Ban on Athearn Locomotives

[Anonymous]

[:)]

[jrbernier]

And what is Atlas or Kato do not make the style of engine I want? Like a F3A? Also, I can actually take my engines apart and 'fix' them.......

Jim

[PennsyHoosier]

Who paid for the original post?[}:)]

[Anonymous]

[:)]

[Anonymous]

I like Athearns because they are easy to maintain, affordable, and with a just a little extra effort, good runners. Keep in mind that model locos are like any other piece of machinery-- In order for it to last long, it needs proper maintenance. My oldest Athearn BB unit is a GP38-2 from 1988 and it still runs like a champ.

I do have a break-in and maintenance program for my Athearn units: Every newly-purchased unit gets the break-in treatment, which includes complete disassembly, deburring the gears and driveline, gear polishing with toothpaste, cleaning, proper lubrication and washers to take up excessive slack in the worms and motor armature when necessary. After that, every unit gets a yearly maintenance tear-down and relube.

I have no doubt my Athearn BB locos will still be in tip-top running shape 20 years from now. [|)]

[CP5415]

NSR, I feel sorry that you have had problems with your Athearn locomotives.

Wow, I have close to 50 Athearn locomotives either BB or RTR.
Have I had problems with them. Yes I have. Not all of them, but a few!
I've had axles out of gauge, motors that were louder than normal, cracked gears etc etc etc.

Everyone complains about this or that, but I should tell you that Atlas, Kato, Proto & BLI are not with out faults.
DIdn't BLI have a complete run of a locomotive delayed or recalled recently due to a manufacturing defect?
Didn't Proto have serious problems with gears cracking in there early models?

My first Athearn locomotive ran like crap after a couple of years. A freind came over one day to run some trains & mentioned something about locomotive maintenance.
I ran like a top afterwards!
I have a Stewart C628 that's louder than my BB's. Have I complained to anyone that it is crap? No, I have not. Why? Because I want to find out why the locomotive is loud & get it fixed instead of complaining about it. & this is the most expensive loco in my fleet!

Athearns are no worse than any other manufacturer out there.
But if you truely don't like Athearn anymore & since the ones you have are crap, I'll send you my address so you can ship them to me! [:D]

Just my 2 cents

Gordon

[PennsyHoosier]

Badly operating locos can be very irritating, especially if they are new. On the other hand, the bottom line can drive you to do things you claim you will never do. Click on this link and you'll see.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=61687

[Todd McWilliam]

I have an athearn SDP40 that is 30 years old and it still runs good. I have a ton of BB engines and only one has problems. I will continue to buy them.

[dinwitty]

maintenance...
grab that plastic compatible oil and lube them up time to time.
wheels, axle bearings, motor...no oil...SCREECH

[jeffers_mz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Norfolk Southern Railfan
GOOD NEWS, I applaude Atlas, Kato, Life-Like Proto 2000, and Bachmann Spectrum for their high quality and problem free operation.

You must really be having a bad day to make the above statement. You can find a thread or two here discussing Bachman and P2K issues, my guess is that all of them have shipped a clunker or two, maybe even three.

:-)

Things with moving parts gum up, gunk up, and break. You can shake your fist at the gods or roll up your sleeves and fix them, but you will confront this same issue as long as you own an automobile, and a fridge, a CD player, a lawnmower or any other piece of machinery. The price of owning machines has always included maintenence and repair and many times this is an appreciable fraction of the original purchase price.

Get out the screwdriver and get those bad boys running again. You own them, not the other way round.

[loathar]

Just like any car you drive, a loco needs maintanance. Some more expensive cars can go longer between schedualed maintanence than cheaper cars.Same with locos.
I have a couple of Athearn BB loco from the mid 80's that still work fine with regular cleaning and oiling.(I just bid on two more BB kits on E-Scam)
It's like the old commercial said.....You can pay me now...or you can pay me later.....
I like paying later because I can do all the maintanence work myself. Some folks would rather pay 3 times more up front and not have to to do work on their fleet.[2c]

[jbinkley60]

Us Norfolk Southern fans needs to stick together. While I am not ready to ban all Atherans, over the past 2 years i find myself buying the high end locomotives more than the lower. Quality costs more and Athean doesn't make sound units yet. For my last 8 locomotives, 4 have been Atlas Golds and 4 BLI sound units. Over the past two years I've purchased 18 locomotives. 2 have been Athearn with one being a Genesis unit and the other a C44-9W, which isn't available frrom anyone else right now. Kato made them 5 years ago and I have one Kato unit. I modeled as a teenager 30 years ago and Athearn was all you could find. Since being back in the hobby for the past 5 years, things are a lot better with regards to choice and we now have DCC !!
In fairness to Athearn, their quality has gotten better over the years especially with the Genesis line. The Genesis rolling stock is great. But all things being equal, I'll likely pick an Atlas, BLI or P2K locomotive over an Atheran. I ahven't started changing any of my Athearn locomotives over to DCC yet. That may have some bearing on my decision in the future.

[dxr8007nz]

What mean BB ?

[Anonymous]

Number 1. I just Display my Athearns. And you know why Athearns are junk? Made in China. And number 2. You know why Kato Models are so darn good? Made in Japan.
Allan.

[cwclark]

At one time i didn't want to purchase anymore Athearn locomotives but i have...I have found that they are the strongest pulling locomotives from all my others including atlas, and proto locomotives...yes they do need detailing but that's just part of the fun in the hobby, once i get one, the first thing i do is pull out the steel clip and solder wires to the motor and frame and then install kadee couplers...if it's making noise, teat it down and oil all the gears and burni***he comutator on the motor..(i've found parts in the gears before right from the factory that weren't supposed to be there causing the unwanted noise)...I still like Athearn, they keep me within my budget, and will probably purchase more of them in the future...chuck

[CP5415]

If Kato are so darn good, why couldn't they get the livery right on a CP Rail SD40-2?

DXR, BB stands for Athearn Blue Box

Gordon

[jbinkley60]

Athearns pulling more than P2Ks ? I find that hard to believe. My P2K's are quite a bit heavier than my Athearns and will out pull them everyday. The SD60s and SD60Ms will out pull any other locomotives that I have but they also are full of lead and weigh in at 1 lb. 9.25 oz . An Atheran C44-9W weighs in at 1 lb. 3 oz (and that includes the box it comes in). Atlas 8-40 CW Gold weighs in at 1 lb. 1.4 oz but it has sound in it so less room for weight.

[Anonymous]

[:)]

[Ibflattop]

Oh Man after reading this post and after 40 some years in the Model Railroad Hobby I am going to trash all of my Athearn BB and only go High End!!!!!!! " Not !!!!!!!" Each of us has our own opinions and that what makes America Great!!!! If It wasnt for Athearn we would still bee running Tyco and Bachmann stufff on our layouts. Just my .02 ideas. Or is that 0-.02-0 Ideas!!!!!!! Kevin

[Anonymous]

What is Norfolk Southern Railfan smoking? I'll tell you that I've had more problems with my Kato SD80MACs, my P2K SD60M and my Atlas GP7 than my Athearn RTR SD50 and BB FP45.

[Anonymous]

Athearn BB are entry level locomotives that you cant compare to Atlas,Kato,Etc.I have had several SD70 units with no problems.It sounds like to me that you need to grease them which all brands require from time to time.Atlas is not without fault either.The last 2 I purchased had to be fixed out of the box.1 truck had to be reassembled while the decoder was defective on the other.Do I fault Atlas,no.Things happen in shipping.Dan

[TomDiehl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by LongIslandTom

I like Athearns because they are easy to maintain, affordable, and with a just a little extra effort, good runners. Keep in mind that model locos are like any other piece of machinery-- In order for it to last long, it needs proper maintenance. My oldest Athearn BB unit is a GP38-2 from 1988 and it still runs like a champ.

I do have a break-in and maintenance program for my Athearn units: Every newly-purchased unit gets the break-in treatment, which includes complete disassembly, deburring the gears and driveline, gear polishing with toothpaste, cleaning, proper lubrication and washers to take up excessive slack in the worms and motor armature when necessary. After that, every unit gets a yearly maintenance tear-down and relube.

I have no doubt my Athearn BB locos will still be in tip-top running shape 20 years from now. [|)]

I see another Tom agrees with me. If something doesn't run right, it's on the bench and coming apart. I'm a "tinkerer" from way back. It's one of the fun parts of the hobby. Plus you quickly learn how items work and how to make them work better and keep them working. I only have one of the Athearn RTR locos, ony because the F59 wasn't available in blue box. But around the same time I bought several P42's in the blue box version. All are great runners, but fairly new. I do run quite a bit, at our club shows, a loco can be pulling a train up and down the 2% grade 36 inch radius helix for 4 to 5 hours straight. That type running can be a killer and I have replaced a few motors in my Athearn SD40-2's. Basically, they wore out.

[coborn35]

I am not BANNING Athearn (actually looking into Athearn Genesis F units) but probably wont but RTR for a while.
I have a DMIR SD45T-2 and BNSF GP60M, both RTR, and while they look nice and run pretty well, both are really LOUD, the DMIR units headlight burnt out after I day, and I had a hell of a time getting the GP60M's coupler of...And since Im 14, I dont have the experience, nor the money to be wasting on fixing units, or buying non working ones.
All my money will be going for my SDM project.

[Bill H.]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Norfolk Southern Railfan

It is NOT my responsibility to find out what is wrong with a perfectly brand new engine.

I've spoke my peace, and will not reply any more to my topic. I have given you the hard facts about these serious defects with Athearn locomotives. So, it is up to you to decide for yourself whether or not they're worth the risk of paying money for. [:)]

Hmmmmm... Do yourself a favor, then: never, and I mean NEVER buy brass locomotives!

You seem to feel that initial cost is somehow relevant to "out of the box" running quality. Not so. Not so at all!

I don't see you mention, in your comments, what your new locomotive break in steps are. You DO have a break in process, Right? Hmmmm....

Here's a link that should be VERY helpful. Sound, usable info:

http://www.ndrr.com/rmr_faq/Models/Locomotives.htm

If you have an extra $10, THIS book is VERY good:

http://www.ppw-aline.com/books.htm Item # 12051

FWIW: I own Athearn products from the '60's on. I will continue to buy them. People who've been in the hobby for a while will remember when Athearn "revolutionized" the industry by offering FLYWHEEL drive. Sadly, Athearn is no longer an independant company, BUT, I'm confident their future offerings will be better and better.

http://www.athearn.com/About/Default.aspx

[Darth Santa Fe]

I wouldn't ban Athearn diesels. So far, I've had better luck with Bachmann than Athearn, but I still have hope for them...so I keep buying them.[:D] I recently placed an order for a Genesis SF Warbonnet F3A at my LHS. When I get it Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll post a review for those of you who are curious about the Genesis Fs without sound.[:D]

[Piedsou]

I have no Athearn locos on the layout and haven't had any since the mid 1970's. In my opinion Blue Box Athearn was little more than junk.
Now, I'm not bashing Athearn. More power to you who love them. Let me explain how my experiences formed my opinion.
I started with Athearn rubber band drive engines in the late 50's. I couldn't afford their gear driven ones. They had all metal frames, brass wheels, good electrical pickup and good constructed, albeit large motors. They ran fairly well considering the studdering stops and starts as a result of the rubber bands. Good locos for a young teen getting 'serious' in the hobby.
Then in the 60's they went with a lighter frame, poor electrical pickup, cheaper motors and the worse development in loco history: the 'sintered metal' wheels. Those wheels arced and sparked and picked up dirt better than a dust pan. They enabled other companies to make money providing replacement wheel sets, gears and motors because the ones that came with the engine were so bad.

Now, the one area of the hobby that I abhore is 'tinkering' with an engine. That's the last thing I want to ever do. I need to have an engine run smoothly and quietly right out of the box.
That's why NO Athearns.

Let me further explain that I model the 1950's, so I have had no experience with their newer engines. I also am led to believe that they have replaced the 'sintered' wheelsets with better ones, although the hood units are still 1950's molds and are still too wide. You just can't compare one of their GP-9's with an Atlas or P2K one.

Their F units have great detail, but I have heard conflicting reports on their operating abilities.
The RS-2's look promising. I may still give Athearn a chance, but my experiences with their Blue Box units was so bad, it will take quite a bit to earn back my respect for their products.

[Anonymous]

About the best D*mn good running Athearn BB that I have ever has where my two HO CNW GP50's. They where D*mn good runners too. Allan.

[rtstasiak]

I have collected and run quite a few Athearn BB diesels over the past 37 years, and am less than impressed with RTR and Genesis offerings. I usually get a prototypical 15 years out of these units with good lube and motor cleaning habits in all kinds of environments (Florida to Upstate NY). Some of the horror stories that I have seen suggest that even factory gear lube is a major issue on RTR and Genesis, with lots of complaints about couplers, wheelsets, and motors. I've seen these things die on club layouts and during shows. Quite frankly, I'd like both detail AND RELIABILITY in my $100 locomotives. What good is a prototypically correct F-unit that needs to be stripped down, solvent cleaned, relubricated, regauged, and reassembled before you start adding in replacement parts? I've been tempted to buy a couple of pieces, but just can't bring myself to take the chance.

By the way, I'm going to fire up my "wider-than-scale-hood-width" Penn Central fast mail tonight and I have pretty high confidence that the BB products on the point and in the yard will keep the mail moving and my family entertained.

Rich

PS With the shift in Athearn pricing and availability, I've shifted my kitbashing budget to G scale, where a $200 locomotive can give the UPS man a hernia when he delivers it!

[Anonymous]

I can certainly see why you're done with RTR. The RTR AC4400 I have is a piece of junk. The motor grinds so loud you can hear it miles away. And I doubt I'll buy any Genesis F units unless they release one in CGW (actually, I e-mailed them requesting one). But BB? I've NEVER had the slightest problem w/ my 3 BB. The oldest one, a GP35, is about 20 years old and runs GREAT (now it needs a few parts, but that was my fault they broke). My only complaint is that the motor stalls easy when running slow w/ a HEAVY load but it's not a problem if you're used to operating them.

The thing about BB is it never dies.

QUOTE: a loco can be pulling a train up and down the 2% grade 36 inch radius helix for 4 to 5 hours straight. That type running can be a killer and I have replaced a few motors in my Athearn SD40-2's.

BB can handle this. yes, the motor is going to wear out, but that's true of anything with moving parts. Once I was running my BB GP38-2 and GP40-2 , pulling quite a bit as they lugged down on my 0.5 %(??) grade. After about and hour I stopped them and took them off the track. when I touched them the fuel tanks were hot. That was several months ago and they still soldier on. I don't do this on a regular basis but the point is they handle it just fine. I will continue to buy older BB for a long time to come. I see lots of them for $20-$30. And I like the sound they make even though I like quieter engines BB noise doesn't bother me one bit. It's the sound of a good, solid, hard working engine.
1/2 the fun of this hobby is replacing parts on BB. If a motor fails, I'll order one from Athearn. I enjoy fixing my engines MOST of the time. I like working on BB because it's what I'm most familiar with. But I'm quite familiar w/ my Atlas U33C after installing a new driveshaft[swg].

QUOTE: I'll post a review for those of you who are curious about the Genesis Fs without sound.

Please do.

[MisterBeasley]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Todd McWilliam

I have an athearn SDP40 that is 30 years old and it still runs good. I have a ton of BB engines and only one has problems. I will continue to buy them.

I've got an Athearn F7 that is at least 45, but I bought it used so I don't know how many years it had before that. It works well enough to have earned a decoder, the only one of my old collection to do so. By today's standards, it's a noisy piece of junk, but back then, man, that was one sweet locomotive.