Which is Your Favorite?
Athearn mainly for everything
Kato for engines
Atlas for engines
Athearn is my favourite but Proto is slowly gaining ground.
Gordon
Atlas, Athearn Genesis, or Proto 2000 for diesels,
BLI or P2K for steam,
and Red Caboose, Intermountain, Tichy, and Accurail for cars.
But what I have actually bought wouldn’t be from all of these manufacturers, yet!
Rivarossi and BLI for steam. Atlas and Athearn for diesel
Blue box for cars. Spectrum for locos.
With over 15 of their steamers, 75+ of their freight cars, and (gasp) over 20 of their diesels (as well as their metal wheelsets), I’d say Life Like is my favorite overall manufacturer. Mostly, they make high-quality, relatively affordable, extremely well detailed equipment that I need to model central Illinois in 1950.
Of course, I really like BLI steamers (it’s the sound!) and resin freight cars (100 and counting, but only 10 or so actually built!)
Athearn is what got me started but I’m slowing getting into the higher end stuff like Kato and Atlas.
Currently, Broadway Limited with their DCC/Sound equipped steam engines.
Atlas for engines. Their engines have great detail and LLP2K continues to raise the detail level. Athearn’s locomotives seem to get better and better each time they come out with a new model. For freight, Intermountain and Red Caboose.
LL Proto 2000’s for engines and Athearn for cars. Still like the kits. I’m building a Katy F7 right now from an Athearn Undec. So far so good. Total of 12 Proto units in the fleet. with a mix of Athearn and others.
RMax
it used to be ATHEARN until they did me wrong yesterday. I bought a blue box loco at a train show. Got home got ready to build it and found out it had defective wheels. I contacted ATHEARN and the basically said “if you want them replaced you have to buy them, were not fixing our mistake for free”! GOOD BY ATHEARN!!!
My only experience with locomotive manufactures is Kato and standard Life Like. Obviously, between those two Life Like is far better.
I’ve used quite a few manufactures for rolling stock. My favorites would be Kato, Atlas and MDC Roundhouse.
Kato for there AC44CTE, and other modern engines…Atheran and Walthers for rolling stock.
I just ordered an Atlas MKT Caboose that looks great.
RMax
I’m an athearn man, as I like ther blue box stuff, both locos and cars.
Noah
As far as value for money is concerned, it would have to be Athearn. However, they are fast losing ground to both Walthers and Bachmann in the value stakes - Bachmann’s latest diesels are very good and amazing value. Walther’s Trainline range are also excellent and at similar prices to BB locos they are serious competition. Bear in mind that Trainline locos usually come with detail parts such as a pilot plow either in the box or pre-fitted, Athearn locos have to have these bought seperately. I can therefore detail a Walthers loco using scrap wire and other materials, at a lower cost than buying the parts for an Athearn loco. I think they would do well to fit all their BB locos with the one-piece drive shafts used in the most recent SD40-2s as these seem to make the locos much quieter and smoother running straight from the box. The Athearn BB is a good basic product that with a little attention can be excellent - making this change would help enormously, and if the expected price rises appear then I suspect they will need to look at adding value to their locos - I can buy an 8 wheel drive Bachmann GP40 with plastic handrails (complete with correct-section stanchions) for about half the price of the Athearn version, and it will run quieter as well!
- Atlas (Master Series) for engines
- Intermountain for freight cars
The poll seems a bit limited - you can’t really have just one favourite maunfacturer as many really good manufactirers don’t build stuff in all sectors of the market.
Overall I’ve voted for Life-Like - their P2K range has really pushed other manufactuers to better quality models for both engines and freight cars in the last 12 years or so.
In individual sectors of the market I’d say there are different leaders:
Diesels: it has to be Life-Like P2K; they are very finely detailed and run real smooth. They also are very good value for money, you can pick a P2K engine up very cheap, and I’m just talking new from a trader or Hobby Store not the second hand deals on Ebay… I’d say Atlas would be a close second. Their stuff is great (I love my Master Series GP38), but its expensive and stays that way.
Steam locos: I’d have to go for Bachman Spectrum; bang for buck you can’t beat them.
Freight cars; I like anything I have to put together myself! At the shake the box end of the spectrum it would be Accurail and at the detailed end Red Caboose or P2K.
Passenger cars I love the new Walthers cars, but also like the IHC cars for their value for money. How can you argue against $8 for a car, even if you have to re-work it a bit?
Track; Micro-engineering - no question
Structures Walthers - again no question about it. Their range of Cornerstone building kits just can’t be beaten in terms of prototypes chosen and value for money - even if its just the start for a kit-bash!
I like Athearn because there are not many other modern (90s) BN diesels out on the market. If I had the money I would go Proto and Kato, but for now they are out of my league.
Reed