Are there any fans of the Athearn Ready to Roll locomotives out there? I really enjoy the GP40-2s, GP40x, and GP38-2s. I have heard a number of negatives statements out there but I have found that for the average price of around $60.00 in stores, I think they are great value.
I bought one but being my layout is still under construction and not electrified, I haven’t ran it yet. And I have to convert it to DCC.
I have to RTR and I would say they look great but they are a little noisy at first I have found the more you run them the better they get. I have 9 locos, 6 Atlas and 2 RTR and 1 Athearn Genesis and I would say 5 out of my 6 Atlas run great, I have on that is a little noisy, and then my Genesis is next best, which I suspect will climb on the list as it gets broken in, followed by RTR but overall they are all very close in performance and bang for the buck the RTR are a good buy.
At $ 60, there is hardly anything you could do wrong when buying the Athearn loco. They are good bread-and-butter quality and a fair value for THAT price.
They lack a large amount of detail but they perform just as well as a Atlas or Kato. They are good locomotives for the price. For a few bucks more though you could get a Atlas or a Proto 2000.
I have four GP35s and sixteen RS-3s. They are more expensive than the GP38s and GP40s because they have more highly detailed shells and are DCC ready. My GP35s run okay, but the RS-3s vary. Some run good and some don’t.
Why do the manufacturers and the consumer have a category for locomotive, “Ready to Roll,” or, “Ready to Run?” I kind of understand it for rolling stock, but when is the last time anyone saw a locomotive kit offered by one of the major manufacturers with the possible exception of Bowser and the few Athearn Blue Box kits left? It seems this desciption has come to refer to the less expensive models on the market, yet all of the more expensive models will run right out of the box and you don’t even have to apply handrails, etc.
Ray
The RTR line is basically a Athearn thing. Nobody else marks their packaging with it. Almost all locomotive manufacturers offer undecorated versions of their loco’s that need to be assembled and painted. For the most part Kato locomotives need all the handrails and detail pieces added as well as some Atlas. I’ve got 3 dozen undecorated loco’s from Atlas, Proto 2000 and Athearn Genesis in my basement, I couldn’t pass them up, that all need to be assembled and painted.
I have thousands of athearns their great easy to detail and repair. Well maybe not thousands but to many to count.rambo1…
I also have quite a few of the Atheran RTR engines and basically it comes down to where else can you find as nice a loco as they are for around $60 these days? As the old saying goes “they have a lot of bang for the buck” or good value for the money spent.
Maybe not as much detail as say a Proto but I’m also sure they will take a lot more abuse than a Proto will also and details can always be added to suit the individual needs or desires.
I’m still rather anxious to see what they do when they finally get around to the GP-7/9…Blue and Gray MoPac’s maybe???
Mark
About 70% of my locomotive fleet is Athearn RTR. They are great for the money. Most of mine have sound and LED lighting that I have done myself. They are easy to do IMO because there is some room do it. They are a little noisy, but I don’t mind it too much. They have been quite reliable for me.
I have 2 RTR’s I found when I decided to get back into MRR and after 17 yrs of sitting in a box. I pulled them out and they ran like they were just put in the box days earlier. I might convert the lights on them to LED and DCC and keep them once I go DCC.
As far as Athearn RTR I have several of the GP38-2’s, 1 SD-40, 2 GP40’s and several F7’s. They all run fairly well. All my other Athearn locos are blue box models or kit bashes.
Your VERY lucky. I’ve never heard of any locomotive sitting for 17 years in a box and running perfect when pulled out. 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of the time they need major servicing. Grease dries up, oil disappears and rust and tarnish build up on anything thats metal. [:-^]
I STRONGLY suggested to the “birthday fairy” {MOH -My Other Half} that I wanted an Athearn RTR GP-38 “plug N Play” DCC ready loco and then whne MOH got it for my birthday I bought the corresponding (9pin plug} form Litchfield Station to make it DCC only.
Only problem is , I have never been able to get the DC jumper plug OUT of the socket {without trying to break something} to install the DCC Board.
SO It is of little use to me as I DO NOT DC only on my DCC layout!
{I did set it up on a circle of DC only track and was mildly impressed with it, but CANNOT get that darned jumper out to convert it. “Plug and Play” my butt}
I have several Athearn RTR locomotives and am well please with their performance…I did have slight “D’oh!” problems with a GP40-2…I tighten the motor screws to tight and the locomotive had a squeal.I loosen the screws and problem solve…A fine example of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
I like the RTR Athearns also,sometimes i get a loud one but with my new layout bigger it does sound a lot of better.
The Athearn RTR locos are basically Blue Box with the handrails applied, unless you get the DCC ready. I just bought two GP-38-2s, and they have the old style headlite that lights up the whole cab. I am going to put DCC and sound in them, and I’ve done it before, but there is some extra work involved isolating the motor, and adding decent headlights. I neglected to check for DCC ready as I didn’t think they still made the old style locos. Got em for $47 online though. [:-^]
Rambo, I’ve told you a million times, quit exaggerating. Well, maybe not a million… [swg]
Do any of them have LED’s yet?
Most of the criticsm lies with the single light bulb that illuminates the entire cab, instead of more precise lighting that lights only the headlights just above the cab (and in the long hood [rear]) of the locomotive). This is known as the “crew fryer” or “cab fryer” light.
Also, while they usually do operate smoothly and slowly enough, they have a noise to them that other locomotives do not. This is known as the “coffee grinder” sound.
Other than that, they are durable, easy to fix, and are actually dimensionally more accurate models than some more expensive competitors. At $60, they’re pretty good buys.