athearn
athearn is sold to new owners. athearn introduces the maxi - iii and husky - stack well cars .
find great deals on ebay for athearn locomotives in athearn ho scale model railroads and trains. shop with confidence .
on the athearn website there is a short history of athearn. it mentions that in 1957 athearn introduced plastic freight car kits including a 3 dome tank, 40' reefer and 40' box .
1 - 16 of 107 results for
athearn ho trains
showing most relevant results. see all results for athearn ho trains .
in 1880, a less common occupation for the athearn family was farm laborer. farmer, laborer and keeping house were the top 3 reported jobs worked by athearn. the most common athearn occupation in the usa was farmer. 31% of athearn' s were farmers .
in 1880, farmer, laborer and keeping house were the top 3 reported jobs worked by athearn. a less common occupation for the athearn family was farm laborer. the most common athearn occupation in the usa was farmer. 31% of athearn' s were farmers .
athearn acquires rail power products. athearn acquires the tooling for four 50' box cars from details west. they are later released in the ready to roll line. athearn introduces the n scale product line .
athearn introduces the amd - 103. in june, athearn announces the development of the sd70 - series for the genesis line. in october, athearn announces the development of the bombardier bi - level commuter cars .
after receiving a large response to an ad about his o - scale model railroad, irv athearn establishes athearn trains in miniature and sells model railroad supplies .
it is very intersting that some early ads clearly say that globe is made by athearn and other ads do not even give an address or mention athearn .
after receiving a large response to his advertisement selling his o - scale model railroad, irv athearn establishes athearn trains in miniature, selling model railroad supplies .
athearn introduces the u28b, u28c, u30b, u30c, u33b and u33c .
edwards, simon g .
the incredible history of athearn model trains .
29th athearn lecture poster (. pdf file, opens in adobe acrobat reader )
this athearn ho scale ready - to - run train set includes: • f7a athearn ho truck, bettendorf. 33
metal wheels (2) by athearn. $ 5. 27 $ 5 27. 5 out of 5 stars 1. product description athearn ho truck, bettendorf. 33
metal wheels (2), ath90400. athearn ath74450 ho rtr rtc 20, 900 - gallon tank, utlx / white / black # 2. by athearn. $ 41. 97 $ 41 97. only 1 left in stock - order soon. athearn ho knuckle
athearn trains. showing 40 of 688 results that match your query. search product result. product - athearn ho scale 33
metal frieght train car wheelset short axle
athearn introduces the gp35, sd45, sdp40, dd40 and sw1500 cow & calf .
in october, athearn announces the development of the bombardier bi - level commuter cars .
here is a photo of a late 1956 globe passenger car kit unbuilt. how do i know it was produced in late 1956? the instructions say athearn. the first athearn produced globe models make no reference to athearn and have no address on the box or instructions. but as soon as june of 1955, athearn was running small ads in mr that said
globe models are a quality product of irvin r athearn
.
irv athearn begins building an o - scale model railroad at his mother' s home .
athearn purchases globe models on july 2. the globe models name is retained until 1956 .
james wright jlwii2000 train product reviews, how to' s & more on youtube reviews the athearn gp15 - 1. how does it stack up? urltoken urltoken # athearn # horizonhobby
it' s sure interesting that the
basic athearn kit
has been so durable .
irv athearn begins building an o - scale model railroad at his mother' s home .
in june, athearn announces the development of the sd70 - series for the genesis line .
the 63' and 67' lengths are from the athearn listing in an old walthers catalogue from the nineties... not that athearn has always labelled everything correctly of course! !
ready - to - roll ho scale. athearn ho steam engines. athearn ho train sets. diesels. freight car multi - pack. freight cars. freight containers. passenger cars .
athearn introduces the h24 - 66 trainmaster. model die casting introduces an n scale product line .
on october 16, athearn announces it is discontinuing the production of
blue box
kits .
between 1962 and 2004, athearn life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2003, and highest in 1996. the average life expectancy for athearn in 1962 was 68, and 76 in 2004 .
the latest tweets from athearn trains (@ athearntrains). for over 60 years, athearn has offered a diverse selection of ho and n scale model railroad locomotives, rolling stock, and vehicles .
the athearn rdc - 1 and rdc - 3 are officially discontinued due to a damaged frame mold .
athearn has always just called it an rpo, and i don' t think i' ve ever seen athearn literature discribe the length. walthers catalogs have contained a misprint or two over the years .
athearn releases the genesis sd70 - series and announces the genesis 2 - 8 - 2 steam locomotive. in october, athearn announces an improved version of the sd40 - 2 that will replace the existing models .
as you search swap meets and online on ebay, you' ll find many examples of cars that at first glance appear to be genuine athearn releaess. often these turn out to be bev - bel or other secondary companies stamping and lettering athearn kits. this site will be a resource only for athearn releases .
irv athearn moves his business from his mother' s home to a separate location in hawthorne, california .
athearn introduces the gp35, sd45, sdp40, dd40 and sw1500 (actually sw7) cow & calf .
in october, athearn announces an improved version of the sd40 - 2 that will replace the existing models .
the athearn round - roof coaches resemble reading cars, but are off in a number of minor ways .
in september, athearn acquires the tower 55 line tooling from overland models to be used in the genesis line .
intricately detailed and fully assembled miniature locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles make up athearn' s n scale line .
i have been very pleased with athearn and their models for the past 40 years. i trust their products .
just to clarify, athearn bought globe, a company in chicago that made wood kits. they then used the globe name to test the market for plastic kits. then quickly moved the globe models to the athearn name .
the athearn heavyweights are pretty good representation of santa fe cars - not surprising for a company located in california .
athearn u28c union pacific # 2802 ho scale powered diesel locomotive cat # 3422 - $ 38. 89 | picclick
by the end of 1956 the globe name was all but gone and everything new said athearn, but there was a transitional packaging that used the globe
orange
, prior to that athearn boxes had been tan or yellow .
athearn introduces the all - metal rdc - 1, rdc - 2, rdc - 3 and rdc - 4 .
there are several athearn passenger cars in the collection. i' ve even made a two unit coach in sp daylight using athearn coaches and mdc challenger trucks. the only thing correct about it is the length of 134 scale feet .
online shopping for athearn at amazon. com. all customers get free shipping on orders over $ 25 shipped by amazon
athearn' s highly detailed ready to roll ho line offers a broad selection of fully assembled locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles. shop now intricately detailed and fully assembled miniature locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles make up athearn' s n
this site focuses upon athearn from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s. the athearn i knew growing up was the top of the line in ho - scale plastic trains. with the demise of athearn' s fabled
blue box
kit series, i hope this site will serve as a scrapbook and reference for what i see as the classic era of
blue box
kits. the days when athearn had only so many models and only made so many roadnames .
and, back to athearn, all those kits were never
available
or in constant production at the same time. in those days athearn only had two injection molding machines i believe, so they only made two items at a time .
athearn introduces the f45 and fp45 with athearn' s first flywheel drive. the flywheel drive is also added to most of the other athearn locomotives. notable exceptions include the rdcs and hustler, which still use the hi - f drive, and the dd40. the f7s are available with or without flywheels. the s12 and sd9 are also introduced with the flywheel drive .
athearn introduces the f45 and fp45 with athearn' s first flywheel drive. the flywheel drive is also added to most of athearn' s other locomotives. notable exceptions include the rdcs and hustler, which still use the hi - f drive, and the dd40. the f7s are available with or without flywheels. the s12 and sd9 are also introduced with the flywheel drive .
athearn introduces the gp40 - 2, sw1000 & sw1500. the old sw1500 cow & calf is now correctly called an sw7 .
athearn introduces the ready to roll line. model die casting introduces ready to run versions of some locomotives and cars rolling stock .
athearn is puchased by horizon hobby. on june 14, model die casting is purchased by horizon hobby. the roundhouse name will be used only for ho - scale pre - wwii products, with the rest of the roundhouse line under the athearn name .
athearn' s highly detailed ready to roll ho line offers a broad selection of fully assembled locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles .
visit with the athearn team and see our latest models. view the train shows and events where we' ll be exhibiting .
my goal and interest in creating this website is to present a visual record of a period in athearn' s history. athearn' s production begins prior to what is found on this site and very successfully continues today beyond the scope of what i present .
as some other have mentioned, atsf did have some short streamlined rpo' s and baggage cars which do appear to be very well represented by the athearn cars. there has never been any word from athearn that they where the basis for the streamlined cars .
in 1980 athearn released its version of the fairbanks - morse trainmaster. the athearn h24 - 66 trainmaster was an early example of prototype - specific tooling being offered on ready - to - run plastic models. in 1984 athearn improved their locomotive line with a new drive that had new narrower motors and new handrail stanchions. new plastic emd blomberg truck side frames were applied to the f7, gp9 and gp35. athearn introduced the sd40 - 2 and sd40t - 2 tunnel motor. with the new narrow motors, they are athearn' s first hood units to feature scale - width hoods. a gp38 - 2 and gp50 were late 1980' s releases .
athearn precision die cast models are licensed replicas. they are highly authentic - looking, and most come with separately applied detail parts and razor - sharp painting and printing. this line shares the attention to detail hobbyists expect from athearn, just on a bigger scale .
athearn' s precision die cast models are highly authentic - looking. most come with separately applied details and razor - sharp painting .
bill, i suspect the oldest model in athearn line up is the former bb f7a / b (now rtr) which was made in the 50s by globe models. athearn bought globe models. i suspect the bb gp7 would be a close second as the oldest model. you are correct the majority of athearn former car kits are now rtr with improve paint, more graphics and metal wheels .
in july, athearn acquires the tooling for several trailers from a - line. they are later released in the ready to roll line .
athearn' s highly detailed ready to roll ho line offers a broad selection of fully assembled locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles. shop now
shop from the world' s largest selection and best deals for athearn ho scale model railroads and trains. shop with confidence on ebay !
athearn improves the locomotive line with a new drive that has new narrower motors and new handrail stantions. new plastic emd blomberg truck sideframes are applied to the f7, gp9 and gp35. athearn introduces the sd40 - 2 and sd40t - 2 tunnel motor. with the new narrow motors, they are athearn' s first hood units to feature scale - width hoods. model die casting introduces the shay steam locomotive kit .
athearn still offer a 3 dome tank tank car which got me wondering if the current rtr model is essentially the same as the 1957 introduction .
i have some original globe passenger car kits unbuilt, and some
yellow
box athearn cars, maybe latter i can post some photos .
s are the best with sound and even the ready to run. i remember getting a lot of the athearn blue box stuff freight cars and locomotive
r started service on april 26, 2008, in that time athearn has made a few runs of the engines and cars. with the 10th anniversar
and, as noted above, athearn did in later years start switching up road numbers, and constantly offered more and paint scheme versions, etc .
go to the front lines to find out what' s new, hot and exciting in the hobby. see what athearn' s been up to .
ok and few more details and some photos. athearn began advertising the globe f7 in late 1954 and the the streamlined passenger car kits in early 1955 .
but the orange and white athearn boxes quickly gave way to yellow and then blue - and now you know trhe rest of the story... .
and, there where several 70' business cars very similar to the athearn observation. so only the pullman and diner are totally without a close prototype .
i have a number of athearn heavyweights that i bought in the days when they and the rivarossi cars were the best heavyweights you could buy in plastic .
model die casting relocates to los angeles, california. irv athearn moves his business from his mother' s home to a separate location in hawthorne, california .
irv athearn started the athearn company along with his love for accumulating and building model trains in the year of 1938. he initially launched by building a big o scale setup at his parents residence of which in the end he marketed for a large ten thousand dollars. for this period that was in fact a whole lot of cash that also supplied him all the foresight and vision to produce the athearn company which would definitely be come his income for many a year to come .
athearn has been producing ho scale model trains since 1948, and has since expanded into a full line of ready - to - run rolling stock and locomotives .
athearn introduces a gear - drive version of the 4 - 6 - 2 and a gear - driven 0 - 4 - 2t and 0 - 6 - 0 .
beyond the mentioned releases of the late' 60s to the early 1980s, i am including examples and some information on earlier athearn products like their' 60s steam engines. i knew athearn once made steam engines and offered ready - to - run train sets, but that was ancient history to me growing up in the 1970s .
they' re good running dependable cars, and in recent years have excellent paint and lettering. palace car co. makes interiors for many of the athearn cars .
alco pa1 and pb1 models were introduced in 1970, and a year later u28b, u28c, u30b, u30c, u33b and u33c diesels were released. in the 1970' s cox trains complete line of ho products consisted almost entirely of athearn produced items, including f - 7a and b diesels, gp - 35 diesels, sw - 1500 diesels, u28 - c diesels, pa - 1 and hustler locomotives. rolling stock produced by athearn for cox included the 40' box car, 50' plug door box car, 40' reefer, 40' hopper, 40' cattle car 3 - dome tank car, 62' tank car, single - dome tank car, 50' gondolas, cupola and bay window cabooses, 50' auto box car and athearn' s streamline passenger cars. cox also marketed several athearn accessories as their own. athearn also supplied freight cars for atlas to sell with its roco - made diesel locomotives in train sets starting in 1975. these sets consisted of emd diesels made in austria by roco that were trend - setters in the marketplace, and atlas packaged fully assembled athearn rolling stock that was standard pieces from the athearn line .
athearn introduces the 4 - 6 - 2 steam locomotive with the hi - f drive, and the 50' double door box car, quad hopper and pickle cars .
athearn introduces the sd40 - 2 and sd40t - 2 tunnel motor. with the new narrow motors, these are athearn' s first hood units to feature scale - width hoods. (all previous diesels, except the f7, pa1 / pb1, f45 & fp45 had hoods that were too wide to accommodate the earlier wider motors. )
athearn introduces the plastic - bodied rdc - 1 and rdc - 3, powered by the hi - f drive, and a plastic version of the 200 - ton crane .
only talking about ho rolling stock and locos, that would likely be a tie between the athearn rtr f7 and the model power mantua classics 4 - 6 - 2 pacific .
athearn introduces the 4 - 6 - 2 steam locomotive with the hi - f drive, as well as the 50' double door box car, quad hopper and pickle cars .
athearn improves the locomotive line with a new drive with new narrower motors and new handrail stanchions. new plastic emd blomberg truck sideframes are applied to the f7, gp9 and gp35 .
census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your athearn ancestors, such as occupation. occupation can tell you about your ancestor' s social and economic status .
because of the quantity produced and number of years made, nearly all athearn ho blue box kits and ready to run plastic injection molded trains and n scale pieces are easy and inexpensive to obtain. complete' o' scale and ho scale yellow box wood and metal kits from the 1940' s and 50' s are more difficult to find however. the challenge, entertainment and value to collecting athearn trains may lie in locating unbuilt, original mint kit examples with all the parts and paperwork. this would include the athearn, model die casting and global lines .
in this ever changing hobby, sometimes vintage is indeed better. if you hook up 6 old athearn santa fe streamlined passenger cars to a super chief, you won' t be disappointed .
having said that my entire passenger fleet is athearn cars, both streamlined and heavyweight. the cars remain a bargain compared with the walthers, and rapido cars. through careful bidding on e - bay, i acquired enough equipment to outfit three 4 car trains for around $ 100. so for the cost of two to three walthers or rapido cars, i got 12 athearn cars .
and the funny thing is, the very next issue, jan' 55, the globe ad no longer has the athearn reference. and lindsey also released a power chassis for the globe model .
i' m not sure what the issue is with some of the haters on here but i have had the best results from all of athearn' s lines. maintain and do upkeep on the locomotive
the athearn streamline passenger cars are loosly based on santa fe cars. only the rpo and baggage are the correct length. the coach, diner, & observation are shortened by about 12 scale feet .
on my postwar era dcc ho layout today, about 25 percent of the cars are athearn bb, and about another 10 percent are athearn derived cars from bev - bel, etc. all have kds, slightly weathered trucks, and a spray of dull cote. imho, they look just fine, and are easily the most reliable runners. and yet, some of them are
pushing 50
!
i' m pretty sure the athearn cars you mention are the same as the ones available now. fwiw the old athearn (and mdc for that matter) cars and engines usually had not - too - hot lettering before the 1990' s. athearn in particular used a kind of milky white for lettering (like white on a brown boxcar) that bled thru and didn' t look very good at all. most
serious
modelers back in the day bought undec kits and decorated them using champ or walthers decals. in recent years, the
rtr
cars have had much much better decoration .
menteer & voelckel' s company is now called model die casting, inc. and resumes production of the roundhouse products line by summer. irv athearn becomes a full - time retailer of model railroading supplies .
on july 2, athearn purchases the f - unit tooling by paul lubliner from highliners to be used in the genesis line. highliners retains the rights to sell the f - units in undecorated kit form .
census records can give you a fascinating window into the day - to - day lives of your athearn ancestors - like hours worked per week, level of education, veteran status, employers, and more .
athearn introduces the plastic - bodied rdc - 1 and rdc - 3, powered by the hi - f drive, and a plastic version of the 200 - ton crane, replacing the metal rdcs and crane .
some may laugh at honoring these older athearn items. the metal sideframes that frequently sparked as they ran and could short out with some degree of ease. the wide body shells and clunky handrails. the now crude appearing tampo stamp printing of heralds and lettering. however, if you grew up on these athearn models you' ll appreciate the charm of these features today. they' re fun to collect too. because of the quantity produced and number of years made, nearly all these athearn pieces are easy and inexpensive to obtain. the challenge and entertainment may be in locating unbuilt, mint examples with all the paperwork, etc .
the athearn cars run well and are easily detailed into very nice models if you are happy with their freelanced nature. i prefer them until and unless i can buld a layout with all 60
radius curves .
on june 14, model die casting is purchased by horizon hobby. the roundhouse name will be used only for ho - scale pre - wwii products, with the rest of the roundhouse line under the athearn name .
not to prolong things, but since i am jus tnow hittign the mid - 50' s in reading through the mr 75 year dvd set, i came across the first mr ad which globe and athearn are mentioned - dec 54, an add for the f7, which has the globe models logo, underneath which it says
an athearn quality product
. this was a powered f7 model now, not the original globe unpowered version .
growing up in new zealand in the 1960' s we were limited to marklin and fleischmann for european modellers, hornby dublo or triang for british and fleischmann or triang for north american. athearn or other us models were quite rare .
good point paul, those did slip my mind as the op seemed interested in athearn history. both are i believe making those kits pretty much as they were produced in the late 40' s early 50' s so they would be older .
periodically athearn would rerun production (almost all of it batch i believe) and change the number of the cars, and perhaps add some new rr heralds. this was great for building up long trains of similar cars - but with different road numbers .
the athearn pullman is very odd indeed, as the window layout on the sides are identical, leaving no provision for compartments or rooms on one side, and the corridor on the other. there were never any short pullman sleepers. it is an approximation .
just so everyone is clear, the athearn heavyweight rpo is 67 scale feet long and is actually a rpo - baggage combine. the rpo end is close, but not exact for a 30' rpo section. closing up a window or two makes it closer .
professor athearn was one of the founders as well as past president of the western history association, and during his career held numerous positions on historical committees, academic societies, and editorial boards. his impact as a teacher was equally great, he instructed thousands of undergraduate students over the years, and trained a score of contemporary western historians in the profession he loved. as part of his legacy, dr. athearn endowed a lectureship in the department of history at the university of colorado at boulder to be held on topics in western history .
please note that this site was created for use by those with an interest in ho - scale model trains and does not necessarily represent the current athearn line available today. the author is not affiliated with, nor representing athearn and / or horizon hobby in any way. this site is intended for your enjoyment and information only. images and information presented on this site comes from a variety of sources including magazines, internet, catalogs, visitor input, and the author' s collection. site copyright (c) 2013 ho - scale trains resource
iirc the athearn rpo is 63', the baggage car is 67', and the coach is 70' or 72' - all quite correct for heavyweight cars. the diner, sleeper and observation cars are 80' cars shortened to the same length as the coach .
it is interesting to read about people' s priorities. the athearn cars seem to appeal to kitbashers as raw material, or to guys who are not that concerned with passenger car accuracy, being more concerned with other things. not that there' s anything wrong with that !
while the majority of the athearn cars aren' t based on specific prototypes, with the exception of the heavyweight pullman, they capture the flavor of a number of cars. they are also shorter then most prototype cars, a concession to the sharp curves common to many model railroads .
athearn introduces the gp60, gp50 phase ii and c44 - 9w. the dd40 is released with flywheels. in september, the non - flywheel version of the f7 is discontinued. from this point on, the only difference between the standard and super - powered f7s is the large weight .
heavyweight passenger, streamlined passenger, warbonnet and iron horse are all train model types that the athearn company is very famous for releasing. locomotives, rolling stock, vehicles and accessories all fall under the ho scale and wave been well produced by the athearn company. the very current model is the genesis which now comes with tsunami sound as well as dcc controllers from sound traxx. some of the most sought after kits are the ho ready to roll type which because of their brilliant paint schemes, numbering decals, detailed air hoses, mu hoses and coupler lifting bars became popular amongst enthusiasts .
an unusually short lifespan might indicate that your athearn ancestors lived in harsh conditions. a short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. the ssdi is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. you can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more .
©2018 horizon hobby, llc. athearn, genesis and ready to roll are registered trademarks of horizon hobby, llc. soundtraxx and tsunami are registered trademarks of throttle up! corp. the union pacific mark and other marks owned by union pacific are made under trademark license from union pacific rail ...
if not slightly off topic from the athearn history question, how does tichy and gould fit together, i recently assembly a pair of the tichy ore cars, and they had
gould company
stamped on the bottom. i assumed the original mold is was still being used when this kit was produced .
very rarely do we get to earn a living from something we are passionate about like irv athearns did. with his mindset and company he set and produced a product of respected and high quality. these standards were set and still hold true in today' s model train industry. r. i. p irv athearn .
many modelers would answer to the question
how accurate ?
-
not very .
aside from the incorrect length, the choices are somewhat limited, and athearn hasn' t added any new variations for a long time. . for example, there are no combines (combination baggage / passenger car), lounge cars, parlor cars, dormitory cars, etc. the pullman car is a 12 - 1 whereas there were many variations of the pullman interior layout. on the positive side, athearn cars are available in a wide variety of road names, come in steam era and streamline versions, are affordable, and operate on narrow radius curves .
ok, i checked the athearn website and they do call the rpo (which i agree is an rpo - baggage combine) a 67' car, and it calls all the other cars (including the baggage car) 70' cars. of course, many people say these cars are 72' long... ? ?
i have several athearn streamliner and heavyweight passenger kits and i was just curious how accurate are they? are they based on prototype cars or the whimsy of model railroad car designers. the heavyweight round roof cars remind me of some similar looking coaches i saw in late 1960' s on the c & o near bellaire or brutus michigan .
at one time the instruction sheets were dated and on checking some of my bb kits it seems that some of athearn' s current offerings have been around for a long time. for example i understand the rtr acf centerflow covered hopper is essentially an assembled version of the bb kit, which according to the instructions dates to 1973 or earlier .
main trouble is, if i set up all my athearn streamliners on my main behind my alco pa - 1 or f - m c - liner passsenger units, both a - a lash - ups, a passenger in the dome - observation could just about stick a hand out the tail end and touch the nose of the lead loco .
the steel baggage car was the easiest, made from the leftover halves of two athearn baggage cars - you' ll notice that the doors are the same size. i don' t recall where the other two halves went, but most likely to make another wood - sided car - for them, only the roof and ends were used .
you searched for: athearn ho train! etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and one - of - a - kind products and gifts related to your search. no matter what you’re looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. let’s get started !
athearn introduces the hi - f belt drive for the f7, and the gp9 and hustler locomotives. a number of plastic car kits are released, including the cupola caboose, 40' box car, 3 - dome tank car, heavy - duty flat car, 40' steel refrigerator car, and the streamlined rpo, coach, vista dome and observation .
funny thing... ... i have a lot of walthers atsf light / heavy passenger cars which are more prototypical (spell ?). however, having a bli 4 - 8 - 4 pull that string of athearn heavyweights is one of my favorite sights. i suspect its because
i built them
, but in any case, they get used a lot .
streamliners - these are totally freelanced and selectively compressed for sharper curves. virtually all streamlined cars where / are 85' long. everyone has their own views about this aspect of the hobby but i use shorter passenger cars like athearn even though i have 36
radius curves. remember, a 36
radius curve in ho is a very sharp, restricted speed curve on the prototype .
authenticity, value and quality. they are all key to the athearn ready to roll® ho lineup, which consists of a broad selection of fully assembled diesel locomotives, rolling stock and vehicles. the ready to roll line represents the diesel - transition era to today. it features the most exciting and attractive eras of railroading. all models are ready to hit the track right out of the box .
condition: used, condition: really new old stock. i only put used due to me putting the railings, accessories on and upgraded to kadee couplers, only ran to test. , brand: athearn, type: locomotives u28c union pacific # 2802, gender: boys & girls, model: u28c union pacific # 2802 diesel locomotive, mpn: 3422, country of manufacture: united states
this post features a brief history of two of the major manufacturers of ho - scale model trains: athearn and model die casting (aka roundhouse products). both of these manufacturers were acquired by horizon hobby in 2004. this history was compiled from the manufacturers’ own websites, old versions of manufacturer websites found at the internet archive, hoseeker. net and old magazine articles and catalogs of my own .
athearn cars fill a niche market. that being said, they are not full length. they are intended for people who have really sharp curves (usually less than 22
). they are fair in detail. i don' t personally own any but know of several people that have them. they are not based on any particular prototype. they do roll smoothly and you can add an interior .
intricately detailed and fully assembled models make up the athearn n scale line. from locomotives to rolling stock�and even a selection of highly detailed vehicles�these models will make any trackside scene more realistic. they are hobby - quality items sure to provide family fun for a long time. each n scale model is packed with cool features like separately applied details and soundtraxx® tsunami® sound. many are dcc - ready with or without sound .
the wood - sided cars, as noted, use only the athearn roof and ends - the sides are removed, although i sometimes salvage some of the window frames, as windows in baggage cars were fairly common in my modelling era. the sides are evergreen styrene car siding, along with various sizes of styrene strip, and the doors are built - up mostly from sheet styrene. the floors and underframes are scratchbuilt, with added details from psc and new england rail service. i got a half dozen - or - so used athearn pullmans and coaches, along with two baggage cars and modified them all at the same time, so i couldn' t say how long it took for any particular car. the cnr cars probably took the longest, as i had photos from which to work, so included some additional underbody detail :
genesis is the top - of - the - line athearn brand. genesis® ho - scale steam and diesel locomotives and rolling stock take model realism to the highest level. they are world - famous for highly developed features, prototypical detailing and real life sound. genesis locomotives are available with your choice of dcc - ready or dual - function dc / dcc decoder, soundboard and speaker. this level of authenticity is simply unparalleled .
athearn introduces the hi - f belt (rubber - band) drive for the f7, and the gp9 (actually a gp7) and hustler locomotives. a number of plastic car kits are released including the cupola caboose, 40' box car, 3 - dome tank car, heavy - duty flat car, 40' steel refrigerator car (with operating doors) and the streamlined rpo, coach, vista dome and observation .
additionally, i too detail my athearn cars with working diaphragms from american limited, close couple them with body mounted kadee couplers on jaybee mounting pads, install intermountain wheelsets, kadee brake shoes, vestibule interior doors and / or tail gates, mail hooks on rpo' s, ad underbody details from cal scale, lighting to some, custom paint them for my freelanced atlantic central or the roads we interchange with and they look and run great .
the heavy weight clearstory roof cars are quite convincing to my eye. i rode plenty of locals, commuters, and intercity passenger trains with clearstory heavyweight cars that looked a heck of lot like the athearn models. some selective compression was done to improve performance on 18 inch curves. but it isn' t much and the result is very realistic. the round roof and streamline cars are perfectly respectable models but the clearstory heavyweights are my favorites .
the passenger cars are a little on short side compared to the prototype, but this doesn' t bother me, they run on virtually any curves, no overhang, very reliable, sturdy cars. some of them come with light bulbs inside, some of the bulbs work, some don' t out of the box. when the cars do light up, they look amazing and you can' t beat athearn when it comes to prices. very affordable and reliable .
in the heavyweight days, unlike later streamliners, rpo and baggage cars were usually 70' or less, coaches and combines were normally right around 70' long, though some 80' certainly were made. iirc the athearn rpo is 63', the baggage car is 67', and the coach is 70' or 72' - all quite correct for heavyweight cars. the diner, sleeper and observation cars are 80' cars shortened to the same length as the coach .
they are quite easy to use for kit bashing. in fact, i have an athearn combine, a two - unit articulated chair car, a three - unit articulated diner, a four roomette with lounge car, and a dome - observation. also, i have a couple floor sections that can be set up with chair details and maybe some siding, replicating some open - air railfan cars i' ve seen photos of. maybe with the addition of some wire' u' s and northeastern hollow caboose roof .
close, but actually, regarding athearn heavyweights, the rpo is 67' and uses a unique floor. all the rest are 72'. the baggage and diner share a floor with no steps, the two coaches and pullman share a floor with steps at both ends and the observation has a unique floor for the open platform. the coach floor and the baggage floor will interchange with the obvious mismatch regarding the lack or presence of steps. having done many kit bashes these facts have long been ingraned in my data banks .
the late prof. robert g. athearn (1914–1983) was a professor of western history at the university of colorado at boulder from 1947 until his retirement in 1982. an extraordinarily productive scholar, his publications included westward the briton (1953), union pacific country (1971) the coloradans (1976), the denver and rio grande western railroad: rebel of the rockies (1977), the mythic west in twentieth century america (1986), and william tecumseh sherman and the settlement of the west (reprint 1995) .
may i add... ...... ...... i got into ho right after athearn began their plastic kits. wow, they were (are) so cool back then. for the money, you got a reasonably detailed kit that was extremely reliable - even with the fully sprung metal trucks and nmra coupler. later on, they began using the delrin trucks and kds were a viable add on by the purchaser. that was - and still is - a terrific combination for a layout
runner
.
model railroading is a timeless hobby. it' s a favorite pastime that has been shared by fathers and sons, grandparents and grandchildren, and friends young and old. everyone remembers their first train set. that' s why for more than 60 years, we' ve delivered a wide range of top - quality models in a variety of scales. athearn® trains share the detail, high - quality and value that appeal to all modelers. wherever you go in the hobby - from buying your first set to building your dream layout - we' re here to help you every step of the way .
i was mentioning how i have been building (and bashing) the athearn streamliners since my grade school days, when they first came out under the globe name, had cast metal dummy knuckle couplers, and the bodies had 2 sides, 2 ends, a floor, and a roof as the major parts. maybe they aren' t 100% prototypical, are shorter than most similar full scale streamliners (and heavy weights), but look good on the 18
curves. in fact, they operated trouble - free on 15
curves on one of my early 4' x 6' layouts .
i have 7 - 8 athearn streamlined passenger pennsy cars and i absolutely love them. they have weight (unlike ihc), they don' t wobble, they look great. the only tips i have are to replace their couplers with kadee couplers, this is an easy task and it makes all the difference. also, on some of the eastern roads like the prr and n & w, the car sets come with dome cars, which i have heard is not prototypical, so i don' t use the dome car, instead i replace it with another regular passenger to make the train longer .
heavyweights - these cars are also freelanced and do not directly represent any specific prototype - but they are closer to many prototypes than the streamliners for several reasons. one, pullman and other heavyweight builders used standard parts like underframes, ends, vestibule doors, and side panels to make up most cars. two, not all heavyweights where 85' long, in fact, take away pullman sleepers and pullman built diners, lounges and observations and you find more than half the coaches, baggage cars, combines, rpo' s, where less than 80', with many beng in the 70' to 75' range. the athearn cars are 72' .
and yes, a large portion of the current athearn rtr line goes all the way back to those original plastic kits. without trying to exactly date each one, both 40' petrolium tank cars, 40' stock car, bay window and
western
style caboose, 40' and 50' flat cars w / trailers, boats, planes, 40' steel reefer, the streamlined and heavyweight passenger cars, 200 ton crane (originally all metal), crane tender caboose, derrick car, pulpwood car, 40' quad hopper, pickle car, rotary snow plow, and the 50' doulbe door box car, all go back to the late 50' s and early 60' s. and have only seen the most minor changes and upgrades since their introduction .
roundhouse has been dedicated to crafting models with the finest care since 1938. the roundhouse® brand emphasizes the early years of steam era railroading and offers collectors quality products at a genuine value .
mchenry offers a trusted line of quality, long - lasting ho - scale model railroad couplers. the lineup includes mchenry® n scale couplers too. mchenry products are known for being easy to use, effective and affordable .
musicians jerry joice and perry bodkin establish a hobby store called roundhouse at 1301 north catalina street in hollywood, california. the business is soon taken over by part - time employees c. h. menteer and c. a. voelckel. shortly after assuming leadership, they are hired to build models for cecil b. demille' s film union pacific .
roundhouse products introduces its ho - scale 0 - 6 - 0 steam locomotive as a brass and lead alloy kit .
the globe models f7 is introduced as an unpowered kit. a gear drive is added later .
mchenry begins offering n scale couplers. new tooling announcements�genesis fp7; gp15 - 1; ready to roll veranda turbine; gatc 2600 airslide covered hopper; rtc 20, 900 gallon acid tank car; 33, 900 gallon lpg tank car early & late versions; 40' wood chip hopper; ho yard tractor; grain truck n gatc 2600 airslide covered hopper; acf 2970 covered hopper; 40' wood chip hopper; 33, 900 gallon lpg tank car early & late versions; bay window caboose
genesis ho scale locomotives and rolling stock are noted for their top - of - the - line features, finely nuanced detailing and prototypical sound .
delivering high - value model trains for enthusiasts who demand quality at affordable prices .
mchenry offers a full line of quality, long - lasting ho scale model railroad couplers. to view the full product list, click the link below .
stay up - to - date with the best in model railroading. sign up today for our e - newsletter and print mailings .
find soundtraxx user guides, a dcc - equipped start guide, technical references, and much more .
dear visitors! we are always updating our site inventory. if you cannot find an item you want please call us at 718 - 436 - 7072 for information or email us at orders @ urltoken
model railroading is a timeless hobby. it' s a favorite pastime that has been shared by fathers and s ...
1600 forbes way, ste 120 (328. 60 mi) long beach, california 90810
i like the road specific details, however, i also liked the old blue box days, when you could customize your own. it was a lot easier to drop $ 35. 00 on a loco, and then add $ 35. 00 worth of details ,
derstand why gp7s have gone up 70 dollars or more... . no
y! the genesis line is a beautiful line with beautiful sounds, details and models. heck even the boxes are incredible
s again if they have esu loksound in them. i did have the fef up # 844 and i had nothing but problems out of it the whole tim
e. i just got it december 2017. could not get the sounds to work right and it even made other locomotive
ers go crazy till i took the new run fef up # 844 off the layout all togather .
need to bring back a blue box style loco again. like the details on the current lines but would also love to be able to detail one out like the good old days
i wish they would bring back the old blue box kits. i can' t afford the new high priced ones, and i don' t need sound and all the other tech .
issue this is why i' ve been buying athern product since i was a kid. . this guy deserves a pat on the back for his customer service
been a solid customer since 2004. and still the quality and details are top notch. best in value ho brand hands down.
athearn is a united states manufacturer of model railroad equipment , produced and distributed by american hobby manufacturer horizon hobby , inc. of champaign , illinois , usa . 
athearn is a united states manufacturer of model railroad equipment, produced and distributed by american hobby manufacturer horizon hobby, inc. of champaign, illinois, usa.
athearn is a united states manufacturer of model railroad equipment, produced and distributed by american hobby manufacturer horizon hobby, inc. of champaign, illinois, usa.