’s expensive ready-to-use locos, cars, buildings, whatever.
If Athearn does go N scale, it would probably be toward the ‘Genesis’ type product…is that what you N scalers need or want ?
Mike how can an Athearn kit be better than an MDC.MDC’s 50 FT boxcars look better.Athearn’s railbox type has bear claws and MDC’s do not.Talking about the blue box.The Athearn 4 bay hopper to me dont look right i would like to see a photo of a real one.
Hoyle,I have both the athearn cars and MDC cars.It is my opinion Athearn has the MDC car beat by a country mile.Not only in looks,but,in running.I have had to rebuild some of my MDC cars by using the Athearn floor,frame and trucks.In fact one of the very frist things to go was the MDC wheels.(I now use P2K wheel sets on all my Athearn and MDC cars as per the clubs rules that I go to.)as far as those bear claws,cut the fool things off,it is as simple as that-a very basic easy fix.As far as the MDC RTR cars they are wrecks that needs rebuilding for only $18.95! What a bargin!
Hoyle and Brakie…I wasn’t really saying which of Athearn or MDC was “best”, per se,especially now,40+ years later. I meant value for money, and this is only my opinion. Back when I was earning a buck an hour,[sometimes less ],an Athearn kit for $0.89 or $1.59, or whatever, got you the best value for money way back then.Mantua and Varney were OK, but not as finely detailed or well-fitting. MDC wasn’t a major player in the 50’s-early 60’s, but when they became one, I thought their value for money was second to Athearn.[An example is the almost legendary MDC ore car, which was light years ahead of the Varney unit.]
Regarding those oversize stirrups, if you don’t want to cut them off and replace them, you can make them less obtrusive by painting the backs and edges a weathered black…best regards / Mike
Larry you say i can cut the bear claws off and it will look better.I got a spring maid 50 ft railbox type i cant run because of bear claws i will cut them off.I dont think i have a MDC boxcar with 18.95 in it.I will stick with Branchline Berwicks and Seicos by Athearn.
Mike i would like to cut them off and dont think i could weathered black also.Some of these are Bevbel painted in short line schemes.Now Branchline Berwicks do look good i have a lot of them and easy to put together and priced good i hope they do more boxcars.
I don’t really care if Athern ever makes N scale supplies. I think Atlas, Kato and Life Like locos, as well as Atlas, Microtrains & Intermountain rolling stock are great quality. Superior to some HO scale equipment too. Us N scalers are doing just fine. Those Intermountain kits are a great deal too, and highly detailed. I know my engines run better than most HO models, hands down. And being half the scale size of HO, I get about 4 times more into my space than I would with HO. Us N scalers are just fine by me.