Athearn Announcements May 31, 2024

[Missaberoad]

I like the idea of auto racks, but the reality of modeling them in my preferred era (~1970) means open racks, which implies they need to be populated. Vehicle models from that era are few and far between, at least RTR, and if they were, every loaded rack would cost well north of $100. Non-RTR (3D printer output)... well... you know... do you want to be tasked with painting/detailing 50 or so automobiles just so a handful of nicely modeled railcars don't look like toys?

Of course empty racks moved around the country, but what I recall from railfanning in that era is that loads were what one noticed.

This was the issue that stopped me from acquiring these cars on the previous run, and obviously I'm still dealing with the same quandary.

Wouldn't a Ford FAST train be a requirement for your layout?

I guess you could always avoid it and model the part of the year it ran on MP/DRGW/WP 

[Mark5]

Honestly I spent an embarrassing amount on the recently released Atlas Ford Fairmonts to populate an Athearn open tri-level, but it looks effin great. 

I spent an ungodly amount on the Atlas '70s Ford F-100 pickups to populate some bilevel racks for my 1975 era (Ford had a pickup plant in Norfolk until early this century).

I am still waiting on viable car options for tri-levels (I have a photo of an N&W tri-level rack full of new VW Rabbits and related models), so that one is nearly populated (thanks to Wiking) - but I need something more typical. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is a situation where @Rasputen REALLY shines

[C855B]

This is a situation where @Rasputen REALLY shines

Agreed - he's really great with cars of that era. I have one of his Dodge Coronets in the bench queue to be painted up in California Highway Patrol black and white.

[C855B]

Wouldn't a Ford FAST train be a requirement for your layout?

You nailed it. At this point I'm not sure if I'm going to live long enough to get to that phase of the layout, but a paraphrase of Ford's Pico Rivera plant is in the grand plan.

[James Costello]

It's rather different.  And an accurate model of the NW version would be a better stand-in for so many other prototypes, as I alluded to above.

I got excited for a moment with the two 90s photos, especially the one at City of Industry... but the flats are very different too - flush decks vs the channel side. More noticeable on #965306.

[lock4244]

@lock4244
When I was a high school student (David & Mary Thompson), a drop-out friend used to come around and recruit some of us for the occasional low-paying, but hugely fun and exciting after-hours jobs.  He worked for a guy who would buy collector cars at the Cooksville auto auction by day, and then needed drivers to pick up his purchases in the west end, drive back east across the 401, and load them onto auto racks in the yard just south of Warden and Eglinton.

Damn, it was fun … Corvettes of all vintages, Barracudas, Novas; we even had three E-Type Jags once, and a late ‘40’s Bently limo (it had a velvet curtain to pull across the back so the driver couldn’t glance in, and small signal levers that flopped out of the door pillars as turn signals).

Relatively expensive autos, mostly muscle cars, that we would tie down on the auto racks in prep for shipment to Vancouver.  Can you imagine entrusting all of this to a bunch of yahoo 17 year olds with literally only a few MONTHS of driving experience!  On my very first trip I was given the keys to a manual shift Camaro - I learned to drive a standard that night (it was NOT a pretty sight; that poor car!). 

Anyways, thought you’d enjoy the story ‘cause you know the ‘hood!

@Dwight in Toronto

I distinctly remember a track on the east side of Warden and Hymus where autoracks were loaded. Distinctly remember seeing a limo on an open tri-level there many years ago, though I doubt it was the Bently that I saw. Have always thought it odd that there was a loading ramp there for racks given the GM truck plant across the street did it's own loading on GM property. Seems you've answered that question! Attached pics from 1969 car control manual showing the track in question was T-13R (tri-levels). Note there's no mention of the GM plant on the car control map, so I guess it hadn't been built yet, and closed in 1992 iirc; not long lived.

So much has changed down there over the years... and you certainly had a much better part time job than most!

[Dwight in Toronto]

Holy smokes …. I can’t believe you actually have all that track & customer info for that area.  Amazing!

[lock4244]

Holy smokes …. I can’t believe you actually have all that track & customer info for that area.  Amazing!

@Dwight in Toronto

PM sent.

[DirtyD79]

@lock4244
When I was a high school student (David & Mary Thompson), a drop-out friend used to come around and recruit some of us for the occasional low-paying, but hugely fun and exciting after-hours jobs.  He worked for a guy who would buy collector cars at the Cooksville auto auction by day, and then needed drivers to pick up his purchases in the west end, drive back east across the 401, and load them onto auto racks in the yard just south of Warden and Eglinton.

Damn, it was fun … Corvettes of all vintages, Barracudas, Novas; we even had three E-Type Jags once, and a late ‘40’s Bently limo (it had a velvet curtain to pull across the back so the driver couldn’t glance in, and small signal levers that flopped out of the door pillars as turn signals).

Relatively expensive autos, mostly muscle cars, that we would tie down on the auto racks in prep for shipment to Vancouver.  Can you imagine entrusting all of this to a bunch of yahoo 17 year olds with literally only a few MONTHS of driving experience!  On my very first trip I was given the keys to a manual shift Camaro - I learned to drive a standard that night (it was NOT a pretty sight; that poor car!). 

Anyways, thought you’d enjoy the story ‘cause you know the ‘hood!

Awwww man I would have loved doing that when I was a teenager. Honestly I'd do it right this second too. Money? That's just gravy, bro.

[Mark5]

I got excited for a moment with the two 90s photos, especially the one at City of Industry... but the flats are very different too - flush decks vs the channel side. More noticeable on #965306.

True, it is a challenge to ignore that.

[jagged ben]

Eyeballing the proto photo, I gotta think those side panels should be silver. 

Maybe they'll fix that on this run.

No, the proto panels on that Southern car are white.  I'm curious what they'll do with the foobs though.  If you zoom in enough on the artwork they do appear to be a different color. 

[nkalanaga]

I thought about getting the NP and CB&Q cars, but I already have one of each.  Those, and the Southern car, seem to be reruns.  I'm not sure about the others.

[lock4244]

This is closeish to the N&W car, and maybe what they based their model on.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1440198

[southernman]

No, the proto panels on that Southern car are white.  I'm curious what they'll do with the foobs though.  If you zoom in enough on the artwork they do appear to be a different color.

Southern used fiberglass re-enforced plastic panels on some auto racks. These were white in color so that’s most likely what the model is supposed to represent.