Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 48 minutes ago
Athearn runs their pre-orders about 2 years out. So when they announce a new product, those items are available for preorder. Once the preorder deadline closes, Athearn sends the purchase order to the factory for the total number of that item preordered by the customers. In some cases, the models announced have not actually be started, only the artwork images are released to show customers what to expect.
It can take months to have the factory cut tooling, refine, then produce, paint, assemble, package, load, and ship across the Pacific Ocean on a container, wait for unloading at the port, wait in Customs, then ship across the US to the Horizon Hobby warehouse in Champaign, IL. And that's assuming there are no delays in the supply chain!
So, 2 years ago I preordered this GP38-2, and this week it showed up!
I had a feeling it was coming soon, so I held onto a spare Loksound 5 and Scale Sound System's speaker just for the occasion.
Most of my thoughts about this model are in the video. I will add a couple other things that caught my attention after the fact.
The steps do not have a see-through tread. They're just smooth plastic. Many other manufacturers are doing photo-etched steps. For a Genesis model, I would have expected that detail.
My other complaint is relying on the light pipe glued to the end of the LEDs used for the head and ditch lights to effectively transmit the light. The lights that can be seen outside of the housing is enough, but not as bright as my InterMountain or Scale Trains models.
Viewer voting opportunity:
Leave a comment if you would like to see a weathering video on this unit, and how dirty, grimy, rusty, or covered in graffiti you would like to see it become.
Athearn runs their pre-orders about 2 years out. So when they announce a new product, those items are available for preorder. Once the preorder deadline closes, Athearn sends the purchase order to the factory for the total number of that item preordered by the customers. In some cases, the models announced have not actually be started, only the artwork images are released to show customers what to expect.
It can take months to have the factory cut tooling, refine, then produce, paint, assemble, package, load, and ship across the Pacific Ocean on a container, wait for unloading at the port, wait in Customs, then ship across the US to the Horizon Hobby warehouse in Champaign, IL. And that's assuming there are no delays in the supply chain!
So, 2 years ago I preordered this GP38-2, and this week it showed up!
I had a feeling it was coming soon, so I held onto a spare Loksound 5 and Scale Sound System's speaker just for the occasion.
Most of my thoughts about this model are in the video. I will add a couple other things that caught my attention after the fact.
The steps do not have a see-through tread. They're just smooth plastic. Many other manufacturers are doing photo-etched steps. For a Genesis model, I would have expected that detail.
My other complaint is relying on the light pipe glued to the end of the LEDs used for the head and ditch lights to effectively transmit the light. The lights that can be seen outside of the housing is enough, but not as bright as my InterMountain or Scale Trains models.
Viewer voting opportunity:
Leave a comment if you would like to see a weathering video on this unit, and how dirty, grimy, rusty, or covered in graffiti you would like to see it become.
