Athearn Genisis steam


OK, let me have !!


:cool:

There's nothing wrong that a little tweaking won't cure. Athearn's steamers had what I see as two problems. One the front pilot spring was too strong, and this had a tendency to lift the front drivers just enough to make them unless from a pulling standpoint. The other problem was the motor made the loco too heavy at the back end. It is severely out of balance.

Best way to correct some of this is to remove the pilot truck spring, and replace as much of the plastic front end detail with brass castings. You can also add some weight to the front of the frame, between it and the boiler. Some guys also remove the trailing truck spring too.

A couple of guys I know, took the loco completely apart, cut the two part frame down some in the front, and added as much lead to the front as possible, insulated from the frame with masking tape.

The point is, with these locos, to try and shift the balance point a little more to the front, and get the loco's weight to rest more on the drivers, where the pulling forces are, and not on the pilot and trailing trucks.
 
Thanks Cary, I will look into those points. The one I have runs backwards great but in forward it stops and goes.


:cool:
 
You can wire the tender pick-ups to the engine for better running. If not on DCC. They are also noted as having a problem with cracked or loose gears in the drive.
I made a solid lead tool box for the front pilot to add weight up front. Works good and you can always remove it.

Bob
 
Which steamers are we talking about? If we're talking the first unit (what was it, a 4-6-2?), then that thing was crap. They're hard to give away.
 
Yeah, first run.

I never owned one, they released a 4-6-2, and 2-8-2 in ~1998/1999/2000. From all I've ever been told, "never buy one unless you can fine tune broken steam."

Now, the problem I have is, I cannot tell you what the issues were with them, but I know Athearn sold them on in boxes of a dozen for $1 in their garage sales, and they sold a BUNCH from what I heard, so if you got is recently, w/o a box, chances are it was bought at the garage sale.

Those garage sale units were customer returns to Athearn, and deemed unrepairable by Athearn...
 
Thanks Josh, I bought this one new ,sealed in the box. Figure I would get a junker. I bought a brand new Spectrum 4-6-0 too, different seller. Only way to get it to move is to push it!!! Just trying to better my steam units, so far all the better ones have been junk. I have 5 cheap IHC steamers, they look like crap but run all over the layout without a hitch.


:cool:
 
Be advised putting KD couplers on the fronts of these beasts is a real chore. They use the draft gear box that has a rounded back end and also need some filling in just behind the pilot to correctly level the draft gear box. Took me a day each to do my pair of NYC Mikes. Other than that I've not had a problem with them.
 



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