Lionel Reversing Unit

[Anonymous]

I have a Lionel Engine that was made in 2001. It has one of their reversing units that cycle through forward-neutral-reverse using power interruptions from the transformer. After the engine has been off for a time, the unit is supposed to reset in the forward direction. Mine does not reset, even if it has been overnight, but comes up in the next state. Am I missing something?

[Roger Bielen]

I don't have an answer for you Rocco, but welcome to the forum. Give it a little time and I'm sure someone will have an answer.

[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]

[Anonymous]

Thanks Roger. It's good to be here.

[csxt30]

[#welcome] Rocco49! I know far less than Roger, but it may be more helpfull to put in your eng. model & # for the other guys who come along later. Been a bit slow here lately & be sure to check out tomorrows' Sunday Photo! Also there's the daily Coffee Pot ! Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

John,

I don't know much at all! I cannot get to the box just yet, but is the model number marked on the engine somewhere? I do know that the engine was made for JC Penny's Christmas Catalogue in 2001 which might make the model number useless. It's a Rio Grande Hudson. What is the daily coffee pot?
Thanks!

[Roger Bielen]

The number is usually on the box for the item, sometimes it's the engine number on older units, or should be on the underside of the engine. With it being a JCP item it was probably a uncatalouged set.

I'll take a guess that it probably has an electronic E-unit, the direction control device. As I typed this I thought that the Hudson I have on a carpet loop for the grand daughters might be the same series and I ran upstairs to check it out, it behaves the same way as yours, goes in the next direction when powered up. All is normal with your engine, I guess its the TMCC, command control, engines that power up in neutal.

The post that John refers to is "The coffee pot is always on ...". It is basicly a chat room with many subjects thinly related to trains.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Roger! I appreciate the help!

Rocco

[4kitties]

The engine in my Polar Express set behaves this way too. I posted about it a long time ago and I haven't gotten around to getting it fixed under warranty yet. After power-off it seemed to reset to neutral with the next power interruption putting the engine into reverse. Well, the other day I deliberately powered it on and off repeatedly, waiting a long period of time between interruptions, to see if it would misbehave on cue for the repair shop. What I found was that its operation was consistent with a mechanical reverse unit! How the reverse unit saves its operating state, I don't know unless it has non-volatile RAM in it. But at the moment I would say I don't have a problem at all. Anyone else's PE engines do this?

Joel

[lionelsoni]

It would not be at all difficult to remember the machine state for days with a pair of CMOS flip-flops and a capacitor.