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Athearn Genesis - Item No. ATHG-2078
3.7 out of 5 Customer Rating

HO GEN 4-8-8-4 'Big Boy' Locomotive w/DCC & Sound & CA-11 Caboose w/Lights & Sound, Locomotive- UP #4014, Caboose- UP 'Snowbus' #25809

$782.60
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Big Boy No. 4014 departed on the “Heartland of America Tour” on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, traveling across nine additional states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The eight-week tour concludes in late October 2024. Union Pacific modified a total of five CA-11 cabooses to serve as ‘Snowbuses’. Two of these had their porches fully enclosed for this assignment. These cars were equipped with MU and signal hoses as they were positioned in the middle of back to back locomotives which amounted to the entire train. The Snowbus would ferry crews to locations otherwise unreachable in the worst weather. Recently, 25809 was included in 2023’s Big Boy #4014 excursion train. This special set includes UP 4014 and snowbus caboose 25809 (part of the Big Boy’s 2024 excursion train). Special box art will be featured with a Texas motif, which is unique to this one-time-only release. Additionally, the 4014 will feature details and decoration to better match its current appearance, such as polished cylinder heads, rear tender markings, Sinclair antennas on the cab, and various commemorative plaques on the loco and tender. Athearn is tooling new details as well, such as the triple dynamos, PTC boxes, and tender oil bunker details.

ATHEARN GENESIS BIG BOY STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WITH SNOWBUS CABOOSE PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

Union Pacific wanted something that could make the same speeds as the Challengers but could carry the entire 4,290-ton train over the Wahsatch Mountains without a helper. The easiest solution was to scale up the successful Challenger design by adding another pair of drivers to each half of the locomotive, thus making a 4-8-8-4.

In 1941, UP placed an order for twenty 4-8-8-4's, numbered 4000 through 4019, with the American Locomotive Works. According to legend, an unidentified machinist at the ALCO plant is responsible for the name “Big Boy”, having scrawled the name in chalk on a partially completed locomotive.

The Big Boys were exactly what the railroad wanted. They were coal burners with 68-inch drivers, 135,375 pounds of tractive effort and 6,000 horsepower. They started service on the line from Ogden to Green River, Wyoming and their operating range soon increased to cover the line all the way to Cheyenne.

Traffic during WWII resulted in five more Big Boys, numbered 4020 through 2024. being built in 1944. These versions were slightly heavier than the original order due to wartime materials restrictions. Despite the influx of diesel locomotives following WWII, the Big Boys and Challengers remained the prime power on the Overland Route. They also say service as helpers, leading gas turbines and diesels over Sherman Hill. They remained active through the 1950s and weren't retired until the early 1960s. By then, the first twenty units had been run well over one million miles.

ATHEARN GENESIS BIG BOY STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

  • Illuminated number boards and headlights
  • Headlight turns off in reverse
  • Illuminated directional back-up light in the tender
  • Correctly operating eccentric cranks
  • Adjustable top cab vent and cab windows
  • Pivoting front and rear engines for negotiating 18” radius curves
  • Boiler backhead with full details and printed gauges
  • Synchronized chuff, whistle, bell, blow-down, air compressor, dyno and pop-off valve sounds
  • User-controlled whistle, short whistle, bell, squeal, coupler crash, injector, water stop and light dimmer
  • Current pick-up on all driver and wheels
  • Individually-applied detail parts, including brass-painted bell and whistle, piping, valves, generator, steps, air pump, air tanks, reverser and coupler lift bar
  • Front coupler pocket can be inserted to mount operating coupler
  • Dual speakers for great sound quality
  • Upgraded headlight lighting with brighter LED
  • Improved loco-to-tender connection harness for increased durability and serviceability
  • Minimum recommended radius: 22”

ATHEARN GENESIS CA-11 CABOOSE FEATURES:

  • Better than brass detail™ including roadname and road number specific detail and laser-sharp painting and printing
  • Fully detailed interior including conductor's desk, stove, sink, bathroom, radio stand, and more
  • Lighting functions in DCC with brightness control
  • Lit walkway lights; an Athearn Genesis ICC Caboose first
  • See-through end platforms and steps
  • Etched metal window screens on door and some side windows
  • Flush window glazing
  • Wire-form grab irons
  • Caboose trucks with rotating roller bearing caps
  • Axle generator details
  • Body-mounted McHenry® scale knuckle-spring Couplers
  • Multiple road numbers
  • Separate wireform grab irons, etched metal coupler platforms
  • Coupler lift bars, trainline hoses, brake hoses, and hardware
  • Full underframe detail: air brake reservoir, control valve, and brake cylinder with plumbing and brake rod details
  • Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
  • Weighted for trouble-free operation
  • Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box
  • Accurately painted and printed for prototypical realism
  • Highly-detailed, injection-molded body
  • Window packaging for easy viewing, plus interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
  • Minimum radius: 18”

LOCOMOTIVE SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:

  • On-board DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
  • Dual speakers for optimal sound quality
  • Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
  • Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
  • Engine, whistle, 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

CABOOSE SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:

  • On-board DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami Soundcar sound
  • Air horn or trainline air whistle as appropriate
  • Clickety-clack with optional wheel flat spot sounds
  • Brake set/release sounds including retainers and brake squeal
  • ”Big Hole” emergency brake application sound
  • Handbrake tie-down/release
  • Adjustable flange squeal
  • Air horn, and bell sounds work seamlessly with Soundtraxx locomotive sound decoders
  • Supports advanced consisting in DCC
  • Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
  • All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode

BIG BOY FEATURES:

  • 2024 style new “Big Boy” font printed on smokebox door
  • Current tender markings
  • Additional “plaques” applied to boiler and tender
  • “Polished” cylinder heads
  • “Polished” paint finish
  • PTC Equipment

SNOWBUS FEATURES:

  • Unique body style with enclosed end porches
  • Features insulated,-non-opening windows
  • MU pedestal and rubber signal hoses unique to these cars
  • Additional center-mounted porch light
  • Original straight steps

Product Specs

Axles
12
Coupler Style
McHenry Scale Knuckle
DCC
Equipped
Era
2010-Present Day
Full Road Name
Union Pacific
Lighting
LED
Minimum Radius
18
Prototype Manufacturer
American Locomotive Company (ALCO)
Reporting Mark
UP
Scale
HO
Sound
Tsunami2
Sub Brand
GENESIS
Wheel Configuration
4-8-8-4