So we’ve all probably heard that the new Athearn RTR SD40-2s are out and in hobby shops. I personally have 2, both in the DM&E railroad, one in the Mount Rushmore paint scheme. So when I got the locomotive, I didn’t know what to expect. I have had bad experiences with their locomotives in the past most involving running and cosmetic issues. All I can say about the new releases is that Athearn has stepped up their game. Their RTR locomotives are coming out of the factory with a lot more detail than the older RTR locomotives, and seem to run better too. Please tell me what you guys think of the new SD40-2s! If you want to see the review I made, go to the link below. Yes, the review isn’t the best but this was my first time doing a review on a locomotive.
I was not aware of Athearn doing a new release of the SD40-2…surprise. The SD40-2 remains my absolute favorite of contemporary locomotives. They were the best riding and best performing engines I had handled during my stint as a hostler/electrician for Conrail way back when (1988-1994). I currently have 10 of them in blue box, 8 in operation. In the last two years I purchased 2 SD60’s (Athearn RTR), 1 Kato, several Bachmann, and a Proto. I have no current production Atlas…old yes. And I have no BLI or MTH. I’ve been reluctant to buy further into new Athearn RTR or Genesis, as well as current production of the other brands. Though nicely detailed and great runners…I’m stuck on their fragility. I guess the seemingly bullet proof nature of BB and old Atlas for that matter has kept me searching for those types.
I live in northern Nevada, and it is a serious dust bowl here. On a windy day with the doors and windows closed an otherwise clean model can quickly look rusty after just a few hours. Doing something so simple as brushing the dust off of a model can prove lethal to details, and railings. I am also arthritic and can be a bit clumsy.
For me…the hope is for these manufacturers to find a middle ground between form and function.
My question. With improvements in detail and running quality, are there any improvements to durability?
If the fellows at Caboose Hobbies where smart business people they would open a branch as close as they could to Michael. I don’t think he ever met anything in HO that he didn’t like. [swg][(-D]
I have a Genesis level model and an R-T-R level model, and honestly I don’t find a problem with the difference in detail levels. I do like the higher detail of the Genesis, but the R-T-R’s get run A LOT more. Maybe that will change as I get a home layout planned and built, and a budding interest in photography turns into another (possible) major hobby.
Well my answer to that is yes and no. The details are actually pretty sturdy but I’d watch out for the end of the handrails. The paint chips off pretty easily and are a pain. I have a few RTRs and that has happened to almost all of them (But minor), because I’ve been super careful. It also depends on the model. Some roads have more detail added on to them,and some don’t, like the DM&E.
Other than the production stoppage for the RTR line, which has now nearly returned to normal, Athearn probably will continue to re-issue popular models as long as there is demand. A few things such as the RPP based SD40 are discontinued due to the molds being worn out. With the Athearn RTR SD’s, it’s mainly it’s those hand rails you have to be careful of.
I’m not aware of any fundamental changes to the SD40-2’s and SD40T-2’s. The chassis should be durable, but the hand rails are still the same. For those who like the basic model and can “model”, you can replace the handrails with metal ones. I’ll just be careful with mine. Besides, no one else makes plastic SD40T-2 so Athearn is the ONLY game in town - but I’m quite happy with them to be sure.
I bought all 3 numbers of BN they did. They area really nice looking, although fragile. I was pleasantly surprised to find the beacons had bulbs in them. I just wish the bulbs were seated in higher, but they look good as is.
On mine the wind deflectors were kind of loose, some of them had broken rear MUs right out of the box. They are both easy fixes. They run well, just a touch noisy. But I’ve only put about 45 minutes in each direction on them. I’ve already converted mine to LEDS.
Overall, I’m happy with them. I’ll post pics later.
I’m also going to try to get the next run they do that are supposed to be out around December.
Yeah, they are very fragile but for that much detail in a RTR, I can’t really complain. I just found out that it is a pain to take off the shell. The circuit board isn’t even screwed down, and pops off when you take off the shell. [|(] But at least it runs and looks good.
I’m gonna make a call to athearn anyways to get parts for a fixer-up SD40-2 I got a while ago, figure I can get replacement MU hoses then too.
One of mine even had the shell glued to the frame… Too much glue on the frame-mounted bell and it wound up sticking to the frame. Luckily I was able to just cut the glue bond and it came off.
