I just got the new release Email from Athearn, there is an interesting change in a new release of a product they have made for a while now.
https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw86f9a415/announcements/july-2024/06_ATHHO_1950sft_Taxi_062824.pdf
This car is a model of a 1956/57 CHECKER A8 taxi cab/sedan.
Why are they no longer indentifing it as a CHECKER?
https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw82373d98/blog-pdfs/16_Checker_Cab_121509.pdf
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRAL I just got the new release Email from Athearn, there is an interesting change in a new release of a product they have made for a while now. https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw86f9a415/announcements/july-2024/06_ATHHO_1950sft_Taxi_062824.pdf This car is a model of a 1956/57 CHECKER A8 taxi cab/sedan. Why are they no longer indentifing it as a CHECKER? https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw82373d98/blog-pdfs/16_Checker_Cab_121509.pdf Sheldon
Rich
Alton Junction
Hubba, hubba! $13 to $30. Let's hear it for inflation. The world's only process where expansion is also contraction.
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL I just got the new release Email from Athearn, there is an interesting change in a new release of a product they have made for a while now. https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw86f9a415/announcements/july-2024/06_ATHHO_1950sft_Taxi_062824.pdf This car is a model of a 1956/57 CHECKER A8 taxi cab/sedan. Why are they no longer indentifing it as a CHECKER? https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/dw82373d98/blog-pdfs/16_Checker_Cab_121509.pdf Sheldon Royalties? Rich
Royalties?
I don't know? I don't know who, if anyone, still owns the trademarks or copyrights. I have made an inquiry with some Checker people I know.
There is a company that makes some Checker parts, who also restores Checkers, and who also has advertised that they are working on bringing back reproductions and/or new versions of the car.
My early understanding was that the Markin family (family of the original owner/founder) had licensed them to use the name on the cars. So maybe the family still controls that?
But models of all scales have been made of these cars for decades. It would be interesting if they paid for a license to make them and it has expired? That is very complex law at this point.....
Attuvian1 Hubba, hubba! $13 to $30. Let's hear it for inflation. The world's only process where expansion is also contraction.
Well agreed, but that is a discussion for a different forum. 1968 to now, everything is times 10......
Did the Yellow Cab Co. use Checker-built cabs, or did they use another builder? I see the 2010 ad shows several Checker cabs, the new one a couple of Yellow Cabs and then some other decorations. I don't know the answer, but I know Yellow and Checker Cab companies were rivals.
Maybe if Yellow didn't use Checker-built cabs, Athearn figures their old Checker cab design would be 'close enough' to get by?
Interesting in the 2024 ad, they felt they had to explain what a taxicab was....
wjstixInteresting in the 2024 ad, they felt they had to explain what a taxicab was...
Uber??!!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
wjstix Did the Yellow Cab Co. use Checker-built cabs, or did they use another builder? I see the 2010 ad shows several Checker cabs, the new one a couple of Yellow Cabs and then some other decorations. I don't know the answer, but I know Yellow and Checker Cab companies were rivals. Maybe if Yellow didn't use Checker-built cabs, Athearn figures their old Checker cab design would be 'close enough' to get by? Interesting in the 2024 ad, they felt they had to explain what a taxicab was....
The answer to that question is complex and depends on the year. Originally Checker was in both the cab business and the car building business. But the government forced them out of the cab business and other changes ended the "taxi wars". By the time this car was made, Yellow Cab and Checker Cab were completely different companies than the 1920's rivals.
After that Checker made cabs for all operators in all the major cities as well as independent operators. They also sold a version of the car to the private market, I owned three of them.
It was a much better cab than anything from the major builders - both mechanically and in purpose design. It featured easy entry large doors, leg room for you and a suitcase, a flat backseat floor with no drive shaft "tunnel" and was built from a collection of the most heavy duty parts in the auto industry.
It was a 250,000 mile car in an era of 100,000 mile cars.
My father bought our family's first one brand new in 1969, it looked just like this. Yes they made station wagons too.
One other note, the whole "taxi war" thing happened in the 1920's well before the iconic "Checker Cab" people recognize today. Checker ended up buying Yellow Cab in 1929.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_Motors_Corporation
The 1956 A8 and all the following cars are based on the same core design, necessary after New York limited the wheelbase of new cabs to 120".
While constantly improved, the core design remained the same until production ended in 1982.
Checker continued in business making body panels for the major auto makers until 2009.
I do have one of the Athearn models on my layout. As much as I strive for authenticity and accuracy in my railroad models, it's often the automobiles that draw the most interest from visitors. I suppose that's because exposure to cars in an everyday thing, while exposure to trains is rare to most of us.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I 100% agree with comments about the high quality of the old Checker cabs - smooth ride, plenty of head- and leg-room. Plus they just screamed "American taxicab", just like the old Austin FX4 was the classic London taxi.
An earlier Athearn Checker cab adorns my layout's main street. Learned that Checker was an independent mfg. while working an auto parts counter in 71'. If I recall correctly there were some limited parts interchangeability between Checker and GM.
Before Rapido's 2nd run of 'New Look Buses' I inquired about them decorating some in my beloved AC Transit livery, they said they'd love to, but couldn't get AC transit's permission. Not that my lowly email to AC Tranist helped, but guessing permission was granted as the new run includes AC Transit, of which I couldn't wait to preorder one.
Like MisterBeasley, I've also found that my layout's vehicles draw a lot of visitor interest. My daughter rides a Harley Davidson Electra Glide and has asked me more than once when I'm going to get that lady riding an Indian a Harley.
Regards, Peter
Yes, what started out without any GM parts ended up with a lot of GM parts.
Checker fabricated the body and frame. The rest of the car was built from parts from all over the auto industry.
From '56 to '64, they used inline six's from Continental Motors (nothing to do with FORD), an engine manufacturer that goes way back and was used in several other small brands.
In '65, as Checker expanded its place in the private car market, they needed modern and more powerful engines, and Continential Motors was about to end production of their product.
So Checker switched to Chevrolet engines, but used a little known "taxi service" version of the Chevy I6 and small block V8 that used a list of heavier duty parts than the typical production versions. Just imagine the beefed up parts of a Corvette engine but at the lower HP rating of the standard engines - much more durable.
Transmissions, stick shift and automatic, orginally came from Borg Warner, designs also shared with FORD and Studebaker.
Bendix brakes that matched Studebaker, Rear axles from Dana - think 1/2 ton Dodge pickup truck rear axle.
Front suspension - a TRW design, orginally created for 6,000lb Lincolns, also used on other big FORD products and the original T-birds.
In the early 70's, with Studebaker gone and FORD moving on to other designs, the Borg Warner automatic transmission was droped in favor of the GM Turbo-Hydromatic 400 and brakes switched to DELCO.
When safer steering columns were required in 1971, those came from GM.
So from '70 to '82, the drive line used a lot of GM parts, but still had Dana rear axles.
It was this careful selection of heavy duty parts that made the Checker a 250,000 mile car in the age of 100,000 mile cars. Many Cabs were known to go 500,000 miles with minimal engine and transmssion repairs.
Rear outer quarter panel sheet metal bolted on for easy repairs. Changes to the car were only made when necessary. Cab operators could stock minimal parts inventories that fit large ranges of years.
The cars were highly rated by the newly expanding Camping industry, and rated by many as the best vehicle you could buy to pull a camper.
That is why my father bought his first one in 1969 - he got the camping bug. As our family traveled up and down the east coast each summer, we met lots of other campers pulling their trailers with Checker sedans and wagons.
Wikipedia has an interesting Checker history with some photos:
maxman Wikipedia has an interesting Checker history with some photos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_Motors_Corporation
Yes, and there are lots other resources on the web about the car. Google Checker Marathon and you can find out a lot about the private owner versions.
This site has detailed pictures of a 1969 wagon with some very special, but all factory, features.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-checker-marathon-2/
The wagons can carry 4x8 building materials with the tailgate up. Did it many times building my second layout.
How did their pricing compare with contemporary automobiles?
Mark
mvlandsw How did their pricing compare with contemporary automobiles? Mark
Checkers were always a little more expensive than cars from the big three.
My fathers 1969 wagon, equipped as follows:
The sticker price was $3,750.00
He paid a cash price of $3,450.00
That kind of money would have bought a Chevy, FORD, Buick or Pontiac wagon with bit more in options, like A/C, power windows, power seats, power locks, etc.
His car was factory ordered to his list of options. Checker had a long and interesting list of options including a power folding back seat in the wagons, bucket seats, aux rear heat in the sedans, typical power equipment - windows, door locks, seats.
Prior to 1973, the instrument cluster in a Checker was full istrumentation with all Stewart Warner individual round gauges.
https://images.app.goo.gl/Xe1Jv4r1he927TWf9
Cabs were priced a little less than the private market Marathon because they lacked some of the nicer cosmetic features, and were often built in matching batches for a given cab company.
But remember, you were buying a car with a number of more expensive heavy duty parts.
Those "taxi service" Chevy V8 engines were a $300 option if you ordered that in your Impala. Very few passenger cars were coming of the line with a rear axle like the Dana 44 in the Checker, etc.
One other note about these cars - weight and fuel economy.
Before the serious emissions controls about 1972, a Checker weighed between 3,450lb and 3,700lb.
My fathers V8 wagon got 18 mpg city/22 highway.
My 1968 wagon, 6 cylinder, stick shift, no power brakes or steering got 22 mpg city and and 25 highway.
Most Cabs were 6 cylinder powered, and many were stick shift.
So the CHECKER was not some sort of lead sled as many people assume from its appearence. It was similar to or lighter than many other full sized cars of the time.
Back to the Athearn models, $30.00 USD is a lot of money especially when you convert it to Canadian dollars and then add in shipping. I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I'm not that desperate to have Checker cabs on my layout.
Fortunately there are still bargains to be had on eBay, albeit not Checker taxis. I just got two City Classes Dodge 1950s sedans for $12.00 ea and the shipping was quite reasonable (for a change). They are quite nicely done.
My pet peeve with almost all model cars and trucks is that they don't come with drivers or passengers, but that's best addressed in another thread.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter Back to the Athearn models, $30.00 USD is a lot of money especially when you convert it to Canadian dollars and then add in shipping. I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I'm not that desperate to have Checker cabs on my layout. Fortunately there are still bargains to be had on eBay, albeit not Checker taxis. I just got two City Classes Dodge 1950s sedans for $12.00 ea and the shipping was quite reasonable (for a change). They are quite nicely done. My pet peeve with almost all model cars and trucks is that they don't come with drivers or passengers, but that's best addressed in another thread. Cheers!! Dave
Agreed, it is a lot of money.
As for the driver/passenger thing, I have a different view point. As someone building a larger layout, with deep scenery, I apply the three foot rule to most everything on the layout.
Three feet is a typical viewing distance for a lot of layouts, and in my case lots of stuff will be more than three feet away.
Three feet is 261 feet in HO scale. Unless the lighting is perfect, when you look at a car at 261 feet away in real life, you can't really see the occupants of the car.
Same is true of lots of other scenic elements.
Sure, I pay a little more attention to some of the details up close to the layout edge. But I don't care for detail that is made oversized/exaggerated so you can see it. In my view it is better left off.
If I wanted really fine detail, I would model in a larger scale.
I have a number of the Athearn models bought at various price points during their various production runs. These are important details for me becuase while it may not all be detailed for "up close" scrutiny, my scenes are deep to capture more than just the 90' either side of the tracks.
But we all do what we like, there is no wrong approach.
PS - I have no problem with a thread I start going down different paths - it is called conversation.
I bought quite a few of the old Like-Like SceneMaster HO automobiles - Sedans, Coupes and Pick-ups. As Sheldon says, from a few hundred (scale) feet away, they look good at a low cost. Save the more detailed cars for near the aisle scenes.
BTW even the asking price of $3750 in 1969 is less than I would expected for one of those well-built cars. My Dad's 1971 Buick LeSabre cost $4100 as I recall.
wjstix I bought quite a few of the old Like-Like SceneMaster HO automobiles - Sedans, Coupes and Pick-ups. As Sheldon says, from a few hundred (scale) feet away, they look good at a low cost. Save the more detailed cars for near the aisle scenes. BTW even the asking price of $3750 in 1969 is less than I would expected for one of those well-built cars. My Dad's 1971 Buick LeSabre cost $4100 as I recall.
Yes, it was not an unreasonable price, but remember it did not have a lot of the frills of other cars in the same price ranges. If you loaded the Checker up with A/C, the biggst V8, power windows/locks/seats they got expensive real fast. I have several old options lists with the prices.
1969 was the last year of the 60's economy, by 1971 we had "oil crisis" rising gas/oil prices, and general inflation was picking up. So the price of that Buick makes sense, right in the ballpark with a Checker.
I have a lot of those LifeLike SceneMaster autos. I use them mostly for these:
More than enough detail for me. While generic, the smaller car is a dead ringer for a '53/'54 Chevy, and the bigger car looks a lot like a Hudson.
ATLANTIC CENTRALThree feet is 261 feet in HO scale. Unless the lighting is perfect, when you look at a car at 261 feet away in real life, you can't really see the occupants of the car.
I agree but there is something in my head that says that a car driving on a street should have people in it. The cars and trucks on my layout will be less than 30" from the edge of the layout so I will populate the ones that are 'driving'. The majority of them will be parked so no need for people.
hon30critter My pet peeve with almost all model cars and trucks is that they don't come with drivers or passengers, but that's best addressed in another thread. Cheers!! Dave
That's why I keep a big bag of unpainted seated figures around. Inside of a model auto, they are almost invisible but still register to the mind as drivers and passengers. My small collection of Jordan vehicles get drivers easily, because they're kits so adding figures is only a few extra steps. Likewise, adding a "crew" to a convertible isn't much work, either. I've been known to dismantle a few non-kit vehicles just so I can add drivers, too.
Think of it as adding an engineer and fireman to a locomotive.
Well it seems I have figured out most of the answer to my original question.
Athearn introduced the model in 2007/08 and made several production runs in various years after that. When originally introduced Checker Motors Corp was still in business making body panels and welded assemblies for various auto makers, FORD, GM and Chrysler.
Speculation is that the Markin family offered licenses for such products at little cost.
Checker filed bankruptcy in January 2009 and was completely gone by August of 2010.
Adamson Industries of Haverhill MA, a specialty vehicle company who had a history of doing private restoration work on Checkers, aquired the rights to the Checker name, designs, logos, etc, from the Markin family sometime after that. This happened sometime around 2016.
Adamson created a division called Checker Motor Cars and announced plans to bring the car back to the market under new federal regulations making it easier for small manufacturers to build cars.
While talked about and conceptualized, these cars from the new Checker Motor Cars have yet to appear and hints in the Checker community suggest the project is dead in the water.
But Adamson/Checker Motor Cars now owns the marketing rights to the name.
Someone I know in the Checker Community has forwarded my inquiry to the owner of Adamson - no reply yet.
So it seems the simple answer may be that the price of a license is much higher now....
Today at one of the better train stores in my region I picked up a couple of the new release in the police car paint scheme. They will be right at home on the new layout.