Building on a rich tradition started in 1946, the Athearn brand is home to the hobby’s best-loved models. Athearn has brought the joy of model railroading to you for 75 years, starting from our classic ‘Blue-Box” kits to our most recent Genesis 2.0 line. With accurate detailing and painting, Athearn is the brand that any hobbyist is proud to own and operate. No matter your era or favorite railroad, Athearn truly is “Trains in Miniature.”

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

By the early 1970s, many first generation diesels were reaching the end of their service lives. The most common replacement locomotive became the GP38-2. EMD began production of the 16-cylinder, non-turbocharged, 2000 horsepower engine in 1972. Unlike the GP38’s engine, which drove a generator to supply power to the traction motors, the GP38-2s prime mover drove an alternator which produced AC electrical current that was rectified to DC to power the four traction motors. Another major change for the GP38-2 was the introduction of the “dash 2” modular electrical cabinet. For more than 40 years, the GP38-2 has worked main line freights, locals, switching jobs, yard service, helpers, snow fighting trains, and hump power. Many remain in service today.

 

LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Coupler cut levers

• Flexible rubber trainline hose

• Full cab interior

• Windshield wipers

• Wire grab irons

• Flexible rubber MU hoses

• See-through cab windows

• Walkway tread

• Lift rings

• Sander lines

• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance

• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes

• McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible

• DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector

• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more

• Accurately painted and printed paint schemes

• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain

• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track

• LED Lighting for realistic appearance

• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power

• Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run

• Minimum radius: 18”

 

SOUND-EQUPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound

• Sound units operate in both DC and DCC

• Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC

• All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode

• Precision slow speed control

• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights

• Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes

• CV chart included in the box

 

 

Grand Trunk Western

GTW FEATURES:

• Ex-Rock Island

• Large anticlimber

• Xenon Strobe

• Small EMD front plow

• Firecracker antenna

• 88” Nose with removed class lights

• Mid/Late Phase

• 3600 gallon fuel tank

• M-3 Horn

• Blomberg B trucks

 

After the demise of the Rock Island in 1980 many of their locomotives were sold to other railroads. The GTW purchased some of these GP38-2’s and painted them into this catchy red and blue scheme. Our models represent the pre-ditch light era.

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #5853 Large GT logo. Long hood mounted horn, white Xenon beacon (operational with DCC), all-weather window.

• #5861 Large GT logo. Long hood mounted horn, white Xenon beacon (operational with DCC), all-weather window.

• #5856 OLS with small GT logo, cab mounted horn, white Xenon beacon (operational with DCC), all-weather window.

 

 

 

Looking for more Athearn Genesis HO Scale GP38-2 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

 

Looking for more Athearn Genesis HO Scale Products? Click here!

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