Would You.......

[Cheese]

So I've noticed. LOL. I must admit I have done that before.

I have also noticed that there is a bit of hostility towards MTH. I must agree that I am a bit annoyed that their engines aren't compatibile with TMCC, but I have never been a big fan of command control so it dosen't matter much.

I know one thing though, I'm going to start setting aside some spare cash for a decapod.

Cheese

[Deputy]

Cheese

Thanks to all who answered my question. I admit I was suprised to see that this topic was on Page 1, with 2 , as its such a frivilous topic, so i was naturally excitied to read all the responses. and as you can imagine, I was a bit disapointed when it became a debate about MTH's electronics. Oh well.

Thanks again.

Veering OT sometimes happens with a question like this. If people just answered yes or no, it leaves people wondering why yes or why no. When they do elaborate, then others (like me) tend to answer the elaborations. From the looks of things there isn't a lot of interest in the Decapod on this forum. Then again, lots of folks on this forum just plain don't like MTH for all kinds of reasons. You might try asking the same question on the OGR forum and see if you get more replies.

Dep

[Cheese]

Thanks to all who answered my question. I admit I was suprised to see that this topic was on Page 1, with 2 , as its such a frivilous topic, so i was naturally excitied to read all the responses. and as you can imagine, I was a bit disapointed when it became a debate about MTH's electronics. Oh well.

Thanks again.

[Berk765]

Yeah, good advice I need to be ALOT more careful with my MTH's sensitive electronics. MTH's are pretty good. I guess I bashed them with out good reasons only preferances. I wouldn't mind having another I guess.

[Deputy]

BILLBOBBOY1

Deputy,

I asked J&W several months ago about using a BCR in the ZW voltmeter.  The answer I got, via email, was "BCRs only work with a charging system".  But it certainly appears to me that the voltmeter has a charging function: it charges the 9volt.

Let us all know what answer you get.  I would really like to get rid of the rechargable 9volt in my voltmeters.

Bill

Bill: I haven't forgotten about my exchange with the folks at J&W. They said thay are going to try it out and let me know. My ZW comes back from being serviced today. I will e-mail J&W again and ask them if they have any results from their testing. I agree that it seems there is some kind of charging circuitry in the volt/amp meter. otherwise, the Nicad that Lionel installs wouldn't recharge. I just want to make sure I don't burn anything up installing the battery replacement. I don't think it will, but I want to be sure. If I get a no, I'll just buy a super-duty 9 volt NiMh that has 250Mah of recharge capability like this one:

http://www.batteriesandbutter.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NiMH9V250MAH&Category_Code=rc9v

[cbq9911a]

Cheese

Buy an MTH Railking "Russian" Decapod if one was released?

The recent introduction of the Primeir Russian Decapod got me thinking about that, as the Russian Dec. is one of my favorite locomotive types and the only Premeir line locomotive that nearly swayed me to the "dark side".

I just wanted to see if there was a meeting of the minds (and bank accounts) out there.

Cheese

 

I'd buy one if it were the Baldwin version with the air pumps on the pilot beam, like Frisco 1630.  And if it were made that way MTH would sell 200 in Chicagoland.

[BILLBOBBOY1]

Deputy,

I asked J&W several months ago about using a BCR in the ZW voltmeter.  The answer I got, via email, was "BCRs only work with a charging system".  But it certainly appears to me that the voltmeter has a charging function: it charges the 9volt.

Let us all know what answer you get.  I would really like to get rid of the rechargable 9volt in my voltmeters.

Bill

[Deputy]

Berk765

I don't think I would get another MTH because most of there sounds are not that good. Sometimes the chuffing sounds like a person swishing saliva back and forth in their mouths. I like the speed control feature, but you have to have plenty of feeder wires otherwise the loco will either slow down or speed up in spots where electricity is weak or stronger and thats annoying. Also the electronics cost 200 dollars to fix if you happen to create a short circuit and fry them. So I think I would get more Lionel's because they are more durable than MTH is.

The sounds of the different train makers is pretty much a subjective/personal preference thing. I like the MTH sounds and haven't experienced a loco that I didn't like the sound of. Then again, heavy artillery fire messed up my hearing so bad that it doesn't pick out low and high notes
I haven't built my permanent layout yet. It will be a 9 X 15, so I have no doubt I will need feeder wires to the tracks distant from the transformer. But this is something you need with any locomotive, be it Lionel, MTH, Williams or Atlas. That's just the nature of electricity. I run modern transformers (MTH Z-4000) with better short circuit protection, or postwar transformers with fast blow fuses. I will also be using the special circuit protectors recommended by Bob Nelson. If you use modern locos with expensive electronics, you just gotta take precautions to protect them.   

 

[Deputy]

lionroar88

Dep - to each his own, but I'll not install batteries in any of my engines/rolling stock

As for the Christmas boxcar - you could replace the trucks without pickups, with trucks with pickups, and then create some electronics gizmo that would supply a constant 9v to the power input connector. I was thinking to do this with my wireless camera but decided I would just buy a AA or C battery pack that I can power it with... much easier than going through converting a car and messing with the wires.

For me I can live with lack of shutdown sequence vs the cost of BCRs and the chance of leakage.

Brent: With you 100% when it comes to Alkaline batteries. And I'm not real crazy about Nicad either.
I can live with NiMh until I switch over to battery eliminators. I also agree with you about not wanting to fool around with converting my Christmas music car to get power off the track. I still think Lionel should have made it a rechargeable-capable when they produced it, but it probably would have made it even more expensive than it is. It's not too difficult to swap out it's battery. so I'll use a NiMh rechargeable to power it. I have totally sworn off Alkaline batteries to power anything I own that uses batteries. Only exception are smoke alarms. I have seen and experienced way too many items damaged and destroyed by leaky Alkalines for me to use them again. It's one thing to lose a $10 flashlight...it's something else to have a $300-$400 locomotive ruined.

Dep

[Berk765]

I don't think I would get another MTH because most of there sounds are not that good. Sometimes the chuffing sounds like a person swishing saliva back and forth in their mouths. I like the speed control feature, but you have to have plenty of feeder wires otherwise the loco will either slow down or speed up in spots where electricity is weak or stronger and thats annoying. Also the electronics cost 200 dollars to fix if you happen to create a short circuit and fry them. So I think I would get more Lionel's because they are more durable than MTH is.

[Anonymous]

Dep - to each his own, but I'll not install batteries in any of my engines/rolling stock

As for the Christmas boxcar - you could replace the trucks without pickups, with trucks with pickups, and then create some electronics gizmo that would supply a constant 9v to the power input connector. I was thinking to do this with my wireless camera but decided I would just buy a AA or C battery pack that I can power it with... much easier than going through converting a car and messing with the wires.

For me I can live with lack of shutdown sequence vs the cost of BCRs and the chance of leakage.

[Deputy]

Sir James: At least with the MTH stuff there is no worry about leakage. I plan on a progressive replacement of all my batteries in MTH products with battery eliminators. I also hate batteries with a passion. I will also replace the Lionel battery systems where possible with battery eliminators and charging converters. The catch to the battery eliminators are the dang price...not cheap, especially if you own a lot of locos. I'm still waiting on a reply from J & W on using a 9-volt battery eliminator for my amp-volt gauge setup on the ZW. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will work.

[sir james I]

Dep. my dislike for the MTH battery system is no secret. All of mine have BCRs. The Lionel 9volt backup seems too power hungery so  I just don't put them in. So my first answer still stands,  when they use a system  were  the engine will run without a battery I will reconsider. They have saved me,lots of money though because there were  some real nice engines I would have bought.

[Deputy]

lionroar88

There really shouldn't be a need for a battery at all... the purpose of the battery is to compensate for momentary power loss and there are simple circuits for storing enough power for a momentary loss (2-3 seconds is really all you need).

I don't take the chance with batteries and simply deal with the momentary loss of sound (it actually serves to identify where I have something to investigate on the layout)... I would rather know about a problem and fix it than to not know and have it cause larger problems down the road.

Actually, I have found three uses for the battery:
#1 When you shut a loco down that has sound, without the battery, it shuts off abruptly. With a battery the shut down is more gradual and realistic.
#2 I have the Lionel Mikado NYC breakdown set. Without a battery the crewtalk is badly garbled. With a battery it's much clearer.
#3 I have a Lionel Christmas Music boxcar. The music plays off the battery. No battery...no music. Unfortunately, it has no roller pickup, so I have to keep replacing dead batteries.

Dep

[Deputy]

lionroar88

Deputy

And as I said, it won't take long for DCS to operate the Legacy features into it's system.

AND IF this were to happen I can gaurantee a Lawsuit since like DCS, Legacy is a closed proprietary system...

Well then fire up the lawyers. MTH already has a copy of the Lionel quillable horn and they even call it a "quillable horn or whistle". Actually, there really isn't much in Legacy that MTH can't already do. 
The main feature of Legacy is the quillable stuff and improved control for TMCC locos. DCS can now do both.

[Anonymous]

There really shouldn't be a need for a battery at all... the purpose of the battery is to compensate for momentary power loss and there are simple circuits for storing enough power for a momentary loss (2-3 seconds is really all you need).

I don't take the chance with batteries and simply deal with the momentary loss of sound (it actually serves to identify where I have something to investigate on the layout)... I would rather know about a problem and fix it than to not know and have it cause larger problems down the road.

[Anonymous]

Deputy

And as I said, it won't take long for DCS to operate the Legacy features into it's system.

AND IF this were to happen I can gaurantee a Lawsuit since like DCS, Legacy is a closed proprietary system...

[Deputy]

In answer to the original question, probably no. Not wild about the Decapod.
In answer to other comments...

RT: It wouldn't surprise me in the least if MTH figures out some way to incorporate the Legacy stuff in their trains. They already have two locos released with the "quilling whistle" feature. That was one of the big features of Legacy. The speed improvement of Legacy for TMCC shouldn't be far behind. There really isn't all that much that Legacy does over DCS.

Sir James: I plan on replacement of all my MTH batteries with a battery eliminator from J&W. And I don't want Lionel to replace their battery-equipped stuff, I want them to install a dang charging circuit in stuff that has batteries. Alkaline batteries leak.  Plus you have to keep replacing them. J&W sells a battery replacement for Lionel that includes a charging system. But some Lionel battery stuff doesn't even have a roller pickup installed on it. I like the shutdown effect of battery-equipped stuff. And some Lionel stuff simply doesn't work or works poorly without a battery.

Ogauge: Since both Lionel and MTH are made overseas, I don't see where one product is better than the other. But I can say there are very few Lionel locomotives that interest me compared to MTH. Especially the Legacy stuff. Just not worth the money IMHO. And I won't buy the Legacy control system until they fix the bugs that are still in it. Even then, I don't see where it's worth the money. I can still control Legacy locos with DCS. And as I said, it won't take long for DCS to operate the Legacy features into it's system.

[ogauge]

 Umm, no....I think the only way I would get any MTH these days would be in a pile of junk parts.....ohh that wasn't nice was it sorry!

[sir james I]

When they get rid of the battery,yes. Untill then No.

[rtraincollector]

Under certain conditions I might but I don't see this happening but to answer your question here goes.

1. That Mike and Lionel would finally get together and help the model railroad community and have one operating system that would run and do all the features of both companies.

2. That I could afford it which is definitely out of my pocket reach for the future for a while.

 

 

[Cheese]

Buy an MTH Railking "Russian" Decapod if one was released?

The recent introduction of the Primeir Russian Decapod got me thinking about that, as the Russian Dec. is one of my favorite locomotive types and the only Premeir line locomotive that nearly swayed me to the "dark side".

I just wanted to see if there was a meeting of the minds (and bank accounts) out there.

Cheese