Hi Everyone, I am writing to inquire today on a converted Athearn Genesis 2-8-2 HO on DC. Recently, I purchased on Ebay a Athearn Genesis PRR 2-8-2. There is no sound. The previous owner disconnected the sound and the wires are hanging out of the back of the locomotive. The train runs rather well even though it does not have sound. The wiring harness is not connected to the tender either. My question is this. Does anyone know how to do this conversion? I would be interested in learning it for future use if I want to do this in the future to make locomotives that are DCC locomotives and convert them to DC. Thanks.
The Athearn 2-8-2s never came with soound. There was a dummy plug in the connector for running it on DC. When you wanted to add a decoder you pulled the dummy plug and plugged in the decoder. See if the dummy plug is in the box the locomotive came in.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Perhaps you need to go back and read the seller's description of that item more carefully, because that locomotive, as sold by Athearn, never had sound and was not DCC equipped.
The wire coming out the back had a small circuit board on the end plugged into a 9-pin JST header so it would run on DC. That circuit board had to be removed in order to install any type of decoder. There is a slot in the front of the tender into which the wire (and decoder) can be inserted.
A major problem with that model, made by Samhogsa of Korea, was the main axle drive gear cracking, and no replacements are available from Athearn. If yours runs at all, consider yourself lucky.
Gotcha gentlemen, the plug thats comes out the back of the locomotive now is for DCC if I want to add it. I purchased a Athearn Genesis HO 2-8-2 a couple of years ago that came with sound. It must have been added. Based on that locomotive, I thought they came with sound. My Bad. Will the locomotive still run if I cut those wires and circuit board off? Thanks
Locojunkie Will the locomotive still run if I cut those wires and circuit board off? Thanks
Will the locomotive still run if I cut those wires and circuit board off? Thanks
Here's a pic of a Athearn 2-8-2 plug and the dc board, dad says unplug dc board and connect your decoder of choice, ours is getting a wow TCS with keep alive. Going to put it and speaker in tender as soon as dad finishes with putting metal gears in my Bachmann shay which has cracked gears now. Dad says it wont move without this board, and runs excellent with it and no tender, no pickup from tender wheels on this one. Enjoy June, only 2 weeks school left, yay.
Shanny1010
Shanny10
B&O, C&O, PRR
Just lovin trains
shanny10 Here's a pic of a Athearn 2-8-2 plug and the dc board, dad says unplug dc board and connect your decoder of choice, ours is getting a wow TCS with keep alive. Going to put it and speaker in tender as soon as dad finishes with putting metal gears in my Bachmann shay which has cracked gears now. Dad says it wont move without this board, and runs excellent with it and no tender, no pickup from tender wheels on this one. Enjoy June, only 2 weeks school left, yay. Shanny1010
Athearn originally had replacement gears (I got one to repair a friends loco), but NorthWest Shortline has replacements.The locomotive can be re-wired to run without the board or the pigtail, but if you plan to add DCC later, you may wish to leave it in place. I run DC, so re-wired the loco and also added tender pick-up. These locomotives are smooth runners, but don't pull well at all, mostly due to the fact that the weight is not balanced. I managed to boost the weight (loco only) from 12.5oz. to 17.5oz. and balance it about the centre-point of the driver wheelbase. Still smooth runners, but now decent pullers, too. None of mine have yet suffered from the gear issue.
Wayne
I have three of them tings. I havn't suffered the cracked gear issue yet, eedder. DC only.
Frank