The collapse of Athearn / what happened to some of their locomotives...RETIRED

[AntonioFP45]

Guys, let's not create urban legend.

The explanation has been presented already.

1. Athearn was purchased by Horizon.
2. The wide body molds are AThearns and were not purchased by any other manufacturer.
3. The Atlas and P2K diesel locomotive models are made from new tooling and molds in China.
4. There's just no comparison between the Athearn and Atlas GE U-Boats! (I own both!) With all due respect....that's like comparing a Ford Taurus to a Lexus LS400!
4. Athearn and P2K axles are interchangeable and there's plenty in stock from Walthers.
5. Some of the old Blue Box loco lines, like the Cowl Units "seem" to be retired, though Athearn did not officially announce it. Undecs or painted bodies no longer seem to be available though it's worth a check at Athearn's website.

On the Bright Side: I've seen LOADS of Athearn Blue Box units on Ebay. I bought a pair of FP45s for $20+ dollars! With today's standards, the "wide BBs" can be bought at bargain base prices by smart shoppers.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

Undecs or painted bodies no longer seem to be available though it's worth a check at Athearn's website.

Here are the undecorated shells that Horizon Hobby lists on its website.

[AntonioFP45]

Cool, Eric. Thanks for the heads up.

The only headache that's been duanting from the past however, is getting those items. I've tried getting undecs years back but apparently they'd sell out quickly.

[emdgp92]

I've had no problems getting Athearn parts. My local hobby shop (A.B. Charles & Son near Pittsburgh, PA) has been in business for 60 years and they have a huge store of repair parts. I don't know if they have painted shells, but just about everything else is available, at minimum cost.

One thing I've noticed about Athearn's blue-box kits, is that many locomotive parts are similar. That is, a truck from an EMD switcher will fit a Baldwin switcher...with the only difference being the sideframes.

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by emdgp92

One thing I've noticed about Athearn's blue-box kits, is that many locomotive parts are similar. That is, a truck from an EMD switcher will fit a Baldwin switcher...with the only difference being the sideframes.

That was one thing I always liked about Athearn, and even MDC, the standardized parts. Though I'm sure a lot of people wondered why the heck they got a smoke stack with a covered hopper... [:o)]

I once worked for Walthers, and wondered why they never bothered to design things that way back in those days... Nowadays, everything has to have a different design for each model anyways, otherwise it's not "prototypical" enough...