CF7

[XG01X]

Does anyone have a Athearn CF7 locomotive; I'm thinking of going out and buying one and was looking for opinions.
Thanks
Travis
P.S.- anyone add sound to it?

[Don Gibson]

CF-7's: I have 3.

I think it's Athearn's finest effort to date. With their Quality Conrol - or lack of same - Maybe I'm just lucky

[BRAKIE]

I have 6 CF7s..These are smooth runners straight from the box,looks good but a little light on pulling just like the prototype CF7.The SD50/60 is just as smooth.
As far as the all proclaimed QC problems I am yet to have any problems with my Athearn locomotives regardless if they are BB or RTR.That would apply to my 2 NS SD70s as well.I wish I could say the same about my other brands of locomotives except for my 3 Walther's GP15s and my lone Stewart Baldwin switcher.

[Todd McWilliam]

Great runners, I love mine.

[XG01X]

That's what I wanted to hear; as I will bringing one home on Monday.

[cmrproducts]

We have about 10 or 12 of the old RPP and a few of the new Athearn CF7s. They are good looking engines but are a little light so the pulling ability suffers.

Also the rice grinder Athearn trucks that need to be used on the RPP frames does leave something to be desired, and the newer Athearns are not much better.

We also found most of the RPP frames were warped as much as .015 which makes the engine set at an angle.

We finally got tired of these problems and had a CNC milled billet aluminum frame made with a solid tank for additional weight made. The frame weights about twice what the stock frame was and we also made the frame to use the Atlas GP38 or GP40 trucks.

The frame uses either the Atlas, Kato or NWSL Can motors. Now the completed engines will run better, quieter and out pull any stock Athearn CF7 engine.

With 10 CF7s running on the layout we figured that it was well worth the time and effort to make the frames.

BOB H Clarion, PA