Athearn "N" Releases - February 2022

[James Costello]

Athearn releases for Feb 2022 are up:

Stoughton 53' Exterior Post Containers:
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/022522/08_ATHN_53ft_Container_022522.pdf

HO at the usual place:
http://www.athearn.com/Articles/Hobbywire.aspx

[James Costello]

The Swift, EMP Green and HUB Green schemes are the later Stoughtons (or Hyundai) with the X-Post nose:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=967382
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3129832
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3606522

The KATO 53' X-Post is a better fit for these schemes....

[James Costello]

The "Schneider National" 17312/17313 are the most accurate of this batch, albeit with some artwork issues.

From the Modelintermodal email list in 2009:

Schneider picked up a bunch of former NACS and HUB boxes built by both Hyundai and Stoughton beginning around May of 2008, when the last of the BNSF box fleet was being returned to lessors.  Some early info placed the number of boxes at 1,200, but I've noted units as high as SNLU332429, so I think there's nearly 2,500+ such boxes out there. Chad Hewitt 03/07/09.

As always, there's a bunch of photos at Matt's Place and the usual online libraries:
http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part3/images/snlu331913.jpg
http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part3/images/snlu330492.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1528737
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2211246

As you can see, there are some issues with the Athearn artwork - lacking the 53' and Stoughton logo on the sides towards the front and the inclusion of the weird data panel towards the ends... but the best of this release.

[James Costello]

As far as the Schneider "Optimodal" scheme - I can't find much evidence to support what Athearn is trying to do with the "Optimodal" badge, but I'm guessing they're trying to replicate a debadged OPSU - but again, these seem to be all Stoughton's with X-Post noses and it reads like these went back to EMP marks and not SNLU:
http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part3/images/opsu237851.jpg

The shame of all that is that there's evidence of what this post-OPSU scheme would look like and it would be perfect for the "Primed for Grime" concept and their existing container tooling:
https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=66652

Athearn has had this tooling in HO for almost 20 years and since they've done this tooling in N last year, the N releases have mirrored their HO releases. As such we're missing out on some core and iconic schemes for this container style. I'm over here just waiting for the basic Optimodal "lifesaver" scheme that was unique to this container style.
http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part3/images/opsu234850.jpg

[Englewood]

Wake me up when they announce AC4400CWs in N....

[MetroRedLine]

Wake me up when they announce AC4400CWs in N....

Considering the fact that Athearn has never even released a GE locomotive in N scale, you'd be sleeping for a LONG time. 

[James Costello]

Considering the fact that Athearn has never even released a GE locomotive in N scale, you'd be sleeping for a LONG time. 

Not necessarily. Athearn has been promoting an N Scale survey on Facebook to gauge interest on the HO to N conversion items and the AC44s are definitely on their minds for N - makes sense when they've just done all the research for the new Genesis 2.0 line in HO.

@GaryHinshaw @jagged ben @MetroRedLine get on the TTRX and Amtrak California cars request line here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/kjw2fnb

[peteski]

Is the survey accessible to non-FB people?  If not, they are missing some opinions.

[MK]

Is the survey accessible to non-FB people?  If not, they are missing some opinions.

It is a Survey Monkey link so it's not on FB.

[peteski]

It is a Survey Monkey link so it's not on FB.

Since FB was mentioned, I guess I fixated on that.  I see the survey link now.   Survey completed.

[nkalanaga]

I took the survey, but there's not much there for me.