Athearn Model Trains-A History Of Excellence
Athearn model trains is a company that was introduced to the public in 1938 when it’s owner Irv Athearn started by selling his model trains out of his parents home. His first sale was actually a highly detailed O scale model railroad layout which he sold for the impressive sum of $10,000. With the country just recovering from the worst economic downturn that it had ever experienced, this model train sale for young Irv must have come as great surprise.
As time would prove, this sale served as the catalyst for what would become a continued journey in the manufacturing world of model trains, and one that would represent a product which has continually improved as the years have gone by.
Although 1940’s represented a challenging time for the United States because of it’s involvement in World War II, Irv Athearn continued to make model trains and their accessories and sold them directly from his families home. Through his persistence, and initial success, he was able to become a permanent manufacturer of model trains, and opened his first plant in Hawthorne, California, where he also branched into the production of Ho model trains.
If you are a serious hobbyist you are no doubt familiar with this product line, and you are more than aware that Athearn model trains represent a high standard of quality and a model train line that is moderately priced, which makes it affordable to most new model railroaders. However, it also has to be pointed out that keeping his first model trains at an affordable price also meant producing a product that was uncomplicated. In so doing, the locomotives that were produced tended to be noisy and had an inclination to run inconsistently. Over the years collectors of these trains have through their ingenuity figured out ways to improve the running quality of these locomotives.
When you buy a model train from Athearn today, you’ll discover that these previous problems are non-existent, and that you’ve purchased one of the higher quality model trains which are currently available in the marketplace.
Irv Athearn was an innovator who new the true value of keeping his product timely and current. He was constantly making changes which shook up the model train industry. He developed a totally new standard for the construction of the HO railcar which involved a pre-assembled body with a spot-welded under frame. In the upcoming years and in keeping with his desire to make innovative changes in the industry Irv Althearn also introduced the EMD F7 diesel utilizing the revolutionary “Hi-F” drive, and, in 1973, he introduced the F45 and FP45, which were among the first locomotives to include flywheels on the motor shaft.
Irv Athearn’s life ended in 1991, and he lived a life that one could easily say was completely devoted to the amazing hobby of model railroading. His legacy lives on because his companies new owners have continued to improve upon the quality of the entire model train product line.
