I see that Athearn -Roundhouse have announced the introduction of a USRA 4-6-2 based on the tooling for the Athearn Genesis 4-6-2 of several years ago.
I’m sure that Athearn will have fixed the well known problems regarding the Genesis version of these locos but I wonder if the reviews will even mention to Genesis engines or will they simply be glossed over because Athearn is a large advertiser?
If the model is any good, and it gets a fair and honest review, I’ll be interested in a few and the Athearn Genesis versions will be retired and will become part of the Granville Junction scrap line. Hopefully, they’ll reissue the 2-8-2, with all the same problems fixed, and I’d be interested in several of them. The 2-8-2 being a most useful locomotive.
The first run Genesis USRA 2-8-2 the USRA 4-6-2 were nice looking but completely useless on our layouts. The gear problem and the lack of weight was not the best deal in town. They need to add traction tires or weight to the models. Now that the 4-6-2 has been announced, can the USRA 2-8-2 be far behind???
They probably learned a lesson as the latest run of steam models are great in detail and now the latest ones are offered without sound.
The USRA light 4-6-2 can be used on several railroads. Lets hope it is weighted or has traction tires.
I feel burned by the previous 2-8-2 by Athearn being way too light and unable to pull anything. No one has made a “Goot” Pacific yet. Maybe I hold out and get the PCM P7 or the BLI Pacific yah?
Pictures help alot but I would need to see and test drive one of these before buying.
I am encouraged anyway because light pacifics are useful as are the mikes.
I’m interested. I’d be even more interested if they released one that looked like an IC Baldwin, but I’ve resigned myself to kitbashing almost all of the IC steam roster.
I bought 12 Athearn steam engines off of eBay recently (as of this monent, there are 5 lots of 2 still on there for $29 buy it now) and they are the Gennesis 2-8-2s and 4-6-2s. After further observation, the gears are “cracked as advertized”, however the gears can be bought. Otherwise, they are basicly brand new.
So, I bought 12 of the gears for $9 from NWSL, and am starting to replace them. For the $200 I forked out on the gears and engines, I will get about $750 worth of running steam engines. Not too shabby…
The only one I will get is the GTW 5629, since it pulled the Great Circus Train for a number of years…some Schlitz decals for the side would be a good project for a decal company. Now, I don’t have to keep my eye out for those mildly expensive Sunset Models Great Circus Train 4-6-2s…
The ad copy says, “from the ex-Genesis 4-6-2 tooling” with an “upgraded mechanism”. These were very nice-running locomotives, although some had problems with the idler gear. The only other improvement that I can see them making is to add current pick-up to the tender, and do away with that awful “pigtail”. I doubt very much that the new version will be any heavier than the original, although you might see (shudder) traction tires. [V]
I don’t have the Pacific, but bought two Mikados when they were first released, and, when I figured out how to make them pull better, bought another two (used) at bargain prices. I’ve had no problems, as yet, with the gears, and I run heavy trains. [swg]
