Over on one of the other forums, the admins pulled a thread about an announcement from Athearn. They can pull it if they wish, it is their forum, but I am curious about what was announced. I do not see an announcement anywhere. Can anyone enlighten me about the the blue box announced. Thanks!
Thanks Mark. So, in reality, just an announcement saying there was going to be an announcement. Hardly worth the electrons.
My newsletter received today only said to watch for the new announcements next week. I think dealers get advance newsletters. Maybe some who use this forum will share. Ben
In adition to Athearn, Walthers will have a "big" anouncment... well maybe medium sized anouncment. I'll tell you more Sunday.
Well here it is: "William K Walthers and Athearn announce that the two firms will merge on or about June 1, 2007. The new firm will be know as Walthearn and will focus only on HO and N scale during the diesel-steam transition era. Spokesman at both firms pointed to the aging population interested in large scale modeling, the recent upsurge in interest in steam railroad modeling brought about by the production of the Athearn Challenger with sound, and the increasing complexity of and declining profit margins available in producing multi-color freight cars and the vast array of modern diesel power, especially the ever changing paint schemes of a number of the remaining Class One railroads. Spokesperson Wally Walthearn said, "It's been a great run, but just like the real railroads had to consolidate and close down, so we are encountering the same dynamics. Our commitment is to keep a segment of the market alive, but of course that will require that many modelers embrace a new approach to their railroading. Simple is in. Forty foot is in. Late steam is in. Early diesel is in. We're truly sorry about the rest."" (And if you believe this I have a bridge I want to talk to you about.)
To borrow (and hopelessly mangle) a line from the movie Airplane.... "Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing coal dust......"
"the two firms will merge on or about June 1, 2007" And on June 2nd, Rosie and The Donald will host a new "Can't we all just get along" show co-hosted by Rodney King!!!!!! 2slim
It appears Atlas has a new policy about other firms posting announcements on their website. I don't know if a commercial site like Atlas or anybody could be burned if someone posts wrong information? The new policy would require someone from Athearn to post their announcements on the Atlas forum if they wished. Discussion about a product can begin when a public announcement has been released. There already appears to be a small firestorm brewing over the MTL MOW caboose release. According to 4nscale, due to short supply/strong demand, NONE will be released at this time. Send Paul Harvey to get the "rest of the story". Jason, Announcements from other manufacturers MUST be posted by the manufacturer. Athearn has been made aware of this, and if they would like to post their announcements here, they are more than welcome to, but they are the only ones that should be posting them here. Thanks for your cooperation. Paul Graf Atlas Model Railroad Company
yeah, Paul jumped on me pretty good. I don't have a problem with the policy, but I find it strange that we cannot discuss information that is available to the public. The funny part is that there wasn't anything announced. I just wanted to pass on to those that don't subscribe to the Athearn news letter that there will be new announcements next week and see what peoples ideas were. Jason:zip:
From Athearn Newsletter This is all the latest "Athearn News" had to say: April 6, 2007 Greetings. Just a quick couple of notes this week. Still Available With all the buzz about the Genesis HO Big Boys, it's easy to forget the first Genesis steam locomotive: The Challenger. They're still available, including the very cool two-tone "greyhound" paint scheme as well as engine number 3985, part of UP's Heritage Fleet. Check them out here or at your local hobby shop. New Announcements Coming We have a great group of new product announcements that will be released early next week. Watch for them! They'll include specifics on the Genesis F45 and FP45, as well as a new fire truck in 1/50 Diecast. That's it for today. The Folks at Athearn Can't get enough trains? Visit Athearn.com, RoundhouseTrains.com and McHenryCouplers.com for more great train products.
We can count on the Atlas moderators getting their panties in a knot once every year or so. The subject is always different and it seems to come up sometime in the spring. Makes we wonder if the information was put in the middle of a paragraph if they would notice. Not that I am taking this as a challenge, mind you....
Why it was even posted to the N-forum is a mystery. Nothing in it refers to is N-Scale. Genesis has always been HO and according to the discussions I had with Athearn's new President and John Engstrom, (three weeks ago) N-scale is not going into Genesis.
I got the Athearn newsletter by email and I noticed that it didn't mention N scale at all. That is what I assumed the point of the original post was, i.e., simply to point out that N scale wasn't getting anything this time around. I didn't feel cheated or slighted. Regarding their new forum rule, my speculation is that they have gotten some heat, probably privately, from their manufacturing competitors suggesting that by their sponsoring a forum that might permit the discussion, sometimes open bashing or criticism and the instigation of rumors regarding other products that this could be interpretted as an unfair and possibly deliberate attempt to impact sales or credibility of the competitor. The new rule probably came about in the interest of good industry relations. It's just a guess.
