LionMaster Union Pacific Big Boy

[Anonymous]

I just purchased this beauty this morning. This is my frist venture into railsounds and I hope to be getting TMCC in the next few months. This engine is a bit big for my Portable Door layout but I have already made plans to expand. This engine can run on O31 curves but I have O42 curves on the outter loop. The sounds are awsome and Makes me really want to see what I can do about getting sounds in all my postwar locos. I really havent had a chance to run this yet except on a few feet of straight track but I am hopping to have all the track on my layout re-layed by the end of the week. I know this engine is going to look silly running around on a small loop but It will do some shelf time till I get to make a real layout in a few years. I will have some pictues posted hopefully next week of the layout and its expansion early next week. I also received my postwar ZW in the mail today. Wish i had this transformer years ago. My TW works awsome but nothing compairs to the ZW. Well thats all for now.

[wrmcclellan]

You are going to really enjoy this engine. I have the Lionmaster UP Challenger and it is one of my favorite traditional size engines. Another favorite is the Lionmaster NYC Hudson. Lionel has really done an outstanding job engineering this new line and I look forward to other designs they may introduce. In addition to pre and postwar and modern traditional, I also have scale Lionel, Weaver, Williams, and MTH stuff, so I like the variety.

Regards

[Anonymous]

Jim,

Congratulations on your new engine and no, it will not look silly on your small layout! It will just look that much better on your future larger layout.

If this is your first venture into the realm of electronic toy trains, I would highly recomment two things:

1) A 10 Amp quick-blow fuse in the line from the ZW or TW to the track. If you are using true post-war transformers, the breakers, even when in excellant condition, are too slow to react to a short circuit. Where this does not bother post-war equipment, it can damage the newer electronics.

2) Spike or surge suppression. A lot of people have stated that the modern electronics are not reliable-I heartily disagree with this. I do believe that proper spike protection is good insurance for the locomotive's on board electronics. I believe that QSI made a spike supressor and Scott's Odds and Ends may make one also. I am a DCS )as well as TMCC) operator so I get spike suppression from my TIU.

However you accomplish it, I would make sure that the new BigBoy has adequate protection of both kinds, so that it will give you years of good service.