I just recieved my two new Athearn Genesis MP15’s with sound last week and have yet to get consistant smooth control from either loco. The locos do sound and look great but the MRC Decoder is garbage as far as control. I have a Digitrax DCS200 Booster with DT400 throttles and have no problems with my Digitrax sound equipped Katos. I have spent days trying to reprogram the MP15’s CV’s and still can’t get them to start or stop smoothly. Athearn was no help other than refering me to MRC. No more Athearn Locos for me!
I got my MP15 last week, and so far runs great on factory settings, although too loud. At the LHS, the first unit on the test track ran good in forward only - no reverse although the sound revved up!! The second one - the one I have - ran well on their test track (DC). Try resetting the factory settings and run it for a while. I ran mine each direction for 1/2 hour or so, and it runs very smooth from start to full speed. Good luck & let us know.[:)]
Don’t be so quick to blame Athearn. Athearn may not be able to address the problems from another manufacturer. Would you be upset with a car company if a tire fails? I know that there have been many complaints about the MRC decoder and this is one of the reasons that I will not purcahse sound equipped units. The better bet would be to buy a non sound unit and then add a sound system that meets your requirements.
Thats too bad. If you had only asked on this forum first we would have told you to steer clear of Athearn Genesis sound loco’s. MRC is crap.
ouengr-But Athearn does sell the loco as a complete package, and if there have been problems with MRC sound units, Athearn will take the heat.
The buyer can beware, but Athearn also has a responsibility to use decent sub-contractors. Even if the ensign runs the ship aground, it’s the captain that takes the blame!
Athearn has been around a long time, and has a reputation for a good solid engine. Eventually I am sure this will be corrected, but they need to be held to the higher standard that they, themselves, created with the Genesis program ad claims.
Sure would! I believe Ford recently dished out a bunch of cash in court over just such a thing.
It’s Athearns train. They should be responsible for the loco, the decoder they chose to put in it and the workmanship of the companies they contract to assemble the units.
If you paid good money for an Acura car and the motor ran like crap, you’d be mad if the Acura dealer told you to take to a Honda dealership because THEY built the motor. (wouldn’t ya?)
Most guys are removing the MRC decoder and installing their own or buying the DC unit and adding their choice of DCC/Sound units.
Sorry to hear your problems. Where did you buy them? Chinook hobbies or T and S?
David B
You are right, Athearn owes it to their customers to make it right. Maybe when my locos and a few hundred more get returned will they finally start listening.
I bought a non-sound one and it runs quietly and smooth. I am running a Digitrax decoder in it. Maybe one day I will upgrade to sound.
Athearn choose the type of DCC sound that went into the Genesis line. I have several steam Genesis models and they do not come without sound. None of the installed DCC drive or sound is worth the time it takes to remove and throw them away.
When the Ford Explorer started blowing out tires and the lawsuits started over Ford using the Firestone tires, it hurt Ford also.
A company should work with suppliers and offer quality products.
I made my 4-4-0 MRC engine work acceptably with pretty extreme CV values on the start voltage, mid and final voltages. It still jerked into motion and slammed into a wall stopped.
Athearn should just ship all of the MRC decoders straight back to MRC and say “Thanks, no thanks” and find another decoder option like MRC or just leave the plug in the units and speaker hook ups too. Save us the heartache and agony for such a fine engine from the beginning.
I consider that MRC engine a 200 dollar lesson in the school of Crapology. Lesson learned, and moved on well enough. It aint the money it was the spouse who didnt understand the reason such a engine went into the trash can until I told her that marketing won a sale but reality on the workbench was not equal to my fleet of QSI engines.
If that makes me a silver spoon toting whiner. so be it. I have yet to throw away a QSI unit.
I dont enjoy reading about disappointments with model engines which turn out to be equippted with such crap. How is it possible for one person to think that the performance is acceptable at the factory? Must screen the workers for model railroading addicitions before hire or something.
I understand from the latest Issue of MR that MRC is moving into other parts of analog/dcc control with very large and beautiful ads designed to dull the senses with the siren song of quality.
Step away from the MRC ad brother, step away from it now while you can lol.
Oh about the tires, I require Traction A or AA, Temperature A or AA and treadwear B as a minimum DOT specs on my vehicles and certain tires that are very expensive on the big rigs that have NEVER failed me unless I did something stupid and ruined em. I also usually beef up the tires to equal those used by the State Police in sizes when availible along with good speed ratings.
Quality is expensive but peace of mind is assured.
Cheap is quick but leaves a bad taste when the morning arrives.
I have one with sound and I am very happy with it. The performance is as good as any Atlas or BLI loco that I have. The sound is a bit on the loud side and I was considering putting a small resistor, between the decoder and the speaker and see if that would quieten it down a bit. I shall have a word with Tony’s Trains at the forthcoming Springfield Show and get their advice. CPPedler
Why not take the shell off and just rotate the mini-pot meter? That will quiet her down.
David B
Thanks for that David, I have not taken the lid off yet so I had no idea that they were fitted with a pot. Nothing in the instructions about it, well nothing much in the instructions total. CPPedler