Athearn Trains: phasing out blue box kits and locos

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
21

Some of the RTR stuff is just re-hased blue-box stuff.

Athearn BB ACF 50’ railbox boxcar
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH5521

Athearn RTR ACF 50’ railbox boxcar
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH92317

They look the same to me (having seen both in person), but one costs twice as much as the other.

That being said, I like most blue-box kits (the PS hoppers are different since the bottoms weren’t painted to match the bodies). They can be had for cheap and can be made into a really good car. If RTR cars didn’t cost an arm and a leg and didn’t fall apart in the box, I might have more. That and most of them are too light and are a pain to get into and add more weight. Engines though, are a different manner.

Looks like accurail will be getting more of my funds when the BB kits are gone.

22

Score one for capitalism! plain and simple China just wants more money, I am no business expert but the blue box Athearan cars seem to be one of the mainstays of their business. I could only imagine how many million of them are on model railroads across the country and around the world for that matter.So it make more sense that they will just find a new manufacture. Hey here’s a novel idea Athearn one that no one in the business hardy ever does anymore, why not make them here in America instead of some third world rat hole.

23

A few thoughts, some covered so far, some not.

These rumors come and go, I will believe it when Athearn tells us.

Blue Box kits have had knuckle couplers for a decade and I’m sure that has no effect on cost. The whole purpose of all these cheap knock off couplers was to provide a Kadee compatible coupler for no more cost than the X2F.

Blue box kits where made here until this past year, and as important as they where years ago, sales are down and the market has changed.

A better move on Athearn’s part may be to offer undecorated versions of Ready to Roll products and include all the “improvements”, like caboose window glass and improved caboose end rail detail, etc.

Some products have been improved quite a bit (see caboose comments above), others have been replaced with better MDC tooling (40’ box car), and others have been left the same. Too many people commenting about this only have experiance with what they buy for their era, roadname, etc. Your comments do not necessarily apply to the whole product line. Some RTR versions have seen big improvements, some none. BUT, all the China done painting and lettering is better, so lets go for it!

Athearn has always used batch production, products are always reissued or reinvented when there is new demand. “Back in the day” I remember some items being out of production for years between runs, but they all came back at some point. There is lots of “new old stock” out there and with the WWW it is even easier to find when you want it.

I build kits, I buy RTR, I have simple (blue box quality detail) and new high detail (like Kadee, Proto, Intermountain) RTR and kits, but I have no complaint with those who exclude one or the other for whatever personal reasons. I may not have much in common with someone who builds nothing they run, but it is THEIR hobby. I will not be told how to build

24

Because the hobby is more than scratch building structures, super detailing rolling stock or assembling a train load car by car with a DCC controlled locomotive.

As the point has been made before on the forums, the hobby is whatever makes you happy and provides you with a sense of accomplishment and creativity. I rather put my time into buildings and scenery that a visitor can examine at their leisure, than in a box car that enters and leaves one’s field of view in about 30 seconds. Others may (do) feel the opposite. Lighten up Mike.

Doc

25

This has been an issue for some time—why does a hobby have to be taken apart in little bits and pieces and treated like one can throw whole parts of it out? Just because it is inconvenient? OY. It is more than those BUT IT STILL INCLUDES THEM as well. There is a way to enjoy ALL aspects–we do not need to become exclusionary—then again—maybe that’s just me squawking

Why either/or----why not both/and?

Try to imagine the possibilities—[:-^]

One of the reasons that model railroading is undergoing a split in the hobby—on one hand those who want operations— and those who think that scratchbashing is a part of the hobby.

26

Sorry, but I’m having a hard time believing this story. I’ve had far too many hobby ship owners lie to me to believe them, and hearing about this 2nd hand is even more so.

I had an LHS tell me that P1K had cancelled the DL109 project (I had heard earlier from the NHRHTA that they had spoken to Proto and they had just started cutting the tooling that same day).

I had an LHS tell me that he couldn’t get any more Walthers flex track because Walthers was out, and they were waiting for a container to arrive from Japan (I heard from a reliable source that Walthers keeps 5000 pieces of flex track in stock at all times).

I had an LHS not get the engine I ordered, and when confronted about it, he claimed they never released it (it came out a few months after I ordered it),

It may be that your LHS friend is lying to you or has been misled. If he’s lying, it’s usually because he can’t pay his bills or would rather you buy the more expensive RTR’s than stock kits at half the price. If he’s been misled, the rep may be trying to get your LHS to buy more expensive RTR’s than kits. Who knows? Neither of us were in that conversation.

My point is that until an Athearn employee tells me different (and yes, I know a couple), then I’m not buying the “phase out” theory of the BB kits.

Paul A. Cutler III

Weather Or No Go New Haven

27

Actually, I’m more inclined to believe that the “split” is only in our minds. If you look at the clubs I belong to, there are those who scratchbash (nice term, by the way…I’m stealing it! [:D]) and those who buy RTR, and guess what? We all have fun at the clubs. Everyone has their own skill sets, and we all work together to create a miniature world. I personally think the concept of a “split” is just a means of getting people up in arms on the forums. [:)]

28

First of all, I’ll say that everyone in the hobby should build some athearn blue box kits at some point when starting out in the hobby. They are a great learning tool for seeing how trucks, couplers, clearances, etc. work. It’s a rite of passage crossed with an entry exam.

That said, I hope we never go back to the point where these are the only way to get basic freight cars. After doing a few hundred, it stops being modeling and starts becoming sweatshop assembly work. Kitbashing them? Fine. Painting and detailing them? Fine. But that’s not putting together a blue box kit, that’s kitbashing and custom painting.

29

It is true that Athearn is not producing any more blue box kits at the present time, goes back to the overseas production faclity not wanting to make them anymore. For those getting in a panic over a lack of kits, espicaly for custom painting, just hit the local train show, every show I go to has plenty of BB kits, along with others from Ulrich, Train Miniatures, Varney ect. Along with craftsman kits that give me great enjoyment during those cold winter nights stuck inside the house. I also enjoy the kit building side of the hobby and shun the RTR stuff when I can. The local hobby shop, The Train Exchange, here in Kokomo, Indiana has a great sellection of BB kits, BB engines, as well as Accurail, Roundhouse/MDC kits ect. I help the owner at shows he attends and we both go out and scavange for older unbuilt kits that are unique, or in the road names we like to buy. Its the trill of the hunt, followed by the enjoyment of building it later on. Yes the loss of the BB line will be heart felt, but in todays “Gotta have it now” society, RTR sells the best and keeps our favorite companies in business. Cheers Mike

30

As myself and others have said, you know this by what authority? Who did you speak with at Athearn?

Sheldon

31

I’d say about 80-90 per cent of all my freight cars and cabooses are Athearn blue box. There were a few more roadnames and paint schemes in the range that I wanted, but I guess I missed the boat on them. Oh, well, my fleet is pretty big as it is and I’ve pretty much run out of space.

32

As is so often discussed–I tend to fall over this myself–I now have problems even believing these things even IF it comes out of a direct source—the effect of saying ‘X’ when it is more ‘D’ that is meant—only if they do play their cards out on a table—has made me suspicious of anything said-----hence the rampant speculation and rumours and all that.

When people go and use language in ways that belie the point-----ie: use of “discontinue” (which–at one point meant NO MORE of ‘X’ produced–PERIOD) when one has a phrase to denote a temporary cut in production—what is one to think?—And like mentioned–when it is easier to go on a website and learn how to build a weapon than it is to get truthful responses from certain mfgs?—And we don’t ask why?

33

in the e-mail to Horizon dealers this morning, there was an announcement dated 10/15/09

that after more than 50 years, Athearn has discontinued the blue box line of kits effective immediately.

34

Source please----are you one? If not how did you get said email?

Also—discontinued no longer means anything—

35

Could be but if you look up specific kits on the Athearn site it says in Jan 2010 they will do a green Soo f7b super and SD40-2 ATSF, I couldn’t find it doing a search but had to do it the hard way. There may be more but it gets boring afterwhile. It could also be a mistake. We’ll see what happens. I’d be disappointed if bb production ends but Athearn has to make the call, it depends on if they can make money on it I suppose, as it should be…

36

And, as I said earlier in this thread, if this is true, hopefully we will see undecorated, unassembled versions of the all the Ready to Roll items, like we have seen in a few of them allready, with all the latest improvements. This would in my mind, and for my modeling purposes, be an improvement, not a loss.

I suspect a large part of blue box kit sales has been undecorated items for some time now, maybe Athearn is in just such a transition? I hope so.

Sheldon

37

yes I am a dealer with Horizon

38

So you would interpret this as what, precisely?

Just by the retail price, the BB stuff must make less profit than the RTR stuff. In a tightening economy, it would definitely be the first thing pushed overboard.

It’s not like there’s not a few million of them still floating around anyhow…

39

This is the latest blow to the new modelers trying to get into the hobby and saving money by building their own kits.

I am one of those modelers that started with the blue box cars and gradually replaced many of them with the latest high quality RTR cars, but the cost of the latest cars is beyond most start up modelers today. I have a few hundred of those dating back to the 1968 era and many of them unbuilt kits. Maybe I will go to a local train show and get my money back.

CZ

40

Hopefully, it will bring increased business to Accurail, who make a far superior “shake the box” kit.