ModelRailroader.com Reader Poll – January 8, 2004

[Anonymous]

The change in ownership won't effect me unless they go into large scale.

I've use Athearn products in the past and was very pleased with their value. Hopefully the operations for their core line will remain here, but as with the Lionel move it is a matter of being competative in a maket which lives on spending from desposable, non essential, spare funds.

All we can do is wait and see

[Anonymous]

IAthearn has been regarded as a good quality manufacturer at a decent price. While their products were not considered top of the line they were always looked at as a decent product at a reasonable price. I hope this continues with Horizon. To often a manufacturer uses a good name to make a cheaper product. In short I am scared.
While Athearn did make a good product, I have recently had problems with their customer service

[Anonymous]

Athearn has always been a model name you could trust for quality, especially for the entrance level modeler. Only time will tell if some other provider will be required to fill this need due to this company buy out.

Roll on old New Haven

[Anonymous]

I'm uneasy about this sale, as I've seen too many "suits" who know nothing about a business they've bought, and only look at ways to squeze every penny out of the bottom-line...and after they bleed it dry, they sell off a totally ruined company.
I also agree with the poster who asked "how lazy are we that we need more RTR?" I may be in the minority, but I still enjoy BUILDING kits! Maybe the days of the $3.99 blue box kit are long gone, but even I, as a working adult, have a difficult time justifying $25 or more for a single box car kit that I don't even get to build - so how can a kid on an allowance get into the hobby? If the price structure when I started in this hobby was what it is now, I probably would done something else.

[Allen Jenkins]

Maybe this will put some pep in their step and get on with the Rail Power Products line of Diesel electric locomotives, so faithfully crafted by Mr Dana Stark & Family. Personally I hope all the line is re-introduced! And even more to come! It is a great time to model, fallen flags, fly on! Enjoy your hobby!

[Anonymous]

One can't help but wonder why the sale of Athearn to a company relatively unknown to the model RR community. Did Athearn over extend itself in capital spending, and needed an infusion of cash; thus a lucrative offer from Horizon? Or was it running away from getting swallowed up by Walthers, but for the same reason?
Regardless of the cause, the effect will be eventual higher cost and limited distribution by discount distributors.

[Anonymous]

The part that I don't like is that my favorite discount house will no longer be able to sell Athearn products because he does not have a store front. This is always bad.
It's the hobby stores that will bear the brunt of this. I can't forsee this as a good thing.

[Anonymous]

I am not really sure how the purchase of Athearn by Horizon will affect me purchasing more models. Some times mergers or buyouts seem to be good, but so many others seem to only benefit the CEOs.

As for the choices of this poll, a third choice of "Not Sure" would have been appropriate for me.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot of uncertainty about this merger of manufacturer and distributor. I'm hoping they are wise enough to maintain the quality of the Athearn products especially with their moves into the N-scale arena and try to hold the price line relatively unchanged. Time will tell....

[Anonymous]

for one thing, this will hurt BEV-BEL. i think it also means that there will be changes for the future. a lot of us are dreading this. just when athearn is getting the RTR line off to a good start, the tragedy hits. corporate takeovers have happened in the real railroads, now, the athearn fans have to deal with it on their layout!! buyouts do not belong in this hobby. it makes it more expensive, or quality deficient. it's the end of a great era. i got my "real" start in the hobby thanks to athearn. i still think it is painful that american model train equipment is made overseas. now, maybe the "bluebox" line will have a new "home"? we all dread this, which ruins quality control, and innovation of a great hobby asset. let's see what happens. i don't like the sound of this greedy stunt which kills tradition. thanks IRV, for everything you have done, and supplied us with!

[Anonymous]

Athearn's Genesis and ready to roll lines are excellent products but what will
happen to the blue box kits ? If these affordable and quality items aren't available for beginners will they take up the hobby or pick another? I wanted to buy two undecorated
Athearn engines to paint for my favorite road and learned that they are not readily
available. One shop told me that everything is going to limited run ready to roll and
they couldn't get any undecs . If distributer's and shops have a hard time getting en-
ines and cars now what will the future bring?

[Anonymous]

As to my knowledge they were a model airplane company. I think prices will go up. They didn,t have knowledge of trains. They will now worry more about selling and rasing prices and not quality and new products

[Anonymous]

For other modelers, especially beginners, I hope not. For them, they make a good, solid entry level locomotive.
Personally, I'm pretty much done with Athearn. They have been clearly outclassed by Proto and Spectrum steam. As far as diesels are concerned. I'm getting to old to shave and drill for grabs, horns, wipers and such. Especially when I can get Atlas and others with the stuff already on it. The way I look at it, by the time I go out and find all the detail parts, install them, replace the wheels and modify the motor to run quietly with a lower amp draw, its iffy if its worth it.[:(] Then when I figure in my time,,that $35.00 Athearn engine is NO bargain.[V]
Yes, the new RTR rolling stuff is very nice, [8D]but I think that the higher prices they call for wont change much. The competition is closely priced, economics should keep that in check.
It's the blue box stuff that probably will jump 50 to 100% later this year.

[JDCoop]

I'm taking a wait and see approach as far as the products and pricing. I don't believe (and this only opinion) that we are going to see massive price increases. In the beginning, they will want to continue and build business with their newly purchased line and doubling prices will not accompli***hat. I think that product development will improve/increase, but that is just my own speculation. I think that the hardest hit will be distributors. The owner of my LHS stated that one of his distributors relies on Athearn for 50% of his business. I think that you will see elimination and consolidation in distributors. My LHS already has an account setup with Horizon so I doubt I'll see any impact in the availability of Athearn products on his shelves although this could impact other shops who can't or won't set up an account with Horizon. I think a few years down the road you will see more and better Athearn product being produced with slight to moderate price increases...but I've been wrong before.

[Anonymous]

Will this mean that Athearn will soon be available at Wal-mart? What will that do the the small local hobby store? I guess that it is better than being bought out by Walthers!

[piinob]

The biggest reason I consistantly hear from people who do not become model railroaders is the prices of the products. I realize that everyone must make a profit, but the fact is, for most of us it is all about value. Athearn has always offered one of the best value product lines. If the new owners try to jack the prices up and hold them there, the competitors will take away market share. This is a relatively limited market.

[Anonymous]

I hope horizon will continue to produce the quality of models I have come to expect from athearn. I will be greatly sadened if the quality should fall suddenly in the not to distant future. I like others will wait and see. I have been purchasing athearn products for 30 years and will continue, unless they begin to change for the worst. I will hope for better though.

[holland]

i hope they expand the kits and go away from the ready to roll products ,so they can charge more .are we getting this lazy that we need more and more ready to roll and ready to run

[Anonymous]

I voted a qualified NO, in the hopes that Horizon continues the qualityand competitiveness of Athearn. I would hate to see a change for the worse.

[Anonymous]

I agree with most of the replies to this poll. Here's hoping that Horizon Hobbies knows enough to leave well enough alone at Athearn and just distribute the product. Leave the product research, design, and manufacturing in the hands of those who know best. Athearn is a cornerstone in HO scale and making some great inroads in N scale. Let's NOT see an interloper come in and screw up one of the best product lines ever seen in model railroading.

[Anonymous]

I just hope Athearn continues to expand all of their product lines, Blue Box kits, Ready to roll and Genesis. They have alway been good products but a lot of the lines have evolved in excellent products. I too hope Horizon holds prices to a reasonable level.

[Anonymous]

Long ago when I modelled HO, my locomotives were made by Athearn. Now I'm modelling in N and I don't (yet) own a single Athearn product. I don't expect that to change, but I'd be happy if it did.

[Anonymous]

I Hope the sale does not stop the great Engines I really enjoy running and the enjoyment of putting well detaied cars together.
One consilation is that the Train shows have been my real market place for the last year or so and I have gotten great deals on Athern products there.
Horizon Hobby is really big Into the R/C Car Market,when I ran 1/10 scale off and On road for 15 years they were quite previlant on the market,but alas most of there stuff was to cheap to be used competativly and I by passed it most fo the time,hope they do not do this with Athern.

[Anonymous]

As an N-scaler I was very happy to see Athearn enter the N-scale market. I was looking forward to many new releases coming our way. Now I am not sure if this trend will continue or will they back off to look after the HO market. One can only hope that things continue on a course that was set up by the folks at Athearn.

I do not think I have ever heard of this company "Horizon Hobby" so I do not have any idea of what to expect from them. Guess we will have to wait and see.

STAN

[Anonymous]

I expect that a distributor of hobby materials will understand his market, so the purchase should mean continued performance and improvement.
To buy an asset like Athearn to do otherwise does not make sense.
If the new buyers allow the business to deteriorate and they lose money then they have themselves to blame.
Modellers will look to other suppliers who will come and fill the bill if that happens.

[Anonymous]

When a company makes a purchase such as this, they will not do anything to dimini***he value of the purchase. I would expect the quality to be maintained or improved, and the prices to remain at current or lower levels. Mantua would be a good example of this.

[Anonymous]

I am unsure about this sale. I understand the They will cut off all distributors. I see the competative pricing I get from online sellers disappearing. I see a jump in the prices.

Jeff

[Anonymous]

I do not feel good about the sale. Irv held prices down for many, many years, allowing thousands of people to enter the hobby with product that looked fairly good and tracked well. I realize that the comparison of an Athearn box car with an InterMountain would show up many faults. I also know that an Athearn car at $5.00 would allow for newcomers to get into the field, whereas buying $20.00 cars makes it a little harder for those who have to watch their money. Time will tell, I hope my fears are groundless.

[Anonymous]

FOR MANY YEARS ATHERN HAS MADE GOOD QUALITY MODELS AND HAS IMPROVED THE QUALITY CONCIDERABLY. IT HAS BEEN UNFORTUNATE THAT THE PRICE HAS GONE SO HIGH. I WAS SORRY TO SEE THE MAJORITY OF LOCOS (ALL MANUFACTURES) MOVE TO PRICES OVER $50. I ONLY SEE THE PRICES MOVING HIGHER, A DETRIMENT TO OUR HOBBY. I JUST HOPE THE PRICE AND AVAILIBILTY REMAIN STABLE, AND THE NEW OWNER REMAIN FINANCIALLY HEALTHY.

GREG..............THE NICKLE PLATE LIVES ON!

[Anonymous]

I hope the sale dosent effect the cost of thier products. I have been saving for a new engine!