Southern Pacific class MT-4 4-8-2 steam locomotive. Southern Pacific (four road numbers) and painted black but unlettered. Five-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels, blackened metal RP-25 contour metal wheelsets, and McHenry magnetic knuckle couplers. Minimum radius 22". Without sound (but with eight- and nine-pin plugs) $299.98, with dual-mode Digital Command Control and sound unit (includes wireless remote for activating sound effects on direct-current layouts) $399.98. June 2008. Genesis series
It looks like they have heard the complaints about the MRC decoders and want to give you the Tsunami/Locksound/etc option! [8D]
Yes - it’s great news, and we can add a Soundtraxx Tsunami. But those of us who operate in the mid-1950s want locomotives with the later Skyline casing will have to wait a while longer, as the initial release is apparently of the original version alone, without the encased domes etc. The great majority of Mt4’s had Skyline casing by 1950.
Not to get too far off the topic but Athearn has apparently also done the same with the Roundhouse line, or at least the new 2-8-0 they are releasing. It will be offered with and without the MRC decoder. Several online stores are listing it that way.
This is very good news concerning Athearn and their previous marketing stategy with installed sound on their steam models and it proves that our Emails and forum discussions get action.
Keep up the good work letting companies know what we want.
True, the Roundhouse line does offer them both ways, but they were offered without sound long before they started to offer sound on those models. The Genesis steam line was exclusive and only offered their newly released steam models with sound installed. The Genesis diesel line offered both non sound and sound but this is a first for the Genesis steam.
When I saw their Big Boy at a train show, I was very impressed with the detail, but the sound was awful! Now all they need is to release some smaller steam, like the 2-8-2 and 4-6-2 they used to sell, or maybe an 0-6-0 or 0-4-0. I don’t think anyone besides Bowser is making a decent 0-4-0 right now.
Since the MRC sound units have been highly criticized, its good to have a choice to by loco’s without sound as the Genesis loco’s (I got F untis) are otherwise very nice). It stinks to have a premium quality loco offered with substandard sound units, so I haven’t gotten any at all.
Why do so many seem to forget about the first of the Genesis steam engines? Even Athearn does not even pay passing reference to them. Could it be because of the poor reputation regarding the high incident of gear failure or the fact that without tweaking they could hardly pull their own weight?
Not bad. Don’t like the white cab, but hey. SMoke? Cool. But of the 2 Gen steamers I’ve heard, a Big Boy and a Challenger, Ihaen’t noticed any issues with sound. I wanna see it in the Half Daylight Helper shceme.
AndI noticed, they have this engine, the Cascade COach, it looks like the Athearn Gen Daylight consist may be on it’s way too.
You are right about those being the first Genesis, but most of us do not relate them as being in the same category as the Challenger, Big boy and FEF models. I don’t know why but they do not come to mind with the latest editions of the Genesis line.
The first two Genesis engine were without sound, but that was actually before factory installed sound was introduced to us by BLI with the first NYC Hudson. I have never considered the tow first Athearn models as real Genesis models and yet they were. I did purchase the Mike and probably would have purchased the Pacific if either one was worth buying. The Mike I purchased never got out of the box and is brand new. I read that they would not pull anything that looked like a decent train even on the level and the gear problem stopped them cold. With all that in mind, I just ignored it completely and it is packed away never to be used.
They earned such a poor reputation as you have said that most of us just forgot they existed.
Well, maybe YOU guys have forgotten about them, but I haven’t. I like 'em:
I’m not crazy enough to add this much work to a lemon. Of course, all of mine are first runs,. which don’t have the gear cracking problems. They USED to be mediocre pullers, until I added a few oiunces of weight to them! Now, the’re just fine.
Take another look at your Genesis 2-8-2: it’s got the best drive train of any of the new steam built. The biggest problem is that all of the weight is in the cab, so it’s improperly balanced. Adding a couple of ounces of weight to the nose changes it’s flat pulling ability from 20 to 40 cars.
Well, maybe YOU guys have forgotten about them, but I haven’t. I like 'em:
I’m not crazy enough to add this much work to a lemon. Of course, all of mine are first runs,. which don’t have the gear cracking problems. They USED to be mediocre pullers, until I added a few oiunces of weight to them! Now, the’re just fine.
Take another look at your Genesis 2-8-2: it’s got the best drive train of any of the new steam built. The biggest problem is that all of the weight is in the cab, so it’s improperly balanced. Adding a couple of ounces of weight to the nose changes it’s flat pulling ability from 20 to 40 cars
