If anyone knows this, it's my friend on this forum...
What the heck happened to the Odyssey motor Lionel promised us in the 90's? It looked awesome, but then disappeared and they used the name on the lame cruise control feature. Now I know there must be one or two of those motors floating around. All I want for Xmas is an Odyssey motor!
Do you guys/girls know if an engine was ever released with this motor in it?
Has anyone seen one?
It was my generations Pullmor...now I amuse myself with can motors....
Next they'll tell me I can't buy that new Nintendo Classic console because its sold out everywhere!
"Tell me dear Lord, what happened to the country I knew as a boy?WHAT?! -Red Foreman
Per Bob Grubba, their chief engineer, in the end it didn't work.
Bob Keller
Bob Keller Per Bob Grubba, their chief engineer, in the end it didn't work.
Bob,
Wasn't a prototype containing this motor also stolen from an event?
Jim
Hi Bob,
I'm not familiar with Bob Grubba, was he a Lionel engineer? How could it not work? It didn't look like there was much to it, but it had a lot of character. Did he say what the problem was? I wonder how hard it would be to fix now and develop? I want that Odyssey!
I heard one was stolen from a show as well, Red.
We went to Michigan, covered it in the magazine, then it pretty much dropped off the table. Don't know anything about it being stolen, but they did have an engineering staff, so I'm pretty sure they had the blueprint. Check the January 1999 issue. We also did a second piece with him about it, but don't recall when it was published.
Grubba was Lionel's chief engineer. He later went to K-Line and owns HO train-maker Broadway Limited.
This motor was often referred to by fans as 'odd-no-see' motor. It was eventually determined a conventional motor could be made to operate better with modern electronic controls. What was to have been the Odysee motor became the Odysee system.
The Odessey motor was described in the 1998 Lionel Classic Trains catalog. It was an open-frame brushless motor, well within the state-of-the-art at the time. Suspect what killed it was inability to get the cost down to viable level.
At some point they offered a few Odessey equipped engines for sale. I do recall seeing a couple on a dealer's table in the early 2000's at York. I took a picture of one of them. I'll rummage through the slide collection this evening and see if I can find the slide - if I can I'll post a picture.
In addition to the motors the diesels had a silk screened identifier on both sides of the diesel shell indicating the engine was Odessey equipped.
mersenne6At some point they offered a few Odessey equipped engines for sale. I do recall seeing a couple on a dealer's table in the early 2000's at York...
"Odyssey equipped", yes, but not with the Odyssey motor. They renamed their can motored electronic "cruise-control" system "Odyssey" after the motor program fell through.
Rob
Ah Ha!, Ok, well that saves me a hunt through the slide box - Thanks ADCX
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