As I mention in part 2 of my review on the MTH K-4, the locomotive cannot be programmed on a programming track because the decoader needs more power than most programming tracks can provide. So to set the locomotive for 4 digit addressing you must program on the main and enter the following values in each CV:
CV 17 = upper two digits of the four digit address
CV 18 = lower two digits of the four digit address
CV 29 = enter 32 or 34 (34 will give you 28/128 throttle steps as well as the long address)
I do it manually by exiting programming mode (paged) once I have hit "enter" to input the extended address. I then re-enter programming mode, but in Ops, and program CV 29 to a value of 38. In my QSI-equipped locos, they will not respond at first. When I exit programming after entering 38, I must then dial in the new address on one of the encoders, click, and the loco will come to life.
See if that works for you.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I just recieved my HO MTH K4.
Runs great, sounds are top rate and the detail is as advertised. The only problem is trying to program a 4 digit address. I am using a Digitrax Super Chief, 5 amp, DT 400 controller and PowerPax on the program track. The CV 29 value supposedly are revised automatically (?). I tried the Pg mode and Pd mode, neither will program the new 4 degit address.
Any ideas, has anyone tried to change the address to 4 digits sucessfully.
Dave;
An excellent review so far of the MTH K4. Very in depth.
Now, are you sure that you cannot operate the Passenger Announcement PFS sequence without DCC or DCS? In ProtoSound 2.0, it is possible to operate an PFS with a specific sequence of buttons. I believe it was Bell-Whistle-Whistle...But I haven't run any O gauge MTH in quite a while so I may be mistaken. If a BLI Sidekick II can operate the whistle and bell, it may also be able to operate the PFS.
Scott - Dispatcher, Norfolk Southern
jnichols wrote: Dave, Thanks for the update on the model. I'm really surprised that you didn't talk about the compatibility with reverse loops. Have you tried to run the model through one using DCS yet? I'm assuming when using DCC the model would have no problem with them as DCC reverse loops all work the same way with any DCC decoder. Also, did MTH address the direction/polarity issue that plagues the large scale 2-rail stuff? Thanks again and I too look forward to part 2. Jeff
Dave,
Thanks for the update on the model. I'm really surprised that you didn't talk about the compatibility with reverse loops. Have you tried to run the model through one using DCS yet? I'm assuming when using DCC the model would have no problem with them as DCC reverse loops all work the same way with any DCC decoder.
Also, did MTH address the direction/polarity issue that plagues the large scale 2-rail stuff?
Thanks again and I too look forward to part 2.
Jeff
The direction/polarity issue you referred to is with the ProtoSound 2 used in # 1 scale. I was told the ProtoSound 3 used by the MTH HO model does solve this problem or it would not work in reverse loops if I remember the problem correctly. My engines have to be placed on the track in a certain direction to be recognized by the controller. They will not run unless they are placed that way only. So much for prototype operations.
I also was told by MTH my Protosound 2 would not operate this model. It seems like the software can be upgraded to use Protosound 3, but then it might not work with the # 1 scale..
dave hikel wrote:CAZEPHYR,Your discription of the color as oxide red is more correct (I just edited my first post to reflect this). From the picrues I have seen of K4's in service the color looks correct, but the finish on the model is a satin, not gloss.
Thanks Dave. I will look forward to Part II of the testing when you post it.
The top speed in DC mode was given as 36 mph by the MR review. Is that correct on the production model that you have? The speed was using the standard 0 to 16Volts DC.
Dave
Thanks for your review of the MTH K4 as many of us have not seen this model, including myself. I have a question about the cab roof color. The official PRR standard color for the cab was an oxide red that was a flat type of paint, and I noticed you said it was tuscan. Tuscan is much deeper in color and is usually not flat, but is glossy and would not look correct at least to me.
It sounds very interesting.
Thanks again.
The paint finish is a smooth laying satin black with tuscan red cab roof and tender deck and charcoal gray smoke box and fire box below the running boards. The tender and the cab feature white and gold pin striping. The drive wheels and pilot wheels also feature gold striping. All paint edges and striping are clean and crisp. There are three builder’s plates: one on each side of the smoke box and one on the back of the tender. The lettering on the builder’s plates, as well as additional lettering on the pilot, are all crisp and legible (with a magnifying glass).
Well, it took nearly two years, but MTH has now delivered their first HO locomotives. What follows is a review of item #80-3101-1, which is the early pre-war model.
The locomotive and tender are clipped together by inserting the drawbar into a pivoting socket in the tender. The drawbar contains two electrical conductors on a piece of printed circuit board encased in black plastic. The electrical connection between the locomotive and tender is created when these conductors in the drawbar mate with two metal tabs on the tender pivot. Getting the two to clip together is not difficult, and a good description of how best to do this (with pictures) is included in the owner’s manual.
The locomotive can be run on DC, DCC, or MTH’s own DCS command control system, which uses DC current. Throughout this review I will try to make it clear how various features can be activated using each of these three systems.
The paint finish is a smooth laying satin black with an oxide red cab roof and tender deck and charcoal gray smoke box and fire box below the running boards. The tender and the cab feature white and gold pin striping. The drive wheels and pilot wheels also feature gold striping. All paint edges and striping are clean and crisp. There are three builder’s plates: one on each side of the smoke box and one on the back of the tender. The lettering on the builder’s plates, as well as additional lettering on the pilot, are all crisp and legible (with a magnifying glass).
Plastic and brass detail parts and cast in details are plentiful on this locomotive. Most of the piping along with the tender hatches, tender ladder, coal pile, cab roof vent, crew figures, deckplate, pilot truck frame, trailing truck frame, pilot truck brakes, bell and whistle are made of cast plastic. The handrails, handrail stanchions, marker lights, uncoupling bars and driver brakes are made of brass wire and castings. The die cast zinc boiler and tender body have a large number of rivets (though I have not stopped to count them). The running boards, which are part of the boiler casting, feature a diamond tread pattern, as dose the plastic deckplate.
The locomotive features three white LED lights: an operating directional headlight at each end and a cab light. The forward headlight also backlights two number boards. In accordance with rule 17 the forward headlight dims when the locomotive is at idle. As soon as it starts moving the headlight intensity increases. The headlights can be turned on and off in DCC using F0. Or you can turn off all lighting using F5. When using MTH’s DCS command control system the interior light can also be turned on or off independently.
The dual speaker sound system has a clarity and volume equal to or better than any other HO sound decoder I have heard, including Tsunami and Quantum. The tender seams are all tightly sealed, helping the tender to serve as a speaker box. This has resulted in lower bass tones than could usually be heard from such small speakers. The volume can be set by adjusting a trim pot located under the tender hatch. In DCC the volume can be cycled through nine levels by selecting F7. In DCS master volume control can be adjusted up or down by using buttons “2” and “5” on the remote control. Or, in DCS, the volume of the bell, whistle, engine chuff and accent sounds can be adjusted independently.
As for sound features, there are many. As the engine is powered up you hear the hissing of an idle locomotive, the steam generator spools up with a whine and air compressors slowly pump up air pressure. If you leave the engine at idle for any length of time you will hear a myriad of sounds as the engine crew checks the readiness of their locomotive. For instance, you may hear the engineer ask a crewman to “check the water level, will yah.” The tender hatch is opened with a bang and the crewman reports “water level is down two feet.” The waterspout is lowered and water rushes in to replenish the tender. When the job is done the crewman reports back “water is topped off.” This sequence is one of many, including “check those side rods,” and “lets get her steam.” If you sit at idle long enough you will eventually hear all of these sequences, but not in any particular order. When operating in DC or DCC these sounds are strictly automatic, but when using DCS they can be activated at will. These sequences could be activated under DCC in the future if a manufacturer comes out with a system that can activate F21-F24. In fact, MTH has included features which could be activated up to F28.
When you start moving the locomotive you hear a hissing chuff for the first few revolutions to simulate the cylinder cocks being cracked open. This automatically transitions into a normal throaty chuff as the locomotive rolls away. A prototypical four chuffs per revolution are synchronized with a puffing smoke unit (more on this later). If the throttle is advanced quickly a deeper labored chuff is engaged. Conversely, if the locomotive is throttled back a whispy drift chuff is sounded. When deceleration is rapid a brake squeal is also heard. As with the idle sounds these features are automatic in DC and DCC operation (labored and drift chuff can be activated with F14 and F15), but can be selected on command in DCS.
One sound sequence that can only be triggered in DCC or DCS is the passenger station announcement. This is a four step sequence that controls both the sound and movement of the locomotive.
Step 1 – “now arriving”
Step 2 – “passengers disembark”
Step 3 – “now departing”
Step 4 – “all aboard”
As the train approaches its station you set a slow speed and activate Step 1 (in DCC – F4, in DCS button “9” on the remote). In step 1 you hear an announcement “now arriving from New York on track 1, the Broadway Limited” (the post war version of the K4 announces the arrival of the New Yorker) followed by the engine’s bell ringing. The locomotive continues at the same speed with the bell ringing until you activate Step 2 by again pressing F4 in DCC or hitting the direction button in DCS. As soon as you activate Step 2 the locomotive stops, and the bell is halted with a few waning clangs. Once the train is stationary you hear the doors open and the conductor greets the passengers with “welcome to ______.” The town announced can be one on several along the Pennsy’s Broadway Limited schedule. If the passenger announcement is activated more than once in an operating session the cities are announced in order from east to west as this is an eastbound train from New York to Chicago. In their O scale offerings MTH has been known to produce two cab numbers of each locomotive with one headed east and the other west with appropriate announcements for each. As Step 2 continues gentleman and ladies thank the conductor for his assistance as he guides them to their bags saying “baggage to the left.” In the background you hear the murmur of a crowd and taxis being hailed. When you enter Step 3 (again, in DCC – F4, in DCS – the direction button) the station agent announces “now departing on track 1 for Chicago and all points west, the Broadway Limited.” The conductor begins loading the new passengers by asking for “ticked passengers only” and returns their punched ticked with a polite “thank you.” In the background you hear a cry of “lets get that baggage loaded.” Entering Step 4 (again, in DCC – F4, in DCS – the direction button) the conductor calls out “all aboard.” The last few passengers are loaded and the doors closed. At this point we rejoin the crew in the cab as the conductor signals “highball.” A quick check confirms “we’ve got a clear signal.” The whistle signals two quick toots, the locomotive pulls away taking out the coupler slack at the same slow speed you approached, and the bell rings for a few seconds. Speed control is regained once the locomotive starts moving. The length of each step is governed by the operator, with a minimum length of a few seconds and no maximum. If you wish to leave the sequence early and take back full control, you can do so in DCS by hitting button “9” on the remote, but you must complete the cycle in DCC by hitting F4 the requisite number of times.
Lastly, the bell and whistle are available in all three modes. In DC they can be activated by a QSI SideKick II box. I do not have one of QSI’s new Quantum Engineer controllers to test, but it may well be possible to activate additional features of the MTH K4 using this device. In DCC and DCS you will find dedicated buttons for the bell and whistle on most cab controls.
CORRECTION - This information about the bell and whistle being activated in DC is not correct. This info was given to me by an employee of my LHS who sadly was in error. My apologies for posting before testing this my self. However, MTH is going into production in a couple months with their own control box that will be able to activate the bell, whistle, passenger station announcements and most other features normally reserved for DCC and DCS - and that came straight from MTH's V.P. of R&D.
Ok, I know this isn’t for everyone, but we’ve never had smoke like this in HO before. MTH has packed the same dense, turbulent smoke into this locomotive that I’ve enjoyed in their O scale offerings. The volume of the smoke can be set to low, medium or high using MTH’s DCS system. However, the locomotives come preset to medium, which is usually the preferred option. When set to medium the smoke volume will automatically adjust to high or low in sync with labored or drift chuffing sounds. As mentioned earlier, each puff of smoke is synchronized to a chuff. At slow speeds this feature is very impressive. The long pauses between each chuff allow a larger volume of smoke to build up inside the “smoke box.” The smoke is driven out at high velocity by a motor driven fan that is pulsed with each chuff. At idle or at speeds over approximately 40 smph the smoke driver fan runs constant.
Adding smoke fluid (the locomotive comes with a small tube of fluid to get you started) is done by carefully dripping a few drops down the smoke stack. After adding fluid it is good practice to gently blow down the stack to make sure the fluid hasn’t created a bubble. I highly recommend getting a small funnel to keep this procedure clean.
If you don’t want to run with the smoke turned on you will find a shut-off switch under the tender hatch. The smoke unit should be turned off if you do not intend to use this feature, otherwise the wick material inside the smoke unit will deteriorate.
Look for part 2 in a few days. I have already been testing extensively in DC and DCS, but DCC operations have been limited to the test track at my LHS. If there is anyone in the Seattle area who has a DCC layout and would like to see the locomotive I would love to put it through it’s paces before filing part 2 of this review. If you’re interested please contact me at davehikel@hotmail.com.
If I’ve missed anything you’re interested in, please reply and I’ll post an answer here.