keithh9824 I miss the athearn blue box kits i loved them most of my trains before i sold them where athearn blue box starting over again and finding some out there just wished they would come back
I miss the athearn blue box kits i loved them most of my trains before i sold them where athearn blue box starting over again and finding some out there just wished they would come back
I feel your pain, keith9824! One of my biggest enjoyments is building kits. Although the Athearn kits made up the majority of my earlier Freight car roster, I have sold most of them off on Ebay and replaced them with Accurail, E&BT Shops, Branchline, P2K and other more detailed kits. There is very little RTR stuff on my railroad and I like it this way. People will say they like the RTR stuff as it gives them more time to build other things. Whatever, I guess if you like building you like building and it really doesn't matter what your building.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Of the currently-available kits, I like Accurail and Bowser. Red Caboose are nice, too but limited in scope, and Branchline are mostly too modern for my modelling era.Athearn kits are still abundant at train shows, but I much prefer used Athearn (built or unbuilt) and even moreso, used Train Miniature - they can often be had for a couple of bucks and, for what I have in mind, broken details, missing parts, and poor paint jobs are of little consequence. I'm interested in building something, so I usually get a lot of "modelling" for my couple of bucks. Granted, I do spend money on details, material, paint and lettering, etc., but I end up with a decent-looking car and, usually, something unique.One of eight used Athearn boxcars, various roadnames and condition:
An Athearn kit, new in the box, only $3.00 at the hobbyshop. The trucks cost more than twice that, but the cost for material to modify it was only a couple of bucks - lots of modelling for not much money, and a totally unique caboose:
MDC kit, new in box at hobbyshop for $2.00:
Train Miniature, used, four bucks at a train show. Seen here, it's been heavily modified:
I'll buy so-called r-t-r, too, but only if the price is decent or the car is one which I especially want and is otherwise unavailable. Here's a Walthers r-t-r car that got added and corrected details, a different number, and, of course, weathering:
Likewise for this TrueLine CPR caboose - $15.00 slightly used. Supposedly r-t-r, I disassembled it completely to add window shades, then stripped the lettering (and inadvertently the paint on the sides, too. I also painted all of the end detail - platforms, railings, ladders, etc., then re-lettered the car for one of my own roads.
For me, stuff like this keeps the "modelling" in model railroading.
Wayne
Here is an Athearn kit for their standard caboose, modified into a 1000/1050 series Northern Pacific Steel Caboose. Some windows filled and moved, the cupola moved forward, widened to the width of the car body and raised. Ladders and catwalks moved to the opposite side and the end railings completely re-done. I add window glass using clear plastic sheet. I also removed all rivets and molded on grabs and replaced the grabs with wire ones bent from brass wire.
It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject! Fill poorly done at the lower corners of the cupola and at the roof and sides corner on the right side of the photo. Still I feel the model captures the look of the prototype and probably cost $175.00 less than a brass model and fun to do ta-boot! This is the first of three of these cabooses I plan to make from Athearn cabooses. I can only hope the next two will be better!
NP2626 It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject!
It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject!
Amen to that.
I have gotten to the point that I am hesitant to post any close up photos because "flaws" that I cannot even see show up in a photo.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain NP2626 It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject! Amen to that. I have gotten to the point that I am hesitant to post any close up photos because "flaws" that I cannot even see show up in a photo. Rich
Too heck with the rivet counters--Full speed ahead!
People who are critical of others hard work and effort, generally don't show their work because there only real talent is criticism!
NP2626 richhotrain NP2626 It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject! Amen to that. I have gotten to the point that I am hesitant to post any close up photos because "flaws" that I cannot even see show up in a photo. Rich Too heck with the rivet counters--Full speed ahead! People who are critical of others hard work and effort, generally don't show their work because there only real talent is criticism!
So true.
Incidentally, you did a nice job on that caboose.
Nice job on the caboose. To me, it looks like the boys in the paint dept touched up a couple of rough spots by the cupola & were rushed to get it back into service ..... hence the paint mis-match.
Just my observations! ;)
I too miss the BB's. Thankfully there still is Accurail for kits but they don't seem to catch on up here in Canada, at least not in my neck of the woods. This is even after I mentioned them to my LHS.
Oh well!
Gordon
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
I won't critize other modeling since mine is far from "perfect".I will discuss some types of modeling techniques though.
BTW..When I first looked at your caboose photo I thought it was a wooden caboose kit..
I still like those old wooden caboose kits espeically the B&O I-5 caboose by Silver Streak.
I kinda miss those old days.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE NP2626 richhotrain NP2626 It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject! Amen to that. I have gotten to the point that I am hesitant to post any close up photos because "flaws" that I cannot even see show up in a photo. Rich Too heck with the rivet counters--Full speed ahead! People who are critical of others hard work and effort, generally don't show their work because there only real talent is criticism! I won't critize other modeling since mine is far from "perfect".I will discuss some types of modeling techniques though. BTW..When I first looked at your caboose photo I thought it was a wooden caboose kit.. I still like those old wooden caboose kits espeically the B&O I-5 caboose by Silver Streak. I kinda miss those old days.
You want wood kits? Howsabout Amercan Model Builder's "Laser kits"! This is their N.P. 1200 series 24 footers which to my eye are the prettiest little cabeeses there ever was! They have a pretty good selection of road names. The photo of this one reveals that the side wall of the cupola wasn't down onto the roof gpood enough, when it was glued on.
NP2626
LOVE the pics of your rolling stock, "Doc". Do you have a link for pics of your layout?
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
NP2626 Here is an Athearn kit for their standard caboose, modified into a 1000/1050 series Northern Pacific Steel Caboose. Some windows filled and moved, the cupola moved forward, widened to the width of the car body and raised. Ladders and catwalks moved to the opposite side and the end railings completely re-done. I add window glass using clear plastic sheet. I also removed all rivets and molded on grabs and replaced the grabs with wire ones bent from brass wire.
That's an impressive make-over, as you've completely changed the appearance of that car, even though it still utilises the original body casting. I wouldn't have recognised it other than for your description of the work done.
NP2626 It's amazing to me, that per John Allen, photographs show all the little flaws in a subject! Fill poorly done at the lower corners of the cupola and at the roof and sides corner on the right side of the photo. Still I feel the model captures the look of the prototype and probably cost $175.00 less than a brass model and fun to do ta-boot! This is the first of three of these cabooses I plan to make from Athearn cabooses. I can only hope the next two will be better!
Sorry, Marlon, I must have been composing my last offering when you posed your question. I've sent you a PM in reply.
Actually the reasons for the lack of filler at the bottom side wall of the cupola and to the right, side wall-to roof joint was impatience on my part. One more application of Squadron's filler would have done it.
Thanks for the compliments! It really was a fun project.
I have actually broke down and bought one of Fox Valley's B&O wagon-top RTR box cars. I love this car and wanted one for my railroad and kits simply aren't available so, I bit the bullet and bought a ready to run car. Didn't pay $30.00 for it, got it from Model Train Stuff for $20.00.
NP2626 Actually the reasons for the lack of filler at the bottom side wall of the cupola and to the right, side wall-to roof joint was impatience on my part. One more application of Squadron's filler would have done it.
Yeah, I was aware of that, but my remarks are in reference to the steel caboose which you posted previously.
doctorwayne NP2626 Actually the reasons for the lack of filler at the bottom side wall of the cupola and to the right, side wall-to roof joint was impatience on my part. One more application of Squadron's filler would have done it. Yeah, I was aware of that, but my remarks are in reference to the steel caboose which you posted previously. Wayne
The comment on the lack of filler was in reference TO the steel caboose.
This is an Athearn BB kit, it came with separately applied grab irons, stirrups & ladders. I bought a few of these kits off of one guy ( several different railways & railroads ) about a year ago. The best *** kit i've seen as anyone can build this kit & make it look good.
Yes, it would be nice if Athearn still made a kit like this, I've mentioned it several times here & on Facebook but Horizon is making too much $$$$$ making RTR right now. Oh Well. They are going to make what they can sell, plain & simple. Thank god for train shows.
I haven't bought any Athearn products (excepting used-older blue box kits) since Horizon Hobbies bought Athearn/MDC out. I doubt I will spend much money with them in the future, as what they produce is simply not what I'm interested in.
CP5415, Did you weather that box car? What a terrific job of weathering!!!
NP2626I haven't bought any Athearn products (excepting used-older blue box kits) since Horizon Hobbies bought Athearn/MDC out. I doubt I will spend much money with them in the future, as what they produce is simply not what I'm interested in.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
jeffrey-wimberly NP2626I haven't bought any Athearn products (excepting used-older blue box kits) since Horizon Hobbies bought Athearn/MDC out. I doubt I will spend much money with them in the future, as what they produce is simply not what I'm interested in.Same here. I like building the kit the way I want it, not having to take apart something that was put together in a factory. Some of the Athearn cars I've come across have grabs and stirrups that seem to break when breathed on hard. I don't like that.
MBK has a on going sale on car kits yet there's no buyers..I see BB and MDC cars passed by at train shows.
I can't help but wonder why that is when we keep seeing discussions on the lack of car kits?
As I mention generic BB and MDC kits had their day but,the growth of more accurate RTR cars shows us that modelers are preferring super detailed accurate cars over generic cars..
I think RTR saved Athearn from closing their doors.
I suspect the hobby started growing up when Life Like introduce the highly detailed P2K line and it was a matter of course when accurate RTR cars would be produce.
Guys,here's a personal thought that kinda troubles me..
I can't help but miss the old days when the hobby seem more relaxed(not sure what word to use) then it is today..I don't know even at my age my modeling taste has changed..I prefer RTR over kits but,still enjoy structure kits and a occasional data only Accurail Kit..
IMHO the best any of us can do is enjoy the hobby in our own ways.
--------------------------------
Jeff,I notice the same thing about the stirrups on Athearn cars..I now add a tad of glue on the backside of each stirrup.
BRAKIERTR cars shows us that modelers are preferring
Russell
I agree with this statement. The Proto lines did a lot. I tinkered with the hobby for a long time but it was a Proto 2000 RI E8 that made the hobby stick for me. No longer was I messing with poor running equipment. I had a couple of Athearn loco's that ran ok but the Lifelike Protos blew them away. The details and the quality were outstanding. The Tyco and Bachmann products just couldn't compare. The same is true for rolling stock. Going from Tyco/Bachmann rolling stock to Athearn was light years of a jump and going from Athearn to Accurail and Branchline is another such jump. I still like some Athearn BB kits and will even modify old Tyco car but the hobby has grown up.
My main gripe with the whole Athearn thing RTR or BB is while the rest of the industry grew up a larger part of Athearn stayed in the 60's. Sure they came out with Genesis but they rarely updated the BB line as far as I could tell. While I am not a rivet counter some little things bother me. Every Tyco F was numbered 4015 because that was Tyco's model number for the product. So if you had a Conrail, BN or Santa Fe F it was 4015 regardless if the road. This is the train set mentality. To apply it to Athearn, here is a AT&SF F7 hhmmm.... looks like a all the other roads just different paint. AT&SF didn't have those features? Steam generators and wrong back end? Numbers don't match? Ah it's good enough because it's painted like a Santa Fe F7! Today with better detail and loco specific features you have less and less generic trains.
RMax
BRAKIE ... Guys,here's a personal thought that kinda troubles me.. I can't help but miss the old days when the hobby seem more relaxed(not sure what word to use) then it is today..I don't know even at my age my modeling taste has changed..I prefer RTR over kits but,still enjoy structure kits and a occasional data only Accurail Kit.. IMHO the best any of us can do is enjoy the hobby in our own ways. ...
...
I agree. Somewhere along the way the hobby has been come more critical and serious. At least in the hobby press, where there seems to be more emphasis on prototype modeling. I admit, I have moved in that direction myself.
But lately I have been buying some MDC/Roundhouse kits, thinking about doing a small retro layout reminescent of the early 70's when a I started in this hobby.
Enjoy
Paul
IRONROOSTERSomewhere along the way the hobby has been come more critical and serious. At least in the hobby press, where there seems to be more emphasis on prototype modeling. I admit, I have moved in that direction myself. Paul
Critial and serious in a good way - or to rephrase it, the industry has responded to a demand for more prototypical models. I am extremely tickled that Athearn has released all of the NICE PC&F box cars for SP, Evergreen and other names.
cedarwoodronWhen I hear other modeler's say that they don't have the time to build kits, it calls to mind the "I want it now" immediate gratification urge of the present generation of youth.
Well, here is a little food for thought. I'm old fashioned too, but I also am also busy trying to make ends meet in an expensive to live area and don't have a lot of time ... maybe when I retire ... but that will be a few years yet.. I also know that we often want more models than we have time to build, and in the olden days the better quality models were nearly all kits so we tended to build up a backlog of kits waiting to be built - thats so true for me that I've decided to rationalize my collection and sell off a portion of my unbuilt kits because I know I have more than I have time to build. Thats true for many of us, even John Armstrong, the dean of layout planning, acknowledged this in one of his books I read.
Maybe I'm old fashioned- no wait, I AM old fashioned, but it personally gives me great satisfaction to take several days to carefully plan and assemble a BB kit. I say plan, because I am always doing something-- no matter how minor- to improve them, be it metal wheels and some weathering, etc. They may not be the super detailed RTRs of today, but for over 40 years, they were a mainstay of the hobby, giving life to many layouts. I always thought a hobby was something to relax with- ease ones blood pressure, get away from the daily routine. But it seems less like a hobby and more like a task, when everything is RTR and you just plug and play to get a layout going. Now, as I enter the world of DCC this fall, I am sure I will find a new form of "plan and assemble" as I convert engines and establish programming for them, but the concept remains the same- taking one's time along the way of life to relax and enjoy.
There is nothing wrong with getting satisfaction from kits ... and I think most of us who grew up modeling in the 70's and 80's have by necessity built a lot of kits, myself included. Eventually I burned out on kit building and now only build them now and then when I get the hankering - I certainly have quite a few built up in boxes still.
I see the RTR as a good thing for many of us and there are plenty of kits around for those who still want to relax that way.
The difference for me is that railroads are built, not bought- Cedarwoodro
You've got to remember that even if you buy RTR train cars, there is no denying that you still have to build the Railroad. How many people can afford to have a railroad built for you?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 IRONROOSTERSomewhere along the way the hobby has been come more critical and serious. At least in the hobby press, where there seems to be more emphasis on prototype modeling. I admit, I have moved in that direction myself. Paul Critial and serious in a good way - or to rephrase it, the industry has responded to a demand for more prototypical models. I am extremely tickled that Athearn has released all of the NICE PC&F box cars for SP, Evergreen and other names.
Guys,I think thousands of us still model good enough/close enough but,we also seized the opportunity to have prototypical correct cars and locomotives..I still use my BB cars at the club and my RTR cars at home.
There's still a place for less detailed cars in our great hobby and thankfully those are available from several manufacturers at reasonable prices.
After reading some of the posts about the level of detail on the BB's, its interesting to see what bothers some and not others.
Non road specific details never bothered me, but dimensional inaccuracies do. Some of the 50ft BB (and MDC) boxcars are 1 scale foot too wide. Not a big deal until it runs next to an accurate width boxcar are scrapes a loading dock. This width also carries through to some of the RTR models also, so it isn't a BB issue.
- Douglas
BRAKIEGuys,I think thousands of us still model good enough/close enough but,we also seized the opportunity to have prototypical correct cars and locomotives..I still use my BB cars at the club and my RTR cars at home. There's still a place for less detailed cars in our great hobby and thankfully those are available from several manufacturers at reasonable prices.
Yep! I have a wide range of models which include bluebox Athearn, MDC kits, Accurail kits, E&C Shops kits, Stewart Kits, as well as many of the newer RTR Athearn, Genesis, Intermountain, Atlas and ExactRail cars. Many of them are "good enough" cars, but most are fairly close matches to cars that match my era - some are stand-ins and some are fairly accurate models of prototypes.You know I like my RTR cars which are copies of some much needed prototypes, but next weekend I plan on going to the Timonium train show and I have a wishlist of train cars I will be looking for. That wish list includes some RTR models and some kits (e.g. Walthers HO FEG 50' UP box car). The Accurail kits I own are all the CF4600 covered hopper and autoracks, but I do want to pick up some of the boxcars if I can find some which good stand-in's for late 60's and 70's era bridge traffic on the Rio Grande. I'm not put off by molded on details if the car itself is a reasonable stand in.
BRAKIE MBK has a on going sale on car kits yet there's no buyers..I see BB and MDC cars passed by at train shows. I suspect the hobby started growing up when Life Like introduce the highly detailed P2K line and it was a matter of course when accurate RTR cars would be produce.
Not true, I just bought two accurail kits from MB Klien!
The more detailed P2K line, were kits when they first came out and stayed kits until Walthers bought the line from Life Like and that's your current spin? The hobby is growing up? What your saying is mature adults don't build kits?
I see it as people may lack the abilitys it takes to assemble kits; or, they have a lack of desire. Model Railroaders are showing what they want, by what they buy. However, because the majority want RTR, doesn't mean that the trend necessarily reflects what we all want! I get enjoyment from building models. If the building aspect of the hobby were to disappear, my interest in this hobby would disappear!
I'd like to do kit cars, I'd have to learn but that's the fun part.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
As a long-time consumer I sure don't miss the "blue line" at all! Yes they were great for beginners, but so are Accurail cars. They were cheap (for the time) but so were other kits. What I grew to detest about the "blue line" was the lack of growth. In the "good old days" Uncle Irv gave us ONE type of 40-ft. boxcar that was a bad car, (off prototype, with HUGE door tracks and claws) ,ONE type of single dome tank car (that was really incorrect because it was his three-dome car with two domes removed), ONE type of Railbox car, etc, etc. His stock car was a decent rendition of a UP car but they reversed the direction of the roof panels, in fact almost ALL the boxcars/reefers/stockcars had their underframe details mirror-imaged. The good old days weren't always so good. One doesn't need to nit pick every detail, but one should at least make an effort to have the cars look something like thoe cars we see on the rails, otherwise we should just paint up some pine blocks on wheels for our freight trains. Yes, the costs are higher but the material we are getting is better by wide margin..