Okay, just one more review please of HO scale steam engines . . . is the Athearn HO scale Genesis line light Mikado a good quality engine? I have the opportunity to buy one on line and I was wondering about anu potential problems with this model?
I resold my engine right away after finding it cannot pull.
However the mechanism was one of the most smooth I ever saw on a plastic steam up until that day a few years ago.
You need add a few more details about the light Mikado.
DC?
DCC?
DCC ready?
DCC with sound?
Cost?
What you want it to do?
I have one Light Mikado but it is a BLI with sound so won’t help you much. Little small for my taste and with a small tender sound is to quite. Would pull around 20 free rolling stock with some effort up my grade but got her done! I bought mine new off E-bay for $125.00. That was a year ago. It is the smallest of my steam engines, my Hudson that is a 2-6-2 is bigger.
Depending on you $ range I saw some BLI Class J with sound on E-bay for around $200.00 with sound. Will work on DC or DCC and pull like heck! I have pulled 35 cars and could have pulled more up my grade. It will all so handel 18" turns with no problems.
Cuda Ken
Unfortunately there are some people who like to act like they know what they are talking about…when they dont know a thing.
The Athearn Genesis mikado had a problem with bad gears. Athearn does not offer a fix. Last year they had a garage sale at their plant and were dumping their pile of returned models. If you found one for a real good price, you now know why. They are junk,
However, last week, Athearn did anounce the re-issue of their pacific; this time under their Roundhouse brand name. It will be made by a different manufacturer, with an entirely new mechanism. If they are re-doing the pacific, hopefully the mikado won’t be far behind.
Some of the Athearn Mikados and Pacifics had a problem with the gears, although replacement gears were eventually available from Athearn. I believe NorthWest Short Line offers a quality replacement gear now. I bought two Athearn Mikes when they were first released, and while they were extemely smooth runners, they had trouble pulling their own shadow. I found a fix for this problem, which you can read about HERE. This worked so well that I went and bought another two used ones at the LHS, for under $100.00 each. I also used tender trucks from Bachmann to add electrical pick-up to the Athearn tenders. I’ve had no problems, so far, with the gears in any of these locos, and they run well with my Bachmann 2-8-0s and any of my remotored Athearn diesels. I use mine, doubleheaded, on 100 ounce coal trains.
Wayne
Well lets see, I have 2 of them, so maybe I know what I am talking about here. As doctorwayne said they have a problem with pulling power, but that is an easy fix. Now as far as smooth runner? They are one of the best I have ever seen, and very silent to.
They did have a gear problem also, some of them. The drive gear which was pressed on the shaft of one of the drive wheels seemed to split, after the gear split, it would slip on the shaft of the drive wheels then. And as stated Athearn offered a fix for a very short time, and then just quit offereing it then. The NWSL repair kit was the answer though.
IMHO these were good runners, can be detailed easy, smooth runners, and did win MR product of the year, think that was in 2000.
If you can or got the loco for cheap, your doing good, allot of people unloaded them as soon as they heard of the split gear problem. Like I said they are decent, I don’t think they fall into the so called “junk club”.
Out of the three I’ve owned (still have two of them) the first one split the drive gear, the next two have been problem free in this respect. Detail is kind of sparse by current standards, smooth quiet runners, couldn’t pull the skin off of oatmeal (extra weight is the cure for that). If the gear is fine and the price is cheap enough you could do worse.
I bought 12 of those locos off of eBay a month back, and I am slowly replacing the gears in them with replacements from NWSL. For the $120 I paid for them, I get 12 running steam engines.
With proper gears, they do run nice.
Phil
Well, I have four, so obviously I like them. They have an excellent Samhongsa drive. One had the drive gear problem. I was too impatient for Athearn, so I got the gear from NWSL. An NWSL quarterer won’t fit that axle, so I had to make a little jig, but it all worked fine, and now runs terrific. I added weight to them all. Eventually I got a replacement wheelset with gear from Athearn in the mail.
Then I bought an as new in the box, handrails not installed yet, Genesis Pacific, with the same gear issue, for $20. Again I got an NWSL gear, and then later Horizon sent me a wheelset with gear.
Find out if it has the gear issue, and if so, if Horizon/Athearn have any more wheelsets with gears, and make your decisions accordingly. If it doesn’t have a gear issue by now, odds are overwhelming it will be fine. The NWSL gear is like $10, but you will need a puller too, if you don’t already have one.
I have one that I purchased when they were first released. It has the cracked gear problem and does not run. I contacted Athearn several times about a replacement and was promised over and over that my name would be placed on their waiting list and one would be sent to me as soon as it became available.
I never did receive anything from them, so I no longer purchase anything made by Athearn.
I understand that replacements are no longer available from Athearn, and firmly believe I should not have to purchase something from another manufacturer to correct their design flaw.
NWSL, by the way, is currently for sale and if a new owner is not found they will simply go out of business when the present owner retires.
I have two of them. I got the second one very cheap after the supposed gear problem surfaced. Never had that problem with either one. One wire on the pigtail that the decoder attaches to broke but it was an easy fix. They are sooo smooth but as everyone has said they start slipping after about 10 cars are attached. I haven’t tried the re-weighting solution but I did stuff lead into every nook and cranny i could find and improved performance about 25%. On a small layout pulling 15 cars should be sufficient.
I have my BLI and Genesis 2-8-2 side by side and one looks as good as the other. they weigh the same. The difference is no traction tire on the Genesis.
I also have a BLI 2-8-2 and did not install the traction tire which is an option. The BLI will outpull the Athearn no problem at all.
The Athearn did have a cracked gear but I was fortunate to receive a replacement gear. A great engine, very sparce on detail, runs great but little pulling power. Perhaps one day I will attempt to add additional weight as others have indicated it makes all the difference as to pulling power.
I will wait until there have been a lot of feedback before I even think about the USRA 4-6-2 that Horizon is about to release under the Roundhouse name.
don7 wrote:will wait until there have been a lot of feedback before I even think about the USRA 4-6-2 that Horizon is about to release under the Roundhouse name.
Actually that could be a two edge sword…I have seen some very questionable comments concerning some brands including Bachmann and MRC decoders.Experiences on the local scene has shown me different.
One has to learn to judge wisely.
INHO the best information is still examining the model first hand to include a slow test run,visiting a local club and of course talking to local modelers and then a modeler can judge the model my first hand knowledge…
hey, i forgot that I added weight to my Athearn 2-8-2. The BLI is somewhat better detailed and came with DCC and sound. neither has glass in the windows. I paid over $150 for the BLI and less than $50 for the genesis.