I’m looking for Engine recommendations in HO scale. There seems to be quite a few companies, and I’m not sure which are the best/most dependable. The Genesis line from Athearn looks good, and comments or other recommendations?
I am also looking for DCC support. While I’m not running it now, I would like to implement it possibly next year.
Hi Michael,
The Genesis line from Athearn are indeed excellent value for money and very good runners with dual flywheel. However, my thoughts (If you require the best) would be to see Kato or Atlas run before anything else.
Hello Michael,
I would like to add to the above by suggesting the Proto 2000 line by Life-Like. These are great running engines with very good detailing, and decent price. In my book, Atlas engines are the BEST. Pat
I have a little of them all, but more Athearns, have no complaints on the Athearns. The new SD40-2 is great. The Lifelikes are alot slower than the rest. Athearn is faster than the others. There is also a speed difference in the USA and china made SD70s, there is something different with the motors. As for the Lifelike they are geared different.Kato and Atlas run with each other okay.
They should get to together and work on this.
So it all depends on what you are modeling.
Mike -
All of the above suggestions are good ones. I have Athearn and Atlas and they are fine locos. I’m currently looking for a certain Kato loco because they also have a good reputation.
I would also suggest you look at Stewart. I just bought a really fine F-3A Rock Island from a dealer at Galesburg Railroad Days. If it is any indication of Stewart quality, I will surely buy more ! Runs smoooooth as silk !!!
I’ve looked at some of the recommendations, and they look good. One thing to note, I’m trying to find an F-7 unit in PRR which Genesis just released this year. I have been unable to find any mention of these units being made by Kato or Atlas. Am I mistaken?
Lifelike Proto 1000 & 2000 come with a lifetime warranty.
Stewart & Wathers Trainline have an implied
verbal lifetime warranty against premature failure
Kato 2 months and Atlas 3 months.
I like the Kato and Atlas products. Kato’s have more detail (interior) but Atlas has better finishes. The new Stewart VO-1000 are a wonder to look at but my two run poorly with momentom on but are ok, although a little light, with it off. Atlas seems to be a better puller, especially in the switchers.
I have been out of the hobby since the late 70’s when LifeLike was like Tyco and AHM and the best plastic was Athearn or Atlas . . . but I have heard so much about the Proto series that I just last week finally bought 3 SP SD9s (my all-time favorite locomotive) through Internet shops. I don’t know how they run, having sold all my rolling stock and trackage back in the early 80’s but they are BEAUTIFULLY and intricately detailed . . . to the point where I am going to hate to slice into them to install the proper SP headlight package (which I hope is still made by Detail Associates or someone), cab roof extensions and Farr air filter boxes and renumbering to make them into SD9e’s. Other than those details and the wrong horns/horn location and missing one front ladder on each model, these are impressive lookers. I’ve never seen an SD9 with only one front ladder, but all three of these are set up thus so I must presume SP was out of the norm here. At any rate it will probably be a long time before these come out of their boxes; I just wanted to get them while they were still available – and had to look pretty hard to find them, too! My question is is it hard to replace the couplers? These came with horn-hooks and I was a little surprised as I’d heard that LifeLike had a KD-style coupler now that came on their Proto2000 models.
Most Proto 2000s take Kadee #5 Couplers right in the standard pocket.
Best Locomotive HO Scale,
Well, Atlas & Kato make nice products, but I don’t own any loco’s from them yet.
I do own Athearn BlueBox & RTR locos. BlueBox (BB) are great. They’re almost indestructible. RTR have similar drivetrains, are a bit quieter than BB & have more detail.
I don’t have any Genesis loco’s but I’ve read different opinions on them as you will about almost everything in these forums.
Proto 1000 (P1K) & 2000 (P2K) by Walther formerly LifeLike are great loco’s too. The main difference between the two is detailing P2K being the better of the 2 in this department.
I have 1 Stewart Loco. I love this thing, it’s a bit noisy probably because it still needs to be broken in having sat in the LHS’s shelf for over 2 years.
IHC makes great inexpensive steam loco’s. What they lack in detail, they make up in perfomance.
I have 1 ConCor GP38. Not overly detailed, even less than a BB. It’s quiet but it’s been sitting in the box for 5 years.
I hope this helps
Gordon
Your post should be in it’s own thread, as it’s not really related to th OP’s question. I’ll answer your question though. The Proto 2000 SD-9 is an older model released just prior to the transition to “knuckle couplers included”. It will accept KD No 5 as a drop-in replacement. KD now also has alternatives to the old No 5 including a close to scale size version of the No 5 and a “whisker” coupler that eliminates the need for the centering spring, see KD’s site.
To answer the OP’s question:
These are some of the top selling, good to high quality brands of H0 locos and rolling stock in no particular order:
Atlas, Athearn RTR, Athearn Genesis, Intermountain, Accurail, Proto 1000 & Proto 2000 (now by Walthers), Kato, Stewart (now by Bowser), BLI, Bachman’s Spectrum.
Athearn RTR & Genesis, Intermountain, Proto 1000, & Stewart have made various models of the F units in various roadnames. Detail-wise I think the Athearn Genesis and Intermountain F’s are at the top, while Athearn RTR, P1K & Stewart have molded-on grabs and handrails,etc. They’re all pretty good to excellent runners.
If you’re serious about DCC, consider getting the engines with the decoders already installed, rather than getting “DCC-ready” engines and putting in decoders yourself. Unless you get a great deal (like on an out-of-production engine in a closeout sale) then it’s usually not worth the aggravation to install the decoder yourself.
Before you buy any engine, stop, look and particularly listen to today’s sound-equipped locomotives. Go to an LHS that has them, find a train show, or even look up a local club and ask if you can drop in for a visit. If you look at the prices, you’ll discover that a new DCC sound engine is basically about $100 more than a non-decoder-equipped one. For $100, you might be able to buy the decoder and speaker and install it yourself, but it’s generally a nasty job.
What are you doing commenting on a thread 7 years old? Hello!! Pay attention People [soapbox]
All right ! We bridged 7 years in a moment.
I have owned just about all the locomotives except for KATO and Marklin and have found that for the price Athearn are the best if you don’t mind adding extra detailing later. (In my opinion, they are the strongest pullers but do lack prototype detailing).) Next is Atlas. (they are the most detailed and their pull is strong enough for me.) Then BLI which i have had no problems with so far. Now Proto 2000? Too many problems, the 2000 series are ok (I own PA-1 ABA units that are ok but nothing to write home about) but i have one of the Proto 1000 series (an Alco RS-11) that in my opinion, “totally sucks” and no excuse for my French. The proto Alco will be better off in a trash can than on the layout. It doesn’t want to run when asked to and when it does it jerks it’s way along the rails. Oh yeah, I also own a Bachmann Spectrum C30-8. It’s a pretty good locomotive even though it was a booger getting a decoder into but doesn’t have the pull power like an Athearn…chuck
editorial after reading the “rest of the story”…7 years huh?..is my face red right now…