Athearn engines - are they any good?

[Anonymous]

Hello all,
I am still kind of new to the hobby, I am starting to get to the point where I want to get some nicer engines. The Old Tyco just is too noisy any more. I have seen the name "Athearn" come up alot on these forums. I am thinking of getting one of the low end Athearn engines - are they any good?
I just thought that I should ask the people would know.
thanks for your help. ennout

[loathar]

I have a GP-38 and an SW-7 that I've had for about 15 years.Haven't had a lick of trouble with them. Good pullers, no stalling problems, smooth low speed. I've seen some posts by people complaining about the newer ones but I don't know whats up with that.
I think there a good value.

[DrummingTrainfan]

Athearn is probably the #1 brand of loco. Good quality and decent prices!

[Noah Hofrichter]

Your going to get two categorys of Advise here. The first will be the people who Say that Athearns are great, the second will be the people who will say save your money and buy a Proto 2000, Kato, or Atlas engine.

I'm one of the people who says that Athearns are an awefully good buy. I like them a lot and there are steps you can take to avoid the nosie issues. For the price though, the noise is not a big deal. I say go for it, there a heck of a lot better then most Tyco's I've seen.

Noah

[Anonymous]

You CAN NOT buy a better locomotive for the money than an Athearn. I have two that I know are over twenty years old that still run good as new.

[loathar]

Noah's right. This may turn into a Ford vs. Chevy debate.

[cnw4001]

I have Athearn engines and I recommend replacing the factory wheelsets with nickel-silver wheelsets.

This makes for cleaner running as the factory wheels tend do accumulate dirt quicly.

As has been noted in other answers, you'll get folks who highly recommend Athearn and others who wouldn't touch them under any circumstances.

Both arguments have merit.

Try a couple and see what you like, in general they are good value for money but then more expensive engines are also good value for money.

Dale

[tankertoad70]

I tend to agree with the previous posters[#ditto]. Of course, I own some 50 Athearn BB lokies. For one wanting to upgrade from ye ol' Tycos, Athearn is the way to go. There are occasional lemons, but that'll happen anywhere.
My preference for Athearn is:
1. Price (they can be had reasonbly if'n ya watch the sales)
2. The motor and drive system are pretty much "bulletproof".
3. They are very easy to work on, trouble shoot, etc. 'cause there are no wires, unless you acquire some with the DCC harness.[;)][:D]

[BRAKIE]

If you want a great economy locomotive that will last a life time then Athearn is the only choice.I am yet to have any problems with my Athearns.
Sadly Noah is quite correct..You will have the Athearn bashers to chime in and tell you Athearn is junk go with P2K,Atlas or Kato.[V] Sadly they will not tell you about Life Like's gear crack gear problem,Kato's paint and electrical pickup problem and some of the problems you can have with the Atlas locomotives.Yes,there is reported problems with some Athearn or Athearn/Genesis locomotives but,I am yet to see such problems with the Athearn locomotives I own.

[espeefoamer]

I have many Athearn locos,both BB and RTR.They are good running locos at a good price,and are practically bulletproof.You can't go wrong with Athearn[8D]!

[Anonymous]

I'll even add this, and DARE an arguement. As many locomotives as Athearn has built through the years, even those that have trouble with them would have to comment on Athearn's success rate. Let me go get my fire suit out of the closet.

[dacort]

I have quite a few Athearn BB engines that I've tweaked and for the most part they run as well and are about as quiet as any of my Katos. They are fairly easy to take apart and work on, which is good because I've had a couple that ran terrible out of the box. Replacing the wheels is a good idea for better electrical pickup. Parts usually aren't too hard to find.

I've added a lot of details to my older Athearns and they look pretty good, though I've noticed that the new RTR versions are starting to have a lot of details applied at the factory.

[Anonymous]

Athearn engines are really good, I've got about 6 or 7 of them. For a person who is a beginner to Model Railroading they're a great buy, however, I've noticed that as a person increases their interest in model railroading they get to wanting better engines, such as the higher end Athearn Ready to Roll, Kato, Atlas, Athearn Genesis, etc. So, a good idea would be to buy a few athearn engines to get started, maybe 10 or less, but be prepared because eventually the need to buy better quality engines will come. And, I think it is possible to upgrade an Athearn engine as time goes along, like adding detail parts if you want them and you can wire a DCC chip to them as you advance deeper into the hobby. I am to the point where I am going to start buying only Atlas, Athearn RTR, and Athearn Genesis engines from now on, but I still intend on using my older Athearn locomotives and upgrading maybe 2 or 3 of them to DCC eventually. Overall though, they are good engines.

[cnw4001]

One other point, some Athearn engines have the electrical ground on the frame and you might need a special Kadee or other coupler to prevent shorts when doubleheading two.

Dale

[cacole]

There are three different types of Athearn engines available -- the original, so-called Blue Box Athearn's where you had to put the shell onto the chassis and attach the oversized metal handrails; the Athearn Ready-To-Run line; and Athearn Genesis.

The old Athearn Blue Box locomotives were extremely durable and reliable.

One Athearn RTR GP45T-2 Tunnel Motor I purchased recently had such a thick coating of lacquer on the rear truck's electrical pickup wipers that that truck was electrically dead. I had to disassemble the locomotive and file the lacquer off of the wipers in order to get it to run.

I have 4 Athearn Genesis SD-70 models -- two are dead. One becauase a drive shaft twisted off, and the other because a truck is so warped that the wheels fall out.

Athearn does not have parts for any of their RTR locomotives or the Genesis SD-70s.

[Anonymous]

I would have to say that the general census is that Athearn engines are a good beginers engine. I hope so, I just won a couple of powered (both) S12's (new in box). I hope that I did not out bid anyone here.
Thanks to all you guys, I feel a little bit of knowage coming on.
ennout

[Anonymous]

Basically, HO diesel locomotives come in four price categories: less than $50, $50 to $80, $80 to $125, more than $125. (keep in mind these prices are not list but what you can reasonably expect to pay in a hobby shop that gives a decent discount from list.) Athearn Blue Box kits, IMO, are the best HO diesels you can buy for less than $50. If you buy one for your six year old it will still be running when he builds a layout for your grandchildren. In the past five years I've found Athearn Blue Box locos for less than $30. Walthers Trainline are pretty decent runners for less than fifty bucks. Stay away from Bachman and non-Proto Lifelike locos at any price. Sometimes you can get a Proto 1000 or Atlas for less than fifty dollar from an online dealer or train show. These are excellent prices for these lines but not what you'd usually find.

In the $50 to $80 category Athearn offers the RTR line. IMO, Atlas Classic is a better buy at this price. Proto 1000 is Lifelike's offerring in this price range. I think they are comparable to Athearn RTR but not as good as Atlas. Bachmann offers the Spectrum line in this range. Generally not as good As Athearn RTR, Atlas or Proto 1000.

In the $80 to $125 Athearn offers the Genesis line. I've never owned one but they look great. Proto 2000, Atlas Master series are also in this range, as are Stewart Switcher Kits and Katos. Personally, I prefer Atlas in this price range but each brand has their adherents. Many will swear by Kato.

Over $125 there are lots to be had. My favorite in the premium range is Broadway Limited. I also like the Atlas Gold series.

Steam is an entirely different price range. Generally, the old Mantua line is about the best you could get for less than $100. I own an IHC that I picked up for $65 that I haven't had any problems with.

[dieselfan04]

An Athearn engine can be made into a very good runner. I have Athearn diesels that out perform the Atlas diesels that I have. Before I put a Athearn on the tracks, it must start running before the Atlas, run at least as smooth and run as quiet. The only problem that I have with the upgrades is that when I am finished, I have the price of an Atlas in them.

[BRAKIE]

RevMatt,The biggest problem with Atlas Trainman series is currently they will be offering the GP38-2 in limited road names..The future of this line of Atlas locomotives and cars will depend on sales-see www.atlasrr.com.
Also keep in mind detail wise the TML will be basic just like the Athearn GP38-2.The modeler will need to buy and add the grabs,plows etc for both brands of GP38-2.The only difference is in the drive and I am not sure if the Atlas drive will be enough to carry this GP38-2 with limited road names.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fair to say from everyone's replies thus far that Athearn is a good buy when it comes to lovomotives. I believe you have your question answered.

[Anonymous]

Lastly, I want to add someone said stat away from Bachmann. In my opinion, and I think others will concur, the Bachmann Spectrum steam locomotives are very nice units. I don't think whoever said that about Bachmann meant to infer that point about the Spectrum steamers.

[Anonymous]

Bachmann Spectrum steamers are nice. But the Spectrum diesels are not as dependable as others in the price range.

[Anonymous]

That's why I didn't mention them. Compared to their Spectrum steam counterparts, the Spectrum diesels are junk. Just my opinion.

QUOTE: Originally posted by RevMattCNJ

Bachmann Spectrum steamers are nice. But the Spectrum diesels are not as dependable as others in the price range.

[okiechoochoo]

Just getting into HO from N. I know the Athearn Genesis units are good unit but I noticed on poster say Athearn had no parts for some of them. Is this true for all Genesis engines. How about the F units. Are there any problems with them or parts shortages. I just ordered two set of them last week so I was just wondering

[RedGrey62]

I think you'll be happy with your S-12s. I got a Athearn Penn Central U28C for my 14th birthday. It still runs today and I am 43, wow, how time flies when you're playing with trains!

RedGrey

[Anonymous]

I bet it still runs good, too.

QUOTE: Originally posted by RedGrey62

I think you'll be happy with your S-12s. I got a Athearn Penn Central U28C for my 14th birthday. It still runs today and I am 43, wow, how time flies when you're playing with trains!

RedGrey

[Berk-fan284]

I love Athearn locomotives most of mine are the Blue Box , a couple of Ready To Run versions and about four Genesis. Buy new not used (since you are still fairly new in the hobby) I have a couple where the previous owner modified them insome "interesting ways" , their still running by the way. My first Genesis Mikado (2-8-2) split a gear (replaced under warranty by the LHS I bought it from), the replacement loco is purring like a kitten. The Blue Box and Genesis, plus Ready To Runs are good dependable pullers.

[CP5415]

I like them.
Never had a problem with them that I haven't been able to fix myself.
Haven't bought any Genesis units yet, they haven't come out with a road name that I want.

Gordon

[oleirish]

Athearns.

Exclent engines,for the price,I have six,sw1500,sw7,two gp38's F-7A/B both powred,and have no problems with them,the more you run them the better they get[:P]I have hard wired them,and isolated the motors from the frame,thats all,two of them are set up for DCC.the rest will be someday[:)]just keep them clean and lubed.
JIM

[eastcoast]

ATHEARN = AWESOME !!!
I have many Athearn locos in my fleet.
I love them all and do very little maintanence on them.
Based on the rave reviews in this string, others agree.
I have had an FP45 Amtrak #503 since it came along,
it is my BEST running engine of the entire fleet.
HEY, if you take care of the equipment, it will give you
long life, no matter what brand it is. E C R