How many runs of this engine did Athearn make? Were they always made by the same manufacturer? If more than one run how do you determine which run a unit is from? If more than one run did all runs have the breaking gear problem?
Thanks for any info.
PAW
Get the NWSL gear regardless. …
I bought two when they were first released, and another two used (and at a good price) after it was realised that they had difficulty pulling their own shadow. Not sure if the gear issue had surfaced by that time, but none of mine have suffered from it yet, and they’re usually used on heavy trains. I did modify them substantially to increase their pulling power. I also have another, bought used, which had had the gear replaced with one from NWSL, but it’s not yet in service.
Outside of the gear issue, these are very smooth-running locomotives.
Wayne
I don’t think Athearn had more than a couple batches made. They were all manufactured by Samhongsa, who normally made high end brass trains. I have one of these Mikados that I found new in the box a couple years back, and it runs as smooth as a steam engine can get!
I purchased one of the early models, had the gear problem so sent it to Athearn for repair. It always had a hitch in its get a long so I removed the decoder and sold it for $40.
Dr. Wayne, can you briefly tell what you did to improve the pulling power ? This is the only fault that I found in this loco. Thanks
While improving the pulling power isn’t difficult, it’s not a quick fix. There’s an illustrated “how-to” here:
While the improvements include adding weight, it’s most important that the weight be balanced around the centrepoint of the driver wheelbase. These locos are back-heavy (one of the reasons for that overly stiff spring on the trailing truck), and while there’s ample room in the cab for more weight, adding it there will only decrease the pulling ability.
Wayne
Here’s a link to my post on all the repairs the Genesis Mikado needs:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/184909.aspx
Then one day I was test-running my Genesis Mikado with no load and it stopped with a loud whine. Took it apart to discover the driveshaft coupling had sheared. I hardly use the loco.
Athearn sent me two more for free and it was an easy fix. They also sent me the infamous driver gear but I have yet to replace that.
mine has electrical problems. One of the wires on the harness to the tender causes it to stop and I don’t know how to open the loco up to find the problem.rambo1…
think it’s a earlier model.
That info is included in the link which I posted above.
Wayne
I have 2. Athearn 2-8-2 with the infamous "stiff wiring harness "that broke i might fix them then ahhhh