I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with experience with this engine as I'm considering which large engine type to settle on for my express trains as I get started on my layout. Any particular weaknesses? Any experiences both positive and negative would be helpful, as would a pointer to a review or two. I've searched some and can't seem to find any reviews of it although I do recall something in an older MRR issue.
TIA
They are a really nice engine with a really bad decoder!
Jon Miller spake thus:
Hmm; if that's so, wonder if you could request that they install another decoder when you order it. After all, if you're spending $big bux ...
decoder when you order it< Nope. Athearn made a manufacturing deal with MRC and that's what you get. Not sure if this engine is available without sound but if so that would be the way to buy it. You then put in what you want. In this case a Tsunami is recommended.
I'm Very Happy with my Challenger... No problems, no limitations (for the way I operate)
Carter Braxton
Thanks for the feedback, folks. I found a review in the January 2005 MR and they didn't have any major complaints, so it doesn't seem like I'll have a real problem with it.
The sound is sure to be better than my last sound equipped engine which was back in 1976 and sounded exactly like a diesel engine when you wired the outputs to your amp and ran it through the stereo. In an engine on the layout, though, it left a lot to be desired.
Regards
in article bkiPg.4999$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews3.bellsouth.net, Rashputin at snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote on 9/17/06 1:31 PM:
The only real complaint, and it is common to ALL sound equiped locos is that the sound give a hint of the real sound, but with 1" speakers, there can be no depth. So a steam loco chugging up to speed goes "chug chug chug" inseat of C H U G! C H U G! C H U G!
The bell and whistle are fine. But I don't find it markedly inferior to my Broadway Limited loco, or much superior to my Soundtraxx LC equipped Bachmann 2-8-0, Light Mikado, or 3 truck Shay.
Some one, some where will figure out how to transmit some of the sound back to a separate sub woofer under the layout. Low enough bass frequencies are not directional) to add some authority to the sounds. But not yet.
Edward A. Oates spake thus:
Actually, with DCC that should be a piece of cake. Well, it'd require some hardward/software hacking, but nothing the average hobbyist couldn't handle. All a guy'd want to do would be to use a DCC decoder on the same address as the loco to drive a stationary sound system. (I
*think* this would work: you can have two devices at the same address with DCC, can't you?)in article 450dd168$0$21537$ snipped-for-privacy@news.adtechcomputers.com, David Nebenzahl at snipped-for-privacy@but.us.chickens wrote on 9/17/06 3:56 PM:
The two decoders would have to be pretty much exactly in sync; with back emf, etc., and the second one having no drive load, I think they would "operate" the motor at different speeds, so the chuff rate would be different. But it is a good thought ... Hmmmm, we should think more about that.
Of course, it also doubles the cost.
That's because it's MRC sound...which sucks so bad that even light cannot escape.
It should already be possible with Digitrax' "Transponding".
Paul A. Cutler III
************* Weather Or No Go New Haven *************
Great looking locos. However, lousy sound from the decoder. Also, they can't seem to be programmed with Digitrax' DCC systems. If you are just running them on normal DC, and you can live with sub-par sound, then get one. Otherwise, I would avoid *any* Athearn/MRC sound-equipped loco.
Paul A. Cutler III
************* Weather Or No Go New Haven *************
Interesting stuff. Is it safe to assume that someone who is deaf will enjoy this engine or does it fail to pull cars? Does it accurately relfect the actual engine? Does it have problems with code 83 track? Problems with turnouts? Is the detail good, bad, etc. ?
Whatever sound system is the best today will be obsolete before I get to the point of settling on a single type or worrying too much about it. I also thought that more than a dozen functions required a bit of fiddling with just about anything, not just Digitrax/MRC but I'll go look that up.
have a nice day
Well, they say MR very rarely say bad things about the stuff they review, unless it really sucks.
A better choice for reviews may be the other magazines like RMJ, or maybe even Model Railroad News. Those reviews are much more in-depth than the Jim Hediger pieces in MR.
Kennedy
in article 20060918201704.195$ snipped-for-privacy@newsreader.com, Kennedy (no longer not on The Haggis!) at snipped-for-privacy@YOUKNOWHAT.tir.com wrote on 9/18/06 5:15 PM:
Like a lot of hobbiest magazine (model rail roads, guitars, stereos, even cars), if the editors really don't like something, they just don't publish a review, unless they want to make a political point (like stereo magazine hating mp3 players...).
So, if you see a review at all, in general it means that the product was at least acceptable.
By the way, I have the Athearn Challenger (initial run), and I have been able to program it in OPS mode, and to program the loco number (address, both two and 4 digit) in program mode on a programming track (Digitrax DCS-200 Chief system).
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