Was at my LHS and found a clearance loco and don’t know if its worth what they’re asking. It’s a Athearn Genesis Frisco 2-8-2 (HO scale) DCC ready for $75.00. Is that reasonable? I can’t find it in any of my online store sources or the Walthers catalog so I’m not sure. Help!
Ray,
Yea, that’s a decent price. It’s about 1/2 the original MSRP. Athearn stopped manufacturing the Genesis 2-8-2 Mike. It’s a very smooth and decent runner. Doesn’t pull a lot - i.e. about 15-20 cars. The BLI Mike is a much better locomotive.
Tom
The BLI Mike is a much better loco.
I owned a 2-8-2 from genesis some years ago. When I hit that 3% grade and she spun out with only 8 test cars I sold it on Ebay and used the funds to seed the BLI mike that can pull twice that over the hill.
Now the good thing about this engine is that it is very smooth. So if you have a level layout and not too many cars to haul, go for it.
Did they have cracking gears in the past? I dont recall what others may have discussed on this engine.
Yes some did incounter broken gears in theirs, I did on mine. Took forever to get the gear for the repair, but I still own and like my 2-8-2 Genesis. For $75 it is a good price, so I would snag it up.