Athearn CF7

[Anonymous]

The August Model Railroader reports that Athearn will bring out an Athearn CF7 in HO painted for Santa Fe and several short lines. This model is believed to be based an earlier product by Rail Power Products.

It has been a long time since I bought an Athearn locomotive. I am currently running locomotives by Life-Like and Atlas. The Athearn CF7 is to be in the RTR line.

My operating environment is that of a short line with a focus on switching. I'm used to the slow and smooth performance of Life-Like locomotives for such operations.

I hope that readers with experience with recent Athearn locomotives, particularly the RTR line, can give me some advice on the kind of performance I should expect from an Athearn CF7. I welcome all advice but I am particularly interested in advice on the following questions:

How slowly will they run?
How smoothly will they run at low speeds?
Am I likely to be able to run a CF7 with a Life-Like GP7 in "MU operation"?

Thanks in advance.
Roger

[Anonymous]

The August Model Railroader reports that Athearn will bring out an Athearn CF7 in HO painted for Santa Fe and several short lines. This model is believed to be based an earlier product by Rail Power Products.

It has been a long time since I bought an Athearn locomotive. I am currently running locomotives by Life-Like and Atlas. The Athearn CF7 is to be in the RTR line.

My operating environment is that of a short line with a focus on switching. I'm used to the slow and smooth performance of Life-Like locomotives for such operations.

I hope that readers with experience with recent Athearn locomotives, particularly the RTR line, can give me some advice on the kind of performance I should expect from an Athearn CF7. I welcome all advice but I am particularly interested in advice on the following questions:

How slowly will they run?
How smoothly will they run at low speeds?
Am I likely to be able to run a CF7 with a Life-Like GP7 in "MU operation"?

Thanks in advance.
Roger

[BRAKIE]

I don't own any of the Athearn RTR engines but have ran them at the club..These are your basic so called blue box engines with improved drives..As far as MUing a P2K with a Athearn(or any brand) without the help from DCC is nearly impossible due to the P2Ks slow speed..

Here is what I suggest..Wait untill the CF7s comes to your local hobby shop and give them a test run that way you will know beyond any doubt if they will fit your modeling style..

To my mind it is fooli***o judge any engine till it comes out without seeing it or giving it a test run first..

[BRAKIE]

I don't own any of the Athearn RTR engines but have ran them at the club..These are your basic so called blue box engines with improved drives..As far as MUing a P2K with a Athearn(or any brand) without the help from DCC is nearly impossible due to the P2Ks slow speed..

Here is what I suggest..Wait untill the CF7s comes to your local hobby shop and give them a test run that way you will know beyond any doubt if they will fit your modeling style..

To my mind it is fooli***o judge any engine till it comes out without seeing it or giving it a test run first..

[Anonymous]

I wonder if diehard SF modelers will help this production grow. The CF7 is a great unit
for the modeler who wants a more detail layout. If you go back to the September, 2002
issue of MR, you'll recall that the folks New England Rail modeled a CF7.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if diehard SF modelers will help this production grow. The CF7 is a great unit
for the modeler who wants a more detail layout. If you go back to the September, 2002
issue of MR, you'll recall that the folks New England Rail modeled a CF7.

[Anonymous]

Yes Bryan, I found the September 2002 MR article on the New England Rail very interesting and I think the CF7 is a great locomotive. When I saw the Athearn announcement I decided to find a place for the CF7 in my layout.

I have a small shelf layout which is a mythical short line composed of a piece the old New Haven Railroad. I have some New Haven locomotives from Life-Like. My idea is for the short line to buy a CF7 or two to provide additional motive power. I've seen several pictures of CF7s operated by other prototype short lines which have done no more than paint out the "Santa Fe". I plan to do the same.

I also think the CF7 is both unique and at the same time "mainstream" motive power given that they were all F3s or F7s before being rebuilt.

My principal concern is that they run slow enough to do road switching work on a small layout.

Thanks,
Roger

[Anonymous]

Yes Bryan, I found the September 2002 MR article on the New England Rail very interesting and I think the CF7 is a great locomotive. When I saw the Athearn announcement I decided to find a place for the CF7 in my layout.

I have a small shelf layout which is a mythical short line composed of a piece the old New Haven Railroad. I have some New Haven locomotives from Life-Like. My idea is for the short line to buy a CF7 or two to provide additional motive power. I've seen several pictures of CF7s operated by other prototype short lines which have done no more than paint out the "Santa Fe". I plan to do the same.

I also think the CF7 is both unique and at the same time "mainstream" motive power given that they were all F3s or F7s before being rebuilt.

My principal concern is that they run slow enough to do road switching work on a small layout.

Thanks,
Roger

[Anonymous]

I myself live about 90 miles from Cleburne, TX, the place were most of the CF7's were built. But thank to "new and inpoved railroading" The good old day of semefores, small branch lines, and those colorful shortline railroads are a thing of the past.
Oh well.

[Anonymous]

I myself live about 90 miles from Cleburne, TX, the place were most of the CF7's were built. But thank to "new and inpoved railroading" The good old day of semefores, small branch lines, and those colorful shortline railroads are a thing of the past.
Oh well.

[Anonymous]

i think the CF7 is a very unusual loco. the SF RAILROAD converted many of their f units into this configuration. some cabs are squared off and some are rounded, athearn is producing both. they are coming out wired for dc or dcc. the athearn motors generallydraw more voltage than a kato or atlas etc. but i model SF so i will be buying at least two, hopefully they will run ok as local switches. i operate dcc.

[Anonymous]

i think the CF7 is a very unusual loco. the SF RAILROAD converted many of their f units into this configuration. some cabs are squared off and some are rounded, athearn is producing both. they are coming out wired for dc or dcc. the athearn motors generallydraw more voltage than a kato or atlas etc. but i model SF so i will be buying at least two, hopefully they will run ok as local switches. i operate dcc.