The "whining generator" sound that is with the headlight is the steam driven Dynamo device that works like the turbines in a hydroelectric dam but uses steam instead of liquid water to generate the electricity to power the head light, mars light, running lights (just the general name I give to all external lights other than the head light itself), cab lights and fixtures, and the back-up light(s) on the tender on real steam locomotives. For example, the Durango & Silverton's K-36 Class Mikado Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives use a Westinghouse 3000 (if I remember the number right, and I probably don't) Dynamo and makes the power for the 24 Volt DC headlight that can be seen over 2 miles (up to 12,000 feet or more) away in broad daylight. If I recall right, Westinghouse also invented the air compressor system used to power the bell, the batwing doors on coal fired steam locomotives for the fireman to shovel coal in while retaining as much warm air as possible, and most notably the air brakes. Westinghouse got started in the 1870s or 1880s to make trains safer because of how many accidents happened as a result of not being able to stop in time and the number of brakemen killed while running from car to car on the roof to tighten the hand brakes to stop the train as many fell off or were struck by objects in passing such as bridges, tree limbs, water tower spouts, and tunnel ceilings. If I sound a little ranting I apologize... I'm 23, Asperger's, and been in love with trains since I was 18 months old and saw my first Thomas the Train video and got to see Santa Fe 3751 somewhere before 1996 while riding a Metrolink to Sea World with my grandpa, now recently passed. So yeah... I know a thing or two about steam engines... again, sorry if I'm ranting or rambling now. -.-
Young man, it’s been nearly 10 years since you wrote your excellent comment and it’s aged well. I’m a retired Army Infantryman and been in model railroading for around 15 years now and my father retired from Union Pacific where he worked as a Brakeman then conductor and like most, it was a rough job for him. I wasn’t aware of how deadly the job of a Brakeman really was and I think it’s amazing how much knowledge you have on small details like the history of brake systems. What you have is a gift that others down have and on top of that, you’re extremely intelligent and I’m sure you’re doing great things with your life. I have a friend in our model railroad club who seems to be similar as you are and his mind is like a bear trap meaning that once he reads or learns new things he can recall that information in every detail. So, whenever someone is discussing something about railroad history and encompassing technology and someone says something that’s not quite true, he’ll politely offer the correct info which will usually make people upset and defensive so we always back Robert up without question since he’s never been wrong in the 40 years he’s been in our club. You will always be respected in a train club like ours since mature adults in the hobby can only wish they could remember half of what you can. If you ever feel unwelcome around people that clearly are very immature, just remember that you aren’t alone and many young people feel similar as you do. Never hang around low IQ people that are disrespectful since they’ll always be living with their mommy and they abuse others to try and prevent people to look closer at their life. I always told my kids when they were younger, to make friends that start conversations with something like; “I have an idea!” And not the kind that start with; “here, hold my beer”.
As an O scaler, I find this to be a interesting and intelligent review. Thanks. So many locos are geared to run like rabbits. Here's how slow an ol' O Scale 2-Rail F3 can cruise on my O scale 2-Rail Ironbound RR... a small space layout, with one unrealistic grade made out of necessity. Incidentally, the trains run with on-board battery power. A Ride On the O Scale Ironbound RR
The whining noise is the dynamo (steam generator) those two things protruding from the left (firemans) side of the boiler near the cab (kind of like ovular round things) are the dynamos. The headlight flickering on is probably to give it the feeling of the dynamo powering up. Great review! I just sold my old one in hopes to get the new release but I am too short on cash to do so :(
No. 844 was one of ten locomotives that were ordered by Union Pacific in 1944 and designated as class FEF-3. The FEF-3 class represented the epitome of dual-service steam locomotive development; funds and research were being concentrated into the development of diesel-electric locomotives. Designed to burn coal, they were converted to run on fuel oil. Like the earlier FEF-2 class, FEF-3 locomotives were designed as passenger engines. They pulled such trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.[3] From 1957 to 1959, UP 844 was reassigned to freight service in Nebraska when diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service. Saved from scrapping in 1960,[4] 844 was chosen for restoration and is now used on company and public excursion trains, along with revenue freight during ferry moves. Built and designed in a joint-effort between the Union Pacific and ALCO, the 844 and her sisters of the FEF-3 class could safely handle 120 mph. On one occasion, one of the engines of the FEF-3 class pulled a 1,000-ton passenger train at a 100 mph. All FEF classes were considered by the Union Pacific to be capable of producing between 4,000 and 5,000 drawbar horsepower.
Like your new system , shows you really care , you came into this Hobby at an exciting time , Again thank you for your service to our wonderful country .
James! Really diggin this format for loco's. I dont own any steam but this really has me thinking about it. Appreciate you taking the time here, I know its very time consuming to put this stuff together and just so you know, it really does help me out!
Wow, first to comment but that engine is amazing! I really wish that Athearn would put out more steam locomotives in the Genesis line as they have done a great job with this engine, the SP MT4s, Challengers, and Big Boys. I'd love to see a Pacific or Mikado from them
thank you for all u reviews you have help me a lot ,i,m new to the hobby and love the new + that you are doing now .just working on my track plane . I live in Canada. running DCC .and peco turn outs . thank you Harry
Great review format, James ! I must say that I like both formats, perhaps the shorter one is more appropriate to rolling stock; the longer, for locomotives.
the headlight should do what it does in the newer model, you hear the dynamo kick in and this is for power and it builds up power.. so yes it should start dim and get bright.. soundtraxx is doing this with all of their new decoders for steam locomotives..
The headlight working its way to full strength is part of the programming of the Soundtraxx decoder. The Soundtraxx heavy steam decoder in my Bachmann 4449 does the same thing.
James, 1) I like the "review plus" approach - very informative 2) Yes, the whine represents a steam turbo generator - should be more subtle than factory setting 3) the wire from loco to tender aren't all bad - real steam engines have fuel, steam, air and water hoses under there. Most models are too "empty" and 4) the oil bunker on the tenders of all Athearn UP steam with oil tenders are the modern OSHA-approved version - not the version used during mainline service.
@jlwii2000 i know its an old video, but will you be preordering the new athearn fef-3 #844 Post 2016 Version with ESU LokSound that is coming this October?
Lionel has changed their production policies too, starting with the 2014 signature edition catalog they will only be manufacturing the number of units preordered.
My experiences with start steps when one has to go to 5 or 6 is not the decoder, but the locomotive. You may want to take the MRC loco apart and clean the gears and re-lube with light oil and Graphite. Then try it. Just a thought. Thanks for the video. I have the older one and love it. Ted
Great video! I have a question too: I just purchased an ES44AC NS Southern Heritage, and it says it comes with dcc and sound on board. But when I put it on my layout, the sound didn't come on. DCC works, but no sound. I've tried pressing #8 and all the other buttons. Any suggestions? Thanks
I enjoyed your review on the 844. Just a couple of comments. There is some question as to the accuracy of the tender as the current version sports a second, larger light on the back about where the 844 is printed. This is confirmed with photos off the internet. Interestingly all the pix's I have seen of the tender sporting # 8444( which is 844 during the time when this numbed was given to a diesel) does not have this extra light. I am sure there are dates out there when these changes took place. I am glad to find out that the chuff and smoke are no synced, I won't waist my money then. I purchased mine at Caboose hobbies in Denver and their current price is 438.99. Thanks again for the review.
Question I must ask: Does Athearn leave parts for you to add on your locomotive? I ask because when I bought a Walthers locomotive, i had to put all the details myself and that was such a drag. Yes, it saves the details from being broken, but it wouldnt have made any difference since my hands are too big to deal with smart parts.
Read the description, it says trainworld.com, although the athearn FEF-3s aren't available from Athearn, you can go to the official site but trainworld has better prices.
I know this video is old but I recently acquired one of these old mrc decoder Athearns 844 on a Craigslist ad. It runs good now but I heard all the problems people are having with the drive and sound. My question is how much of a pain and ,more importantly, how much money would it take to replace the mrc with a tsunami decoder ? Or is that even worth it. thanks in advance for any answers.
Scott Christensen you could send it in to Athearn. I did that to mine because of the crapy MRC decoder. Depending on what's needs to be done it may not be bad.
Yes, I take suggestions for videos and reviews. You can send them to the email address in the video, by TH-cam message or comments in this section. You can also post it to my Facebook page which is hoscaleproductreviews.
Headlight on the "old" one looks a lot like the real thing. However, the "new" version is ok as well, wonder why they couldn't or wouldn't put bright lights on their 3985 or 4014.
Just picked up one of these. Engine looks, sounds and runs great...by itself. The motor seems very weak. I couldn't even pull five box cars up a small grade. Anyone else ever had this problem?
I'm a tad but disappointed in the sound. I don't like my engines to sound the same and this one has the exact same sounds as their Big Boy and Challenger. I know you can choose from 8 different whistles on the decoder but none of them are as prototypical as the default. I guess I'll have to settle for a less prototypical whistle :P
To be honest the V start OEM or adjusted of MRC or Tsunami are both really bad with MRC being the biggest offender of all times. Zimo and TCS have the best drive systems.
danceswithwolves49 not nessarally. Some engines had a automatic bell ringer. Witch made a faster ring. The 800 series has automatic bell ringer. So it is accurate. They also had a steam line or was wired in the wiring for the headlight's,marker lights to power the bell.
I get that it's a special locomotive type that they're making...but $500+ for a plastic model seems a bit steep to me. I enjoy modeling, but I'm not able to keep up with some of these prices anymore. Wish they were a little more affordable...
thanks for the video, I gave you a thumb down. 1. poor camera angles or placement. 2. could have weighed both engine and tender together to get the weight together, no math involved.
Too much talking and not enough running. Model steam engines are notorious for running like crap so it would be much more informative to show the thing running at different speeds and loads to see how it performs.
The "whining generator" sound that is with the headlight is the steam driven Dynamo device that works like the turbines in a hydroelectric dam but uses steam instead of liquid water to generate the electricity to power the head light, mars light, running lights (just the general name I give to all external lights other than the head light itself), cab lights and fixtures, and the back-up light(s) on the tender on real steam locomotives. For example, the Durango & Silverton's K-36 Class Mikado Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives use a Westinghouse 3000 (if I remember the number right, and I probably don't) Dynamo and makes the power for the 24 Volt DC headlight that can be seen over 2 miles (up to 12,000 feet or more) away in broad daylight. If I recall right, Westinghouse also invented the air compressor system used to power the bell, the batwing doors on coal fired steam locomotives for the fireman to shovel coal in while retaining as much warm air as possible, and most notably the air brakes. Westinghouse got started in the 1870s or 1880s to make trains safer because of how many accidents happened as a result of not being able to stop in time and the number of brakemen killed while running from car to car on the roof to tighten the hand brakes to stop the train as many fell off or were struck by objects in passing such as bridges, tree limbs, water tower spouts, and tunnel ceilings. If I sound a little ranting I apologize... I'm 23, Asperger's, and been in love with trains since I was 18 months old and saw my first Thomas the Train video and got to see Santa Fe 3751 somewhere before 1996 while riding a Metrolink to Sea World with my grandpa, now recently passed. So yeah... I know a thing or two about steam engines... again, sorry if I'm ranting or rambling now. -.-
Young man, it’s been nearly 10 years since you wrote your excellent comment and it’s aged well. I’m a retired Army Infantryman and been in model railroading for around 15 years now and my father retired from Union Pacific where he worked as a Brakeman then conductor and like most, it was a rough job for him. I wasn’t aware of how deadly the job of a Brakeman really was and I think it’s amazing how much knowledge you have on small details like the history of brake systems. What you have is a gift that others down have and on top of that, you’re extremely intelligent and I’m sure you’re doing great things with your life. I have a friend in our model railroad club who seems to be similar as you are and his mind is like a bear trap meaning that once he reads or learns new things he can recall that information in every detail. So, whenever someone is discussing something about railroad history and encompassing technology and someone says something that’s not quite true, he’ll politely offer the correct info which will usually make people upset and defensive so we always back Robert up without question since he’s never been wrong in the 40 years he’s been in our club. You will always be respected in a train club like ours since mature adults in the hobby can only wish they could remember half of what you can. If you ever feel unwelcome around people that clearly are very immature, just remember that you aren’t alone and many young people feel similar as you do. Never hang around low IQ people that are disrespectful since they’ll always be living with their mommy and they abuse others to try and prevent people to look closer at their life.
I always told my kids when they were younger, to make friends that start conversations with something like; “I have an idea!” And not the kind that start with; “here, hold my beer”.
As an O scaler, I find this to be a interesting and intelligent review. Thanks. So many locos are geared to run like rabbits. Here's how slow an ol' O Scale 2-Rail F3 can cruise on my O scale 2-Rail Ironbound RR... a small space layout, with one unrealistic grade made out of necessity. Incidentally, the trains run with on-board battery power.
A Ride On the O Scale Ironbound RR
congratulations to your first PLUS review ! great model, nice job from Athearn and nice review from you, James
The whining noise is the dynamo (steam generator) those two things protruding from the left (firemans) side of the boiler near the cab (kind of like ovular round things) are the dynamos. The headlight flickering on is probably to give it the feeling of the dynamo powering up. Great review! I just sold my old one in hopes to get the new release but I am too short on cash to do so :(
No. 844 was one of ten locomotives that were ordered by Union Pacific in 1944 and designated as class FEF-3. The FEF-3 class represented the epitome of dual-service steam locomotive development; funds and research were being concentrated into the development of diesel-electric locomotives. Designed to burn coal, they were converted to run on fuel oil. Like the earlier FEF-2 class, FEF-3 locomotives were designed as passenger engines. They pulled such trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.[3]
From 1957 to 1959, UP 844 was reassigned to freight service in Nebraska when diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service.
Saved from scrapping in 1960,[4] 844 was chosen for restoration and is now used on company and public excursion trains, along with revenue freight during ferry moves.
Built and designed in a joint-effort between the Union Pacific and ALCO, the 844 and her sisters of the FEF-3 class could safely handle 120 mph. On one occasion, one of the engines of the FEF-3 class pulled a 1,000-ton passenger train at a 100 mph. All FEF classes were considered by the Union Pacific to be capable of producing between 4,000 and 5,000 drawbar horsepower.
Like your new system , shows you really care , you came into this Hobby at an exciting time , Again thank you for your service to our wonderful country .
James! Really diggin this format for loco's. I dont own any steam but this really has me thinking about it. Appreciate you taking the time here, I know its very time consuming to put this stuff together and just so you know, it really does help me out!
Wow, first to comment but that engine is amazing! I really wish that Athearn would put out more steam locomotives in the Genesis line as they have done a great job with this engine, the SP MT4s, Challengers, and Big Boys. I'd love to see a Pacific or Mikado from them
thank you for all u reviews you have help me a lot ,i,m new to the hobby and love the new + that you are doing now .just working on my track plane .
I live in Canada. running DCC .and peco turn outs .
thank you
Harry
Best product review to date on utube by anyone. No disrespect to anyone else, but this is excellent
James .. Great Review Dude .. always enjoy watchin these vids .. especially before buying .. Keep it goin Brother
Great review. Thank you.
I did find a TH-cam video of the 844 turning on the head light and it did slowly come on.
Great review format, James ! I must say that I like both formats, perhaps the shorter one is more appropriate to rolling stock; the longer, for locomotives.
Sometimes I think the postman treats my packages like that part in the beginning of Ace Ventura Pet Detective...
Tsunami is simulating the dynamo sound for the headlight, so the flicker is likely simulating dynamo powerup.
the headlight should do what it does in the newer model, you hear the dynamo kick in and this is for power and it builds up power.. so yes it should start dim and get bright.. soundtraxx is doing this with all of their new decoders for steam locomotives..
One other thing, the whistle is much closer on the "new" version. Great review, keep up the good work.
Excellent review by the way.
The headlight working its way to full strength is part of the programming of the Soundtraxx decoder. The Soundtraxx heavy steam decoder in my Bachmann 4449 does the same thing.
Forgot to add, the dynamo sound effect is tied to the headlight function.
James, 1) I like the "review plus" approach - very informative 2) Yes, the whine represents a steam turbo generator - should be more subtle than factory setting 3) the wire from loco to tender aren't all bad - real steam engines have fuel, steam, air and water hoses under there. Most models are too "empty" and 4) the oil bunker on the tenders of all Athearn UP steam with oil tenders are the modern OSHA-approved version - not the version used during mainline service.
Great Vid James!
@jlwii2000 i know its an old video, but will you be preordering the new athearn fef-3 #844 Post 2016 Version with ESU LokSound that is coming this October?
(at 33:51) Where did you get that boxcar behind the Aux Tender and the Baggage car?
Can someone help me with the installation of the smoke unit I tried to install it but it does not make smoke!
great review mate
I wish I had DCC so I could play around with the settings, but it runs fine with DC. This is one nice locomotive and I love it.
Lionel has changed their production policies too, starting with the 2014 signature edition catalog they will only be manufacturing the number of units preordered.
My experiences with start steps when one has to go to 5 or 6 is not the decoder, but the locomotive. You may want to take the MRC loco apart and clean the gears and re-lube with light oil and Graphite. Then try it. Just a thought. Thanks for the video. I have the older one and love it. Ted
Great video! I have a question too:
I just purchased an ES44AC NS Southern Heritage, and it says it comes with dcc and sound on board. But when I put it on my layout, the sound didn't come on. DCC works, but no sound. I've tried pressing #8 and all the other buttons. Any suggestions? Thanks
Where can I fine parts for the 8444 FEF-3
Where did you find the water tender ?
does your mth sd70ace pull better then the Bli ac6000? Because that would be cool to know
please tell me where you got that
I saw the original in June 2012 in Sidney Nebraska at a maintenance stop.
How much did you get 844 for ho
I enjoyed your review on the 844. Just a couple of comments. There is some question as to the accuracy of the tender as the current version sports a second, larger light on the back about where the 844 is printed. This is confirmed with photos off the internet. Interestingly all the pix's I have seen of the tender sporting # 8444( which is 844 during the time when this numbed was given to a diesel) does not have this extra light. I am sure there are dates out there when these changes took place. I am glad to find out that the chuff and smoke are no synced, I won't waist my money then. I purchased mine at Caboose hobbies in Denver and their current price is 438.99. Thanks again for the review.
where do you buy your train stuff i am trying to start up and was wondering if you had any god websites you order from
thanks
Question I must ask: Does Athearn leave parts for you to add on your locomotive? I ask because when I bought a Walthers locomotive, i had to put all the details myself and that was such a drag. Yes, it saves the details from being broken, but it wouldnt have made any difference since my hands are too big to deal with smart parts.
Just the dip stick and if you want a coupler on the front.
could you double header the two engines and get a little pulling power???
please tell me where you got it because I can't find it anywhere on the internet
Read the description, it says trainworld.com, although the athearn FEF-3s aren't available from Athearn, you can go to the official site but trainworld has better prices.
What kind of controller do u use
Nice loco!
Silly off topic question: Will an Athearn brand sd70m-2 handle a standard Atlas 15'' radius curve? Pretty dang sharp, just wondering. Thanks!
sweet I like the whistle I the older one is darker than the newer one that maybe just the light but AWESOME cool sound unit!!!
The light is supposed to come on slowly , it's steam generator powered with a turbine
Wow, it’s been nearly a decade since he made this video and the price on this model was pretty expensive for back then.
I know this video is old but I recently acquired one of these old mrc decoder Athearns 844 on a Craigslist ad. It runs good now but I heard all the problems people are having with the drive and sound. My question is how much of a pain and ,more importantly, how much money would it take to replace the mrc with a tsunami decoder ? Or is that even worth it. thanks in advance for any answers.
Scott Christensen you could send it in to Athearn. I did that to mine because of the crapy MRC decoder. Depending on what's needs to be done it may not be bad.
Athearn should produce more UP 844s because you can’t buy them everywhere. In Europe it’s really hard to find some model
Why does 844 have a red mars light but sometimes it does not?
They put it off because I think they said it’s damaged and really heavy for the smokebox.
If you could tell me where you bought that engine I would be so incredibly happy. I really want to buy one of those but I cannot find them anywhere
trainworld.com
what is the oil used for
a replacement for coal
you should make a video on how to install the road crossing rubber things.
Very nice loco I have on but by a different maker and for 120 speed steps you might have to super elevate your track lol!!
Rivarossi makes them to
Are you gonna sell your older 844?
Cool! You gonna put it in the UP display box?
The tenders look like the three water hatches are taller on the new one; or missing the tops on the old one.
Excellent video as always, do you take suggestions for future videos as far as reviews?
Yes, I take suggestions for videos and reviews. You can send them to the email address in the video, by TH-cam message or comments in this section. You can also post it to my Facebook page which is hoscaleproductreviews.
Ok Thanks, keep up the good work
the loco is doing 2 chuff per rev, it should be 4 per rev. , one chuff per quarter of driver wheel movement.. that would be like the prototype!
this can be adjusted with CVs.
Hi, Does the real locomotive have a glossy paint finish?
yes the real one has a glossy finish. This model doesn't show that feature so it's inaccurate in that respect.
do you know if these are getting released in n scale?
I am not sure
kato just released a full excursion set with this as lead power in N scale
The 844 isn't on train world, where can I get it cheap?
It's hard to find so.. Hardly no where
+SP Railfan maybe on ebay or amazon
+SP railfan or maybe get a different road number and 're-number it to 844
Headlight on the "old" one looks a lot like the real thing. However, the "new" version is ok as well, wonder why they couldn't or wouldn't put bright lights on their 3985 or 4014.
The whistle sounds like the challenger demo
Just picked up one of these. Engine looks, sounds and runs great...by itself. The motor seems very weak. I couldn't even pull five box cars up a small grade. Anyone else ever had this problem?
the type tender is a centipede oil bunker!
thanks!
Hey james I am. Starting a collection of diesel engines
Aka The J4 class
It nice.But it to expanse for some one on a budget.The paint job is a differnt color.I like the new engine.
The generator is called a dynamo
I'm a tad but disappointed in the sound. I don't like my engines to sound the same and this one has the exact same sounds as their Big Boy and Challenger. I know you can choose from 8 different whistles on the decoder but none of them are as prototypical as the default. I guess I'll have to settle for a less prototypical whistle :P
I have a Baltimore and Ohio Athern made in USA die cast bottom coach
Making me salivate here.....
O scale ( correction)
so I came to you
the wire in been the engine and tender i think of them as black hoses
+matt may I think of them as oil/water hoses
8
The sound dose not seem that great , I have a MTH I scale , the whistle and sound is dead on . Great job on the review though !
To be honest the V start OEM or adjusted of MRC or Tsunami are both really bad with MRC being the biggest offender of all times. Zimo and TCS have the best drive systems.
That whining noise is the generator. The bell rate is too fast for a steam locomotive
danceswithwolves49 not nessarally. Some engines had a automatic bell ringer. Witch made a faster ring. The 800 series has automatic bell ringer. So it is accurate. They also had a steam line or was wired in the wiring for the headlight's,marker lights to power the bell.
I get that it's a special locomotive type that they're making...but $500+ for a plastic model seems a bit steep to me. I enjoy modeling, but I'm not able to keep up with some of these prices anymore. Wish they were a little more affordable...
+Railman Productions its a steam locomotive so its at least be 22"
Wait, it isnt powerful? What about a traction tire? Come with a traction tire?
I have no gold and Google but I could not
please respond
Great video! But the Tsunami sound isn't that great, the chuffs should boom more, though the whistle and bell sounds good.
thanks for the video, I gave you a thumb down. 1. poor camera angles or placement. 2. could have weighed both engine and tender together to get the weight together, no math involved.
Ok, that's heavy...
I find the lack is southern pacific in this review disgusting!.
Too much talking and not enough running. Model steam engines are notorious for running like crap so it would be much more informative to show the thing running at different speeds and loads to see how it performs.