with all the talk of people not liking Athearn RTR (and b-b for that matter) how do the Genesis engines run? are they comparible to Atlas? I want 3 Genesis SD70MAC’s and 1 SD70-- also I am a huge fan of the RTR line i think they are excellent for the price
I like the RTR line that Athearn came out with. The detail is great on the locomotives and they run quite well, and not to mention that thay have the quick plug for DCC chips. There great locomotives to have. But anyway I have A Genesis SD75M and I think there great locomotives to have. My loco has Ditch lights and they look great. You want to buy the line of Genesis that already has the grab irons and railings installed for you. Putting those grab irons on is a real pain in the butt, but its possible. There nice running. but if you were to compare to like Atlas they both have detail to the highest degree. I think Atlas is easier to put a DCC chip in. But that is my opinion.
James
It’ll be a while before i buy a Genesis- there are a few RTR’s i’m gonna get first. Does the Genesis run quieter/smoother than RTR?
I 2nd above. I have one of the Geni’s SD70’s in the BN cream and green. It was the one that came with everythign installed. The thing is an animal when it comes to pulling power. I have an older Kato, maybe 4 or 5 year sold… and the Geni smokes it. Getting the shells off are a bit tricky but they DCC install is a just a matter of pulling out the old DC jumper and pluggin in your fav decoder. Ditch lights work on command whcih is nice. Also, As far as detail goes, I think its great. I get a kick out when I run it at shows and how many people walk up and ask if its a Kato. Guess that;s good. I have been very happy with mine.
I know some of the older Geni’s had some problems… But I would think that by now the ones in the market should be the newer generations and runs and should all be top notch
I 2nd above. I have one of the Geni’s SD70’s in the BN cream and green. It was the one that came with everythign installed. The thing is an animal when it comes to pulling power. I have an older Kato, maybe 4 or 5 year sold… and the Geni smokes it. Getting the shells off are a bit tricky but they DCC install is a just a matter of pulling out the old DC jumper and pluggin in your fav decoder. Ditch lights work on command whcih is nice. Also, As far as detail goes, I think its great. I get a kick out when I run it at shows and how many people walk up and ask if its a Kato. Guess that;s good. I have been very happy with mine.
I know some of the older Geni’s had some problems… But I would think that by now the ones in the market should be the newer generations and runs and should all be top notch
I’ve got a few Genesis Ontario Northland SD75I’s and they run nice. The paint on one of the grab bars flaked off of one but its an easy fix. They were the only manufacturer to offer the SD75’s in ONR colours so I had no choice but to buy them.
Two out of 4 Genesis SD70s I bought suffered from the warped truck problem, which caused them to continually derail. I had to purchase replacement trucks from Athearn at a cost of $25 each instead of them being covered by a warranty. Other people have had similar experiences with them. I’ll definitely think twice, thrice, and more before I ever purchase another Athearn Genesis product.
Really, well than it must be good beacause most people think Kato is one of the best brands. Personally i’m fond of Atlas but they make no BNSF engines i like
I have no gripe with any of them. Not all RTR are equal -only some have the new drive and only some have grabs installed. Also the only ones that have the DCC plug are marked on the box, the others do not have the plug. So you have to know which you are buying.
2-8-2 and 4-6-2 look ok and I did not have the derailing problems with mine but they can’t pull a thing. Both locomotives are rated at 5 cars on the ruling grade. An Athearn BB SW9 can do 8.
I have 3 SD70s none of which have run straight out of the box. Warped trucks continual derailing problems. Much more work than they were worth to get working.
F3’s, Like an idiot I bought two complete ABBA sets for the Superchief. They have dual bulbs in the lower head lamp and one of them was burnt out from the get go. Because of all the wires inside the shell they are a nightmare to replace the bulb and then get back together after installing a decoder. I got them all rigged up and put them on the train (full 14 cars). They started skidded to a stall going up the first 2% grade. They finally inched the train to the top grinding their wheels all the way. I backed the train back down the hill and put the reliable Stewarts on and concluded the operating session with no problem. I was so discusted with them I threw them into a box under the layout where, as far as I know, they still are today. Unfortunately I had already purchased a couple ABA sets of NP units for the NorthCoast Limited.
The new Fs with sound. From the above experience I finally wised up and went to the LHS to actually check them out. The sound is almost the worst I’ve heard in a long time, and WAY WAY WAY too loud even on the most quiet setting.
So out of the ummm…17 Genesis Locomotives that I have tried to run. I have been 100% satisfied with ZERO of them. I still have 6 in boxes I haven’t opened yet but I can’t imagine the story being any different. I will probably rescue the highliner shells from the Fs and put Stewart drives under them. I should probably contact Athearn to see if they can do anything about the SD70s. But this is WAY to much work and effort for something as expensive as they are.
I cannot recommended the products.
We had a REALLY bad experience with a Genisis Mike. Later, we bought a RTR GP35. The 35 is a good engine, though is lacks much detail for something in it’s price range. It’s main high point is crisp paint. I won’t buy another, the P2K’s we’ve got run better, are cheaper, and are MUCH more detailed. I can fix cracked axle gears easily, for those that bring that up. As for Genesis diesels, after our Athearn experiences, I’ll pass and apply detail kits to Stewart locos. The Stewarts are SMOOTH runners, pull great and are head and shoulders better than any Athearn we’ve ever dealt with. Just my 02, YMMV.
Here’s a new Stewart after a little work…
I have purchased 2 Genesis Mikados. The first one moved about 4 inches on the rail and stopped. Cracked gear problem that they are so well known for. Rather than send it back, I figured I would fix it myself… Yeah! Right! It now sits in a box of parts to be used for “scenery” at some point. So, I turned right around and bought a second. This one runs very well and could almost pull itself and a couple of cars up a 2% grade. Remember I said almost. Weight has been added in every conceivable place on the loco and now it pulls much better but is still not a strong puller. I will not buy another Athearn product.
I have several Genisus F units. I agree that the headlight wiring is a pain but it’s the price you pay for individual headlight bulbs which I needed for the Mars light to work correctly.
My Genisus units cream my Stewart FT’s for pulling power. I like the Stewart units too but 2 powered Genisus units pull about 30% more up my 3% grades than the Stewart units. All mine are non sound equiped. THe only real problem I’ve had is that it seems the motor bearings sometimes need a drop of plastic compatable oil or them will make a little noise. Other than that they have run fine.
I have owned many Genesis locomotives and the only ones I have had problems with were my 4-6-2’s and the 2-8-2’s. they all hads cracked gears. all of my SD70M’s ran great, and my challenger works like a charm, even though the sound sucks.
I’ve got an A-B set of C&O F’s that are Genesis, they pull like a you know what and are pretty detailed, I usually MU them with my stewarts. I want nothing to do with the new sound equipped ones, I’ve seen them in action down at the club and ugh, terrible sound.
I have 2 RTR GP-35’s on order, anyone have a ballpark estimate on what details I’m gonna have to add (I have no problem doing this) I know that theres no sunshades or MU cables.
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by Texas Zepher
2-8-2 and 4-6-2 look ok and I did not have the derailing problems with mine but they can’t pull a thing. Both locomotives are rated at 5 cars on the ruling grade. An Athearn BB SW9 can do 8.
I have 3 SD70s none of which have run straight out of the box. Warped trucks continual derailing problems. Much more work than they were worth to get working.
F3’s, Like an idiot I bought two complete ABBA sets for the Superchief. They have dual bulbs in the lower head lamp and one of them was burnt out from the get go. Because of all the wires inside the shell they are a nightmare to replace the bulb and then get back together after installing a decoder. I got them all rigged up and put them on the train (full 14 cars). They started skidded to a stall going up the first 2% grade. They finally inched the train to the top grinding their wheels all the way. I backed the train back down the hill and put the reliable Stewarts on and concluded the operating session with no problem. I was so discusted with them I threw them into a box under the layout where, as far as I know, they still are today. Unfortunately I had already purchased a couple ABA sets of NP units for the NorthCoast Limited.
The new Fs with sound. From the above experience I finally wised up and went to the LHS to actually check them out. The sound is almost the worst I’ve heard in a long time, and WAY WAY WAY too loud even on the most quiet setting.
So out of the ummm…17 Genesis Locomotives that I have tried to run. I have been 100% satisfied with ZERO of them. I still have 6 in boxes I haven’t opened yet but I can’t imagine the story being any different. I will probably rescue the highliner shells from the Fs and put Stewart drives under them. I should probably contact Athearn to see if they can do anything about the SD70s. But this is WAY to much work and effort for something as expensive as they are.
<
I have a CB&Q F7AB-F3A set that work fine. I haven’t installed DCC yet, that will be soon enough. I will keep my eye on them for problems that hopefully, if they pop up, I’ll be able to fix.
Rick
i’m starting to have second thought about RTR maybe i should get KATO DASH 9’s- actually i could get Kato SD70MAC’s instead of Genesis
2-8-2s are hit and miss with the drive gear, 4-6-6-4 Challenger good performer the remote control takes some getting used to, SD75I CN matches up nicely for speed and pulling power with my Kato SD90. RTR AC4400 conists nicely with the SD90 also Genisis locos are usually the quietest Athearns followed by the RTRs the Blue Boxes (although these vary greatly for quietness). I am biased other than the one 2-8-2 replaced under warranty I haven’t had any problems with Athearn at all.
I need to find that set and give them the once over to see if there is some minor thing like a drive shaft slipping or even missing so that maybe a truck is dragging.
Yes, while I was writing that note I was thinking it isn’t to fair to rag on a product when I haven’t even let them know (other than one e-mail and one phone call) that I am not happy. I’ll have to do that. I expect a product that costs that much to work 100% out of the box, but my real problem is that I have so much stuff when something doesn’t work I quickly improvise a work around. I mean the SuperChief still ran that night, so I promptly forgot about the Fs thrown under the layout as my mind and energy moved on to other things.
Judging from the other responses, it does seem your hypothosis of hit or miss quality might be valid. When they hit they are wonderful, and when the miss it is a mess.