Worth the Money? Can the Latest HO Scale Athearn GP40-2 Impress Me? 

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.

Now it's a rare treat to spy one, unless it's a local.

I support this decision! 🙂

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.

In the 70s they were better about keeping them clean. But by the 80s that seemed to fall by the wayside more.

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.

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.😀

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.

Good tips for next time!

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!

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?

Happy to add to the collective knowledge base!

Why specifically B&O 4228?

Why B & 0 4228? First of all I have the same initials and the 4228 is my Julian birthdate.

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!😉

Thanks, Bob!

They do indeed. Glad you liked the review.

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. 🙂

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

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..

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!

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.

Thanks, Joe. They are kinda pricey, but they sure are 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

Agreed. I know I'm not going out and buy every number of these.

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.

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.

Dang it, now I have to send it back. Thanks a lot! 😉

I disagree. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gEZLCOJLV7M.html

I admit I wanted to come back to this to check for a reply. Lol