Author Topic: Athearn Big Boy ,a Quick Review.  (Read 1267 times)

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Nato

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Athearn Big Boy ,a Quick Review.
« on: February 17, 2008, 02:50:33 AM »
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  Recieved the first of my two Big Boy locomotives Road Number 4022(late version no After Cooler Pipes). A streached Challenger, runs the same has same hand held Radio Link Transmitter for us DC users. Details are nice, coal tender features wood decking around water fill hatches, the valve shut off handles in red on firebox sides take a minute to get use to even though they are protype detail. As on the Challengers the tender coupling diatance is not very close and the longer boiler on the Big Boy just make it look worse. The drawbars can be shortened, Bob Gilmore has done it to both of his Challengers and one of mine so far. Hard core DCC folks I know will be replacing the MRC sound module, I would switch to an after market one if I knew it would operate in DC with the Radio Link, but I'am afraid only that the  MRC was specifically done with Athearn to alllow this.The wheels are the finer design and will run on Code 55 track. Hopefully the bugs (teething problems) encountered with some of the first run Challengers have been cured on the Big Boys. Only time will tell!                                                                               Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake,Utah.