Athearn N Scale Survey

[Dave V]

It sucks that you can't make suggestions other than what they want.  Their freight cars choices didn't move me one bit, great big whole in the 50s 60s 70s eras (unless you count a pickle car or caboose that was regional.  Not that they're both not tempting cars but they're kinda useless to most of the US and Canada.

Yup. All I care about from them in N is the old Roundhouse old-timer line. The 2-8-0s/2-6-0s and the truss-rod stuff. I could care less about anything with a steel underframe or a diesel prime mover.

So this survey is worthless to me.

[thomasjmdavis]

I believe this was the full survey:
You could rank your choices..

Loco Choices
# P40/42
# CF7s
# MP15ACs
# SD38/39/40
# AC400CWs
# SD70ACU/80/90/90H

Rolling Stock Choices
# Amtrak California/Surfliner cars
# 16,000 Gal Acid Tank Cars
# 4 Barrel Vinegar Tank Cars
# ICC Cabooses
# 57' Spine Cars

For those of us modeling the world pre-1960 without a pickle factory (1955-56 in my case), they might have provided a "none of the above" or "what time period do you model" choice.  I put in a vote for the CF-7 on behalf of my ATSF friends who model time periods later than mine.  Even in HO, other than the occasional oddity like the pickle car, and a few old Roundhouse cars (although most no longer have pictures indicating current or future production), it seem Athearn has substantially abandoned the "transition" or early diesel eras.

[160pennsy]

Now if only they could bring back those N Scale Macks!

When asked this same question, one of their reps came back with this reply..."The licensing on the Macks was really expensive and while sales were very good (probably a result of the high quality finished products) he did not see any new runs happening soon"

[Pomperaugrr]

I would have loved the option of having them bring their HO scale GP7U to N scale. 

I need to build the former BAR #22 in N scale.

There wasn't much of interest in the options they provided.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

A P40/P42?
You mean, the only locomotive that Kato actually regularly seems to release?

[MetroRedLine]

A P40/P42?
You mean, the only locomotive that Kato actually regularly seems to release?

Yeah, it's hard to beat Kato unless you're going the ScaleTrains/Rapido Trains route of a RTR superdetailed model with factory sound and multiple lighting functions. And we all know Athearn won't be able to do that in N.

[Maletrain]

I'm a married teenage girl with a college degree whose household income is $500,000+ a year.
I never enter real information.

I agree that it is best to give false info to the people who try to collect and sell it.

But, I am careful to not put in false data that would show the entries to be clearly false or might get me some unwanted attention, such as a high level of income like Englewood entered. 

And I am highly pleased that Google Maps totally missed my house among the trees, and puts my address on another house far enough down the street that it would take a really large bomb to damage my real place, should some weirdo take great umbrage with one of my posts and not be satisfied with just down voting every post I have ever made here (not to mention elsewhere).   

But, with entries like Englewood made, now we won't be able to complain if we get pink pickle cars for high prices in Athearn's next release -  their market people will probably project that by the time they release them, "she" with the new college degree will have gotten a high paying job, started a family and will be craving the pickles. 

[greenwizard88]

So basically all I want are the superliner cars. It's really good that I was able to rank everything else, but I'd have rather been able to say "I don't care" about everything else.

Especially the P42. What are they smoking, Kato has cornered that market 10 times over.

[C855B]

... I'd have rather been able to say "I don't care" about everything else. ...

It wasn't required that you populate each whole list with priorities. Not entering a value is a "meh" vote.

The SD38/39/40 caught my attention. A straight, pre-Dash-2 SD40 has been sorely lacking. The most recent run - hardly "recent" - was the Kato model of 20 years ago. Time for somebody else to step up.

[Angus Shops]

I had a look at Athearn’s HO catalogue - not really all that much there that I really need in N scale, but an alternative to Atlas’s GP 7/9’s would be useful. They sure are EMD heavy in their catalogue, no Alco’s, no Baldwins, no FM’s…

[James Costello]

It sucks that you can't make suggestions other than what they want.

Yeah, but that's not the point of this type of survey.

So this survey is worthless to me.

And yet it's valuable to Athearn.

[tehachapifan]

I wouldn't scoff at an N scale MP15AC, even if it negates my last unique kitbash.

[dem34]

Ready to run CF7s would be pretty nice, even if a first run is just ATSF. Lots of hand me down ones kept the bonnet for a while.

[peteski]

It wasn't required that you populate each whole list with priorities. Not entering a value is a "meh" vote.

But if you selected a one of the models in each category as #1 choice, all the other models got assigned a consecutive priority number. I don't think you could have zeroed out out your unwanted choices.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The SD38/39/40 caught my attention. A straight, pre-Dash-2 SD40 has been sorely lacking. The most recent run - hardly "recent" - was the Kato model of 20 years ago. Time for somebody else to step up.

Right? SD45s too.

Every time ScaleTrains sends me another email with info about their HO ones I reply that they either need to up their customer segmentation game or get on the ball and do these in N.

Instead we get another run of turbines that overpower pretty much every layout out there aside from yours.