Revealing the Winner: Athearn or Atlas - Locomotive Showdown
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- čas přidán 27. 09. 2023
- The Grunge was in need of some power. Alright, I admit it, I found a locomotive I wanted and The Grnge was a good excuse to buy it. But how does this Atlas Master GP40 stack up against the Athearn GP40-2 I bought last year? Watch this video and find out!
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#modelrailroading #unboxing #modelrailroad #atlas #athearn #hoscale - Jak na to + styl
I have engines from all manufactures. Definitely prefer the low speed operation on the Atlas's for switching.
You can adjust the speed curve with CV2, 5 and 6 to smooth out the low end of the speed range for switching on your Tsunami decoders.
@@timothycipolla6816 Atlas locos run much smoother at lower speeds, even when speed matched.
I have an older Atlas CNW MP15DC, one of the runs that still had QSI sound in them. That decoder doesn't have the super low speed control I want, even tweaking the CVs it's still somewhat too fast. I can definitely tell the mechanism is capable of slower speeds though.
As a person born in 1964, and lived in the Penn Central Era as a young model railroader, I have always had a love for Penn Central. I have see many Penn Central freight cars and motive power living in New England in the 70s. I had a massive collection of PC equipment that the model train companies put out at the time. I was lucky to have a Dad who was a truck driver back then and took me on many trips. Especially around New York City and the New Jersey side where the Penn Central yards were in those days. It was awesome to see all of the various styles of logos and locomotives. Even though Penn Central was a failure and not much liked railroad back then, I was still a big fan. I have seen the Loco you got in real life but not the same number. Your video is what brought back the memory. I am still a PC fan today. Thank you for the memories. By the way, my first H.O. train set was a Tyco Penn Central freight set in 1971 I got for Christmas. It even had a Penn Central 40' boxcar which I saw a lot of back then. Also it took a few years until I realized that Penn Central F9s as well as all Penn Central Locomotives were black, not green like Tyco painted them.
Glad I could help you relive some of the “glory days”. 😉
I love the Penn Central logo, that specific loco PC 3182, is actually on my local line now as NJT 4210. I don't care what anyone says, Penn Central is a great RR to model, with plenty of interesting operation and weathering opportunities.
EDIT: This unit 3182, is actually about to receive a Erie heritage paint scheme for NJ Transit's 40th Anniversary
I think PC could be an interesting railroad to model, especially if you like the distressed look for your layout. But we have to be honest, it was a disaster of a railroad in real life.
I agree with Joe. The tsunami has an excellent sound range to my ear. As for the Atlas I would get a Scale Sound Systems speaker and it would definitely improve the sound. Thank you for doing these videos' I enjoy them.
Thanks for watching! I think I might have a Scale Sound System speaker already “in stock”. I’ll have to consider that.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC 100% recommend SSS speakers. The night and day difference vs the stock Atlas speakers is clear; the Athearn twin cube speakers are very good though
I actually really like Atlas Master series locomotives, I kinda think of them as "the poor man's Athearn Genesis models" if you will. The fact they lack some of the details that companies like Athearn, Scaletrains, and others have isn't necessarily a bad thing. You don't have to worry about breaking details off as much, although I agree it would be nice for the sunshades to be installed from the factory. All in all, great looking locomotive, I got the Operation Lifesaver one from Model Train Stuff back when they had a huge sale on them! Happy new year!
Wow! Excellent presentation Sir. Thank you!
Most welcome!
Both are great engines. Thanks for taking the time to compare them.
Thanks for watching! And you're right, they are both quite nice.
Thanks for the comparison, Joe. I’ve always loved the mechanics of Atlas but it’s hard to beat a Soundtrax sound decoder. When you did the opening paint comparison you chose the Chessie even though there was a big paint flaw on the C of C&O and the numbers have a lot of bleeding and like you said the paint is thick because of the multiple colors. Hopefully the speaker makes a big difference on the Atlas. Let us know. Atlas and a hundred less? Hmmm, Atlas, lol.
You comment on the paint on the Chessie reporting marks is fair. Up close there is some noticeable separation and some bleed.
good reviews of both units. Chessie lives
Thanks, Joe!
I have both that I've gotten over the years. While Athearn locomotives are decent, Atlas locomotives with the combination of the Atlas-Kato drive and ESU LokSound 5 decoder just run so much smoother in low-speed switching than anything else out there. Atlas locos have always been smooth, so at least part of it is the drive mechanism itself, although the LokSound 5's superior motor control seems to help as well. Athearn is a larger manufacturer, so they model more locomotives and prototypes, so for some less common locomotives, Athearn may offer models that no one else does. You can also buy an Athearn without decoder and install LokSound 5, but it still won't be as smooth as an Atlas-Kato drive.
I have been purchasing only Athearn Genesis 4 axle diesels the last few years. I really like them but I do switch out the speakers to Scale Sound System.
While I haven’t had a Atlas diesel since the late 70’s it maybe time to try a couple. Thanks for opening my eyes!
Glad to get the info out there!
Welcome back Joe
Thanks!
Hey, I’ve been watching you channel for a while and you motivated me to build a real layout. I want to do a switching layout in n scale due to space limitations. I’m looking at about 55”x18” and I decided to go with a layout style like the grunge because it is simple and perfect for a starter layout. I have all the supplies written down and hope to start construction in the following months. Thanks for giving me the confidence to build a layout!
Good luck!
I love the Penn Central i remember the PC in NJ and have atlas U Boats ,bowser Alcos athearn EMDs, it my be the most incompetent RXR but fun too model LOL.I have Atlas products they are smooth runners,in this hobby we take what we can get, great video. 👍
One thing I plan to disable is the engine start up. They may be including something realistic, but I prefer to just go straight to engine sounds. I have Atlas D&RGW GP40-2 and a Genesis GP40-2. The Atlas version doesn't have a correct snow plow which hurts the appearance. Atlas hs more GP40-2 coming later this year, so I hope to see improvements.
Tacoma, Puyallup, and Dupont? Nice PNW location.
Thanks. It wasn't easy finding a good location to work in the "TPD" initials. 🙂
Very nice comparing both. New subcriber !!
Thanks for the sub! Glad you found it useful!
hi joe !!! great work ... this topic has been a popular one to say the least !!! in my opinion, atlas engines are by far smoother running but a little bit less in the details area, which is fine by me, as one famous professional model railroader said " if you cannot tell the difference at 3 feet, it doesn't matter" !!! here are 2 points that are pretty important that were not covered. first, you can almost always speak to someone at atlas directly, like don fidecaro and his crew. if they are busy, they will always call you back and really go out of their way to help. don has actually gone into the atlas warehouse to look for a gp 38-2 shell for me and then called me right back !!! as far as athearn goes, directly speaking to anyone at their site does not exist, at least since horizon hobby took over... very disappointing !!! my last communication to them took 2 1/2 weeks for a response and the parts i needed were back ordered. i was told they would send a follow up email when parts were available, which they did. horizon hobby has a long way to go when it comes to ease of customer communication... easy to reach for model rockets and r/c cars !!! athearn DOES have nice detail, though. second, i noticed one comment below that talked about how smooth his walthers engines were... he is right on with that comment as walthers is the only company to use helical gears for a "smoothness" even better than atlas/kato, which is pretty hard to beat, and pull like bulldozers !!! helical gears are used in many applications in the real engineering world... hmmmm !!! to each his own, huh, joe ?? blessings to you !!!
I appreciate everyone's, especially your opinion!
This was a good comparison and I always find them interesting to watch! As of right now I don’t own any atlas locomotives. My friend has a master sd18 and in my opinion it’s behind Genesis, Proto and now Rivet Counter models as far as lighting features go. However they are also cheaper so it’s kinda hard to complain about them - you get what you pay for. I want to try an atlas loco but they don’t have any models that I “need” right now. Maybe a bn gp40 someday down the line.
Glad you enjoyed it! And as I always say to my wife "It's not a matter of 'need' it's a matter of 'want'." Having said that, I do try to limit my purchases, especially for something as expensive as a loco, to something that makes sense for the layout.
Thank you for this comparison. I bought a few Walters Mainline until I found Athern Genesis with the Tsunami 2 installed, and I have stuck with those ever since. Never got any Atlas locos yet but will not get the lock sound system. I am going to look for some better speakers, like Scale Sound Systems.
The Mainline engines from Walthers are not going to have the same level of detail as the Athearn Genesis. Walthers Mainline is at the same level as Athearn Ready-To-Roll.
Yes I agree and this is why I switched to Athern Genesis. In the mean time I got some add-on details from Walters to upgrade the Walters locos that I have. Not the best solution but what else can I do.
Lesson learned.@@ThePixelDepotLLC
The cab shades on the Atlas were separate because import duties on 'kits' is cheaper.
Seriously!?! Wow.
That's interesting, always wondered why they just didn't stick them on at the factory!
This is the first video of yours I have seen. Flipping through you videos, I didn’t see anything on ScaleTrains. Just curious what you think of them.
Hi Mark. I actually have no purchased any locos from ScaleTrains yet (although with the upcoming GP30s, that may change). So I can’t really make any assessment there. For cars I’ve only bought a couple of kits, which went together easily, but were not prototypical in terms of paint and numbers. But the price was certainly right.
Thanks for the video. As for the brands of locos. The most important thing to me is how do they run. In regards to smoothness, and power pick up from track. Walthers run the smoothest, then Atlas, then Athearn. I have to do a bunch of tweaking on the Athearn units, I get some good units but some terrible units too. The other two brands not much problems. Power pick up, Athearn is the worst in that catorgory, the Walthers sometimes, never have a problem with Atlas. I am done buying Broadway locos to much trouble with them.The Athearn Genesis has the best detail, and finally went to LED lighting. Just my two cents. By the way I subbed, you have great videos.
Welcome aboard! I agree with you on BLI. I only have one, and it’s nice, but if anything else is on th he layout it shorts everything. I’ve heard others have had different issues as well. On the other hand Jimmy from the DIY and Digital has had good luck with them recently in N scale, so who knows?
Me also' Atlas are the smoothest. Never had a Broadway L that ran well for long. Kato also are great.
When you start the HO sound is when I leave as I hate the sound of HO DCC. It sounds way too tinny. Cheers from eastern TN
I can't disagree that they can sound tinny. It's hard to get a lot of bass from a speaker so small.
On the PC unit, you can fix the class lights with just a #2 pencil. A little graphite and dull coat...
Thanks for the tip. The tip of a #2 pencil apparently. 🙂
Just noticed that the central singleton roof fan has more blades than the other fans on the Athern model , while the Atlas has the same fan in all four locations. Going from the other slight skimping on detail on the Atlas, I would guess that the Athern is more accurate
It's possible that the GP40 (not the -2) had four identical fans, but I can't say without seeing roof photos. 🙂
For the money, atlas all day. You can get an atlas loco with esu loksound 5 for like $200
They definitely are more economical.
I have about 8 Athearn locos, a couple of Bachmans, and an Atlas loco. I do prefer the Athearn sound from Tsunami. But I wonder sometime if it is the Atlas factory speaker that doesn’t sound as good. I do run my atlas in a consist with an Athearn and was able to speed match them. But I have the Athearn as the lead so I don’t hear the Atlas sound.
At some point I will replace the speaker on the Atlas and see if that makes a difference.
The Athearn sounded so much better. I think the details of both models where abought the same, short of the brake lines. There R 2 defining things for me. It has been my experience that the Atlas has less clearance between the underside of the trucks and the rail head. Leaving the Atlas to get hung up on some road crossings and uncoupling magnets. Atlas tends to derail more then that of the Athearn in general. It has also been my experience that Athearn out pulls Atlas locomotives. On The Val Valley MRR. we have a long 4% and a shorter 5% grade on the branch line. Where 2 Athearn locomotives will pull a 12 coal train up the Val Valleys branch, 3 Atlas locomotives will be required for the same 12 car train. Athearns are easer to remove the shell for upgrades and to maintain. The Athearn electrical wheel pickups will out last the Atlas electrical wheel pickups by far. Of my small locomotive fleet of 40 locomotives, I think 6 are Atlas. I run tsunami decoders in 99% of my locomotives. The decoder can make or brake a locomotive.
I experienced the problem you had with low clearance on some older Atlas Models I had. I don’t have significant grades like you mention (although I’m building some short 2-ish% grades on the MCTD right now) so I can’t speak to the pulling power.
I have N scale layout; I have had nothing but issues with Atlas as for running smoothly and hesitation has been a big problem. Athearn, BLI, Intermountain and Kato all run great without any issues ever. I like the Atlas as to what they have in locomotives, I don't know if I'll ever solve the problems with Atlas on my layout.
It’s interesting how different the performance can be between scales.
A dime a dozen or twelve for ten cents. It just depends on where you shop. In the end, it's what makes you happy. It's almost akin to the Ford vs Chevy thing, or any other brands out there.
It's your railroad. Run it as you please.
Yep. Everyone has their thing, and that’s cool.
The Atlas packaging sucks for keeping the locomotive safe during storage. The Athearn packaging works great for storing the locomotive when not in use. Plus the Atlas couplers come apart under hard pulls. When I have 70-80 cars behind 3 SD35's, I need reliable couplers.
Athearn' locos have great detail, but their drive train is noisier than Atlas and ScaleTrains which are my favorites and 2nd and 1st. ScaleTrains also have capacitors as standard equipment and have good speakers installed.
ScaleTrains haven't released anything (yet) that fits for my layout. But the GP30s will change that. Looking forward to giving them a try.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC Yes, I prefer the smaller locos too. Hopefully they make some small 4 axle switchers soon like an S-4. I am looking forward to Rapido's 44 tonner, that's a real small switcher!
I recently bought 4 genesis sd60m triclops on sale, they are all much noisier then all the RTR sd40s I've bought recently. Great detail, but quite disappointed how loud and noisy they are, reminds me of the old blue box locos!
@@wiseguysmith6519 I have two Athearn Genesis 2.0 SD90MAC-H Phase 2 that are very quiet, an Athearn GP40P-2 that is not too bad, but unfortunately my other 5 Athearns: GP9, GP15-1. and three GP40-2L are very noisy (they are all Genesis, I don't have any RTR's). Atlas Classic's are also noisy compared to Atlas Master I have noticed. I just bought my first Bowsers, six ALCO RS-3's and I am very impressed how quiet and smooth they run. Also, they had plenty of space under the shell for a ESU capacitor. regards, NS.
That Atlas horn sound was pathetic to say the least. Love both models but my pick is the Athearn by a long shot. Thanks for sharing.
I think you can change the horn sound. and I think with a better speaker it would be a huge improvement.
I still have about 20 athearn SD40-2 and SD40T-2 kits to detail and paint, i have a few RTR SD40-2s i need to strip and redetail and paint....i lost faith in athearn back in 2006....only atlas and broadway....i need C30-7s....i do still buy athearn kits of the SDs becuase i need to model GT22s and GT26s...most of my freight cars are frateschi...very little athearn....im building a container train with tyco and cox flatcars with walthers containers.
Very fair comparison, I'm not picky but lean towards the athearn's,! But comes down to $$..
Thanks! Yes, unfortunately, everything does come down to budget.
Paid 450 for a 2014 sd70 with tusnami 1
Tsunami 2 sounds like the real 645E while idling or throttled up. Its far more superior than the
Loksound v5.
Hi, I've been doing railroad models more seriously for the past 30 years. I was born in 1965. In the past years, I bought a lot of engines from Atlas, Athearn, Athearn-Genesis, Intermountain, Walthers, Broadway limited, Rapido, Proto 2K to name them. For me, Atlas has the best engines and cars of all in quality. Followed by Intermountain depending on models. Athearn has by far the most "pretty" and wide range of engines. They also have the most beautiful and detailed cars of all. I will not be comparing the sound here because it's a modelers choice. Atlas engines have always had better electrical pick up, better lightning system, better detailing especially handrails and their mechanical is no doubt to my opinion superior to Athearn. For me, Atlas is mostly renowned for their overall quality product AND reliability. Athearn is a nice chick, looking very nice on surface but not as reliable and well engineered as Atlas engines. My own opinion here. When I buy an Atlas engine, I'm buying peace. When I buy an Athearn engine, I'm buying up coming problems. My own experience here !
I agree,Athearn is good on the initial purchase,but has performance/reliability issues over time.
As someone who lived in the PacNW its pronounced Pew - al - up
I’ve been given three different pronunciations at this point!
@@ThePixelDepotLLC as someone who currently lives in the Seattle area (in a city my cousin mispronounced "Snock-la-mee"), "Pew - al - up" is correct.
Maybe I just need to change the P to stand for “Portland”! 🤣
Most importantly it's your money buy what you want.
the speed difference was the same in 1986
You’re right, now that you mention it.
Athearn locos have always been reliable,even an old blue box can run nice.They are easy enough to take apart,the volume is nice and loud.Tsunami for me is better than Lok/esu.They have basic settings from new,but there is a lot of adjustability,which is fine with me,and can be made to run slow.Atlas are high quality,but they use Lok/esu,which are only as good as the loaded project.
I'm not a big fan of the ESU decoders--I just like Tsunami better--but I do love Atlas locomotives. So, I buy DC Atlas locos and install a Tsunami/Econami myself. And since new Atlas models have a 21-pin decoder attachment AND a factory-installed speaker, installation of the Tsunami decoder couldn't be easier.
@@quantumsledgehammer1629 Didn't know Atlas were 21 pin ready for sound.That makes it a straight forward conversion.
@@dennisbailey6067 At lease some Atlas locos produced in the last few years are available DC sound-ready. Not sure if all of them are, but I have a U23B, U28C, and MP15DC--all Atlas--that were DC and had factory-installed speakers and 21-pin adapters.
Wait, are you saying that the DC locos already have a speaker in them?
@@ThePixelDepotLLC At least some of the new Atlas models are “sound ready”. I’ve purchased 4 of them (all different models) in the last couple of years, so I know they’re out there.
Just look for DC “sound ready”…all with 21-pin adapters and factory-installed speaker. Atlas has done the hard part for us.
Yes atlas very very good design very very good motors I like them.
I prerered the sound on tje atlas, honestly.
I found the sounds themselves to be okay. I think with a better speaker it would be just fine.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC admittedly it was a matter of personal preference. Also sensitivity to stimuli. The athearn genesis one would definitely get on my nerves after a much shorter time. The atlas seemed less... piercing, for lack of better terms.
Hey, maybe you or a subscriber could help me out with a question I have....Some of my Bachmann/Lifelike locomotives with the pancake motors have broken plastic gears in the drivetrain. Where can I find replacements? The motors run fine, just the gears are bad, thanks all!
I can't help you on this one. However, if you're on Facebook, join the group at facebook.com/groups/tpddepot/ and ask there. It's a pretty knowledgeable group, and someone may know.
I have 5 Atlas locomotives purchased from 1984 to 2023. I also have 6 Athearn engines bought during the same period. Every Atlas loco is still running great, but three of the Athearns, all RS-3s have stopped working. Could be just a bad batch, but still very disappointing! Atlas is the winner!!
Yo no conozco muchas marcas pero tengo Athearn Atlas, Life Like ,Kato y Bachman Mis trenes son un poquito pesados y tube que relegar Athearn Dash 9 porque no arrancaban porque el motor tiene 12 vueltas a 1 de rueda y las Bachman arrancaban pero el motor tiene 10 vueltas así que tube que buscar otras máquinas y las mejores que tengo son U 30 Atlas con 14 vueltas EMD sd90 de Kato 17 vueltas EMD sd60 Life Like 19 vueltas, estás dos últimas tienen máximo poder de arrastre, saludos desde Argentina.
For those (like me) who don't know Spanish, here's what Google Translate gave me: "I don't know many brands but I have Athearn Atlas, Life Like, Kato and Bachman My trains are a little heavy and I had to relegate Athearn Dash 9 because they wouldn't start because the engine has 12 turns to 1 of the wheel and the Bachmans started but the engine has 10 turns so I had to look for other machines and the best ones I have are U 30 Atlas with 14 turns EMD sd90 from Kato 17 turns EMD sd60 Life Like 19 turns, these last two have maximum pulling power, greetings from Argentina."
Interesting. I don't typically go down to the level of gear ratio, but that certainly would play into things if you're running very heavy trains. Thanks for watching, and spread the word in Argentina! 🙂
Es difícil cuando Google no traduce ,gracias Dios bendiga a América 🇱🇷🎉🇱🇷👍
Esus sound good , great slow speed but are picky on drity track and are harder to program , tusnamis do better on drity track , easier to program , but so god damn loud and have the atuostart on
I actually prefer the auto start, but I could see where people might not like it. Purely a preference. I already lower the volume on my Athearns. They are quite loud out of the box.
Oh, I favor the Atlas loco....
Do you drive a FORD to? Sorry I know that was bad, just had to.
I’m happy with the Atlas, except for the speaker. I think replacing it will make a huge difference as people rave about ESU sound decoders.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I installed Economi decoders with sugar cube speakers and housings from Tony's in my Atlas GP40s and GP7s. I think they sound as good as your Athearn Heritage unit. I'll bet a better speaker in your Atlas will give you good results as well.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I stick to ESU decoders, but I always discard these sugar cube speakers. Once you install better speakers the sound is amazing. And their motor control is the best on the marked, in my humble opinion.
@@SleeTheSlothwell, I have a Ford Ranger. .. but I usually drive my Mazda 3
Just for the record, I bought an Atlas locomotive a few years ago. It buzzed and growled like barber clippers. The Atlas repair-shop person said he couldn't hear the noise. I sent the locomotive to the good folks at Yankee Dabbler and they said yes they could hear the racket. And also said that the noise was caused by Atlas putting cheap motors into their locomotives. Atlas = worthless products and worthless customer service. I will never spend another nickel on an Atlas product.
It's pronounced Pew-All-Up. LOL
Atlas run better, and last longer !
Rivet counting has become the biggest killer of this hobby, folks are driving prices through the roof for minor details they'll never even notice on the layout. Let's not even get into several of these Locomotives running about at night putting out the same noise as 300 cicadas that got into the basement. $300+ and the customer doesn't even get a choice, 100 people demanded rivet counting so now everyone has to pay for that detail.
Rodney Kantorski would like to know your location
ATLAS IS FAR BETTER IN DETAILS WALTHERS PROTOS ARE ALSO WONDERFUL
ATHEARNS ARE NOT SO STURDY LIKE ATLAS AND WALTHERS
I don’t buy locomotives for the sound. I put that in myself. I refuse to buy anymore of Athearn’s ridiculously overpriced junk. I’ve had more problems that I can count with them. Including one in which the motor armature was wired wrong, and ran exactly opposite of my 130+ other engines.
The Penn was farther away from the mic. Counted ties.
Even so, the sound on the Atlas is much more muffled. I think it’s the speaker, not just the volume.
200 bucks for an HO loco??? no wonder why i left the hobby
It's absolutely crazy, we have now reached $300 for a plastic model with DCC/sound, and I believe I've seen the upcoming Athearn AC4400 for pre-order on a popular online store for a selling price of $310! Though on the other hand with all the details/new features plus factor in all the crazy price increases (on everything) we've seen in the last 3 years with inflation, it is what it is i guess.
@@wiseguysmith6519 Those are mid level prices some are higher than that. It has gotten crazy, only way for kids to do it now is to rob a bank or have the luck to have been born into a wealthy family. It used to be geared for kids and adults alike. It has changed but I still enjoy it. 47 years now and counting. HO trains and Slot cars, plus a million other hobbies...