Model Railroading > Genesis 60' Boxcars

Has any one heard of when Athearn is going to ship these new boxcars?

August of 2007...........LOL.

I haven't any clue. I thought they already released them last year?

L.G.

Actually they have not been released. The ones released last year were 50' cars. Athearn claimed the 60' cars would be out early this year, but we all know how good Athearn is about making deadlines.

Like an overwhelming majority of the new items that they do, Athearn announced the Genesis 60' boxcars before they had a realistic production schedule...

Since the Genesis 60' boxcars are supposed to be done in China, we may never see them... just like the standard cab SD70s which Athearn is trying to cancel... (like the SD50 Athearn announced in 1995 that has still yet to reach hobby shop shelves!)

Send an e-mail to Athearn and ask for an honest answer. Good luck getting it!
- BCM

PS. A friend saw the first production Athearn Genesis 60' boxcars at the East Coast Hobby show last month. He commented that the car was way too light and was totally glued together including the bottom and the coupler cover boxes which will make correction of the weight problem and addition of Kadee couplers "extremely difficult" due to the fragile brake rigging. When the Athearn rep was asked about it his reply was "why would anyone want to add weight or change the couplers?"... Sigh... Once again Athearn could have done a great model if they had only used their brain in its development... (Is the Athearn F59PHI the only HO locomotive over $60 without a cab interior?)