Dummy Unit Won't Respond.. Lights, but just sits there?!

I have eight lionel NS heritage units and never had a problem with any of the smoke units. 

 

Also the dummy's are just that, no smoke units, no lights, just a body on a frame. Nice but a real dummy. 

I'm disappointed in the dummy units.  I tend to look at buying the matching powered unit, the cost is not that much more and I get a fully functional locomotive.

 

Probably the same reason Lionel seems to be dropping the Non-powered units?

Well, if the non-powered units had smoke, lights, and perhaps couplers, I'd be more impressed.

 

I have the old Lionmaster Legacy Conrail SD-80 and the dummy, that dummy has lights, couplers, smoke, the whole shooting match. 

I agree! they are pretty much useless as is, that is why my dummy will be having it's shell donated to one of my 2 8102 Powered Engines. So my consist will end up, 1846, 1848 and 8102 all powered!

 

Just will have the frame, trucks and a extra 8102 Shell.

I like non-powered units, even if they don't have additional features that the powered units have. My Atlas unpowered units have lighting which is nice.

 

My consists aren't that long (about 20 units give or take a couple) where a 2nd powered unit is needed. I've MU'ed with as many as 3 just for the heck of it (2 on the head end and 1 on the tail end) and it looks and sounds cool but I normally run one. I like to rotate engines every week so I'm not using the same ones over and over.

Dealers are discouting the dummy units, I bought a couple for less then $130.00.

 

Makes for a nice consist, powered, dummy and powered. Makes it so you have working lights, couplers and smoke when your going in reverse. 

This is the most pricy dummy unit purchase for me by far, but I don't have to tell you guys in this hobby you gotta pay to play!  My last dummy purchases were a couple of Primier GP38-2's for about $160 each after dealer discounts.  These units however did included lighting (with on/off switch) and obviously the center pickup rollers.  I paid $280 for the ES44ac without rollers and lighting.  I must say the paint and detail is superb, and very little Monongahela equipment is ever produced.  My powered unit arrives today and I am praying I don't have hassles and more shipping costs

 

Stack

It is possible to add lights to the dummies.  Although I haven't tried it yet, it might even be possible to add smoke and couplers, though by the time you buy all the parts to do so it would be pretty expensive.

Since 2009 MTH has uped their game with the dummy units. The Premier dummies that have an msrp of $199.00+ will have lights and pick-ups. Previous offerings were just a shell with trucks and not even the roller pick-ups! You have to buy the lighting kits for those units.  Currently though MTH has seemed to cancel production on premier dummy units altogether so get them while you can.

Also gunrumnerjoghn you can add sound too with those mrc ac sounders or err sound unit too! I have.

Well, any sound I added I could like synchronized with the action, so the MRC Sounder doesn't seem like it would do the job.

 

A better way, at least IMO, is to add a small tether and extend the speakers to the dummy and/or any powered units without sound.  That way the sounds come from all units.

Getting back to the original headline subject and the original post.I don't get it.Did he answer his own question?Nick

If you actually look closely at the original post, there was no question.  He was just posting something kinda' tongue in cheek about dummy locomotives.  Hence we felt justified in subverting the original topic.

 

I just can't believe he paid $280 for the dummy. Time for him to change dealers or find out what they really go for. 

That is certainly a valid argument. It is disappointing that they don't at least have lighting. For me, though, because I don't fool with smoke on diesels, the only thing I need to add to the dummy is lights, and even making them directional isn't a big deal. Dummies still cost about $200 less than powered units, and the way I look at it - given my need for just lights - what I save in buying two dummies is enough to buy another powered engine.

 

I've thought about getting one of the upgrade kits Lionel made for their traditional Geep B units, which provides command control directional lighting and electrocouplers, and putting that in one of my Legacy GP35 dummies. Just curious how that would work, but I don't see any reason it wouldn't (after installing roller pickups and lightbulbs). Might be fun to try that.

 

Incidentally, catnap mentioned above that his Atlas O dummy has lights. However, the only Atlas O dummy I have is an older Rio Grande GP-35, and while it has roller pickups, it has no lights.

In the words of one of my favorite comedians :

 

There should have at least put some sound on these dummies!

 

For TMCC, you can install an ERR Mini Commander EX and have directional lights, couplers, smoke if desired, ditch lights, and even a sound output.

I bought my SD40-2 dummy in Chessie before I bought the matching powered unit. It was too pretty to pass up.

 

I also got a dummy RS-3 and GP....