Athearn Engines New to the forum


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f1_indy2000

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Hi all, I'm brand spanken new to the discussion forum and was wondering: I recently bought an Athearn GP40 engine shell to paint up and was wanting to know if that shell will work on an Athearn GP60 chassie?

I'm not much of a rookie to the hobby but have been out of the details. My dad and I built a nice layout at HIS house and thats where the majority of my stuff is. Oh that would be 60 some miles away, so its a little hard finding things out until I get my stuff up to where I am. I have been in this awesome hobby since, well, for a long time and recently my wife and I bought a house and am building a nice little 8X10 layout that runs from the early seventies until mordern day, ok the 1990s. My railroads are Rock Island, SOO Line and Burlington Northern from the West. East are PC to Conrail, NW to NS, and Chessie to CSX.
I have always bought Athearn engines just because of the quality and resonable price. I have a couple of katos though they were gifts. Yeah I would love DCC, but with all the Athearns and power supply basically says to me to stick with what I have and afford to work with, direct current. Thanks for hearing me out and look forward to any response.
 
It may fit, but it shouldn't in all reality. I'm not sure if the Athearn models are prefect, if they're not, it may, if they are, then no it won't as the GP60 series is 59' 9" and the GP38/39/40/49/50 racks in at 59' 2". Try to find an Athearn GP50.
 
As long as you're not talking about the Athearn models of the GP60B or GP60M, then yes, it will fit. Athearn's GP60 shell is really just a modified GP50 with a different dynamic brake housing. It was made to fit the chassis they already had - the GP50/GP38-2 casting. Likewise, the GP40-2 was a late addition to the Athearn line, using this common chassis, in the final years before Irv Athearn passed away.

The reason the GP60M and GP60B chassis will not work is that they were developed by Rail Power Products for RPP's own chassis line (designed to work with Athearn components). When Athearn purchased RPP's line, the models were reworked somewhat and folded into the Athearn catalog.

So, the GP60 offered by Athearn is too short to be a correct model of a GP60, but with some changes the shell can represent a Phase II GP50 fairly well. The chassis is fine for any of the GP38-2/40-2/50/60 shells originally tooled by Athearn.
 
I have thought that Athearns GP38/40/50/60s would nearly the same because of the way they attached to the rest of the model, (bottom of fueltank). So something tells me it might work. If not no biggie. Thankyou RCH, JBAAKKO, and FunValleyLine.
 
They might, but as I said, it may not fit as the GP60 is longer. Aren't the newest offerings of the GP60 line RPP, including the plain GP60?

Eh, never mind, there is NO RTR GP60!
 
Though in all technicality only the 38/39/40/49/50/59 should fit it.

Josh,That is true..However,NOBODY but Nobody makes the GP39/39-2,GP49/59 in plastic.Crying same that seeing we are drowning in F units and Big Boys.:(
 
They're not hard, the 39/39-2 has a Single, turbocharged exhaust stack, with the 38 body (some minor door nods, but that can be skipped). The SD39 can be build from an SD38 or 40, with Hi-tech sides. The GP49 and 59 I have not looked into but...

I wish they would create more. Your hear BLI has an SD7/9 coming now, Athearn way as well never re-release theirs. Athearn SHOULD however re-release the RPP SD90's and sd45's! I know, I know, Kato and Life-like made an SD45 and Bachmann still has one,but who buys Bachmann, and have you ever tried to buy an SD45? How about the Kato SD90's!?

What about the RPP C32-8, SD60M, and Dash 8-40B, and Dash 8-40CW (how about a BW & C too)!? Come on. Changing the mold for the hood on a GP38-2 to make a GP38, 39, and 39-2, and the mold on the SD38 or 40 to make an SD39, and the 40-2 to make a 38-2 & 39-2!? The mold 50 to make the 49 & 59, and releasing a better GP60?

Oh well to much ranting, I'm sorry guys. Just had to get it out of my system, when Athearn has time to make a Maxi-I and a John Deere Challenger...
 
Okay, the GP60 is the Athearn tooling, not the RPP spartan cab tooling, so it's the wrong length, based on the Phase II GP50 body/frame with a GP60 dynamic housing. The GP59 is to the GP60 what the GP39-2 is to the GP40-2, so it shares a frame with the GP60.

Brakie, the problem with begging for GP39-2s is which version do you do? No matter which one you pick, it's only going to be correct for one road and all the other railfans will be upset their favorite version didn't get picked. And these aren't minor differences, either, like two rows of door latches instead of three. They moved the prime mover three feet back midway through production, for crying out loud!

Athearn will be releasing the SD45s based on the RPP body soon, and they will have the chassis the SD38/40 models got, so that should make most people happy.

Josh, slow down! You can get a quality C40-8, C40-8W, B40-8, B32-8W, B40-8W, GP38 and GP40 from Atlas and they are plentiful. Athearn, nice as some of their models are, cannot compete with any of these offerings from Atlas. Sure, the C32-8 remains absent, as well as some of the others, but either they will come around in the next few years or you'll just have to keep hacking away at body shells.

GP60s are available in the correct length, with the correct size radiator grilles, from Life Like, so all is not lost if you're interested in the GP59/60 in HO scale.
 
Ryan said:Brakie, the problem with begging for GP39-2s is which version do you do? No matter which one you pick, it's only going to be correct for one road and all the other railfans will be upset their favorite version didn't get picked. And these aren't minor differences, either, like two rows of door latches instead of three. They moved the prime mover three feet back midway through production, for crying out loud!
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Absolutely! We both know the cries that would araise from a GP39/39-2 its not right for this/that road.Yet this locomotive was done in brass by OMI..
See what I am saying?

http://www.sollbach.net/pages/brass/importer/OMI/BN_GP39-2/BN_GP39-2.html
 
Oh I know Atlas makes them, but there's people who'd rather pay $80 then $150, see what I mean?

Just my little rant at Athearn's recent plans. They're not like they used to be, cheap, and everything. They're basicaly handing off that business now...
 
I went on a little road trip yesterday and got my GP60, took off the body/shell whatever its called and put the GP40 on it and it works :D
 
Oh I know Atlas makes them, but there's people who'd rather pay $80 then $150, see what I mean?

Just my little rant at Athearn's recent plans. They're not like they used to be, cheap, and everything. They're basicaly handing off that business now...

I agree here. The older Athearns I have which is a lot of them were and still are very resonably priced. They work great, however, I have a couple of Stewart Hobbies, Atlas, and Katos and them(old Athearn engines) don't even come close to par. It seems like the contacts get dirty really fast or they lack the needed weight that the heavier priced engine cost. I'm sure there are other things that they lack. I have notice or it seems like Athearn has three different levels of engine prices, Quality$$ Genesis-midrange and just plain Athearn resonable, but less quality. Oh well, I will stick with what I have.
 
I have a C30-7, U23B, 2 B40-8s, a U33C and a GP38 - all new release Atlas - and I didn't pay more than $70 for any one of them. Sure, you might be able to pick up Athearn's newer release models for ten, fifteen bucks apiece less, if that, but is it worth it? I don't have a problem paying $100 per locomotive or more, but that might be because I only buy one every year or two. It's definitely a case of quality over quantity here.
 
Ummmm...I have a SD-45 Bachmann....from the early 90s....no complaints..solid runner...hard to belive but good detail too....will post pic later...
 
BLIs Blue Line series has my curiosity ....with sound.....hmmm will be watching that...119.00 for a SD-40 with dcc and sound not bad?
 
BLIs Blue Line series has my curiosity ....with sound.....hmmm will be watching that...119.00 for a SD-40 with dcc and sound not bad?
Yeah, $119 on factorydirecttrains.com

I understand everyone's liking to other brands but Athearn's are like the workhorses of my fleet, more would be nice.
 



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