So heres the thing. I have three athearn genesis SD70MACs. Im not too happy with them. They dont track well and theyre noisy not to mention underwieght. Ive had the three for probably a year now, but I’m thinking of selling them and getting katos instead. What do you think?
Sounds like the 2-8-2s I have. You might be able to add weight, not sure though, don’t own any… I don’t think you can go to wrong with Kato… Simple fact is, apparently, you aren’t happy with what you have so dump 'em and move on.
Jeff
[8D]
[#ditto]
You are obviously unhappy with the Athearns, so off to E-Bay or other market locations. I would buy one of the Katos and run it first to see if that is the best answer. If after a trial of the Kato, and it turns out to be not what you are looking for, you might check the wheels for being in gauge for the tracking problem, and add some weight to the frame and/or the shell to improve the train heft of the Athearns. Might also lube the gear train at the same time. Never know what kind of silk purses you might find in those sows…
Will
You may try what I do, I always add weight if possible it sometimes help with noise and of course with tracking, they just stay planted better. I don’t know anything about the Athearn Genisis(spelling) but they may have space for some stick on weight inside?? It’s worth a shot and it may take care of some or all your problems. Joey
Have any other six wheel power? If not you may be wise to borrow one and see if it is the engines or the track before costing yourself in the exchange.
I’ll second that.My 4 axels run great on my track, then I bought a Dash 8 and Wow! My track problems became apparent. Took a gauge to the track and fixed the problem spots and now it runs great!
A bit of track doctoring can go a long way towards satisfaction, but so can a new Kato!
Trainboy
My larger loco was the one that gave me fits right off the bat. I took the easy way out and raised the radii of my curves by 4"…and glad I did. I will shortly be running a 4-6-6-4 that would look goofy sitting stalled on 18" curves…[sigh] That said, I did a lot of work early on in my layout construction by making transitions on my elevation changes and filing points down to micron thinness. The Hudson winks at me every time it goes by.
Edit-PS. Oh, and for what it’s worth, I use EZ-Track extensively, and have never gauged it.
That is my experience exactly. However I intend to re-work them to make them work well. I did not like the BN/BNSF paint job on the Kato’s (green is too dark, cream is funny). I just won’t be buying any more Athearn, reguardless of the paint.
Strange, I’ve had good luck with the Athearn diesels. They can be noisey, but the fixes are well known.
Have you done the break-in procedure on the trucks? Pearl drops or non-scratch bathroom cleaner such as Soft Scrub in the gears helps to smooth them down. Run them for about an hour and then open them up and flu***hem clean before greasing them.
While you’ve got them open, see if the worm gear needs to be shimmed to take up any excess slop.
Also check the universal gears and slide couplings on the driveline for excess slop. I typically glue one end in place with silicone to firm things up. Removable if needed, but otherwise solid.
I’ve also aded up to 12 ounces of lead in a C44-9W. It’ll pull darn near anything and runs very quiet.
Mark in Utah
P.S. What road names are on your SD70’s?? If you don’t like them, I’ll be interested.
Yes I have TONS of 6 axle power. My only problems are with the 70s. I have checked the wheels. made sure no wires were caught. I even ordered new trucks from athearn and replaced them. Not only will they not run well at my layout. The wont run well at the club, or at any layout ive used them on. The noise is just the typical athearn noise, not a problem with the engine. So the noise wasnt a problem before, but now that im running sound I like to hear the sound! I think im going to buy a Kato and check it out. If I like it Ill take the decoders out of my athearns, sell them and buy more katos.
The Katos will be much better runners, but the Athearn frame is a Kato clone, meaning the Katos will weigh the same as the Athearns. If you like the Athearn shells than you could buy just the Kato mechanisms. But it’s your choice.
I think a visit to ebay is in order for those locos. good luck with the katos.[^]