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Athearn Blue Box Wide Bodies?

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  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Friday, May 25, 2018 7:32 AM

NWP SWP

I am eyeing some older Blue Box locomotives on eBay, what models had wide noses, the model I'm most interested in is the DD35As (aka what Athearn calls DD40) anyways are these wide noses? If so what other models are the same? I am wanting some GPs and SDs too, 35s, 40s, and 45s, I really would hate to get a DD40 wide nose and then have to get scale nose units to run with it exaggerating the width of the wide nose.

If those other models aren't wide noses perhaps I could buy a shell that's the correct width.

Another enumerated most of the "wide body" Athearn blue box diesels.  Yuk.

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was a wee lad of 14 in northern Californai, I wanted a Southern Pacific SD45 for Christmas - it was a very common diesel in my area.  It was under the tree, but the closer I looked, the more I thought it didn't look right - it was, of course, a fat body Athearn blue box SD45.  The nose looked way too fat and the body as well.  At 14 I could clearly see it looked wrong.

So if appearance matters, you won't be happy with the raft of Athearn blue box fat body engines.  Your eyeing them long enough may give you a jauncied eye.  Run the other way.

 

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 2,455 posts
Posted by wp8thsub on Thursday, May 24, 2018 10:28 PM

NWP SWP
...the model I'm most interested in is the DD35As (aka what Athearn calls DD40) anyways are these wide noses?

That's definitely a widebody shell.  Plus it's not really a DD35, it's a never produced EMD product that differs quite a bit from the DD35 in the radiators, fans, and other areas.

 

Rob Spangler

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Posted by NWP SWP on Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:18 PM

I have seen the Bachmann DD40AX, I find spartan cab units more appealing, plus I was looking forward to using the purportedly "bulletproof" BB drivetrains.

I think there is a DD35(A?) Shell out there. Not sure of the quality.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • 869 posts
Posted by NHTX on Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:59 PM

     Athearn produced their GP-35, SDP-40, SD-45, SD-9 and all of their U-series GEs with the oversized hood width.  I would imagine their "DD40" of the same "blue box" era shares the wide hood.  The scale width hood was introduced with the GP-38-2, SD-40-2, SD-40T-2 ot the mid 1980s.  I know nothing of a scale width shell for the DD-35 or DD-35A unless Rail Power Products produced one since they reputedly did produce some of the scale width hoods used on Athearn's earliest scale width offerings of that type.  Have you investigated Bachmann's DD-40AX?

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Athearn Blue Box Wide Bodies?
Posted by NWP SWP on Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:43 PM

I am eyeing some older Blue Box locomotives on eBay, what models had wide noses, the model I'm most interested in is the DD35As (aka what Athearn calls DD40) anyways are these wide noses? If so what other models are the same? I am wanting some GPs and SDs too, 35s, 40s, and 45s, I really would hate to get a DD40 wide nose and then have to get scale nose units to run with it exaggerating the width of the wide nose.

If those other models aren't wide noses perhaps I could buy a shell that's the correct width.

Well thanks in advance.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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