Recently, I was able to acquire a new acquisition to my collection. A LGB Genesis Locomotive. Made by LGB and manufactured in China, this locomotive is a real head turner in my opinion. I’ve always liked the Genesis Locomotive for its modern lines and wonderful engineering. LGB captured the model quite nicely.

The model I have is the Phase IV GE P40-8. Painted in silver with a blue stripe that goes around the whole entire body with a red and white stripe just above the blue stripe. The locomotive features are as follows:
Weather resistant construction
Interface for installation of DCC decoder
Opening cab doors
Four way power control switch
Two protected gearboxes with seven pole Buler motors
Eight powered wheels
Two traction tires
Twelve power pick ups
Automatic directional lighting
Head lights and instrument lighting
w/reliable low current draw LED’s
Multi purpose socket with circuit breakers
Length is 720 mm or 28.3 inches

The overall look is quite nice. With separately applied details. Like windshield wipers and grab irons. There are coupler cut bars on both ends and this particular model comes with standard knuckle couplers. The trucks look very detailed with springs and separately applied details as well. The GE builders plate adorns the left side under the cab. The front of the locomotive is very nice with a plow and simulated air hoses. On top are simulated air horns and a non operating cooling fan. This model does not feature a active smoke unit or working fan, but I am sure with a little rewiring and some basic hobby type work, the unit can be made to accommodate a fully operational smoke unit. The sides of the locomotive feature various vents. There is a detailed interior with an engineer and again, the instrument panel is lighted. Also, there are side view mirrors on both sides of the cab and sliding side windows. A nice touch.

As near as I can tell, there are three different paint schemes that were offered by LGB in limited runs. I believe mine is the second to last. The first, being the red white and blue striped version and the last being the more up to date version. Phase V paint scheme. Which is blue and silver with the new Amtrak logos adorning it.

I ran the locomotive for a few loops around a basic oval and she looked real smooth. The top of the body features a panel that can be removed to view the electronics within. Although this unit was manufactured in China, the standards appear very high. As one would expect from an LGB product. I really like this locomotive allot and hope to add cars one day to it.

Prices vary from as little as $400 dollars to as much as $700 dollars with sound system installed. I like Amtrak allot and they have a really cool fleet of locomotives. LGB did a first rate job capturing the essence of this particular late 90’s locomotive.

I’ll try and post pictures but my PC is having some issues regarding pictures. Thank You.

Update:

http://www.gbdb.info/data/media/97/LGB_21490_1200es.jpg

Good review. Well written. Thank you.

Here is the picture you added…

(http://www.gbdb.info/data/media/97/LGB_21490_1200es.jpg)

Thanks Joe.

I posted a link for the picture.

I have one of these plus all three AmFleet cars (two different numbered coaches and a cafe car). LGB also made a sort of Material Handling car as well (which I do not have).

I have never run the things, they just sit on a mantel right now.

I found a phase V Genesis which sports the most recent paint scheme. It has the new Amtrak logo with a widget underneath it. However, the fellow wants some $700.00 total for it from England. Way too much as far as I am concerned. I’ll wait.

As near as I can tell, no one as ever made the double decker cars. One fellow scratched built his and they look real cool, but another person said that the cars were a little on the short side in height. Which may be true because when you see them next to the Genesis locomotive, the heights for both car and engine appear nearly the same. Which is not prototypical, but who cares. The guy did a bang up job replicating those double decker cars. Complete with all markings and current Amtrak logos. Real cool.

I wish LGB would produce more Amtrak cars to go with the engines. From what I see, there is hardly anything out there unless you are willing to pony up huge dollars to buy something on EBay.

If anyone has even one car to sell, I would be happy to entertain a possible purchase depending on price and location.

I added the smoke unit to mine, a 5 minute add-on.

The removable top piece was made for the LGB 5 volt smoke unit and the board on the chassis has 2 pins for plugging it in.

Just be sure not to use the 2 pins that are track power located in the middle.

And then I stripped out all the electronics and added the Zimo decoder.

Working ditch lights are awesome.

That is nice Dan. I will likely follow suit with mine one day, but for now, she sits idle and on display.

LGB and PIKO locomotives appear to be real easy to work on and modify. Though I must confess my experiences in that area thus far, are quite limited. I just like the Genesis locomotive allot. Its a cool looking engine in this scale.

I have heard a sound board is an easy project on this model; has anyone done so and what board was used?

Easy is not what I did to mine.

I removed the LGB main DC board and installed the MX695 Zimo decoder in mine and then rewired all the lights.

Ditch lights flash when I blow the horn with F2.

Added LGB 5 volt smoke unit

John, I did the same thing as Dan; removed the stock electronics and wired in an Airwire/Phoenix combination directly to the motor and lights. You’ve got to do some minor surgery on the lighting PC boards to get the flashing ditch lights, but it’s a matter of cutting a few traces. I don’t remember if it was Dan who posted somewhere on line how that’s done or who did it, but it’s online somewhere.

If you just want to add sound, such as the Phoenix PB11, you’d need only tap into the power coming from the track to feed the Phoenix, wire in the back-up battery needed when track voltages are low, and connect the speaker. That is pretty easy. I don’t remember which of the 4 wires coming from the trucks is power from the rails, but an ohmmeter will tell you that quickly enough.

Welcome to LSC! I used to work for Time Warner in Rochester as a photographer, so I know that neck of the woods well. (I lived in Avon.) You’ve got to be getting pretty jazzed that it’s almost warm enough to run trains!

Later,

K

I put MTH’s PS2 system and smoke unit in mine. All the wiring needs to be reworked for this. It was pretty easy. Some of the stock LEDs remained. I swapped out the headlights to get better color if I remember right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ppSRUg6Ng

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ppSRUg6Ng[/youtube]

Thanks Boss!!

I saw one of these down at the old Watts Train Shop that Ross had added Phoenix sound to and it was awsome looking and sounding! If the sound install is above someones skill level, I can highly recommend Ross, he is working at former Watts employee Rick Whitt’s new shop Zionsville Train Depot. Cheers Mike

I’ve watched the prices go from $200.00 back when LGB first came out with these to prices mentioned above of $400.00 and higher. Seems like they couldn’t give them away a few years ago.

Dan, yea it seamed that way to me too. But now that they are “rare”, they are worth so much more.

Wonder how much my rare 1st generation Aristo Rogers is worth?

Steve, I’ll give you $20 for it.

“I gotcha a dollar”