Nick, i too own an Athearn challenger:thumb:. i think it runs and sounds GREAT!

now for the down side

, Athearn uses MRC decoders in them, witch is fine but, they DO NOT shut down like the QSI decoders that are in BLI engines. the best you can do with them is turn the sound off by pushing F0 or 0 three times. heres a tip you might already know but if you don't it could be helpful. any engines that you CANT turn off(shut the motor down), should be put on a blocked track. thats right, a blocked track. why?, well when you turn the power on for the layout, ALL DCC engines that cant be shut down are receiving power, whether you are running them, or they are just sitting

. to save wear on your engines, you should isolate engines NOT in use on a blocked track. sure you DON'T have to do this, HOWEVER, i HIGHLY recommend this practice:thumb:

. just wanted to pass on the info on the Athearn challengers, and my advice on engines that cant be "shut down". hope this info might help:thumb:

.