2 Athearn N Scale announcements this month

[up1950s]

[Denver Road Doug]

Same thing for the Intermountain 60' flats.... I can buy 4 or 5 TM 50' flats, stirrups and grabs from BLMA as well as MT trucks, Z couplers spend an afternoon and get the same results that I would pay for 3 of the IM flats. I've been considering going to the bulk order level (quantities in the 6, 12, 18 ranges) for cost benefit vs. want for the number of cars.

These two cars couldn't be more different...the only thing remotely close about them is the use of the word "flat" in their description.  Different eras, different design, different length, and the IM cars weigh almost TWICE what the Atlas cars do when empty.  Probably not an issue if you add a heavy enough load, but still....some (mentally unstable) people do desire to run their flats empty sometimes.

I'm not knocking Trainman, and you can certainly spend a lot of money and time making them look better, no doubt.  But to say you can get the same results in this case is incorrect.

[DKS]

I am not a PS-2 expert, so these may represent slightly different versions. However I am sold on the Athearn version.

The Athearn PS 2600 hopper is a newer (mid 1960s and later) and different car than the Atlas car, which is based on a car 1st made in the 1950s.

A != B.

[Sokramiketes]

I am not a PS-2 expert, so these may represent slightly different versions. However I am sold on the Athearn version.

The Athearn PS 2600 hopper is a newer (mid 1960s and later) and different car than the Atlas car, which is based on a car 1st made in the 1950s.

A != B.

 Here you go: ≠

[DKS]

I am not a PS-2 expert, so these may represent slightly different versions. However I am sold on the Athearn version.

The Athearn PS 2600 hopper is a newer (mid 1960s and later) and different car than the Atlas car, which is based on a car 1st made in the 1950s.

A != B.

Here you go: ≠

I was using JavaScript.

[sizemore]

Same thing for the Intermountain 60' flats.... I can buy 4 or 5 TM 50' flats, stirrups and grabs from BLMA as well as MT trucks, Z couplers spend an afternoon and get the same results that I would pay for 3 of the IM flats. I've been considering going to the bulk order level (quantities in the 6, 12, 18 ranges) for cost benefit vs. want for the number of cars.

These two cars couldn't be more different...the only thing remotely close about them is the use of the word "flat" in their description.  Different eras, different design, different length, and the IM cars weigh almost TWICE what the Atlas cars do when empty.  Probably not an issue if you add a heavy enough load, but still....some (mentally unstable) people do desire to run their flats empty sometimes.

I'm not knocking Trainman, and you can certainly spend a lot of money and time making them look better, no doubt.  But to say you can get the same results in this case is incorrect.

Noone ever said they were the same -my point is price comparison, bang for the buck. For what I would pay for an assortment of IM 60' flats, I could buy more of the TM flats, as well as detail parts and end up with more cars and cost roughly the same.

This weekend I purchased two freight cars, an IM 60' flat and a Athearn PS2600 hopper and Athearn trailers and that alone came to 45 bucks for very little. Yes I got two really great cars and some nice trailers but point being I feel like I paid too much for too little.

T

[Denver Road Doug]

Noone ever said they were the same -my point is price comparison, bang for the buck. For what I would pay for an assortment of IM 60' flats, I could buy more of the TM flats, as well as detail parts and end up with more cars and cost roughly the same.

This weekend I purchased two freight cars, an IM 60' flat and a Athearn PS2600 hopper and Athearn trailers and that alone came to 45 bucks for very little. Yes I got two really great cars and some nice trailers but point being I feel like I paid too much for too little.

I guess I'm just not as hung up on the sheer numbers of cars personally, but I understand.  I think some TM cars lend themselves better for upgrades.  Thick end porches are hard to deal with regardless.  I have several of the 90T hoppers and they're not too bad, but to me their covered hoppers are just universally hard to take across the board. (notwithstanding their new stuff starting with the Pressuraides)  But the flats are doable, and the newer TM boxcars are among the best values in n-scale.

I hear you about "45 bucks and not much to show for it" but I probably accept a little more value in that than you maybe, so I'm sure that makes it worse.  I spent a hefty amount at a show last weekend and really had not much to show for it.  But for every $15 IMRC flat (I actually bought two at the show, coincidentally!) I got a few deals.  Like a $5 IMRC covered hopper kit and a 12 new packages of misc plastruct shapes for $6.

Anyway, back to the original post, those Athearn 2600's are outstanding and I look forward to the new tooling as well.

[sizemore]

Noone ever said they were the same -my point is price comparison, bang for the buck. For what I would pay for an assortment of IM 60' flats, I could buy more of the TM flats, as well as detail parts and end up with more cars and cost roughly the same.

This weekend I purchased two freight cars, an IM 60' flat and a Athearn PS2600 hopper and Athearn trailers and that alone came to 45 bucks for very little. Yes I got two really great cars and some nice trailers but point being I feel like I paid too much for too little.

I guess I'm just not as hung up on the sheer numbers of cars personally, but I understand.  I think some TM cars lend themselves better for upgrades.  Thick end porches are hard to deal with regardless.  I have several of the 90T hoppers and they're not too bad, but to me their covered hoppers are just universally hard to take across the board. (notwithstanding their new stuff starting with the Pressuraides)  But the flats are doable, and the newer TM boxcars are among the best values in n-scale.

I hear you about "45 bucks and not much to show for it" but I probably accept a little more value in that than you maybe, so I'm sure that makes it worse.  I spent a hefty amount at a show last weekend and really had not much to show for it.  But for every $15 IMRC flat (I actually bought two at the show, coincidentally!) I got a few deals.  Like a $5 IMRC covered hopper kit and a 12 new packages of misc plastruct shapes for $6.

Anyway, back to the original post, those Athearn 2600's are outstanding and I look forward to the new tooling as well.

Yeah I made a few scores on eBay this past week and eyeing two more right now. Maybe it evens out.  ;D

T

[Dave Schneider]

I am not a PS-2 expert, so these may represent slightly different versions. However I am sold on the Athearn version.

The Athearn PS 2600 hopper is a newer (mid 1960s and later) and different car than the Atlas car, which is based on a car 1st made in the 1950s.

A != B.

 Here you go: ≠

Thanks Dave for the great shot. I didn't have a new Athearn car in hand to make this comparison. I can now see that these are different colors! 

I guess my main point was that the hatch detail and roof walks on the Atlas cars has always bugged me, and I appreciate the finer level of detail in the Athearn car. Thus, I am looking forward to what I expect will be improved tooling on the Athearn Airslide. That's all.

Best wishes,
Dave

[FrankCampagna]

The Atlas car is a nice model. So is the Athearn. My vision of model railroading is to run a variety of cars, as did the real thing. So stick one Athearn car in the the consist for variety. In the seventies you would see a mix of two and three bay covered hoppers and boxcars at the local Agway feed mill. The covered hoppers were unloaded in the front, boxcars in the back.

Frank

[asarge]

looking thru all the schemes Atlas has done, the PC, ATSF and GACX schemes have been done before. The RI has been done with different letting and the WP and Cotton Belts have not been done. Apparently there are 3 different versions of the car and Athearn is planning all 3.

[Mark5]

GATC 2600 Airslide Covered Hopper

Who knows, maybe Athearn will do something Atlas hasn't done yet - an airslide in N&W! 

[TrainCat2]

That's the one. I think I saw a square sided one too.

And yeah, SP bay window cabooses. I wish I remembered the class, but with Bob's luck, it'll be the one TrainCat is doing...

If it wern't for bad luck, I have no luck at all ... Gloom, Despair and Agony on ME!!

Well, At least I did not send the artwork out to have the photo tool made. I was going to do that when I got back. So I guess I'll have to cancel my SP C-50-9 project because that is what you guys are going to get in plastic. I saw the prototype today. It sucked so don't even bother trying to find out anything else about it. Don't Go Into The Light!!

[up1950s]

That's the one. I think I saw a square sided one too.

And yeah, SP bay window cabooses. I wish I remembered the class, but with Bob's luck, it'll be the one TrainCat is doing...

If it wern't for bad luck, I have no luck at all ... Gloom, Despair and Agony on ME!!

Well, At least I did not send the artwork out to have the photo tool made. I was going to do that when I got back. So I guess I'll have to cancel my SP C-50-9 project because that is what you guys are going to get in plastic. I saw the prototype today. It sucked so don't even bother trying to find out anything else about it. Don't Go Into The Light!!

Sounds like you are in , a deep dark depression , excessive misery .


GLOOM, DESPAIR AND AGONY ON ME
From the TV Show "Hee-Haw" (1969 -1992)

Buck Owens & Roy Clark


Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me

We figured she was rich, loaded to the hilt
And we figured she had class like the Vanderbilts
'Cause we had heard for years how she was so well reared
How was we to know they meant the way she was built

Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me

[Walkercolt]

One of my favorite whines...."If you're gonna spend the money to cut tooling, why can't you do it right????" I used to moan these blues about aircraft models when I did them, many moons ago(before resin and photo-etch additions were popular). A good plastic SP caboose would be a good seller, since there's been nothing close. A good International bay-window caboose in plastic could be a "stand-in" for at least 8 roads I can think of at this minute.

Anybody have any idea of what happened to the guy who was going to make car ends and wider doors for the MT boxcars from resin? He showed samples, maybe on the "A" board, and that's the last I heard of him.