Athearn Trains
Athearn Model Trains
Athearn is a well respected name in the model train industry. The Athearn brand has come to be associated with high standards, high quality and great value. Currently offering sought after models in HO scale, N scale and 1:50 scale, the company continues to release exciting new models and products.
Irv Athearn’s Passion for Trains
Like many good companies, Athearn Trains began out of Irv Athearn’s genuine love of model trains. His success is a true testament to the mantra of “do what you love and the money will follw”. While living at home with his mother, Athearn accumulated quite an extraordinary O-scale layout. Like any great project or hobby vocation, Irv’s train layout was never complete and he was always modifying it. It was about this time around the year 1938 that after placing an ad in Model Railroader magazine, Irv was able to sell the complete set up for $10,000; quite a large amount by today’s standards and definitely huge for 1938-1940. The extremely favorable response and eventual sale of his trains offered Irv Athearn some concrete evidence that he could make a good living selling model railroad items.
| Deals now on eBay Sign up is fast, easy & FREE |
 Athearn 40 50 Flat Car Kit $4.95 --> Ends In 30m <-- |
 Athearn GN Great Northern 50 Combination Door Boxcar HO NIB $16.99 Buy It Now --> Ends In 31m <-- |
 Vintage Athern MKT Hopper Car 40021 with KD Couplers Box $7.50 --> Ends In 35m <-- |
 Vintage HO Athern Rock Island 40 Flat Car 90089 With KD Couplers Box $5.00 --> Ends In 41m <-- |
 HO SCALE ATHEARN BOSTON MAINE WORK CABOOSE $5.99 Buy It Now --> Ends In 42m <-- |
 HO SCALE ATHEARN LOUISVILLE NASHVILLE WIDE VISION CABOOSE LN 1024 KDS $12.99 Buy It Now --> Ends In 42m <-- |
 HO SCALE ATHEARN GREAT NORTHERN WIDE VISION CABOOSE X 110 KDS $14.99 Buy It Now --> Ends In 42m <-- |
 Athearn Western Maryland 40 Boxcar 25073 HO nr $7.95 --> Ends In 44m <-- |
 Vintage HO Athern ROCK ISLAND Stock Car 79608 With KD Couplers Box $7.00 --> Ends In 48m <-- |
 Vintage HO Athern Southern Pacific 50 Dbl Door Box Car 651671 W KDs and Box $5.00 --> Ends In 54m <-- |
 Vintage HO Athern Southern Pacific Bay Window Caboose 1652 With KDs Box $7.00 --> Ends In 1h <-- |
 Athearn 55 Center Flow Hercules Pro Fax 50483 Item 1933 Assembled $8.99 Buy It Now --> Ends In 1h 2m <-- |
Making a Good Living
Continuing to sell trains from his mother’s house, Irv did good and in 1948 was able to start his own company in it’s own facility in Hawthorne California. Athearn Trains was born. The new company carved out a niche for itself particularly in HO kits and railroad car construction.
Athearn Innovations
Some of the noted Athearn Trains innovations include all-wheel drive, “Hi-Fi” drive, smoothing and improving the drive mechanism and motion transfer to wheels, double ended magnets and fly wheel drive assemblies.
Continuing the Athearn Legacy
Irv Athearn passed away in 1991 but under new ownership, Athearn Trains continues to honor is legacy of quality, innovation and value with high quality model railroad products at reasonable prices. In 2004 under the new ownership of Horizon Hobby, Athearn moved from it’s Compton facility to a brand new facility in Carson, California.
You must log in to post a comment.