New ES44

[diesel]

I know you've seen the Athearn ES44 by now right? It's beautiful. They pushed the detail even further than on the ACe. I hope there's no Q problems this time.

I just wish there was a -9 like that. The Kato -9 is awesome, but it's only Phase I. I want to see if I can get some plastic worm gears and install them on the Blue Box -9s and see if that will make them run smoother.

[diesel]

just typing here before I start cutting...

I wonder if there are those holding out for the Athearn product over the Intermountain. Many did with the ACe from MTH. I just got my second IM ES44 yesterday for Christmas. (I arrange my own presents, it's just too complicated any other way and I have enough socks for a while now.)

[sd45longhoodfoward]

I am holding on to get about 3 Genesis ES44's BNSF & UP versions they are like you said detailed to the max .then i want a DC version of the NS models . i really do wish some of the manufactures would produce some older GE 's I dont know why they havent yet there is definately a market for them,<i know SOSDD lol

[wongsing]

Amen on an updated dash 9!!!! Not sure why GE's have such a bad reputation (besides the fact they ride rough and always seem to catch on fire)...At any rate, after going to the show and seeing the new Athearn GEVO's...I think I'll happily wait for these too! If I could have just an entire loco roster of all athearns....Oh, if only that company would just catch on....

-Rich

[diesel]

show? you saw? does it look as good as in the pics?

-oh, sadly Athearn knows, Rich! Sadlier still, until those things seem like they will generate a certain level of cash they will not change their minds.

Here's what I think. The new Athearn (Horizon) realized there was a market for higher levels of details. I don't know who was in control when the BB -9 was released, but that was the first time I noticed they tried harder with details. (yes, the bar has been raised quite a bit since then) Not much later the Gensis line came out with improved details, and now look, ES44, probably tHe most detailed out of the box plastic loco ever. Clearly the aspect of finer detail was believed to raise sales, and now there are those who swear by Athearn above all else.

So, somehow you have to instill that level of eyebrow rising to have a chance of what you're looking for to be tried/done. ie. how much will it cost to do vs. how many more do we -tHinK- we will sell? Once they think some aspect will raise sales significantly, then it can change what they produce.

[spike]

I wonder which phases of the ES series they will make. CP alone has about 4-5 variations. I was thinking about the IM CP version, but they only do the first order. They were an improvement over the AC4400, but I like the later ones. My preference on models is somewhat based on whether or not I like running the real ones. This is why I have so many -2 GM models.

[diesel]

I didn't remember to ask or look up what phase Athearn did, but they do look as good as I think you can get in HO scale and still be mass produced. -mu hoses & air hoses need replacement, but that's all I saw at first glance at the show.

[bigb]

I really like the Intermountain Gevos over what Ive learned about the Athearn one. I like: LED lights, detail level, and IM's customer service. The four I have run well, no problems. I have 3 more on order.

I am reallly turned off by Athearn using bulbs in their models. They burn out at random times, but the fact is they burn out thousands of hours sooner than a LED. If it wasnt for the lack of LEDs and if the produced a late-model gevo in a roadname I favor, I may be tempted. Until then, not tempted.

[u33c]

I was at the Ft. Worth train show last Saturday, and was lucky enough to pick up a brand new, still in the box Kato Dash 9--in ATSF red & silver, No. 600. Not detailed like Athearn's spectacular ES44s, but for someone like me who loves to add details to locomotives, it was a real find. $65 to boot. I hope Athearn continues to expand its Ready to Roll line; frankly, I can't afford the price of Genesis locos, especially with sound, and paying $250 and upward for a 4-axle diesel to me is a little, well, absurd (unless I really, really, really like the prototype, like an SP GP9 with full light package).

Here's hoping Athearn will soon unvale a Canadian non-wide cab SD40-2 and an affordable C39-8.

[Coy]

I have two of the Athearn ES44's. The detail is great and definitely more durable than their SD70ACe which I have many of. My only problem with them is the lighting, which still isn't a major concern of mine, but it would be nice if they were LED's. I don't count on that ever happening.

[PVRR 2647]

I went all in with IMRC and their CSX es40dc and bought all four of the sound units. I am sadly moving away from Athearn. Not because I want to but because it seems like they and a lot of other mfg are not including CSX in many of their paint schemes. I saw a couple of the Athearn Gevos at the Amherst train show in Westside about a month ago and was green with envy over the mold and detail work that they have put into them versus the IMRC. But I'm not gonna spend $300 and have to strip repaint and decal several for CSX. The only gripe that I have about the IMRC Gevo is that the hand rails are about as durable as uncooked angle hair spaghetti noodles. But still changing handrails to brass is preferable to me than redoing a whole locomotive.

[bf1982]

I'm also disappointed with no CSX offerings for the GEVOs. Also no flared SD70Ms for CSX either, I wonder it it's a licensing issue?

[KCSRailfan]

CSX doesn't own any SD70Ms flared only SD70MAC s with flares

[PVRR 2647]

I was really disappointed also when I visited Irv's website and saw the preproduction samples of the sd70 flare I thought for a second that they where going to do CSX in the first run, and that is why they didn't do CSX in the GEVO run. Boy was I really let down. I think that it has to be a licensing issue at this point as well. Guess I'll just have to settle for IMRC's SD40-2 when it comes out. I like the sounds of a 645 turbo better than the 710 anyway.

[MitchGDRMCo]

Just to repeat a previous poster, Athearn is doing flared SD70Ms. CSX does not own any flared SD70Ms, only flared SD70MACs.

[antlorch]

Speaking of the ES44's I saw that Broadway Limited is also going to make these. Which phase I have no idea but here is another one.More options to play with..

[PVRR 2647]

I understand that there is a difference between the sd70M and the sd70Mac but the point that I was trying to make was that CSX is not going to be made. I was trying to say that I was hope full when I saw the sample but then let down when I read the details. That's all BTW I don't understand why Athearn won't offer an incorrect model to the masses by painting a SD70M flare for CSX. They offer the CF7's in BNSF paint!

[antlorch]

I had asked Athearn about "fantasy" schemes not to long ago on there Facebook page and they said they will not do fantasy schemes on any Genesis models. Though they do the John Deere stuff on Genesis.

I wish they would offer them. I think Intermountain as done pretty good with there fantasy schemes on the ES44's.

You never know they might do a SD70M in CSX in the future as this is all new tooling on the 70's now.