jayres1973I'm going to try to get up to the shop by 6pm this evening. Hopefully, I'll have a big grin on my face when I walk out of there. Thanks everyone, and I will be looking for the "TVS" that a lot of people have advised. Other than what I stated earlier about them giving me the free capacitor as a replacement for the battery, is there anything else I "NEED" to be looking for? thanks again, Jeremy
I would get a bell button if you haven't put that on your list. Oh yes extra smoke fluid if you didn't get any already. MTH engines have a thirsty appitite for smoke fluid.
On smoke fluid, I have read or been told Lionel smoke fluid is not a good choice for MTH engines. I don't know if it's a fairy tale or not. I've got plenty of both brands so it's something I never considered.
LOL...you are getting your feet wet and went off the low dive. Going off the high dive means spending 2K like you said. You ran into an issue and here you are posting on forums meeting up with train people. You are hearing a wide range of opinions as to what is right. No single opinion, including mine is right. I just don't feel you got the shaft, hate seeing your stomach turned, and based on personal experience, feel you will be fine. Take it for what you think it is worth. Personally, I prefer to see your jar half full because I want to see you have fun. Things are not always as bad as they appear.
Once you get involved in this hobby, you will find even the most seasoned train heads will argue over who's brand of trains, transformer, or operating system is best. Some will argue till pigs learn to fly. Everybody, no matter how experienced, gets a dud. That's when you deal with the problem as you are here. For me, it's been this way for the 30 years I've been in this hobby.
jayres1973I know I've been in kind of a hurry to get stuff done. I'll will "from now on" try to have some patience & check out what all is out there before jumping into another disaster waiting to happen. I don't know what my next purchase will be, especially when it comes to DCS or staying conventional for awhile. I think I really do need to "get my feet wet" before just diving in. Thank you again everyone, Jeremy
3railguy LOL...you are getting your feet wet and went off the low dive. Going off the high dive means spending 2K like you said. You ran into an issue and here you are posting on forums meeting up with train people. You are hearing a wide range of opinions as to what is right. No single opinion, including mine is right. I just don't feel you got the shaft, hate seeing your stomach turned, and based on personal experience, feel you will be fine. Take it for what you think it is worth. Personally, I prefer to see your jar half full because I want to see you have fun. Things are not always as bad as they appear. Once you get involved in this hobby, you will find even the most seasoned train heads will argue over who's brand of trains, transformer, or operating system is best. Some will argue till pigs learn to fly. Everybody, no matter how experienced, gets a dud. That's when you deal with the problem as you are here. For me, it's been this way for the 30 years I've been in this hobby.
You're right John .... seems when someone thumps the setup or the types of trains we ourselves have it's like they stuck their finger in our eye .... . Sometimes we all get too darn excited about a comment .... me for sure ... LOL . And believe me even we OLD codgers screw up on buys ... we just keep it quiet though .
LawsonFarmsRR Ole Timer Sirjames ... you hit it right on the head ... but seems you got shot down . Oh well ... we can only advise ..... we did'nt think he got such a GOOD deal ... time will tell won't it . I totally agree with you, Sir James, and Don, as you can see from my posts on this thread. And I an not so sure Sir James got shot down. I noticed on one post Jeremy said "I'll be buying a MTH DCS as soon as I get the loco repaired or whatever it needs". I hope he at least checks out one or two other dealers and talks to a few local toy train folks. Patrick
Ole Timer Sirjames ... you hit it right on the head ... but seems you got shot down . Oh well ... we can only advise ..... we did'nt think he got such a GOOD deal ... time will tell won't it .
Sirjames ... you hit it right on the head ... but seems you got shot down . Oh well ... we can only advise ..... we did'nt think he got such a GOOD deal ... time will tell won't it .
I totally agree with you, Sir James, and Don, as you can see from my posts on this thread.
And I an not so sure Sir James got shot down. I noticed on one post Jeremy said "I'll be buying a MTH DCS as soon as I get the loco repaired or whatever it needs".
I hope he at least checks out one or two other dealers and talks to a few local toy train folks.
Patrick
I am NOT knocking DCS in any way, but would somebody Please, Explain to me, what the advantage is that Jeremy is going to get from DCS? His locomotive is a PS1 locomotive, that to my knowledge wont benefit from DCS, why spend more than double what the KW cost, for no benefit that I can see? In the future, IF He were to buy a PS2 locomotive, then DCS would make sense, but even a PS2 locomotive can be run in conventional with the KW, until Jeremy decides wether DCS is a worthwhile investment for him.
Remember, He has ONE locomotive, and that is PS1, and is New to the Hobby, Hopefully, he will stay in the Hobby, but is not even sure about that yet. I am not saying DCS is a bad system, I just don't see any advantage in it for Jeremy, maybe it will be the thing to really put a smile on his face in the future, but that is at least one more locomotive away before seeing any real benefit. Why the big push to sell someone new something that they don't need yet? What can DCS do for a PS1 locomotive that conventional control, or even the KW wont do for a PS1 locomotive.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
...double post...windows freeze....
challenger3980 I am NOT knocking DCS in any way, but would somebody Please, Explain to me, what the advantage is that Jeremy is going to get from DCS? His locomotive is a PS1 locomotive, that to my knowledge wont benefit from DCS, why spend more than double what the KW cost, for no benefit that I can see? In the future, IF He were to buy a PS2 locomotive, then DCS would make sense, but even a PS2 locomotive can be run in conventional with the KW, until Jeremy decides wether DCS is a worthwhile investment for him.
Absolutely. The advantage to DCS with PS-1 is minimal and that is you can easily access features such as electro couplers and station sounds with DCS in conventiol mode. However, you spend $275 alone on the DCS controller getting there.. With strictly a KW, accessing these features is not as easy. It takes the right back and fourth motion of the transformer handle to access these features. But one gets the hang of it. However the whistle and bell is what people tend to use most. The KW whistle button along with an additional bell button gives you that. Again, the sine wave of a KW is pure so there is no risk there other than surge and short protection which we covered. QSI designed PS-1 to be used with postwar transformers. There was no Z-4000 or Z-750 when it was designed. Those transformers came later.
f Jeremy wants he can buy a DCS controller and tap it to his KW. People do this with old school ZW's. MTH's intructions clearly state that any commercial transformer is fine as long as it is not rated over 10 amps. MTH recomends a Z-4000 if one buys into a large layout. By that time, you would designate the KW to lights and accessories so you aren't inducing voltage drop on the Z-4000.
So, in a sense, Jeremy got off to a good start and can expand on what he bought. The RK Northern is a smooth running, powerful beast. The sounds are nice. Not as nice as PS-2 but nice enough you don't notice until you get a PS-2 engine.
Glad to hear it worked out for you. Let us know how it performs.
Sounds like the dealer was using a Lionel TMCC outfit and TPC unit to reset the board and forgot to switch over from command mode. Or accidently punced in a max speed setting somehow. Very easy to do. In command mode, you are putting full voltage to the track (command engines take full voltage from the track and throttle it with a reciever within the engine).
Very happy that the dealer made things right. The only real issues with the PS-1 engines is keeping the battery charged Please review the owners manual to get familiar with how the PS-1 electronics work regarding reset verses neutral.
BTW When he tested the battery was it under some type of load like a automotive tail light. NiCads can register full charge with no load and still be stone cold dead.
Just read this thread for the first time. Glad things worked out for you! Sounds like the dealer is a pretty good guy, maybe a bit angry right now...
I know it's been said before, but buy yourself a bcr from jandw electronics or from Marty at Ma&Pa junction, both have websites. Put it in, and you're done with the battery issue forever. I've been using them for about 4 years now, and never had a problem.
Also, and this is very important, if you figure out a way to shut off the squealing brake feature, please post how you did it!! Oh, yes, you will eventually want to shut off this wonderful feature. I've been trying for years now, and just when I think I have it off, it comes on again...
ZPW, which engine do you have? Shutting off squealing brakes for the FP-45 for example is feature 28
Enjoying your new toy, Jeremy?
Yea, half the fun of the hobby is researching what you want to do. CTT magazine publishes track plans frequently. I find myself spending hours looking at the variety of cars and engines on ebay getting ideas of what I want and trigger the finger now and then. There are great layout spreads in the photo shoot threads on this forum. If you haven't yet, do Lionel and MTH searches on you tube and a ton of layout videos come up and sort of spawn as you watch them. Lots of good track planning books out there too.
Jeremy as John and most of us can tell you ... you'll never finish ... LOL .... you'll always want to add this or that or change something . You've been addicted and there's no way back . Some even pack everything away for years but get it all back out again and add more . It keeps the mind active and is very relaxing and rewarding ...... we all need lower stress levels and trains are the cure ... well except when something goes bananas ... but just relax when it does ... there's an answer to it . I'm so glad the problems you had did'nt stop you from staying with it . Believe me we've all had bigger ones at times .
Berk765 The transformer might just not be compatible with the engine. My MTH does wierd things when I run it on the Lionel CW-80 transformer. Might be that.
The transformer might just not be compatible with the engine. My MTH does wierd things when I run it on the Lionel CW-80 transformer. Might be that.
Do some reading on the MTH website or the DCS instruction book or DVD and the CW-80 is NOT a recommended transformer for any PS-1 or PS-2 engine. My PS-2 engine did some bad sounds with a CW-80.
Lee F.
jayres1973TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I took the MTH up to the shop. He {the store owner} pulled the battery and it had a good charge. So, he reset the loco and all was good. UNTIL, I asked him if he could reset it to factory settings, which would only take a couple of minutes. Well, he was using some Lionel radio controlled handheld to set it faster, I guess? Well, the Loco was on a piece of 30" fastrack on his work bench. Some how he engaged the loco from neutral to reverse and full steam "away" it went, off the table and about a four foot drop to the floor, .... Needless to say the coupler to the tender was broke, a metal pin inside the couple was rolling across the floor and the loco had some cosmetic damage. After cussing up a storm, he walked to the back, brought out a NEW loco, exactly like the one busted. He put it on the display layout to show me it was good to go, ... and said "here's you a brand new one". After that he was too busy looking up MTH parts in his manual to order. I think God didn't want me owning that one for some reason. I'm a happy customer now, especially now that the shop owner has to deal with problems from a loco he swore was good. I guess it's just the Irony of the whole thing. I'm a very happy camper now. All is well, and thank you all so very much. Jeremy
Holy frijoles! Wish I had a picture of those priceless expressions... Sorry, made me chuckle and shake my head.
I try to quantify our hobby with one like RC planes and helicopters. Imagine how those guys feel when their big money toys stop suddenly in mid-air, or just keep going and going and going.....
Kinda makes me happy that all my drama occurs on 3 rails.
phillyreadingBerk765 The transformer might just not be compatible with the engine. My MTH does wierd things when I run it on the Lionel CW-80 transformer. Might be that. Do some reading on the MTH website or the DCS instruction book or DVD and the CW-80 is NOT a recommended transformer for any PS-1 or PS-2 engine. My PS-2 engine did some bad sounds with a CW-80. Lee F.
Yes, the CW-80 has some bad Karma with MTH. Has to do with the sine wave I understand. It is not pure like the postwar variety.
Jeremy,
Welcome to the world of O gauge!
I just read most of this post and sorry to hear that you got a bit of a bad deal on a nice looking locomotive and power supply.
What you need for an MTH engine diesel or steam is a Z-1000 by MTH, priced between $90 & $100 new at most hobby shops. The Z-1000 has the newer circuits in it and don't need any external circuit breaker but won't hurt to put a TVS in the circuit for voltage spikes.
I live near West Palm Beach Florida and know of two really good hobby shops that deal with MTH trains; the first is Ready To Roll(does MTH warrenty work and internet sales as well) in north Miami FL and the other is The Roundhouse South near Daytona Beach(Ormond Beach)FL.
Hey Fifedog,
What ever goes up in the air eventually comes down! Wether good or bad downfall. That's why I like rail travel over aircraft.
jayres1973Yep, John. It's awesome when everything works as it should. I need more track, etc. It's just there's no limit, except for your imagination, of what you can do on a layout. I had ideas, but now I'm lost again. I don't know where to start. So, I'm searching every layout I can find online to get ideas and at the same time trying to double & triple check items that aren't compatible. I'm also wanting to keep the freight cars, buildings, etc. all in the same era, so I've been searching through pictures to see "when & what" was used. For some people, this might be pretty easy. For me though, I'm just starting. thanks again, Jeremy
Jeremy, I do like your enthusiasm!!
And you are taking it slow, doing lots of research. In my mind that is the best way, and you will enjoy each step that much more. Like Ole Timer said "You've been addicted", like the rest of us, and that is a good thing.
Don't worry about making a mistake on the layout. We all do and making changes is part of the fun.
Have you heard about the DVD series "Great Layout Adventures"? It's a series of six separate discs each with 4 or 5 layouts shown live. Put out by O Gage Railroading, available at www.ogagerr.com . Some of the layouts are huge but you can still pick up ideas from them.
RFD-TV --- Rural America's most important network!
I love MTH transformers and high end cars .... but the engines .... I don't know why they did that off the wall control system that matched NOTHING else .
Ole Timer I love MTH transformers and high end cars .... but the engines .... I don't know why they did that off the wall control system that matched NOTHING else .
I am guessing here, but MTH probably went with their proprietary system to have a captive market. Lionel left the protocol for the original TMCC open so as to be compatible with others. MTH took advantage of this without reciprocating, making it possible to operate TMCC, with DCS, but not making DCS protocol open, so you can't run DCS with TMCC, which is why I buy very few MTH locomotives (or other MTH products for that matter) anymore. This experience is likely why Lionel is not licensing Legacy features. Lionel did license the original TMCC to Atlas, 3rd Rail, Weaver and possibly others, so that they have equipment available with TMCC and Rail Sounds
On the transformers, it is just a matter of personal preference, but I prefer the styling of the Lionel transformers myself. The Z-500,750 and 1000 to me look like something from a cheap HO set (in MY opinion). The often maligned CW-80 has a more "Retro" look reminescent of the post-war era that many associate 3 Rail trains with. The CW-80 does have 2 advantages over the Z-500-1000 series, first it has a near zero minimum voltage. This is important if you are running locomotives that have a low starting voltage, such as K Line Porters and Plymouths, RMT Beeps, and even my Lionel Mikado jr, handles much better at slow speeds with the CW-80. The CW-80 also has a variable accessory output, which the Z-500 and 750 don't offer ANY accessory output, and the Z-1000's is a fixed voltage output, not variable.
The CW-80's main weakness, is it's incompatibilty with some PS-2 electronics, some will run fine with the CW-80, while others will blow their whistles/horns near contiuously when operated with a CW-80, none of the PS-2 locomotives that I have will access the Station/Freight Yard sound effects, or remote couplers, while being operated with a CW-80.
Just my experiences, your mileage may vary,
Challenger, I agree with you. The Z-750 and Z-1000 are more for expanding a train set and not big on power. MTH even advertises them as starter set transformers. They may be better suited for PS-2 engines. I dunno. The only real advantage with PS-1 engines is they have a bell button enclosed as well as whistle. Again, QSI designed PS-1 for use with postwar transformers. There were no Z-750's or Z-4000's at the time.
Hi John,
I have no trouble accessing all functions of PS-1 with my CW-80, but none of my PS-1 locomotives have any Station or Freight yard sound effects, that would require the use of a bell button (which PW transformers didn't have). Did any PS-1 locomotives have Station/freight Yard sounds? All of my MTH with Station/Freight yard sounds are PS-2.
challenger3980Hi John, I have no trouble accessing all functions of PS-1 with my CW-80, but none of my PS-1 locomotives have any Station or Freight yard sound effects, that would require the use of a bell button (which PW transformers didn't have). Did any PS-1 locomotives have Station/freight Yard sounds? All of my MTH with Station/Freight yard sounds are PS-2. Doug
Doug, I am not John, but I am going to butt in anyway.
I have a PS-1 with Freight Yard Sounds. It is a Rail King production of General Motor's F-3 Diesel engine that is part of a Chessie System starter set I purchased in 1998. It still runs great.
Doug, yes, I have E-8's, DL-109, and FP-45 with station or freight yard sounds. I use a Lionel TPC unit and these PS-1 features are easy access with cab 1. Only have one PS-2 engine (SD-24) and stuff like cruise is easy to set. I don't own a CW-80. I will be incorporating DCS into TMCC sometime in the future, all off a ZW. The stuff is expandable.
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