Athearn N Scale Announcement - December 27, 2019

[Mark5]

Lots of HO stuff, but this appears to be it for N:

N Bay Window Caboose

http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/122719/08_N_Bay_Window_Caboose_122719.pdf

Mark

[EspeeGoldenState]

So new stackable jewel case, and new trucks? Yet another rerun of stuff that has been out for years now.

It's honestly too bad that Bluford has said no to the UP CA-11 cabs.

Chris

[cfritschle]

So new stackable jewel case, and new trucks? Yet another rerun of stuff that has been out for years now.

It's honestly too bad that Bluford has said no to the UP CA-11 cabs.

Chris

I wonder how many regional railroads acquired CA-11 cabs second hand? 

While I doubt that there would be a lot of interest (besides me) in an Idaho Northern and Pacific caboose, there may be other regional railroads in which a model of an ex-UP CA-11 would generate some additional sales for a manufacturer.   

This one was photographed in Emmett, ID on October 26, 2019.

[greenwizard88]

381mm minimum radius Is practically HO scale. I predict many people won't be able to run these.

[tehachapifan]

Previous runs had the axle-mount generator so, based on this, I don't think the trucks are new since then. Perhaps the model info about the models might still be from first release? I think previous releases came with jewel cases too, didn't they? At any rate, I have two from previous releases and absolutely love them.

[draskouasshat]

381mm minimum radius Is practically HO scale. I predict many people won't be able to run these.

Seriously? 15" shouldn't even be a question. I honestly wish they would stop making unitrak radii less than 15". Maybe we're could get ourselves out of the "toy" train category.

Drasko

[kscessandriver]

Seriously? 15" shouldn't even be a question. I honestly wish they would stop making unitrak radii less than 15". Maybe we're could get ourselves out of the "toy" train category.

Drasko

I agree, 15 inch radius is huge for what amounts to a short piece of rolling stock. Not everyone is able to dedicate an entire room in a house to a layout. By taking the attitude you're taking, you'll just continue to make the hobby smaller...

[Missaberoad]

I agree, 15 inch radius is huge for what amounts to a short piece of rolling stock. Not everyone is able to dedicate an entire room in a house to a layout. By taking the attitude you're taking, you'll just continue to make the hobby smaller...

First off the Athearn cabooses will run on smaller then 15" radius, I imagine they recommend that as a best practice...

Second, a 32 inch wide (minimum) layout is dedicating an entire room?  my Kato Trainset has 15"+ radius curves... 

[MetroRedLine]

Seriously? 15" shouldn't even be a question. I honestly wish they would stop making unitrak radii less than 15". Maybe we're could get ourselves out of the "toy" train category.

Drasko

It doesn't help that too many N scalers default to a HCD as the size and shape of their first layout though.

[peteski]

It doesn't help that too many N scalers default to a HCD as the size and shape of their first layout though.

Considering that for decades a 4x8 sheet of plywood was the de-facto size for a first H0 layout, HCD is not a bad choice for N scale first layout. Some modelers even start smaller (like a 2x4 NTRAK module, or an even smaller T-TRAK module).   Not many new modelers start of with room-size layouts. There is plenty of room for all types of modelers.

This whole discussion was started because of what likely is a typo, or other type of a silly mistake specifying 15" minimum radius for an N scale crummy.  I can't imagine that a relatively short model (with pivoting trucks  no less) not being able to handle a 7" radius.  I'm just being realistic.

[tehachapifan]

Mine from previous runs seem to navigate a 180 degree turn of 9 3/4" radius track fine (yeah, I know. It's a hidden part of a branchline...I have 20"+ radius curves on my mainline). So, unless this run indeed has a different trucks or less room for trucks the swivel, I also suspect they will run on curves smaller than 15".

I just went out and looked at one of mine and, yeah, the trucks do only turn a certain amount before wheels hit the center sill and/or the body-mount coupler box. My 9 3/4" radius curve is probably causing wheels to get REALLY close to making contact or maybe they're even rubbing a little, though I haven't heard rubbing sounds and I don't see evidence of rubbing on the sill or coupler box. So, while probably leaving a little (quite a bit?) extra breathing room, I'm guessing the 15" recommendation is probably based on that...or at least in part. Perhaps it is also because this car has body-mount couplers with even a bit of an extended coupler box and running it with cars with truck-mount couplers at tighter radii could potentially cause problems.

[thomasjmdavis]

381mm minimum radius Is practically HO scale. I predict many people won't be able to run these.

I suspect this is the result of 1 of 2 possibilities- (1) It is the "price" of having the steps, generators, and misc underbody detailing all in the right place.  Or (2) the "15" minimum radius" is a misprint, as I note that their more highly detailed HO cabooses have 18" minimum radius listed.  So it might be worth an email to Athearn if you are seriously interested in owning one and have tight curves.

[greenwizard88]

First off the Athearn cabooses will run on smaller then 15" radius, I imagine they recommend that as a best practice...

Second, a 32 inch wide (minimum) layout is dedicating an entire room?  my Kato Trainset has 15"+ radius curves... 

the 315mm curves that a kato starter set come with are only 12.4" radius. You wouldn't be able to run this caboose on it.

Even the BLI T1 can handle 9.75" radius. There's no reason for a caboose to need 50% more turning radius.

[tehachapifan]

But I said my two from previous runs CA AND DO run on smaller than 15" radius curves.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Pretty sure they copy and pasted the HO features. The older  runs  had paper boxes. 15" seems about right for an HO caboose with body mounted couplers.