I have four of the H0 Challenger and one BigBoy, from Athearn. They pull very good and run very well. Using 30 inch radius they just glide around. The engines are mechanically made good , but I have changed the decoders in all 5 engines. Put in Tsunamis insread.
Two of the orginal MRC decoders just died. Got an new one from Athearn for the first one, but when running, the sounds live its own life. Sometimes when running at speed, the conductor calling, All aboard, in an freight train . I could not program it to quit. That was the time I change all decoders to Tsunami. Decoders I can both program and read back.
The engines are still worth the money.

If it is the New Heljan turntable, it's the same as Walthers. Heljan make them for Walthers.
I have the 130' TT, and love it. Indexing and automatic changeing of polarity.

Ivar

in Norway

Quote from: Conrail Quality on July 19, 2007, 10:54:14 PM
As far as I know, the strobes on the Bachmann F40 a a figment of some Bachmann designer's imagination. I could be wrong, but I've never heard of any Amtrak Locomotive having strobes.

Look at old pictures, and you see the two strobelights on the roof of the F40PH

Ivar in Norway

You dont have very much place to put a decoder.
I have put a Tsunami Heavy Steam decoder and speaker in the tender.
I made a looong wireharness on the 8 pin plugg. Use the orginal 8 pin in the engine and put the wire under the plastiv body. and back to the cab and over to the tender. Hardwired the decoder there. Did this with two FEF-3. I have put a Soundtraxx cam on one of the last drivewheel, and get synkronized sound.

Ivar Aas
Norway