I am an old codger but I have a love for the new way of running/operating trains. I have followed with interest a number of threads on this site and others about the modern technology available to operate trains. I have seen both sides of the equation and have been on both sides, some trains that come from Lionel and work perfectly as they should and some that have arrived and had to go back for warranty work. I have seen a lot of bashing of Lionel because of problems some of which I have experienced myself. I understand some of the problems that come from having items manufactured so far from home, the place I retired from started having their products manufactured in China to save costs and to avoid some problems with the EPA. This did create some problems with the quality of the product we manufactured, and it was not a high tech product. I vented on another forum my feelings on this and on the difference these new Lionel products have made for me to make this hobby much more fun and I thought to share the same here:
I am definitely amongst this group that is getting older, crossed into the 70's last year. I for one love the old Gilbert trains but, I also embrace the newer Flyonel equipment. These trains, "when they are right", can do things we only dreamed of a few years back. There is problems with some of the equipment but in my experience Lionel has stood behind their products and continues to do it. Do I like the fact that I had to send some things back for warranty and pay for the shipping? No but, at the same time I never had trains before where they were capable of truly being operated, we used to just run trains. I see us now with a system where I can have, for example three engines sitting on the same piece of rail and energize the one of my choice, be it Gilbert or Flyonel, and build a train and "operate it" while leaving the others at rest. I have a system where I can take a seventy year old conventional Gilbert engine and run it with a wireless remote and view it, as I control it, from any place on the layout. This give me much more enjoyment in a hobby that I dearly love. I can take, if I so desire, that 70 year old engine and give it a new life by installing an ERR motor driver board in it and run it completely independent of other locomotives on that same piece of track. I do not say that these developments are for everyone but we have a number of members of the BSG that have to different levels adopted the TMCC/Legacy system and are quite happy with it. When this group does get together to run trains we can operate or run five or six or even more trains on one layout all at the same time and it can be a mix of the old and new, and they can be taken to anyplace desired on the layout. This can be done without a need for a system of blocks to separate the power to each engine. On my layout ,"if" we would want to do, it we could run three of the conventional Gilbert engines on independent blocks and still do it with the wireless control. The TMCC/Legacy system also is not a complicated system to operate, all that needs to be done is to power up the layout, punch in a two digit number for the engine you desire to run, into the handheld remote and you are up and running. Now also thanks to Electric Rail Road I can take a conventional Flyonel passenger set and convert it to TMCC and have the conventional Railsounds B-unit horn or whistle and bell triggered in the TMCC mode. I for one, although I know I am not alone, thank Lionel for bringing this system to S gauge. Trains for me are much more fun than they have ever been. Yes there can be and is some frustration but the fun overcomes it.
We also have so members on the scale side that use DCC and I think that is great, why not use the advancements that modern technology has given us.
Ray
