The World Of Rolling Stock Kit Building Has Officially “Died”

Well The Folks At Athearn (Technically Horizon Hobbies) Have “Killed” The “Blue Box” Line.

 

Here Is The Email That Was In My Inbox This Morning:

 

[Greetings,

Effective immediately, we here at Athearn have made the difficult decision to discontinue the production of our Blue Box line of kits.  There were several factors that contributed to this extremely challenging decision however, the primary issue revolved around affordability and ensuring that our Blue Box kit pricing remain aligned with what the market can bear.  Unfortunately,  due to increased manufacturing and labor costs it has been determined that we are no longer able to continue offering kits at competitive price points as compared to our already assembled products.

For over 50 years the Athearn Blue Box kits have been sold worldwide, bringing happiness, joy and excitement to thousands of model railroad enthusiasts. Your passion for these products has allowed us to thrive and grow into the industry leader you still support today, and for that we are eternally grateful. Moving forward this will allow us to dedicate more resources to new and exciting projects in our Ready To Roll, Genesis and Roundhouse lines for another 50 years, or more.

We will continue to support all service and warranty needs on Blue Box kits from our headquarters in Long Beach, California. You can find our contact information here.

The Folks at Athearn]

 

 

In A Way I Kind Of Can See Were They Were Going With This,However This Is Not Really Going

To Go Quietly,I Feel (And I’m One Of Them) That A Lot Of Model Railroaders Will Not Really

Like This At All.

 

Personally I Don’t Think They Should Put An End To The “Blue Box” Kits,Put Them On A Hiatus,But

Not Stop Completely On The Production Of Them.

 

But Then Again,Like They Say, All Good Things Must Come To An End.

 

R.I.P

Athearn “Blue Box” Kits

1948-2009

May Your Kits Bring Joy To Those Up There In Hobby Heaven.

 

Here Is  A Photo Of A Completed Athearn “Blue Box” Kit:

 

 

Chris

Co-Owner/Operator

FunTime Trains/Rialto Flyer Railroad