Hey Rick, I'm glad you posted this. I think you have a unique perspective and I thank you for taking the time with me.
Hey Randy, you are right about my dealer. I will have to get my DCC controller elsewhere. Thanks.
Hey Mel, I agree with that and hope the dealer will do just that. However, I can't make him. I can only ask and hope he does the right thing. Thanks for the good wishes.
Hey Mobilman44, I am a serious nut who loves his grandchildren and has always loved trains from afar. I want to do something with the kids and I want to do it right. I put a lot of time into the layout and am prepared to put in more. I could have just gotten a train set and moved ahead with that.
I am as serious as any of you. If the kids want a solar system, then I will be a very serious solar system nut. It they decide to move into protypical railroading, then I will be a very serious protypical railroader.
However that goes, I will be the guy responsible for a quality functioning railroad.
Hey Rich, I'm going to see the dealer on Tuesday. I'll let you know what happens.
Folks,
As someone else who re-entered the hobby a couple of years ago starting with MTH HO locos and DCS Commander with a 5-Amp power supply on a 5'x9' layout, I know where Brendan is coming from. As I've shared with him in an exchange of messages, my earlier problems (detailed elswhere on this forum) have been largely ironed out. For the possible benefit of others who are watching or later stumble across this thread, there were two main problems. My locos kept shorting out; and when they did, it fried the DCS PS3 diesel board. So I kept having to test my layout and send each (sometimes both) of my MTH locos back for repair.
Eventually MTH modified the wiring/circuitry of my GP35 loco so that when it shorted it did not toast the PS3 board. So it appears the design of their PS3 boards allowed a high-power short-circuit (even with quick-blow fuse protection built into my layout) to kill a board. On the F3, I found that the design of my layout (which, being small, has some 18" curves and transitions to 4% inclines) was apparently causing the rear truck to swing far enough that the rear wheels would rub against the tiny insulator cup covering the little metal piston in the solenoid in the proto-coupler, wearing through or knocking off the insulator and causing a short the next time the wheel touched the piston. Aside from those two design flaws, I have no problem with MTH HO engines.
On the other hand, I think the Z-1000 power supply that accompanies the DCS Commander control station is simply too much power for their HO engines (other MTH users can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was designed for and originally used with their larger-scale products) and, at least in my case, was apparently causing electrical arcing across the tiny gap between the flange of my MTH engine's wheels and the closure rails on my turnouts (mostly Atlas 540 and 541 code 83s, but with some Walthers/Shinohara mixed in). As an experiment, I purchased an NCE PowerCab DCC system with a 2-Amp power supply (and built-in circuit protection) and I have had absolutely no locos shorting out since then.
I would add that, two years on, I've added two BLI and one Walthers/P2k loco, and most recently a third MTH loco (the PA-1s can be found at a ridiculously low price) and, frankly, my MTH locos run better under DCC than the others--no signal loss, no runaway operation, and no power drops over my insulated frogs. So my MTH locos are my best operators--though not as customizable/configurable as my BLI locos, they are at least as flexible as my P2k H10-44, if not moreso.
In conclusion, I think either a switch to DCC or a lower-amperage power supply will be required. But if the loco is one you want, there's no reason to sell it once it's properly fixed, and no reason (once the power issue is resolved) to shy away from buying more MTH locos if they provide the model and functionality you want.
Best to all,
-Rick
If it's like my LHS, they are probably an MTH dealer, but not a Digitrax or NCE dealer. My LHS sells NCE and Digitrax, and other DCC decoders and stuff, but they get it through Walthers and their prices are just plain non competetive.
MTH in HO scale is a relatively minor player, at least with the DCS system. You'd find more DCS users in the Classic Toy Trains forums, their system is much more popular with hi-railers where DCC is practically non-existent.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Richhotrain is on the right track........
I can't knock MTH but can tell you that it is "different & finicky" from the other mainstream DCC locos and systems. Get rid of the loco. If the dealer won't take it back, put it up for sale on Ebay and chalk up any loss to experience.
Either Digitrax or NCE will be a vast improvement. And locos from almost anywhere else will be an improvement as well - especially to a beginner.
Which brings up a point....... I just read RichHoTrains reply to your marathon thread on "layout start to finish (never finished)". He brings up some points that I thought of as well.
Are you truly interested in the hobby for you? Are you truly a serious "train nut"? Or are you looking to teach the very young grandchildren about the hobby?
Either pursuit is just fine, but they are (IMO - based on 4 kids and 6 grandkids) two very different avenues.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
You mentioned in your other thread that you bought the MTH system because you liked your dealer. So, now, you have made two mistakes. You misjudged your dealer and you bought the MTH system.
Shame on the dealer for recommending the MTH system, a still unproven and prone to failure system, if you ask me. You also mentioned in your other thread that the dealer visits MTH at least once a week. So, he has a relationship there.
If it were me, I would ask him to take back the entire MTH system including the faulty loco and replace it with a quality DCC system like NCE. If he won't do that, change dealers.
Rich
Alton Junction
Brendan!!
You are a night owl like me!
I'd better get at least a couple of hours sleep so I can take Dianne out for breakfast and help with the groceries.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hey Sheldon, I've gotten some helpful messages. I might also be switching to DCC. Thank you.
Hey RR Baron - I can't just send it back, but I might move to DCC. Thanks
Brendan,
I don't think you will get much grief, I sure hope not, but you likely won't get much help either. Not because people don't want to help, but because they simply don't have, don't use or know anything about the MTH system.
In my years on this forum, those who have expressed interest, knowledge or experiance with the MTH system are few and far between - most of whom have not been heard from recently.
I hope you get it figured out.
Sheldon
Sent it back.
RR Baron
I know I'm going to get grief over this post, but I need help.
I am new to all this and bought an MTH DCS HO Locomotive with a DCS Commander in March. I have just finished my basic layout and everything was going great. I have 2 reversing loops that I manually switch.
I have not run the locomotive for more than maybe 2 hours at most total running time since I got it. I was busy with the layout. I would run the locomotive to test out new sections of the layout.
Today I was running it just to see it go around one of the ovals on my layout. I had just gotten my first rolling stock (5 cars) and wanted to see how they looked. In the middle of going around the section the locomotive suddenly stopped and the locomotive number was blinking on the DCS Commander screen,
I tried turning everything off and on and nothing changed. I called MTH and they had me do a few things - nothing worked. They asked me to delete the locomotive and I couldn't. They had me reset the system and I did. Then they had me try to add the locomotive and I just got an ER error message on the screen of the DCS Commander. Now they want me to send it in for warranty service.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.