Lionel brought out its first No. 6464 near-scale boxcars in 1953. The models it developed were strongly influenced by what Athearn, a manufacturer of O scale trains, had already been doing, especially with a Rock Island prototype. Little wonder that toy train enthusiasts of every age praised the four new 6464 boxcars.
Experienced O gauge operators knew that Lionel, though the giant of the industry, had not been the first manufacturer of near-scale replicas of the latest boxcars observed on North American railroads. Beating it to the punch was AMT, a small yet daring business in Indiana that had changed its name from American Model Toys to Auburn Model Trains in honor of the town where it was located.
But modelers with an even broader view of the hobby knew that AMT had not been the first to bring out O gauge replicas of the latest boxcars. They had in mind a relatively new firm making its mark with O scale rolling stock. Yet all it took was a little ingenuity to fit Lionel knuckle couplers onto those freight cars, which was why this Rock Island boxcar and others produced by Irvin Athearn in the late 1940s deserve to be praised as classics every O gauger should salute.
Innovator at heart
Most readers of Classic Toy Trains will be familiar with the name, even if they naturally associate Irvin Athearn with HO scale trains. During the postwar era, every hobby shop stocking Lionel or American Flyer likely had shelves filled with the easy-to-assemble HO kits sold by Athearn in yellow-and-blue boxes.
All the same, in the years immediately following the end of World War II, the ambitious Athearn concentrated his efforts almost exclusively on forging ahead in the O gauge field. He hoped to get rich by producing O scale models capable of being fitted with knuckle couplers compatible with Lionel trains.
While discovering the joys of model railroading during his formative years in the 1930s, Athearn had collected and run O scale locomotives and rolling stock that he modified to operate with Lionel pieces. He strongly believed many other hobbyists enjoyed doing that as well rather than sticking entirely with O scale.
The hard-driving entrepreneur started tentatively during the war years. In 1943 and 1945, Athearn had released a few standard brown boxcars lettered for, among others, the New Haven and the Santa Fe. He leaped ahead three years later with a great-looking O scale replica of the New York Central Pacemaker boxcar. It dominated advertisements placed in Model Railroader in the summer of 1946.
Colorful marvels
Where to go next? Honestly, the list of specialized boxcars to replicate was quite short, though their novelty and vivid colors made them obvious choices.
Just follow the trail of advertisements found in the pages of MR to discern what Athearn was doing. Models of a Southern Pacific Overnight boxcar in black and a Baltimore & Ohio Sentinel made their debut in 1947. A year later came an orange Great Northern and this silver Rock Island “Route of the Rockets” boxcar.
Before shifting the bulk of his financial and manufacturing resources to HO products, Athearn filled out his roster of O scale special boxcars with replicas of a Baltimore & Ohio Time Saver (blue and orange), Missouri Pacific Eagle (blue and gray) and a Western Pacific (silver with an immense orange feather).
Seventy-five years later, fully assembled Athearn models — whether with original scale couplers or modified with Lionel couplers — can still be found and look great on O gauge layouts. Surprisingly, unbuilt kits are out there, including this handsome Rock Island boxcar skillfully put together by modeler Seth Puffer.
