What was the most popular brand of locomotives back in the early 80’s? I remember being happy to obtain a Athearn blue box, over my tyco stuff.
Todd,I reckon it would be Athearn or Atlas.One didn’t have much choice back then…
Athearn was king but Atlas was growing quickly. Model Power had some nice E8’s but like Atlas they were pricey compared to Athearn. And the AHM E8s had great graphics but crappy wheels and inconsistant motor performance.
Bachman had yet ot introduce their Spectrum series so their stuff was mainly toy-set focused. Front Range, Stewert and the like started making some alternative bodies for Athearn drives and then you had the long-time stalwarts such as Bowser.
Life is a lot better now. No need to ruin your eyesight by detailing miniscule parts. Just buy the units that way and add weathering.
[#ditto]
Yea, Life Like and Bachmann were the very low end. I considered them to be a toy train manufacturer. They sure have changed.