Athearn Announcements April 26, 2024

[Mark5]

Nothin for N scale 

https://www.athearn.com/new-announcements

Maybe next month!

[thomasjmdavis]

Nothin for N scale 

https://www.athearn.com/new-announcements

Maybe next month!

It annoys me that, although, in addition to HO, they've been making N scale stuff for decades , in their announcement, only 2 of the 5 announced items specify scale. I guess we are just left to assume HO, unless specified otherwise.

[JMaurer1]

Another reason I stay away from Athearn. Like Walthers, they buy up N scale MFRs and then rarely actually release anything. It looks like HO and N scale cars sell for about the same $$$s, but N scale is smaller, uses less plastic, easier to store and ship, has less detail parts that need to be assembled, and costs less to produce. Seems like it would be a no brainer to make more N scale...

[Missaberoad]

As far as I know the only manufacturer Athearn bought was Roundhouse at their entry to N scale, and they have produced nearly all of their tooling multiple times. I've bought several "new" former roundhouse releases over the past year (PS-1 boxcars, thrall gondolas, fmc boxcars (2 different runs))

I will agree that Athearn has a long backlog of orders, (an issue common to most manufacturers) but I don't think they are sitting on alot of tooling.

What roundhouse cars haven't they made? I'm sure I'm missing something but genuinely curious.

[jagged ben]

Yeah, let's not rag on Athearn too much please. They are like one of five manufacturers that is actually producing a broad line of N scale product to which they are adding new tooling with some regularity, and not mostly ghosting on their own announcements.   It only takes them somewhat longer than Atlas or ScaleTrains to bring their announced product to the shelves. 

(My only complaint with them right now is their utter disaster of a website 'upgrade' last year that erased all the info about what they're making.) 

[learmoia]

Another reason I stay away from Athearn. Like Walthers, they buy up N scale MFRs and then rarely actually release anything. It looks like HO and N scale cars sell for about the same $$$s, but N scale is smaller, uses less plastic, easier to store and ship, has less detail parts that need to be assembled, and costs less to produce. Seems like it would be a no brainer to make more N scale...

[lock4244]

Mr Wallet needs a rest here and there.

And with ST and Rapido 5820 pellet hoppers arriving in May he won't get one, lol 

[Missaberoad]

Mr Wallet needs a rest here and there.

And with ST and Rapido 5820 pellet hoppers arriving in May he won't get one, lol 

That's terrible wonderful news 

[kiwi_bnsf]

Okay, so I really don't understand the logic of "staying away from Athearn"

Athearn are very consistent with their N scale releases. I don't see any evidence of them sitting on tooling, and they are regularly investing in new N scale tooling, and upgrades to older tooling with body mounted couplers and finer scale wheels.


The currently shipping ACF 4600 hoppers that just hit the shops were announced in November 2022 with an ETA of Jan 2024. So they are only a little over two months late, and had a total lead time of 17 months.

https://www.athearn.com/on/demandware.static/Sites-athearn-us-Site/Sites-athearn-us-Library/default/blog-pdfs/10_ATHN_4600_Covered_Hopper_112522.pdf

Similarly, the newly tooled Acid tanks that were announced in mid 2022 are due this August.

While this might seem a long time, this sort of lead time is by no means limited to Athearn.

Atlas currently shipping N scale releases have similar lead times — the currently shipping Atlas Master® N Trinity 17,600 Corn Syrup Tank Car were announced in Jan 2023 and just landed (total lead time of 15 months).

If I look at the Atlas Production Schedule, most items always say "next quarter" but then just get bumped for many quarters. Atlas still have a bunch of items announced in 2019-2021 that have not shipped…  https://shop.atlasrr.com/t-ordership.aspx


Athearn are one of the few manufacturers that I have no hesitation in pre-ordering releases from. I have never been disappointed over many years (including through the supply chain nightmares of the pandemic).

[kiwi_al]

At the moment Athearn have nothing I want in N Scale but they do have some HO models I'd like to see in N Scale, their GP40X, the F9 and the CF7 (this was done a longtime ago). Other than that they are well manufactured and decent details, their rolling stock is good (freight cars). I've never had any problems with any of their locos or freight cars. My only gripe is that they haven't released a new diesel locomotive model for a what seems like a very long time. They seem to like releasing the Challenger and Big Boys too much 

[nscaler711]

Don't sit on their tooling long huh? SD75M
https://www.athearn.com/ath-blog-news-2013-05-07_2634.html

I've been waiting for these to get released again... Not even Kato has touched them and its identical to the 70M outside of a blower housing on the engineers side. Sure the 75I would need a new cab design oh wait.. The 70MAC would likely work there. 
Sure the details are a tad crude by todays standard, but the 10 I've owned have been perfect runners.

[kiwi_bnsf]

Don't sit on their tooling long huh? SD75M
https://www.athearn.com/ath-blog-news-2013-05-07_2634.html

I've been waiting for these to get released again... Not even Kato has touched them and its identical to the 70M outside of a blower housing on the engineers side. Sure the 75I would need a new cab design oh wait.. The 70MAC would likely work there. 
Sure the details are a tad crude by todays standard, but the 10 I've owned have been perfect runners.

That is indeed a fair call. I admit that I was really only considering freight cars.

The SD75I/M is indeed a strange case in N scale. I think that the Athearn model would need some tooling upgrades to be released under their Genesis N scale brand.

Perhaps Athearn are worried that if they announce another release with an 18 month lead time, Kato might finally go and beat them to it?

The Athearn SD75I/Ms originally ended up hitting the streets at around the same time as the Kato SD70M flat radiators — maybe they didn't compete / sell so well? Who knows. Other Athearn N scale locos seem to get more regular re-releases — e.g. F45/FP45, F59PHI, SD70 Std Cab.

I don't know why Kato hasn't done SD75I/Ms — they seem to like warbonnets and have 98% of the tooling already done.

[jagged ben]

One could accuse just about any manufacturer of sitting on tooling, with the possible exception of Atlas, among the majors.  (I mean, let's not even mention IM.  Oops. just mentioned 'em.)   Personally I'm glad if stuff comes out slowly enough that it fits my budget.  Not happening this year.

[DirtyD79]

Okay, so I really don't understand the logic of "staying away from Athearn"

I'm an HO scale king coming in peace here but yeah, that just sounds like more reason for them not to make more N scale stuff. That said those spine cars look promising.

[EspeeGoldenState]

The SD75I/M is indeed a strange case in N scale. I think that the Athearn model would need some tooling upgrades to be released under their Genesis N scale brand.

The Athearn SD75I/Ms originally ended up hitting the streets at around the same time as the Kato SD70M flat radiators — maybe they didn't compete / sell so well? Who knows. Other Athearn N scale locos seem to get more regular re-releases — e.g. F45/FP45, F59PHI, SD70 Std Cab.

I don't know why Kato hasn't done SD75I/Ms — they seem to like warbonnets and have 98% of the tooling already done.

If I had an option between a Kato and Athearn SD70M, I would choose Kato all day every day simply because of the functioning ditch lights.

There is so many things Athearn offers in HO, that I would love for them to shrink to N scale, but they dont seem to want to commit to it.

I'll never understand why Kato hasn't done standard cab SD70s either. I'm not sure what all it would take to mate a standard cab from a SD40-2 to a SD70M long hood.