In my opinion if scaletrains made all the same locos as athearn I would never buy another athearn just because SXT warranty is better and they are just nicer looking locos to me
I feel a similar way in that when Scaletrains came out with the SD40-2’s all my Athearn models got sold off. I will say though that Athearn has improved a-lot recently and while the majority of the time my money will go to Scaletrains for locomotives I won’t hesitate to pick up an Athearn if its a model Scaletrains doesn’t produce.
I may have to try out on of their speakers for the Athearn unit before I fully commit to swapping it over to Esu. I am curious how much of a difference it would make with the Tsunami.
I own both Scaletrains and Athearn Dash 9's. I prefer the Athearn Dash 9's mainly because they have much better sound quality than the tinny and weak ESU sounds and weak keep alive. Additionally, it is extremely easy to add Keep Alive to the Athearn Dash 9. The TCS KA1 Keep alive with a Soundtraxx Current Keeper Harness will plug right into the mother board and fit easily on top. It will also provide several more seconds of power compared to the 6 seconds (at most) on the ESU. Also, I have had several motor failures on my ScaleTrains Dash 9's. which has soured me on their quality.
Ill have to mess with the settings on my Athearn unit in JMRI. The sound had almost no definition to it and sounded rather flat when I tested it almost like something is wrong with the sound programming. TCS makes excellent keep alives and I used to used them with all of my V4 Esu decoders in the past. Will definitely go that route provided I can get the Tsunami to sound better.
ESU and SXT all the way. I sold off my recent Athearn GE purchases. SXT looks better in my opinion. I also prefer ESU decoders. Even if I purchase an Athearn, I go for DCC Ready so I can pop in a Scale Sound Speaker and an ESU decoder. I do still like Athearn's EMD locomotives and again, just add ESU and sound, LED's if required. If I was looking at purchasing what you reviewed .. I'd pick SXT any day of the week plus twice on Sunday! Thank you for the review Steve!
Very comprehensive comparison, well done! Scale Trains is on top in regard to locomotives right now, in my opinion. But the Genesis models are still very nice. I've had trouble trying to set up Loksound 5 decoders with JMRI, I'll have to get a Lok Programmer. The only recent Tsunami 2 decoder I've purchased was in an Athearn Genesis MT-4 steam locomotive with factory DCC and sound, and it sounds good to me. At the end of the day if Scale Trains or Athearn Genesis has what I'm looking for I'll buy the locomotive. Enjoy your SP Dash 9's!
I have both Athearn and scale trains I prefer the scale trains better sound and detail for the money. You get a better sound with scale trains and a keep alive. Athearn getting up there on the price and for that price you might just as well buy the Cadillac right off the hope. Plus i like ESU better i can always tweak the settings . Great share and video really enjoyed this one Thanks
@@michaeldennis9063 Absolutely, but the Scaletrains SD40-2, SD45 & SD40T-2 are Rivet counter vs Athearn's which are RTR. I thought my RTR SD45 engines were good enough until I saw Scaletrains.
I can tell you that Scaletrains motors are the best - they were unable to find a decent motor so they made their own. Better than Kato & Atlas which were always the gold standard. Of course, if you are running sound this wouldn't matter too much.
Thank you! Its a little of both really. I have seen a good amount of video as well as photos of SP units making their way on to Conrail in the late 90’s so I tend to lean a little heavy on that and have a good bit of SP power around.
Not a bad review. How ever a of couple things i think escaped your view. It looked like the Athearn front windows were coming out. Ive had this problem on more than a few of thier locos the past couple of years. The scale trains unit appears to have a gap under each ditchlight.. During the coupler test , the view from the side looks like the front pilot is bent down. The rear also , but not as much. I like both models but chose the Athearn and haven't had a singlle issue with it.
Thank you for pointing out the few thins I missed! When I do these videos I generally am actually looking at the locomotives out of the box for the first time and trying to keep a more basic look at them in a way. Unfortunately I miss things by doing it that way. Ill have to check out the sills on the Scaletrains unit as is may have been the camera and how it was sitting/angled.
Just wanted to give you insight of what that piece was on the nose of the scale trains model. That is a sliding rod with a lock on the end to lock the front door. All locomotives have one for securement .
I do prefer ESU because they sound alot better and more realistic along with their really neat drive hold feature. Programming them with the lok programmer is also really easy and simple plus i like being able to download new sounds to the decoders and add sounds like new horns to them. One of my gripes on them tho is sometimes their horns can be pretty quiet. Tsunami has always had loud horns and bells from the start. I do wish i wouldn't have my motors fail alot with my scaletrains otherwise i really love the company.
Too bad you couldn't test the drawbar pull. With those weights, I would expect over 4 oz. Ever thought of putting them both on the same address, one forward and one reverse, then run them back to back to see which direction they finally move? Looks like swapping in Kadees would be easy on both.
Hopefully ill figure out a way to make a drawbar test work in the future. And may also include a pull style test with each as you mentioned. Coupler swaps would definitely be a breeze with each of these models.
All of my backdrops are from Trackside Scenery and are from their Hickory Hollow collection. tracksidesceneryshop.com/index.php?id_category=38&controller=category
As someone who has owned both brands of dash 9, Scaletrains wins easily. The esu sound is much better for the fdl engine, air compressor, horn, bell, etc. Detail wise they’re about the same, but the scaletrains engines feel more solid to me. I ended up selling my Athearn locos and now have more locos from scaletrains.
I have not tryed as of yet. If I did I would use the scale MPH method on both so they match the rest of the fleet. I have done that with all my ESU equipped units but have yet to try it on a Tsunami equipped locomotive.
I own both Athearn genesis and Scaletrains model locomotives, and the Tsunami Sound is better for EMD, while pretty much all of my General Electric locomotives use ESU LOCSound decoders. They just sound better on the GEs and some EMD model locomotives on my Rapido Trains, Atlas Master Line Gold.
I was really hoping the Tsunami 2 sound would be decent and give a variation between the two to make for a great sound in a consist. So far I think the only Tsunami sound I like over ESU is the EMD 645 non turbo.
Instead of holding them in place esu has f9 drive hold that locks the drive and allows you to throttle the prime mover and Tsunami has 2 f button that throttle up or down or there should be a "straight to 8" botton. Also i dont believe SP units ever got ground lights so i dont think either of the 2 have them.
I know about the drive hold on ESU but didn't know Tsunami had that feature or else I would have used it for that part. Interesting that the SP units didn't have ground lights. My mistake I thought they did, I appreciate the info and corrections!
@ConrailSteve i agree its a little odd but its all the little things railroads do to save a buck. For example CNW was too cheap to get AC units on their brand new C44s
As far as parts being loose and falling of I have had that with both manufacturers so far. I kinda look at it as the cost of having the level of detail we get these days.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #1 НАЧАЛО ПУТЕШЕСТВИЯ [Новый сезон] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/380Q7gLWGvk/mqdefault.jpg)
Both are fantastic manufacturers. I would be delighted with either. Great video!
Edit- the music on this channel kicks ass btw 🎸
They both really are excellent models and thank you!
In my opinion if scaletrains made all the same locos as athearn I would never buy another athearn just because SXT warranty is better and they are just nicer looking locos to me
And have a keep-alive
Same here Athearn customer service sucks Scale Trains customer service is great and Athearn warranty stinks.
@@csxns as a German Both costumer Services are difficult for me. I also buy Athearn. But when both offer the same products ScaleTrains wins
I feel a similar way in that when Scaletrains came out with the SD40-2’s all my Athearn models got sold off. I will say though that Athearn has improved a-lot recently and while the majority of the time my money will go to Scaletrains for locomotives I won’t hesitate to pick up an Athearn if its a model Scaletrains doesn’t produce.
Sound is always gets better with Scale Sound Systems speakers
I may have to try out on of their speakers for the Athearn unit before I fully commit to swapping it over to Esu. I am curious how much of a difference it would make with the Tsunami.
If it is the same price I would choose ScaleTrains. It has no disadvantage to the Athearn but it also brings a keep-alive.
The fact that Athearn still refuses to add a keep alive to their Genesis line is their biggest drawback.
I agree!
I like the paint on the scale trains loco
The Grey on it really has a nice dark color to it!
I own both Scaletrains and Athearn Dash 9's. I prefer the Athearn Dash 9's mainly because they have much better sound quality than the tinny and weak ESU sounds and weak keep alive. Additionally, it is extremely easy to add Keep Alive to the Athearn Dash 9. The TCS KA1 Keep alive with a Soundtraxx Current Keeper Harness will plug right into the mother board and fit easily on top. It will also provide several more seconds of power compared to the 6 seconds (at most) on the ESU. Also, I have had several motor failures on my ScaleTrains Dash 9's. which has soured me on their quality.
Ill have to mess with the settings on my Athearn unit in JMRI. The sound had almost no definition to it and sounded rather flat when I tested it almost like something is wrong with the sound programming. TCS makes excellent keep alives and I used to used them with all of my V4 Esu decoders in the past. Will definitely go that route provided I can get the Tsunami to sound better.
ESU and SXT all the way. I sold off my recent Athearn GE purchases. SXT looks better in my opinion. I also prefer ESU decoders. Even if I purchase an Athearn, I go for DCC Ready so I can pop in a Scale Sound Speaker and an ESU decoder. I do still like Athearn's EMD locomotives and again, just add ESU and sound, LED's if required. If I was looking at purchasing what you reviewed .. I'd pick SXT any day of the week plus twice on Sunday! Thank you for the review Steve!
Thank you! I also tend to get all my Athearn locomotives DCC ready as well and install ESU but wanted to give Soundtraxx another chance.
Very comprehensive comparison, well done! Scale Trains is on top in regard to locomotives right now, in my opinion. But the Genesis models are still very nice. I've had trouble trying to set up Loksound 5 decoders with JMRI, I'll have to get a Lok Programmer. The only recent Tsunami 2 decoder I've purchased was in an Athearn Genesis MT-4 steam locomotive with factory DCC and sound, and it sounds good to me. At the end of the day if Scale Trains or Athearn Genesis has what I'm looking for I'll buy the locomotive. Enjoy your SP Dash 9's!
Thank you! Definitely get a Lok Programmer they are much better to use with Esu decoders than JMRI.
I have both Athearn and scale trains I prefer the scale trains better sound and detail for the money. You get a better sound with scale trains and a keep alive. Athearn getting up there on the price and for that price you might just as well buy the Cadillac right off the hope. Plus i like ESU better i can always tweak the settings . Great share and video really enjoyed this one Thanks
Thank you!
Both are great but I like that the Scaletrains models come with ESU V5 and the keep alive . Good value
Very true I also like that about the Scaletrains model.
Great video Steve! (This is just my opinion, but scaletrains is just better for GEs and Athearn is better for EMD.)
Yes, but what EMD does Scaletrains make to compare to a Genesis?
Idk I think scaletrains sd40-2’s are unbeatable
@@michaeldennis9063 Absolutely, but the Scaletrains SD40-2, SD45 & SD40T-2 are Rivet counter vs Athearn's which are RTR. I thought my RTR SD45 engines were good enough until I saw Scaletrains.
@@michaeldennis9063I agree.
I can tell you that Scaletrains motors are the best - they were unable to find a decent motor so they made their own. Better than Kato & Atlas which were always the gold standard. Of course, if you are running sound this wouldn't matter too much.
Hi CR Steve & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks CR Steve & Friends Randy
Thank you Randy!!!
both beautiful units stevo !! did the SP see the CR much or is that just a little crush u have for the SP ??
Thank you! Its a little of both really. I have seen a good amount of video as well as photos of SP units making their way on to Conrail in the late 90’s so I tend to lean a little heavy on that and have a good bit of SP power around.
Scale Trains is No 1, no contest!
Scaletrains definitely is a leader when it comes to these but detail wise Athearn made it very close.
Not a bad review. How ever a of couple things i think escaped your view. It looked like the Athearn front windows were coming out. Ive had this problem on more than a few of thier locos the past couple of years. The scale trains unit appears to have a gap under each ditchlight.. During the coupler test , the view from the side looks like the front pilot is bent down. The rear also , but not as much. I like both models but chose the Athearn and haven't had a singlle issue with it.
Thank you for pointing out the few thins I missed! When I do these videos I generally am actually looking at the locomotives out of the box for the first time and trying to keep a more basic look at them in a way. Unfortunately I miss things by doing it that way. Ill have to check out the sills on the Scaletrains unit as is may have been the camera and how it was sitting/angled.
Just wanted to give you insight of what that piece was on the nose of the scale trains model. That is a sliding rod with a lock on the end to lock the front door. All locomotives have one for securement .
Interesting, Thank you for the info!
Great review. I agree the the ESU does sound better and the keep alive aspect is nice in the scale trains unit
Thank you!
I do prefer ESU because they sound alot better and more realistic along with their really neat drive hold feature. Programming them with the lok programmer is also really easy and simple plus i like being able to download new sounds to the decoders and add sounds like new horns to them. One of my gripes on them tho is sometimes their horns can be pretty quiet. Tsunami has always had loud horns and bells from the start. I do wish i wouldn't have my motors fail alot with my scaletrains otherwise i really love the company.
Too bad you couldn't test the drawbar pull. With those weights, I would expect over 4 oz. Ever thought of putting them both on the same address, one forward and one reverse, then run them back to back to see which direction they finally move? Looks like swapping in Kadees would be easy on both.
Hopefully ill figure out a way to make a drawbar test work in the future. And may also include a pull style test with each as you mentioned. Coupler swaps would definitely be a breeze with each of these models.
Steve, unrelated to this great video, where and who does your backgrounds ? You mentioned in a video once but I have misplaced my notes
All of my backdrops are from Trackside Scenery and are from their Hickory Hollow collection. tracksidesceneryshop.com/index.php?id_category=38&controller=category
Number board light may be turned down mine were....
Ill have to look into that thanks for the tip!
As someone who has owned both brands of dash 9, Scaletrains wins easily. The esu sound is much better for the fdl engine, air compressor, horn, bell, etc. Detail wise they’re about the same, but the scaletrains engines feel more solid to me. I ended up selling my Athearn locos and now have more locos from scaletrains.
The Athearns do have a different feel to them. I suspect it may have to do with how the weights are on the inside of each.
@@ConrailSteve yeah something like that, either is a great option and selling the athearn ones came down to me running the scaletrains ones more
Steve, are these a pain to speed match?
I have not tryed as of yet. If I did I would use the scale MPH method on both so they match the rest of the fleet. I have done that with all my ESU equipped units but have yet to try it on a Tsunami equipped locomotive.
I like the scale trains better I think
The Scaletrains model really is very nice!
Scale trains does come with a woop conpressor
The athearn number boards should be on F6 with ditch lights F5
Tryed F6 and didn't see them light up. Will have to check on JMRI and make sure the brightness is turned up.
I own both Athearn genesis and Scaletrains model locomotives, and the Tsunami Sound is better for EMD, while pretty much all of my General Electric locomotives use ESU LOCSound decoders. They just sound better on the GEs and some EMD model locomotives on my Rapido Trains, Atlas Master Line Gold.
I was really hoping the Tsunami 2 sound would be decent and give a variation between the two to make for a great sound in a consist. So far I think the only Tsunami sound I like over ESU is the EMD 645 non turbo.
Instead of holding them in place esu has f9 drive hold that locks the drive and allows you to throttle the prime mover and Tsunami has 2 f button that throttle up or down or there should be a "straight to 8" botton. Also i dont believe SP units ever got ground lights so i dont think either of the 2 have them.
I know about the drive hold on ESU but didn't know Tsunami had that feature or else I would have used it for that part. Interesting that the SP units didn't have ground lights. My mistake I thought they did, I appreciate the info and corrections!
@ConrailSteve i agree its a little odd but its all the little things railroads do to save a buck. For example CNW was too cheap to get AC units on their brand new C44s
Athearn seems to always have more quality control issues, like parts broken off, missing ,not glued . I prefer scale trains .never had a problem
As far as parts being loose and falling of I have had that with both manufacturers so far. I kinda look at it as the cost of having the level of detail we get these days.
Who's going to come out with working step lights!, that's the deal breaker for me!
Bowser sd40s. Next run
That would be nice to have factory as those are a bit of a pain to install.
You will have to change the program
Ay be turned down