Athearn Genesis SD45-2 problems

[cosmictrain]

I am new (2 weeks) to DCC. I am getting back into model trains after 35 years. Or at least I'm trying too.

Here is the problem:

2 weeks ago I bought an Athearn Genesis SD45-2 with sound and a Digitrax Zephyr starter set. I only have a 4x8 layout with an oval to play with the train while I build a real layout. The track is Atlas code 83.

Sunday (the next day), I heard the loco speed up and it went almost a complete lap, and then it reversed direction and went about a foot and reversed direction again and went another foot and then smoke came out and of course that was the end of the that loco.

I took the loco and Digitrax controller back to the hobby shop. They gave me a new loco and I went home happy. I ran the new loco every night. After 5 days, the loco just stopped running. It was running fine and it just stopped. When I turned the track power off and on, I couldn't hear the little relay in the loco. I don't know if it is a relay but that is what the click sounds like to me.

I took the loco and Digitrax controller back to the hobby shop. They checked out the loco again, decided it was dead and they gave me another one, so I went home happy again.


After 4 days with the new loco odd things started happening. Sound would turn off once in a while. The horn would blow once in a while. The coupler sound would sound once in a while. Then last night I let the engine run for 5 hours straight. All seemed ok for 2 hours then the sound turned off. I pushed the proper button on the controller to turn the sound back on and all was good for 3 more hours. I turned everything off and went to bed. I got home from work tonight and turned on the Digitrax controller and turned on the the track power and I did not hear that little relay in the loco. And you guessed it. The loco is dead.

I am headed back to the hobby shop tomorrow to see what they think, and to get another loco.

Anybody have any ideas about this? Can the controller be blowing up these locos? Or is there a known problem with the Athearn Genesis loco.

 

[CSXfan75]

I am going on pure common sense here, but I would say change the manufacturer of the loco AND the controller if the hobby shop wants to replace it with the same thing. Better safe than sorry. Personally, if the hobby shop clerk cant explain what may be happening to "blow out " the loco, over and over again, he has no buisness working there! But Im not a loco electrician either. But if I bought a product and it failed several times...its time for a change.

 

[cosmictrain]

Yes I am ready to start over. In my world if same thing blows up 3 times, something else is causing it. I don't see how it can be the track. The only other thing is the controller. Digitrax seems to have a good reputation. I don't know. The hobby shop is a rather large one here in south Florida. I think we shall have a meeting of the minds tomorrow. There is just no way that I could be doing anything that could cause this to happen. I just put the loco on the track and have it go forward. Tomorrow could be interesting.

 

[el3637]

Yes I am ready to start over. In my world if same thing blows up 3 times, something else is causing it. I don't see how it can be the track. The only other thing is the controller. Digitrax seems to have a good reputation.

While I'm not a huge Digitrax fan, in this case I doubt they're the problem. The Genesis MRC sound decoders do NOT have a good reputation. I have several of these SD45-2s and they are all flawless. And I bought the non-sound versions and put my own (non-sound) decoders in them. I wouldn't touch the sound version with a 10-foot pole.

I would suggest returning the SD45-2 one more time (if you can) and get one without the noisemaker, and a conventional decoder - from Digitrax, NCE, or TCS and plug it in and set it up. Bet it runs just fine. If you want sound, that's another story. Overall Atlas units and some Proto with factory (QSI) sound are fairly reliable, but they are not as simple as a non-sound unit any way you look at it.

Andy

 

[mike8693]

I am going on pure common sense here, but I would say change the manufacturer of the loco AND the controller if the hobby shop wants to replace it with the same thing. Better safe than sorry. Personally, if the hobby shop clerk cant explain what may be happening to "blow out " the loco, over and over again, he has no buisness working there! But Im not a loco electrician either. But if I bought a product and it failed several times...its time for a change.

I would say it is the decoder I have used countless anthearn(no sound) and digitrax and never had a problem with eiter. What kind of store is it. Is it an actual train store or is it a general hobby store like hobby town. Usually stores like hobby town are a bunch of teenagers that will tell you anything to make a sale and get you out of there. I could see this happening once..maybe.. but not three times. It is probably the decoder. If not it could be the layout wiring. Also were you running the train on full power for five hours?

 

[CP9302]

I've had issues with my MRC Sound equipt Athearns on my Digitrax system as well. One of my MP15AC's quit running. Luckily, my LHS has an MRC system and was able to reset the decoder, and all is good again.

I will not buy any more Athearns with MRC sound because they don't work well with my Digitrax system. I'd try to get a none sound unit and add a different sound decoder to it yourself. If you are partial to the MRC sound, trade your Digitrax in for an MRC system. (but I don't recomend that)

 

[cosmictrain]

I would say it is the decoder I have used countless anthearn(no sound) and digitrax and never had a problem with eiter. What kind of store is it. Is it an actual train store or is it a general hobby store like hobby town. Usually stores like hobby town are a bunch of teenagers that will tell you anything to make a sale and get you out of there. I could see this happening once..maybe.. but not three times. It is probably the decoder. If not it could be the layout wiring. Also were you running the train on full power for five hours?

It is a quite large general hobby shop. The guys running the train section are in their 50's and seem quite knowledgeable.

The wiring is just the 2 wires from the contoller to the track and the track is just an oval. The layout is just something to have so I can run the train while I'm building my real layout.

I been running the train at half speed, so I don't think that could be a problem.

I'm getting ready to head off to the hobby shop so I'll find out what the train guys think about this problem now that it has happened to a 3rd loco.

 

[cosmictrain]

I believe the problem has been solved. But I don't know what the problem was because I changed brands on the loco and upgraded to a different controller. They didn't have anymore Athearn SD-45's for Erie Lackawanna so I ended up getting an EL Atlas gold series FM Train Master, and I upgraded the controller to a Digitrax super empire builder. Everything has been working flawlessly so far. I'm hoping it stays that way.