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 Posted - January 15 2014 : 12:21:28 PM
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will leave it for you to read ken
Athearn
As you probably know, Athearn is owned by Horizon Hobby and we've sold model railroad related products directly via HorizonHobbyTrains.com. As of today, the HorizonHobbyTrains.com website and social media sites are no longer active.
Here's the announcement.
"For over two years, Horizon Hobby has offered our complete assortment of model railroad and related products on HorizonHobbyTrains.com. Beginning Wednesday January 15, we will no longer be offering model railroad product lines via HorizonHobbyTrains.com, Amazon, and eBay. Horizon Hobby will continue to provide distribution of Athearn plus all of our non-exclusive model railroad brands to retailers as we have for several years. Our interest and support of the model railroading community continues as well.
Additionally, HorizonHobbyTrains.com will be redirected to Athearn.com. Athearn models may now be purchased directly from the Athearn website. If you're a HorizonHobbyTrains.com e-mail subscriber, you'll continue to receive special promotions for Athearn products.
Finally, if you have placed a preorder using HorizonHobbyTrains.com, we will maintain the backorder and ship once it becomes available. If you would like to check the status of your backorders or have any questions, please contact our Consumer Sales Department at
888 959-2307.
We appreciate your business and look forward to providing you with Athearn locomotives, rolling stock, and vehicles for many years to come."
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Posted - January 15 2014 : 12:34:01 PM
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Thanks for the news ken - although I really don't know what to make of it other than marketing reorganization.
I was never a fan of the horizon hobby trains website. Seemed like 90% of everything was listed as "out of stock". And it never made sense to me that Horizon Hobby (Athearn?) would be marketing competitors products. Confusing.
I guess this will be a wait and see thing.....
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - January 16 2014 : 04:03:42 AM
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| Horizon was just sold to new owners, one of those investment firms, although the CEO also holds part of the ownership.
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ptgolf
Little Six
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Posted - February 08 2014 : 11:19:03 AM
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| If you can purchase Athearn products from the Athearn Website than where does that leave the Hobby Shop owner? He now has to compete for customers with his supplier? Doesn't seem very fair?
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Posted - February 08 2014 : 12:31:33 PM
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quote:If you can purchase Athearn products from the Athearn Website than where does that leave the Hobby Shop owner? He now has to compete for customers with his supplier? Doesn't seem very fair?
Originally posted by ptgolf - February 08 2014 : 11:19:03 AM
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In most places, lately, it leaves him nonexistent. There are things I'd like to be able to go to the store and buy, but the only hobby shop that's less than an expedition away has very little in stock that interests me. I live in a very populous area, too. I remember when there were a half dozen hobby shops around with good selections of products.
Mail order competition so reduced their numbers that mail order is now a necessity. This fact shall, no doubt, reduce their numbers, further. It's a death spiral, but if I lived where there are no hobby shops, I'd sure be grateful that Athearn sells retail.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - February 23 2014 : 8:58:50 PM
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Eventually, the brick and mortar hobby shops will be a thing of the past. Everything will be on line, whether it will be on Ebay, Amazon or the Mfg'rs website....
Edited by - AF Kid on February 23 2014 8:59:50 PM
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Posted - February 24 2014 : 8:28:19 PM
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| People still want to see and handle things before they buy them.
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Posted - February 24 2014 : 9:07:10 PM
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| Online sales is killing a lot of businesses. It's not just hobby shops. It's a new era where this will continue to erode the stores away... A hobby shop will or has become a hobby it's self..
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Posted - February 24 2014 : 9:21:51 PM
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quote:Eventually, the brick and mortar hobby shops will be a thing of the past. Everything will be on line, whether it will be on Ebay, Amazon or the Mfg'rs website....
Originally posted by AF Kid - February 23 2014 : 8:58:50 PM
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It does seem like everything is becoming digital and that's what I fear. Eventually, people will never get off of their computers and our society will be electronic based.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - February 25 2014 : 09:51:02 AM
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Pat McManus wrote a short story in which he was sent 100 years into the future in a time machine. In that time, barbers ruled the world because they knew everyone, a haircut being the one thing you can't buy over the internet. 
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - February 25 2014 : 10:56:30 AM
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| i can see in the future,being able to download a layout of your own design,with all the locos you like,being as real in operation and looks as the real thing,only draw back you will not be able to pick it up,and thats the bit i would miss,so reality rules for me ken
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