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ATLAS HO Trains Atlas Diesel Locomotives Atlas HO Rolling Stock- Freight Atlas HO Sets Atlas Figures Atlas HO Buildings Atlas HO Vehicles Atlas HO Accessories		ATHEARN HO Trains Athearn Diesel Locomotives Athearn Steam Locomotives Athearn Rolling stock- Passenger Athearn Rolling stock Freight Athearn HO Sets Athearn HO accessories Athearn HO Vehicles		Bachmann HO Trains Bachmann Diesel Locomotives Bachmann Steam locomotives Bachmann Electric Locomotives Bachmann Passenger cars Bachmann track Bachmann HO sets Bachmann HO Buildings Bachmann HO Figures Bachmann HO Freight
Marklin HO Trains Marklin HO Diesel Locomotives Marklin HO Steam Locomotives Marklin HO Electric engines Marklin HO Rolling stock Marklin HO Sets		KATO HO Trains KATO HO Diesel Locomotives KATO Rolling stock -Passenger KATO Rolling stock Freight KATO track KATO Accessories

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KATO

KATO U.S.A. was established in 1986, with the first U.S. locomotive model (the GP38-2, in N-Scale) released in 1987. Since that time, KATO has come to be known as one of the leading manufacturers of precision railroad products for the modeling community. KATO's parent company, Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to producing ready-to-run HO and N scale models that are universally hailed for their high level of detail, craftsmanship and operation, KATO also manufactures UNITRACK. UNITRACK is the finest rail & roadbed modular track system available to modelers today. With the track and roadbed integrated into a single piece, UNITRACK features a nickel-silver rail and a realistic-looking roadbed. Patented UNIJOINERS allow sections to be snapped together quickly and securely, time after time if necessary. The focus of KATO models and UNITRACK is primarily in N scale. This is mostly due to the increasing growth this scale is currently experiencing here in North America and the dual marketability of products to modelers in Japan who are faced with limited space constraints to their hobby. However, because of the popularity of HO scale modeling in the western world, KATO also continues to expand the selection of models and track products in this scale. Hobbyists of both scales can continue to expect KATO to remain committed to the production of quality products... "built to meet the demands of the serious model railroader." The Kato U.S.A. office and warehouse facility is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, approximately 30 miles northwest of Chicago. All research & development of new North American products is performed here, in addition to the sales and distribution of merchandise to a vast network of wholesale representatives and retail dealers. Models requiring service sent in by hobbyists are usually attended to at this location as well. The manufacturing of all KATO products is performed in Japan.

Athearn

Superior quality. High dependability. Tremendous value. This is what you think of whenever you hear the name “Athearn .” It’s also quite likely that you know of the man who ensured that the models bearing his name reflected his high standards and his status as an industry leader. Irv Athearn began his life-long affair with model railroading in 1938, when he filled his mother’s house with an elaborate O-scale layout that he was constantly modifying. A few years later, Irv valued his O collection at $10,000 and placed an advertisement selling it in Model Railroader. Response to his ad was rabidly favorable, giving Irv the idea that perhaps selling model railroads would be a good living. He continued to sell train products out of his mother’s house through most of the 1940’s, eventually becoming a full-time railroad retailer in 1946 and opening a separate facility in Hawthorne, California in 1948, the same year he branched out into HO kits for the first time. Early on, Irv recognized the importance of time and value to his customers. He introduced “an entirely new principle in HO car construction,” a reefer kit with a preassembled body and spot-welded underframe—a precursor to the popular Ready To Roll line. Athearn continued to shake up the model train industry through the years, consistently marketing their products as innovations in quality, workmanship and excellent value. Irv’s ability to recognize new trends and change with the times allowed Athearn to strike with a flaming iron. For instance, in 1956, he released the EMD F7 diesel utilizing the revolutionary “Hi-F” drive, and, in 1973, he introduced the F45 and FP45, among the first model locomotives to include flywheels on the motor shaft. Irv Athearn passed away in 1991, but the company he founded lives on as one of the greatest forces in model railroading history. New owners took control of Athearn in 1994, but wisely continued Irv’s pledge of offering high-quality products at reasonable prices. The addition of the Genesis line of premium models, the licensing of John Deere kits and tractors, the acquisition of Rail Power Products, Inc., the entry into the N-scale market and the development of the Ready To Roll line further enhanced the company’s reputation. In 2004, Horizon Hobby, Inc. purchased Athearn and moved it into a state-of-the-art new facility in Carson, California. With the purchase of Model Die Casting, the launches of 1:50-scale precision die-cast products, the 4-6-6-4 Challenger with sound and other exciting new models, Athearn remains the railroad industry leader in quality and value.

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