I went looking for an Athearn steam loco for my layout and I now have a tough decision to make. I can either buy a Big Boy #UP 4006 with an hour or so of run time on it for $185 including shipping or I can buy a Challenger with the Tsunami sound decoder #UP 3985 for $295 including shipping and the Challenger is new in box. What do I do? I want both, but simply cannot afford it. Which one sounds better? Are there any flaws or bonuses to either one that will help me choose?
I think the thing that is hanging me up is the sound produced by the Tsunami decoder. Is there any way to put one of those in the Big Boy? That would be the thing that seals it for me I think.
Yes you can get a decoder with sound for the Big Boy also. Its the Tsunami TSU1000 for heavy steam locos. It does set you back about ninety dollars plus shipping. Unless you can get the decoder cheaper then the Challenger looks to be a better deal.
The big boy worked a very limited area, the challenger less limited. The big boy was strictly freight power, the challenger did both freight and passenger. Buy the challenger.
I have both locomotives, though my Challenger has the MRC decoder (older run). I have found the Challenger to be more versatile on my layout. If you put a gun to my head and told me to choose one, that would be what I would choose.
Since I run all modern stuff (just put decoders in my FVM GEVOs), any steam I run would be fantasy other than the 3985. If I put a Big Boy on the rails it wouldn't matter what I put behind it since it would be fantasy. I do think the idea of having a 3985 excursion train is pretty awesome though. Then I could run it and not be completely fantasy...:tb-wacky:
How old is it Really!!! and is it DCC ready IF not they are a real challenge to convert. Do you have a money back guarantee if your not happy---can you trust the party your dealing with; Good Luck AlanC.
Let's look at it at it logically....the Big Boy in the real world was ran on one line. The Challenger ran EVERYWHERE. There were 25 Big Boy's...8 are still around. The sharpest curve the Big Boys could negotiate was a 20 degree curve. In N scale, this would be a 22 inch radius curve. There were 105 UP Challengers, 2 survive, and 1 still runs. I can not find the minimum radius for a Challenger.
The challenger is gonna work out to be two drive wheels shorter than the big boy. So what, 12 feet? Call it a minimum radius of 18 and you'll still get the picture.
For all we know Sierra117 could be modeling Thomas the Tank Engine and the Island of Sodor. Maybe he needs those GEVO's as pushers on Gordon's Hill and and a Bigboy to take ol' Annie and Clarabel out for a spin once in a while. So, who cares where Bigboy's ran and didn't, how many Challengers were made, who had them, how many survive today and what minimum degree curve they could handle. For N-scale purposes these engines need at least (probably) 12" radius, I think Athearn says around 11" although mine tend to climb the rail on 11" radius. If the 3985 with some passenger cars to make a excursion train is the image you just can't get out of your head, go for the 3985 (Challenger). If running the biggest locomotive you can get your hands on is what tickles your fancy, then go with the Bigboy. Either way, Athearn will probably release more of each type of engine in the future and the type you don't get now you can get later.
I agree! I would get the rarest of the two. But once you do that, 10 cheaper items show up on e-bay!!!:tb-hissyfit:
the one time that I rode behind Thomas, we were pushed by a FP45 in Canadian passenger cars through Southern California......
Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated the thread to let you know what I picked, but I got sick and then as soon as I got better everyone else in the house got sink then gave it back to me. Oh well. I ended up going with the Big Boy since they are few and far in between. I do have one guy that I met on N Scale Yard Sale tell me that he has a 3985 that he will set aside for me for a few months until my budget recovers a little. So in a way I guess I got both. And I have to give a thumbs up to mrlxhelper because I actually do have an N scale Thomas the Tank Engine and am getting a James and a Henry in the near future so my little boy can run them and have some fun with my layout as well. He loves the Big Boy, but having the Really Useful Engines to run would make him a lot happier. Now if only someone can tell me just what decoder will fit in Thomas...
