I have a Lionel 6-18128 F3 that will only run in the forward direction. I'm running a small layout powered with a Lionel CW-80 - nothing complicated. There is a small slide switch on the bottom of the loco with two positions - FWD/RUN and PROG/LOCK. Switching between the two positions makes no difference. The loco came without instructions, and I can't locate a manual online. I feel like like I'm missing something really simple here, but I can't figure out what it is. If you can help, I'd be grateful for your reply. Thanks!
There should be another switch underneath that locks out the reversing unit. If you find it try it in the other position.
I had a Lionel NYC Pacific that did the same, late 1990's, early 2000's production, I'm not sure, I bought it used at a train show in 2012 and it didn't have an owners manual either. It worked fine at first and then locked itself in forward only. It had the FWD/RUN, PROG/LOCK switch under the cab and a "SMK ON-OFF" switch but no reversing unit switch of any kind I could find, it was stuck in forward-only and I never could get it to unstick. "Trainsounds" were wonky as well and the smoke unit was "on-again, off-again," whatever if felt like doing. I blew it away cheap at a train show when the exorcism ritual didn't work!
I don't have any advice to give except to say it could be worse. If you're going to be stuck in any direction at least you're stuck in "Forward."
mediaprofI'm running a small layout powered with a Lionel CW-80 - nothing complicated.
Maybe see if you can find someone - a friend, club, or a local hobby shop - where they could try running it on TMCC? Should work on both conventional and TMCC, but who knows.
Michael 6268 - I swear there's no second switch, but maybe I'll try looking with a magnifying glass. Thanks!
Thanks Flintlock76. At least I know I'm not suffering alone.
WJStix - If all else fails I'll try my "local" Lionel dealer. He's 30 miles away and an hour's drive.
mediaprof Thanks Flintlock76. At least I know I'm not suffering alone.
I'll tell you, I was getting to the point with the thing I was seriously thinking of "gutting" it of all the electronics and replacing them with a conventional-only Dallee Electronics drop-in board which I've done in the past on others but in the end I just didn't want to put any money into it. When I got a good offer at a show after explaining what the problems were to the purchaser I took it.
I figured it out! I located the instruction manual on the Lionel support page. The process was not intuitive. I had to use the "Look or product or part" search box, and enter the only the SKU#, complete with the hyphen. (The "Know just what you're looking for" search box seems to be inoperable.) After clicking through a couple of additional pages I got to the PDF instructions. On page 3, instruction #3 explains how to deactivate the Liontech Command Receiver Unit and operate the loco conventionally. Problem solved!
Outstanding! Well done!
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