Athearn Turbine

[JWB]

Here is a photo of the new Athearn turbine on my layout:

The curve it's on is 26 inch radius, the sharpest on my main line. The track itself is over 20 years old, having been moved from a prior home, and is due for replacement with concrete ties.

 

The loco's operation is very smooth and quiet. So far, the only diesels I've successfully MUed it with in analog DC are Atlas/Kato GP7s (one shown), but that's an indication of the overall running quality. I have a sort of a permanent "show train" on my main line that's mostly PFE reefers. For the last several years, it's operated with Atlas Train Masters in SP black widow, but if tests work out, the turbine will replace them.

[CraigZ]

These models are very nice indeed...excellent runners. But if there's a non steam model that benefits from sound, this is it. Both QSI and Tsunami decoders exist; Ulrich Models does a kit which include the speakers and decoder and also a kit to repair the lame Athearn lights. Not cheap at about $165 delivered here in the US but worth the money...

[JWB]

Sound is a whole can of worms. Heck, the Lionel turbine (I have one, it went back in the box after test runs) had sound. I haven't done a comparison of the Lionel vs Athearn, don't feel like taking the Lionel out of the box, but obviously one that runs and doesn't roar trumps one that roars and doesn't run. I have a few locos that came with sound with no choice; on the whole I would have preferred one a hundred bucks cheaper with no sound, but in some cases I just didn't have that option.

 

My view of sound is that it's a little like the dubbed-in sounds on railfan DVDs; archival 8mm and 16mm railfan film is usually silent, so the producers add sound effects, not always successfully: you get a great shot of the Daylight blowing for a crossing -- but there's no crossing. Or a steam loco chuffing hard downgrade. So far, even the best model sound is like that. On the whole, I'd prefer to hear Stephane Grappelli on the sound track.

 

Sort of an exception is the Blackstone HOn3 K27 with Tsunami; the current run is sound-only, so I had no choice. The various steam loco sounds that come out make the thing seem alive, even on DC, and it makes me wonder about investigating the MRC analog sound controller. DCC, though, isn't an option; I've got a lifetime worth of collection and don't want to convert it, while doing things partway risks running DC locos onto DCC track and smoking motors, etc.

[squeaky]

I'd love to get one of these, but it doesn't fit the era i'm modelling and its just too big for my shunting plank and it would make for an expensive show piece to put in my display cabinet