New Big Boy - Athearn Genesis (DCC with Tsunami Sound)


GDSmith

GDSmith

Member
It will be at least two weeks before it hits my track (I'm still on an extended vacation near Charlotte) but I ordered the new Big Boy and it arrived yesterday. It looks great but I'm mostly excited about the sound and pulling power! With the new twin-motor DD40AX, I should have quite a pair for the coal cars that I bought last year.

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ah very nice but you should have held off just a tad until U.P made its big announcement of restoring 4014 to live steam.....Athearn produced that number too....


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I know they say 22" radius but I think that is way to small. I have a minimum of 28" on my main and was wondering if that would be sufficient. It does appear to be a nice model. You have to love BIG steam!
 
Nice Loco.
I am about to receive mine which is at present passing through customs !
After I pay the import duty I should get it next week.
Mine is #4019 with smoke deflectors.
I was tempted by the Trix model of 4019 but it is not available with RP25 wheels so would have trouble on my code 83 track !

This loco only ran with smoke deflectors for 10-14 days during mid January 1946 and used on only 3 or 4 trips so is really out of my modelling period which is the 50,s but it is an interesting variation to have.
There is probably the only photo of the loco with smoke deflectors in the book "Big Boy Portraits"
Enjoy your model.
Regards, Colin
 
My (Charlotte, NC) neighbor has a track in his basement but his layout is mostly 18" radius curves so we opted not to try the Big Boy on his track. The mainline on my home layout is all 30" so I should be ok :eek:
 
hunslet040 said:
I was tempted by the Trix model of 4019 but it is not available with RP25 wheels so would have trouble on my code 83 track !
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Colin, even though it doesn't say it anywhere, it will run on code 83. I have one, and it negotiates my Atlas code 83 with no trouble. Mine is the smoke/DCC, non-sound version.
 
The Trix locos are built to the new NEM, (European equivalent of the NMRA) wheel standards. Their standards are more inline with the RP-25 recommended practices used over here.

I haqd a discussion with a fella from over there several years ago. He said that it was time that the NMRA adopted standards closer to the NEM standards which had been adopted several years before. I asked where he got that info, he said that the NMRA site had on it RP-25 was adopted in IIRC 2005. I had to point out to him that the RP-25 had been in place since the late 1950's or early 1960's. What he saw as an adoption was just the latest revision to them.and the NEM finally adopted standards closer to ours.
 
Hi Terry and Carey.
Thanks for the replies.
I have two Trix Big Boys, 4015 ( Trix 22599 ) and 4013 ( Trix 22594 )
Both these have RP 25 wheels fitted and obviously run fine on my code 83 tracks.
Other European Trix models DB class 53, DB V120001 and SBB Ae8/14, that I have with NEM standard wheels have problems running through code 83 points (turnouts) where the deeper flange jumps up over the frog.
This is why I dismissed the Trix 4019 with NEM standard wheels as unsuitable.
I will have to investigate the current NEM standards as I thought it strange for Trix to produce a North American loco without RP25 wheel standards which would not run on code 83 track.
Terry, which Trix version do you have as I was under the impression that previous Big Boys for the North American market were only produced with RP25 wheels ?
Regards, Colin.
 
i have the older run of athearn #4019 , & 4006 , i plan on upgrading to tsunaimi decoders down the road . but they run well as is
 
They are moving #4016 in Dallas to Frisco (suburb of Dallas) in a month or three. I read they are having to do maintenance on the track to support the weight for the trip. I hope its under its own power but I bet its not :(.
 
bwells said:
I know they say 22" radius but I think that is way to small. I have a minimum of 28" on my main and was wondering if that would be sufficient.
Click to expand...
Well, I know the Athearn model is designed for the masses and has both the front and rear drivers articulated, so it will go around much tighter curves but..... My NP Z6 does not. The rear drivers are fixed. This weekend was the first time I've run it. The museum has 44" min radius. I was amazed a how much swing the boiler had over the front drivers. It was even hitting some trees that no other train comes close too. This made me realize I will never go less than 40" radius on my main line where loco's like this will be running. So the real question is sufficient to run or sufficient to look half way prototypical?
 
RCShadow said:
They are moving #4016 in Dallas to Frisco (suburb of Dallas) in a month or three. I read they are having to do maintenance on the track to support the weight for the trip. I hope its under its own power but I bet its not.
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I am guessing it will be 2-3 years in the shop before they even try to put water in the boiler let alone pressurize it, I'm guessing it will run on pressurized air from an external source long before it moves under its own power.
 
Iron Horseman said:
I am guessing it will be 2-3 years in the shop before they even try to put water in the boiler let alone pressurize it, I'm guessing it will run on pressurized air from an external source long before it moves under its own power.
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the latest date is aug 4th before they shove it to the new location
 
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