http://www.lionel.com/CentralStation/NewsStand/viewrelease.cfm?newsID=182
"...many of the components are so out-of-date that producing the set is next to impossible."
I imagine that the same could be said about repairing it.
Bob Nelson
Bob
One of your EE bretheren in Califorina, Dale Manquen, has offered to repair Cab 1 and or TMCC Command Bases for $25 shiped to him if S&H is paid. He has had them apart and knows the unsual fixes required.
Well, like anything these days, it did not last forever. So, someday I will get legacy....when there is no one on the planet that can fix my old, well used, and proven TMCC. I wonder if the TMCC will be viewed as the postwar style standard of the digital age?
At least Lionel finally provided an answer.
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well we new it was coming for me I have the legacy and since its return from Jon at lionel it works very well!
I still have the old command base and cab-1 hooked up as a backup just in case Legacy needs something fixed.
now legacy has been out for what 2 years or so that leaves approximately 13 years to the next new system if they so choose to replace the legacy with something even better can't imagine what would be better than what were seeing so far true?
but then again pure speculation on my part here an Ipad type device that showed your layout trackage as built with train tracking capabilities with touch screen command controls yes I know it would be huge but hey I got used to the legacy remote and I can now use it one handed!
so what do you all think if your going to dream it might as well be a biggie true.
While there are many people that still love TMCC, from a business standpoint it doesn't really make much sense to have it and Legacy. Especially when Legacy is backward compatible with TMCC. The downside to Legacy of course is that it costs more and not everyone needs everything it can do. Just because TMCC is going away doesn't necessarily mean those that have it need to upgrade. I'm sure there will still be someone out there for some time to come who can fix it if it breaks and there will probably still be a supply available for a while yet too with ebay being what it is. In 50 years some people will probably look back on it fondly like some today do with Super-O track.
Although from a personal point of view I can understand and accept the economic realities behind the dropping of TMCC-1 from production. However what the long term impact this will have on some aspects of the hobby is going to be hard to predict. Our club which operates in a public venue has as one of it's primary goals the promotion of the hobby thru various means. This included allowing guests, when appropriate, to control a train and thru our "Kid's Club". Early on the most often used controler was the MTH hanheld unit/Z-4000, when that was discontinued we switched to the CAB-1/TPC/(2)180wBricks. Now as the CAB-1's die out we will have to look at the cost potential of using the DCS controller or the Legacy controller for these activities. This could be a big increase in club operating expenses, since we do operate many more hours per week.
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lionelsoni "...many of the components are so out-of-date that producing the set is next to impossible." I imagine that the same could be said about repairing it.
I don't have any original run CW-80s, but the two new ones I have work just fine. Quite attractive and functional, and bought with train sets, good value. I haven't read of any problems with the newer versions of the CW-80s.
From what it says on the Lionel info sheet there, the new Legacy will control any conventional engine.
I want to find out more information before I go spending any money on Legacy system.
Lee F.
nblum I don't have any original run CW-80s, but the two new ones I have work just fine. Quite attractive and functional, and bought with train sets, good value. I haven't read of any problems with the newer versions of the CW-80s.
When one little component/piece breaks .... they're unrepairable .... a throw away item ....
My experience with Lionel has been that when a piece that isn't repairable fails, particularly a transformer, they just replace the entire component. They did so out of warranty for a Powermaster, and refunded the purchase price of an MW transformer several years after it was purchased. Frankly, no one wants to have consumers repairing modern transformers themselves, which is why they are not consumer serviceable.
The newer versions of the CW80 are both robust and function well as far as I've experienced or heard. To rip the newer versions for the failings of the first run is not accurate or helpful, particularly since Lionel has made good on all these failures.
What is his address or email ?
Dale used to maintain a web site but Googling his name shows his web site domain name has expired.
You might be able to reach him via the OGR forum. His screen name is Dale Manquen. He is still posting there.
Regards, Roy
This is very unfortunate but perhaps in hindsight like all things, predictable. My immediate response is really a question. Isn't this a disincentive to "throw away good money after bad?" The system, from what I observed from my friends use, ( I avoided it) served a very useful purpose, and I know several that have a substantial investment in it that now as another opined is basically "junk" . Another question: What about any collectors future use or value? Good Lord, I know I have been branded a doom sayer, but really..this situation seems to have jumped the shark. I have toyed with the idea of conversion to be honest, but now that ambivalence has been cured. This is really a shame. I wish these two systems (MTH -Lionel) would get together and have a kid. My bucket list includes non train items..and the image of quadraphonic stereo systems come to mind which was a long ago fiasco, or betamax versus gigantic digital vinyl records, or cassette tapes vs eight track. I think they unintentionally opened up a Pandora's Box that will cycle like this into infinity unless someone comes up with immersible 3D train layouts, which I think is inevitable and is the future of the hobby. Sometimes I feel like I am collecting cuckoo clocks but I like them so ..cest la vie!
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
Here's the thing. The Legacy System controlls Conventional, TMCC, and Legacy engines equally well and MUCH better than the original TMCC system.My issue now is with the continued delay in sending the update. Here is where I think MTH has Lionel beat. With DCS you download the update off the internet and install the update via a serial cable... Lionel has what appears to be a USB port for the modules, so I'm not sure why they have decided on the Module route... all I know is it is driving me nuts.
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