Joe, I’ve got lots of the Atlas GP40-2s, how does the federal yellow on the Athearn look compared to the Atlas locos? They used to not match very well. Proto2000 even worse of a match to the others.
Hi Jeff! I did a comparison of this GP40-2 and both a GP40-2 and a GP38 from an Atlas run from, I'd say, 10-15 years ago and the paint was close, with the Athearn being a little darker on both cases. (Interestingly, the vermilion on the Atlas specimens didn't seem to match.) Close enough that I don't think you'd really notice (at least in my lighting). I did a quick blog post with photos that you can check out here: www.chessiemctd.com/2022/comparing-manufacturer-paint-colors/
Sunlight, with its UV, is the mortal enemy of any coating system. No matter what the color scheme, that engine's crisp out-of-the-shop colors are going to fade from Day 1 onward. Road dust, dirt, grime and general filth will also take their tolls. No matter what the original color chip might have been, any locomotive in general revenue service is going to get weathered in time. The varnish power on the executive inspection consist probably being the sole exception. That will forever be pristine and immaculate.
I had an article somewhere from about 15 years ago that talked about the rock pilot. I’ll have to see if I can dig it out because I don’t remember how it came about or why they went through the trouble.
Thanks so much for the history lesson on the Chessie GPs. I'm sure I saw these in the 70s and 80s as a kid, in the South Charleston, WV yard very dirty doing switching work for many years.
Beautiful model. Athearn did a good job. Chessie System was always a favorite of mine. I model Canadian National but I have a few Chessie locos and freight cars. I can always pretend CN is power short and rent a few from Chessie.
Very nice review. That engine looks great. That horn on the other hand. 🤪 Your point of longevity is spot on. We generally buy things for the long haul. There's quite a few engines in the collection that are around the 20 year mark. They have been gone through and updated (loksound, scale sound systems speakers, and leds) so I'm sure they'll be around that much longer. Now I just need to get rollin on the layout.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I can't help it, but I have to defend the horn... In the late 1970s when these locomotives were so new you could still smell the Imron Paint on 'em, Chessie ran them out on the B&O Western Region and I remember those Horns... they indeed looked just like the ones on your Genesis Model... for about 1 week. After that, the Bright Silver color quickly became almost a dull Platinum Mist and about a year after that, the Horns almost looked Grey. My understanding is that the Horns were Unpainted Aluminum Castings, and we're left that way to actually preserve the Tonal Quality of the Sound it made! That Horn (as long as it remained Unpainted) could be "Played" with a sound rivaling a Steam Whistle and even in the hands of an Engineer that wasn't a Whistle Artist, remained the Qualities of being: 1) Loud 2) Pleasant 3) Attention Getting 4) ...and lastly... variable in Volume if an Engineer Practiced enough with it. If you just dull it down with a Wash of very thin and very Dark Flat Grey paint, I think it should look just fine!😉
That was an awesome unboxing. The D&RGW bought 22 GP40-2s in 1972, and 13 more in 1974. The last two they bought as wreck replacements, was in 1983, units 3129 and 3130. Thes were the only GP40-2s built by EMD in 1983.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I'm glad you're an Eastern guy. You Chessie affair is very interesting for us folks in the west. I only mentioned the 3129 and 3130 because they were the only GP40-2s built in 1983..... And Athearn Genesis did a good job producing them. Right after I got my two kitbshes done
Thanks for sharing this with us fellow modelers, some day I want to model B & O 4228. My last Genesis model that I bought from Athearn was UP 1373, a GP40P-2. The prototype 1373 spent 90 straight days in 2019 assigned to the LUE 52 a.k.a. The Marblehead turn, that originated out of the former Western Pacific's Burmester yard, then switched the industries between Mag Corp at Rowley and eastward back to Burmester, UT. UP began to assign locomomotives and cabooses to Burmester, UT mp 897 in June 1985. They were cycled out about every week, unless it was a GE or a GP38-2 or smaller, it would be picked up by the following Wednesday afternoon. By the 1990s the cabooses were history. The era lasted until December 31, 2019.
I got all three that they released and I love them, no to be fair, my knowledge of the Chessie is limited, wish I had some of those book behind you to help me out, but that is in due time. Yes, pricing is a little high, even on sales, but I guess it is what it is. I, as will many Chessie modelers I’ve talked to on Facebook, do agree that we wish the strobes activated when the bell sounded, but I’d imagine that had to do with limited space on the decoder, but then again I’m still very much new into the hobby. I absolutely love running them with my GP7 that just came out with my OMI wagon tops. I never had a problem with programming the decoder, but then again I’m not using JMRI. Thanks for sharing!
I was able to do it easily with the WM GP40-2 I have from a previous run. Like I said, I’ll figure it out. They just made it less intuitive. I also have some duplicates of the books ( like the operating rules and a couple of timetables) if you wanna talk.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I would definitely be interested in those, however due to extremely small living conditions, I wouldn’t want to ruin them. So I will have to hold tight for a while. Plus thanks to Atheran, they have been spending my money like crazy, so I’m gonna have to watch my spending for a while, still waiting on those C26A cabooses and ordering those new coal hoppers.
I have always loved EMD locos and prefer them hands down to GE. That’s part of why I model Chessie. They were primarily a EMD road (until CSX). And I like Athearn too. Most of the engines I’ve bought over the past few years have been Athearns (after having been on an Atlas kick for a while). Athearn is killing it right now.
I have had no problems programing Tsunami decoders, but do so from my NCE controller. I use JRMI for programing horns, lights and sound volumes or things that I want to listen or view several versions of a feature. This was a great video and I know Athearn is proficient at getting the railroad specific details right. Thanks for posting it!
Nice review, I have many Athearn Genesis for my layout and think they are great. One point you could have made about the price is that they generally retain a decent resale value. Maybe more so for the popular roads. Se even if it cost $270, if needed, you could recoup much of that on the secondary market if it's well taken care of. Nice video.
That's a good point. I haven't tried to resell too many of mine, but that does seem to be the case. I guess maybe you can chalk that up to the now-ubiquitous practice of limited runs?
Hey Joe, great review bud. I don't know much about the Chessie, but it looked great to me. I love Genesis, and this one didn't disappoint. Also nice info about the rock pilot, I didn't know about that. Dave B.
I have a few of the Athearn Genesis engines. All have been great running. As you mentioned, the Genesis line is a bit pricey. Something we have to accept if we want quality and detail in one package.
My understanding is that the RTR line uses the same drive train as the Genesis series, so ifd you're willing to accept less detail on the shell, you can still get a good runner at a somewhat more affordable price.
Well............. being Athearn Tsunami, I would have already assumed it ran nicely. Would have been nice to see the intensity of the recently equipped LED headlights and how well it ran over frogs and turnouts in general. Thanks for the little bit you gave us in your review.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC Yeah I agree, I turn them all down to about half of what they are out of the box. Do those new GP40-2's from Athearn have rolling wheel bearing caps?
Very nice Loco and a great video. It’s a bit too recent for my once and future layout. I’m targeting circa 1952 L&N and NC&StL. I am too much of a steam fan to date it any later than that, although the actual 1957 final merger of the two roads will have already occurred in my world. At least I’ll be able to imagine my granddad at the throttle since he didn’t retire until 1959.
I feel you. I see so many newer locomotive models (The SD70 and SD80MAC come to mind) that I think are beautiful, but don't fit my timeline. So I don't own them. It's kind of liberating. 🙂
Athearn genesis stuff with sound is expensive! There are some really good deals out there. I don’t model chessie or gp40-2s but I do have a couple of EJ&E gp38-2s from Athearn Genesis. They were only $220 for dcc at lombard hobbies!
Agreed. I have a number of the Atlas GP40 and GP38 models from some years ago, and while not detailed as much as the newest runs, they hold up very well. And they still run like a top.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC yeah I am doing a DRGW based layout so GP40s and SD40T-2s are a requirement!! Hard to find sellers with Genesis DRGW GP40s in stock still
@@ThePixelDepotLLC yes I got mine from a seller on ebay, biggest problem for me is postage/import duty from USA is often$100 on top of cost of the loco. I keep a lookout for them but they get snapped up pretty quick or go for silly $$ in auctions
I bought a Conrail gp40-2 and the rear pilot is so low that it scrapes along the rail when I run it. Are all of them like this or does mine have some kind of problem?
I have a few of these (all Chessie, though) and have never had an issue with the pilots scraping. So, there could be a few possibilities: 1) yours came from a different release run 2) it's something specific to the pilot they put on the Conrail units or 3) it might just be a one-of-a-kind problem that you were unlucky enough to get.
The "redder" vermillion actually wasn't that far off in some cases. Older power like that GP9 were painted in Cumberland, Huntington, and Hagerstown. They had some shade variations from the units that were painted by EMD and GE. You are correct that the redder shade is totally wrong for a factory-painted GP40-2.
Shades varied, no question. But I've never seen a stripe as red as that Walthers model. That said, I've obviously not seen every picture ever. If you can point me to something, I can update my point of reference.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I concur that red is a bit much, but many color photos in Jerry Doyle's Chessie diesel book are not all that far off. If I had such a unit, I would definitely weather it. And admittedly, my memory of the 1970s - let's just say I wish we had some way to print those on glossy paper!
$269!!! That's a bit crazy. I've been out of the purchasing end of the hobby for at least a decade, but that seems excessive for a locomotive. It really is a beautiful piece, and instantly took me back to the 80s.
It is pricey, but it’s also their high-end product line. You’re paying for all the add-ons, the DCC sound decoder, the attention to detail (like those tiny, tiny labels) and so on. So they’re often almost dead on for the prototype locomotive right out of the box.
Unless you buy Walthers Trainline, and Piko Hobby range. Now if somebody would bring back model power in some form, if not just for the cheap buildings and wagons and only Piko makes a dirt cheap 0-4-0 tAnk engine these days..
I bought these units the 650 and 651 models. They are slow sellers even at my website. The price point seemed to be too high compared to the alternatives.
Athearn sells "Primed for Grime" on some of theirs, which isn't quite weathered, but may be faded to show use. You may be able to find some here and there, but they're typical custom paint jobs.
I don't think the actual angle of the fan blades are correct. From the EMD factory the Chessie engines came with the blades set a 31 degrees. To me, these look to be 30.7708 degrees.
Joe, I’ve got lots of the Atlas GP40-2s, how does the federal yellow on the Athearn look compared to the Atlas locos? They used to not match very well. Proto2000 even worse of a match to the others.
Hi Jeff! I did a comparison of this GP40-2 and both a GP40-2 and a GP38 from an Atlas run from, I'd say, 10-15 years ago and the paint was close, with the Athearn being a little darker on both cases. (Interestingly, the vermilion on the Atlas specimens didn't seem to match.) Close enough that I don't think you'd really notice (at least in my lighting). I did a quick blog post with photos that you can check out here: www.chessiemctd.com/2022/comparing-manufacturer-paint-colors/
Sunlight, with its UV, is the mortal enemy of any coating system. No matter what the color scheme, that engine's crisp out-of-the-shop colors are going to fade from Day 1 onward. Road dust, dirt, grime and general filth will also take their tolls. No matter what the original color chip might have been, any locomotive in general revenue service is going to get weathered in time.
The varnish power on the executive inspection consist probably being the sole exception. That will forever be pristine and immaculate.
Thanks Joe!
Jeff, I’ve followed your East End website for over 20 years now, especially in my early days of purging my roster of poorly made and incorrect models.
@@clearlycaribbeanreb2895 Happy you’ve liked it. I still update it as I complete new projects.
Atherns always a quality brand! Thank You
5:52 I had no idea Chessie had it's own rock pilot plow. Very informative review
I had an article somewhere from about 15 years ago that talked about the rock pilot. I’ll have to see if I can dig it out because I don’t remember how it came about or why they went through the trouble.
Details West made the rock pilot for EMDs. PL-205 is the part number. GEs had them too, but they are a different shape.
WOW ... I think its absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Chessie brings back the memories. Especially how to visualize vermillion. Red-orange in Crayola speak.
Thanks so much for the history lesson on the Chessie GPs. I'm sure I saw these in the 70s and 80s as a kid, in the South Charleston, WV yard very dirty doing switching work for many years.
In the 70s they were better about keeping them clean. But by the 80s that seemed to fall by the wayside more.
Beautiful model. Athearn did a good job. Chessie System was always a favorite of mine. I model Canadian National but I have a few Chessie locos and freight cars. I can always pretend CN is power short and rent a few from Chessie.
I support this decision! 🙂
Great review! I’m not particularly well-versed in Chessie stuff…I enjoyed learning a lot from this video! -Mike
Very nice review. That engine looks great. That horn on the other hand. 🤪 Your point of longevity is spot on. We generally buy things for the long haul. There's quite a few engines in the collection that are around the 20 year mark. They have been gone through and updated (loksound, scale sound systems speakers, and leds) so I'm sure they'll be around that much longer. Now I just need to get rollin on the layout.
Yeah, that horn sound HAS to go!
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I can't help it, but I have to defend the horn...
In the late 1970s when these locomotives were so new you could still smell the Imron Paint on 'em, Chessie ran them out on the B&O Western Region and I remember those Horns... they indeed looked just like the ones on your Genesis Model... for about 1 week.
After that, the Bright Silver color quickly became almost a dull Platinum Mist and about a year after that, the Horns almost looked Grey.
My understanding is that the Horns were Unpainted Aluminum Castings, and we're left that way to actually preserve the Tonal Quality of the Sound it made!
That Horn (as long as it remained Unpainted) could be "Played" with a sound rivaling a Steam Whistle and even in the hands of an Engineer that wasn't a Whistle Artist, remained the Qualities of being:
1) Loud
2) Pleasant
3) Attention Getting
4) ...and lastly... variable in Volume if an Engineer Practiced enough with it.
If you just dull it down with a Wash of very thin and very Dark Flat Grey paint, I think it should look just fine!😉
That was an awesome unboxing.
The D&RGW bought 22 GP40-2s in 1972, and 13 more in 1974. The last two they bought as wreck replacements, was in 1983, units 3129 and 3130. Thes were the only GP40-2s built by EMD in 1983.
Thanks, Paul! I’ve always had a closet affection for the D&RGW and BN. But I’m just an eastern road kind of guy, I guess. 🙂
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I'm glad you're an Eastern guy. You Chessie affair is very interesting for us folks in the west. I only mentioned the 3129 and 3130 because they were the only GP40-2s built in 1983..... And Athearn Genesis did a good job producing them. Right after I got my two kitbshes done
@@paulliddiard141 of course! That Murphy guy will get you every time!
Thanks for sharing this with us fellow modelers, some day I want to model B & O 4228.
My last Genesis model that I bought from Athearn was UP 1373, a GP40P-2. The prototype 1373 spent 90 straight days in 2019 assigned to the LUE 52 a.k.a. The Marblehead turn, that originated out of the former Western Pacific's Burmester yard, then switched the industries between Mag Corp at Rowley and eastward back to Burmester, UT.
UP began to assign locomomotives and cabooses to Burmester, UT mp 897 in June 1985. They were cycled out about every week, unless it was a GE or a GP38-2 or smaller, it would be picked up by the following Wednesday afternoon. By the 1990s the cabooses were history. The era lasted until December 31, 2019.
Why specifically B&O 4228?
Why B & 0 4228? First of all I have the same initials and the 4228 is my Julian birthdate.
I got all three that they released and I love them, no to be fair, my knowledge of the Chessie is limited, wish I had some of those book behind you to help me out, but that is in due time. Yes, pricing is a little high, even on sales, but I guess it is what it is. I, as will many Chessie modelers I’ve talked to on Facebook, do agree that we wish the strobes activated when the bell sounded, but I’d imagine that had to do with limited space on the decoder, but then again I’m still very much new into the hobby. I absolutely love running them with my GP7 that just came out with my OMI wagon tops. I never had a problem with programming the decoder, but then again I’m not using JMRI. Thanks for sharing!
I was able to do it easily with the WM GP40-2 I have from a previous run. Like I said, I’ll figure it out. They just made it less intuitive.
I also have some duplicates of the books ( like the operating rules and a couple of timetables) if you wanna talk.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I would definitely be interested in those, however due to extremely small living conditions, I wouldn’t want to ruin them. So I will have to hold tight for a while. Plus thanks to Atheran, they have been spending my money like crazy, so I’m gonna have to watch my spending for a while, still waiting on those C26A cabooses and ordering those new coal hoppers.
That’s a truly beautiful engine 👍 I am a fan of Athearn and EMD , so well done !
I have always loved EMD locos and prefer them hands down to GE. That’s part of why I model Chessie. They were primarily a EMD road (until CSX). And I like Athearn too. Most of the engines I’ve bought over the past few years have been Athearns (after having been on an Atlas kick for a while). Athearn is killing it right now.
I have had no problems programing Tsunami decoders, but do so from my NCE controller. I use JRMI for programing horns, lights and sound volumes or things that I want to listen or view several versions of a feature. This was a great video and I know Athearn is proficient at getting the railroad specific details right. Thanks for posting it!
Nice review! I got one of the Chessie CSX patch versions because it matches my modeling period.
Thanks, Chris! Although I have to admit, I get a twinge in my chest every time I see a paint out. But that may just be too much cholesterol.😀
Nice review, I have many Athearn Genesis for my layout and think they are great. One point you could have made about the price is that they generally retain a decent resale value. Maybe more so for the popular roads. Se even if it cost $270, if needed, you could recoup much of that on the secondary market if it's well taken care of. Nice video.
That's a good point. I haven't tried to resell too many of mine, but that does seem to be the case. I guess maybe you can chalk that up to the now-ubiquitous practice of limited runs?
I got the 4310 unit … I love it
Hey Joe, great review bud. I don't know much about the Chessie, but it looked great to me. I love Genesis, and this one didn't disappoint. Also nice info about the rock pilot, I didn't know about that. Dave B.
Happy to add to the collective knowledge base!
I remember this era well. GP40-2s were so common that seeing a train without the GP40-2s were unusual.
Now it's a rare treat to spy one, unless it's a local.
I have a few of the Athearn Genesis engines. All have been great running. As you mentioned, the Genesis line is a bit pricey. Something we have to accept if we want quality and detail in one package.
My understanding is that the RTR line uses the same drive train as the Genesis series, so ifd you're willing to accept less detail on the shell, you can still get a good runner at a somewhat more affordable price.
Nice review on a great model.
Nice review. Great looking engine.
very good
Hey met you at Marlboro train show
Nothing beats the sound of a turbo EMD 645.
Well............. being Athearn Tsunami, I would have already assumed it ran nicely. Would have been nice to see the intensity of the recently equipped LED headlights and how well it ran over frogs and turnouts in general. Thanks for the little bit you gave us in your review.
Good tips for next time!
Great video, very informative! I've had pretty good luck with my Athearn engines, they do come with the volume pretty loud LOL..
I don't think it's just Athearn. I think they're all cranked right up in volume out of the box.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC Yeah I agree, I turn them all down to about half of what they are out of the box. Do those new GP40-2's from Athearn have rolling wheel bearing caps?
@@sunnysiderails397 no. I believe the rolling caps are a feature only on the Genesis 2.0 line.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC ok cool thanks for the info, Happy Friday!!! -Ken
I've had issues in decoder pro with OEM tsunami decoders. For one thing they won't let me use the start mid and high for speed matching.
Right, they're not cheap but they look great. Thank you for the review.
They do indeed. Glad you liked the review.
Good review
Thanks, Bob!
Very nice Loco and a great video. It’s a bit too recent for my once and future layout. I’m targeting circa 1952 L&N and NC&StL. I am too much of a steam fan to date it any later than that, although the actual 1957 final merger of the two roads will have already occurred in my world. At least I’ll be able to imagine my granddad at the throttle since he didn’t retire until 1959.
I feel you. I see so many newer locomotive models (The SD70 and SD80MAC come to mind) that I think are beautiful, but don't fit my timeline. So I don't own them. It's kind of liberating. 🙂
Athearn genesis stuff with sound is expensive! There are some really good deals out there. I don’t model chessie or gp40-2s but I do have a couple of EJ&E gp38-2s from Athearn Genesis. They were only $220 for dcc at lombard hobbies!
I have a Genesis GP38-2 in Conrail paint that I LOVE. The sound on it is amazing. And yes, you can find deals of you’re patient and look around.
I pre-ordered one of these from Lombard and it was $232 before shipping and tax. Non preorders were $269 I think.
Nice.
Good review. Kinda pricey but I may have to look into getting one
Thanks, Joe. They are kinda pricey, but they sure are nice.
I have one of these in Rio Grande (I think from the previous run...) really nice unit great detail compared to my Atlas GP40s (which are still nice!)
Agreed. I have a number of the Atlas GP40 and GP38 models from some years ago, and while not detailed as much as the newest runs, they hold up very well. And they still run like a top.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC yeah I am doing a DRGW based layout so GP40s and SD40T-2s are a requirement!! Hard to find sellers with Genesis DRGW GP40s in stock still
@@Wolfe351 that’s the problem with the limited runs. If you don’t get them when they come out, you may very well be out of luck.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC yes I got mine from a seller on ebay, biggest problem for me is postage/import duty from USA is often$100 on top of cost of the loco. I keep a lookout for them but they get snapped up pretty quick or go for silly $$ in auctions
I bought a Conrail gp40-2 and the rear pilot is so low that it scrapes along the rail when I run it. Are all of them like this or does mine have some kind of problem?
I have a few of these (all Chessie, though) and have never had an issue with the pilots scraping. So, there could be a few possibilities: 1) yours came from a different release run 2) it's something specific to the pilot they put on the Conrail units or 3) it might just be a one-of-a-kind problem that you were unlucky enough to get.
The "redder" vermillion actually wasn't that far off in some cases. Older power like that GP9 were painted in Cumberland, Huntington, and Hagerstown. They had some shade variations from the units that were painted by EMD and GE. You are correct that the redder shade is totally wrong for a factory-painted GP40-2.
Shades varied, no question. But I've never seen a stripe as red as that Walthers model. That said, I've obviously not seen every picture ever. If you can point me to something, I can update my point of reference.
@@ThePixelDepotLLC I concur that red is a bit much, but many color photos in Jerry Doyle's Chessie diesel book are not all that far off. If I had such a unit, I would definitely weather it. And admittedly, my memory of the 1970s - let's just say I wish we had some way to print those on glossy paper!
$269!!! That's a bit crazy. I've been out of the purchasing end of the hobby for at least a decade, but that seems excessive for a locomotive. It really is a beautiful piece, and instantly took me back to the 80s.
It is pricey, but it’s also their high-end product line. You’re paying for all the add-ons, the DCC sound decoder, the attention to detail (like those tiny, tiny labels) and so on. So they’re often almost dead on for the prototype locomotive right out of the box.
Pretty common price for most manufacturers right now unfortunately
Unless you buy Walthers Trainline, and Piko Hobby range. Now if somebody would bring back model power in some form, if not just for the cheap buildings and wagons and only Piko makes a dirt cheap 0-4-0 tAnk engine these days..
Personally I always get the non-dcc versions, then install the decoder of my choice. It seems to break even on price.
I need up with the seaboard system gp40. It’s really nice but man the cost
Agreed. I know I'm not going out and buy every number of these.
I bought these units the 650 and 651 models. They are slow sellers even at my website. The price point seemed to be too high compared to the alternatives.
do they ever sell a factory weathered train engine
Athearn sells "Primed for Grime" on some of theirs, which isn't quite weathered, but may be faded to show use. You may be able to find some here and there, but they're typical custom paint jobs.
I don't think the actual angle of the fan blades are correct. From the EMD factory the Chessie engines came with the blades set a 31 degrees. To me, these look to be 30.7708 degrees.
Dang it, now I have to send it back. Thanks a lot! 😉
The prices are getting ridiculous from Athearn.
No red M.U. cable.
Sleeping cat railway
*
I disagree. th-cam.com/video/gEZLCOJLV7M/w-d-xo.html
I admit I wanted to come back to this to check for a reply. Lol