I got an unbuilt Athearn SD40T-2 for my birthday last month, and just finished building it! I think it would be great if Athearn brought back this kind of stuff. Sure, the new ones have a lot more detail and everything, but these older ones were designed so the average person could easily work on them.
Darth: Nice video again.
I am glad you found the handrail. I also am quite a fan of Athearn blue box models. The chassis is rock solid, and like you said, it is easy to work on.
I wish they would come back. Entry level models are needed.
-Kevin
For what it’s worth, I would love to see them make the mechanisms and offer undecorated shells kind of ala carte. It would revive the paint market, enhance the decal market, and revive the detail parts market.
Youre absolutely right. When Athearn dropped the BB kits, it left a void in the MRR industry that hasn’t been filled. At least that’s my opinion.
I’m building a BB Trainmaster. Nice cast metal trucks and metal handrails.
I just finished fitting an F7B Intermountain kit to a relatively recent Athearn RTR F7A drive that came with a CPR shell painted in the wrong red colour. The kit was undecorated so I could match the paint colours to the old BB F7A I bought new in 1973 and onky recently decorated.
I find it to be more enjoyable if I build several kits at the same time. I’ve nearly finished my Kadee Skeleton Log Car kit, just the tricky chain bits to do. I also have an old Alexander log buggie kit I’m almost finished, real logs. Just finishing chaining them down. Prototypically I’m fairly sure no superglue was used but it’s sure handy at 1/87. Alexander says I’m supposed to glue the logs down so who am I to argue. It’s a safety thing.
My LHS recently acquired a pile of NIB BB kits which I’ve been picking over judiciously. Undecorated freight and older passenger cars are my targets. Nice “50’ express reefer” with proper trucks. Very nice actually. A bunch of Proto 2000 car kits also which can be very nice to build.
That would make me very happy also.
-Kevin
I wonder if Athearn still has their old molds. The next question is: would they want to compete with their other product lines?
Dave
I think the problem is the kits cost too much to market compared to the RTR lineup.
When they brought back the “Roundhouse” name, I honestly thought that a resurrection of the Blue Box locomotive line was right around the corner.
Then it didn’t happen.
-Kevin
Guys,
What about the Walthers stuff? They’re really into that kind of thing now.
I’ve got what I hope will be a very nice SW7 coming from them.
Ed
When I had my model RR shop in northern Wisconsin, back in the '80s, I sold a lot of these, mostly in the Soo Line red and white, with black, livery. I even made up train sets (with matching Soo Line Wide Vision cabooses and at least one Soo boxcar) for customers to give as gifts to young’uns. I liked all the Blue Box diesels, particularly the F7 “Lash-ups.” (I even custom decorated an AA or AB set or three in the old maroon and gold, with cabooses dolled up in Caboose Red with Soo Line heralds–and one set with Athearn Blue Box heavyweight passenger cars, for a retired Soo Line engineer.) They were of good quality and were quite affordable for modelers with thin wallets.
Deano
Doesn’t the DC SW7 have an MSRP around $150.00?
That seems a bit high to compare to good-old blue boxes.
I think there must be a market for a reliable, simple, $75.00 locomotive that is easy to work on.
Maybe that is impossible to make.
-Kevin
I can’t resist a Darth video! And Athearn BB kits, both diesel and freightcars will always be well represented on my layout. Others can dump them on ebay, I’ll be there to make the occasional catch. I no longer care about their inaccuracies or lack of finer detail. They are what they are. Nobody who will ever visit my layout will know the diff. They kept me in the hobby when the far lesser train set junk failed. The tuning tips here make 'em even nicer.
The video is a nice tribute to Uncle Irv, and his contribution to this hobby which continues on. Dan
Added in, this vid pushed me over the edge that I was teetering on, of picking up a “broken” BB UP SW-12(?) in cosmetically great shape, all there, and clean. Cheap buy-it-now. Doesn’t run. It’s not a dummy, you can see the components in the underside shots. I’m betting it’s something real major, like the bendy-current-conductor strip popped out of contact. (I wire those)[:)]
It was a sad day fer me too when Athearn shut down their blue box line. I really enjoyed working on and detailing them with after market parts. That was pure joy and taught me much about maintaining those humperdills. The vast majority of my roster is Athearn Bluebox with the metal handrails. They are tough runners and really run well with some time on them. I left one of my original SW1500s on my test stand running for over 24 hours. I fergot about it until the wife called and asked me at work regarding the puppy. It had no motor damage and ran just fine. I did apply some Labelle oil to the mechanism and she is, far and away, my best running switcher to date.
Thanks, I’m glad you all liked the video! My personal experience with most of my BB kits was that they had one problem or another out of the box, but they’ve always been repairable to the point that you’d never know.
You can get some Walthers Trainline and Bachmann diesels for a decent price. The WT GP15-1 is currently going for around $70 if you go to Amazon, and others may have it for a similar price. I have the GP9M which runs on essentially the same chassis, and aside from a little derailing issue that was easily fixed, it’s a really smooth and quiet runner with some good pulling power. My cheaper Bachmann models use the old Spectrum/Plus drive, and they run smooth and strong as can be. They’re good for starters, but I do wish there was more variety in that price range. I’ve turned away from buying some of the new BLI and other models (really want one of those Bachmann SC-44 Chargers) because of the fact that they’re exclusively sound and DCC, and that’s an extra cost that’s done nothing on my end but stop me from making a purchase. Why spend an extra $100 on something I’m going to rip out anyway? The only sound model I have is the Rapido Turbotrain, and cool as it is, I’m fine with that being the only one.
That pretty much sums up my experiences too.
My favorite locomotive has been my Athearn Trainmaster for a very long time.
-Kevin
I must have been the lucky one, my Athearn BB locos. worked just fine right out of the box and were in my price range as a kid. Matter of fact the un-upgraded DC ones still work fine. Then I later learned how to upgrade them with ‘‘hard wiring’’, super gearing, directional lighting, personal and Kadee couplers. Two of my neatest custom painted BB locos in DC maybe thirty years old. Maybe not ‘‘correct’’ for todays standard but cool non the less.
I need to stop enlarging the photos, I see so many flaws.[sigh]
Well, I have two Athearn Trainmasters. One kit built and decorated by the previous owner and a second undecorated kit I’m halfway through building. I like them a lot. I’ve also got two Athearn F7 which really run well. And two old Atlas FP7A by Roco which are pretty much superb models for the time.
I have an Atlas Gold Trainmaster which is very good but really doesn’t outshine the two old Athearn locomotives if I’m honest.
Some of the older stuff is very good.
Did all the BB Trainmasters come with metal truck side frames? All of mine have metal side frames just like the PA’s and PB’s
To the best of my knowledge, All Athearn Trainmasters have metal sideframe trucks. I have been searching for a decade to find a more modern chassis for mine, and have not found one. I do not think they exist.
All my Athearn PAs (4 of them) have plastic side frames and inboard bearings. This is the newer (and in my opinion, better) design.
-Kevin
See You190, Thank you for the infomation. Good to hear about those PA’s and their newer plastic sideframes.