Product Review: Athearn AC4400

Today I am reviewing another recent release from Athearn.  While this did not get nearly the attention as the SD70ACe, it is still another quality release from Athearn.  Their latest AC4400 locomotives have again proven to be a great buy.

Exterior:
The model I have is in the latest BNSF paint scheme, and represents unit number 5840.  There are three road numbers available in this paint scheme.  The paint scheme is accurately represented on the model.  The paint is crisp and lines are clear and clean.  None of the lines are blurred between colors. The logos, numbers, and warnings and information are in the correct places. The warning signs are all present, and at a glance look great.  Under close inspection, some of them cannot be read, and a couple of them have colors that do not line up quite perfectly.  The builder's plate is also found on the nose, just above the F symbol.  It looks good, and it is accurate, although I was unable to read the information on it with the magnification available to me.

The level of detail on the model is good.  Hand rails, grab bars, ladders, and railings are all present and are separately applied in the factory.  Additionally, sun visors, mirrors, and sand filler hatches are there.  The locomotive does have ditch lights, although they are not operable.  The MU plugs and dummy plugs are present on the end of the model, however there are no air hoses or cables.  The most obvious thing missing is the windshield wipers, although one will also notice that the steps behind the cab are also missing.  The trucks have the important details, such as brake cylinders and suspension parts, but the lack sander hoses and many of the finer detail parts.  This locomotive does not feature an interior.

Operation:

This locomotive is considered a "DCC Ready" product.  Out of the box, it is a DC model, but by removing the couplers and removing the plastic shell, the user can add a DCC decoder.  There is a 9-pin plug, and a standard 9-pin DCC decoder can simply be plugged in and programmed.  The locomotive started fairly smoothly.  At extremely slow speeds, it is a very slightly shaky getting going.  When decelerated to an extremely slow speed, for some reason, it operates more smoothly.

The model features working headlights on both ends.  Out of the box, they are directionally sensitive.  The ditch lights are simply plastic models of ditch lights, and as such, they do not operate.  These could be replaced with operational ditch lights, although that project would be a bit involved.  The model comes with McHenry knuckle couplers.  I chose to replace them with scale couplers from Sergent Engineering.  Typically these locomotives can be found sporting AAR type F couplers, so that is what I put on the locomotive.

Overall, I am pleased with this model.  While it does not feature an exceptional level of detail, and it is not the best locomotive available, it represents a very good value.  At $109.98, it is very affordable, and represents the prototype well enough to satisfy even the most demanding modeler, even without all the bells and whistles available on other models.

Manufacturer: Athearn
Model Number: ATH77642
MSRP: $109.98
Available in the following paint schemes:
BNSF Railway
Canadian Pacific
Ferromex
Ferrosur