Search:
Type the text to search here and press Enter.
Separate search terms by a space; they will all be searched individually in all fields of the database. Click on Search: to go to the advanced search page.
Classifieds Only: Check this box if you want to search classifieds instead of the catalog.
Please help support TroveStar. Why?

Athearn - 10911 - Locomotive, Steam, 2-8-0 Consolidation - Virginia & Truckee - 8

4  of these sold for an average price of: 103.62103.624 of these sold for an average price of: 103.62
Click to see the details
history
This item is not for sale. This is a reference database.
N Scale - Athearn - 10911 - Locomotive, Steam, 2-8-0 Consolidation - Virginia & Truckee - 8 Image Courtesy of Horizon Hobby
Click on any image above to open the gallery with larger images.
Sell this item on TroveStar
Sell
Add a comment about this item.
It will be visible at the bottom of this page to all users.
Comment
Stock Number10911
Original Retail Price$124.98
BrandAthearn
ManufacturerAthearn
Body StyleMDC Steam Engine 2-8-0 Consolidation
Image Provider's WebsiteLink
Prototype VehicleLocomotive, Steam, 2-8-0 Consolidation (Details)
Road or Company NameVirginia & Truckee (Details)
Road or Reporting Number8
Paint Color(s)Black
Print Color(s)White
Coupler TypeGeneric Magnetic Knuckle
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileSmall Flange (Low Profile)
DCC ReadinessNo
Release Date2005-02-01
Item CategoryLocomotives
Model TypeSteam
Model Subtype2-8-0
Model VarietyConsolidation
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era I: Early Steam (1835 - 1900)
Scale1/160
Track GaugeN standard



Specific Item Information: N RTR Old Time 2-8-0, V&T #8
Model Information: MDC/Roundhouse first released this model in 2001. Later, when MDC was bought out by Horizon Hobby, they were re-released under the Athearn label.

The Athearn release was redesigned to eliminate the need for wires between the trucks and the tender (which was imported from the MDC 2-6-0). The early MDC releases come with non-functioning knuckle coupler mounted on the pilot and the ubquitous Rapido coupler in the rear. Later MDC releases sported a new dummy pilot with a pocket that can be used to mount whatever kind of coupler you want. The Athearn releases carry Accumate couplers at both ends.
Prototype History:
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. In the United States and elsewhere, this wheel arrangement is commonly known as a Consolidation.

Of all the locomotive types that were created and experimented with in the 19th century, the 2-8-0 was a relative latecomer. From its introduction in 1866 and well into the early 20th century, the 2-8-0 design was considered to be the ultimate heavy-freight locomotive. The 2-8-0's forte was starting and moving "impressive loads at unimpressive speeds" and its versatility gave the type its longevity. The practical limit of the design was reached in 1915, when it was realized that no further development was possible with a locomotive of this wheel arrangement.

From Wikipedia
Road Name History:
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad (reporting mark VT) was built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the mainline split into two branches. One branch continued south to Minden, while the other branch traveled east to Virginia City. The first section from Virginia City to Carson City was constructed beginning in 1869 to haul ore, lumber and supplies for the Comstock Lode.

The railroad was abandoned in 1950 after years of declining revenue. Much of the rail infrastructure was pulled up and sold, along with the remaining locomotives and railcars. In the 1970s, with public interest in historic railroads on the rise, the old lines were rebuilt by private investors, with an eye towards re-opening the lines.

Today, the privately owned Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company operates as a heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City. The present route is 14.1 miles (22.7 km) long. The railroad owns and uses the service mark "Queen of the Short Lines". The V&T Railroad runs up to seven trains per day, many in steam behind locomotive #29, a 2-8-0 Consolidation, or an ex-US Army GE 80-ton diesel from Virginia City from Memorial Day until the end of October each year.

Read more on Wikipedia.
Brand/Importer Information:
Athearn's history began in 1938, when its founder-to-be, Irvin Athearn, started an elaborate O scale layout in his mother's house. After placing an ad selling the layout, and receiving much response to it, Irv decided that selling model railroads would be a good living. He sold train products out of his mother's house through most of the 1940s. After becoming a full-time retailer in 1946, Irv opened a separate facility in Hawthorne, California in 1948, and that same year he branched into HO scale models for the first time.

Athearn acquired the Globe Models product line and improved upon it, introducing a comprehensive array of locomotive, passenger and freight car models. Improvements included all-wheel drive and electrical contact. One innovation was the "Hi-Fi" drive mechanism, employing small rubber bands to transfer motion from the motor spindle to the axles. Another was the double-ended ring magnet motor, which permitted easy connection to all-wheel-drive assemblies. Athearn was also able to incorporate flywheels into double-ended drives.

The company produced a model of the Boston & Maine P4 class Pacific steam locomotive which incorporated a cast zinc alloy base and thermoplastic resin superstructure. It had a worm drive and all power pickup was through the bipolar trucks that carried the tender. This item was discontinued after the Wilson motor was no longer available, and was not redesigned for a more technologically advanced motor.

Athearn's car fleet included shorter-than-scale interpretations of passenger cars of Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad prototypes. The company also offered a variety of scale-length freight cars with sprung and equalized trucks. The cars could be obtained in simple kit form, or ready-to-run in windowed display boxes. The comprehensive scope of the product line contributed to the popularity of HO as a model railroad scale, due to the ready availability of items and their low cost.

Irv Athearn died in 1991. New owners took control in 1994, but continued to follow Athearn's commitment to high-quality products at reasonable prices. Athearn was bought in 2004 by Horizon Hobby. Athearn was then moved from its facility in Compton to a new facility in Carson, California. In mid-2009, all remaining US production was moved to China and warehousing moved to parent Horizon Hobby. Sales and product development was relocated to a smaller facility in Long Beach, California.

Read more on Wikipedia and Athearn website.
Item created by: George on 2016-09-16 12:10:31. Last edited by gdm on 2021-01-16 07:51:26

If you see errors or missing data in this entry, please feel free to log in and edit it. Anyone with a Gmail account can log in instantly.