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Is it just me or are there some engines that cause more trouble than others.

 

I have 15 postwar Lionel. Apart from 1 E-unit replacement and changing out a stripped worm these all run and run.

 

I have many modern Lionel, a good few are Lionmaster. Problems have been minor - a pinched wire short, a change of TMCC receiver board, the odd traction tire and screw needing replacement. All of these bought secondhand.

 

The rest are MTH. The early stuff with no features is bullet proof. I have had a Challenger smoke unit rebuilt (thanks GGG)and a PS1 chip reset. Some of the PS2 stuff has run and run with no issue at all. I have 2 Y6B's, my favorites. one is an old 5v, they just run and run .....but then there are " the three"

 

PS2 Santa Fe Northern - | great engine but has had regular tether problems X 3 and finally a board issue but since my good pal Paul (VA Golfer) rebuilt it all has been well

 

Railking Mohawk PS2 - originally 5v. Has been rebuilt 3 times (one was my fault)

 

Imperial Big Boy - Failed 2 days after purchase - new boards, lighting problem cured (BY GGG),all well until yesterday. Turned on the power (conventional), moved the switch expecting a smooth move to the main. Nothing but "electrical static" from the speaker/tender. One dead engine.Boards I suspect!

 

Has this happened to you?

 

MIKE

 

 

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I have not seen any pattern except with a very few model railroad products that I think are flawed - even that is minor.  PS1 locos have such a propensity to get into the three clangs of death mode that it has to have been a design oversight, and the Lionel early-era inspection car looks to me to have just been too much stuff crammed in to few cubic inches to allow properly cooling. I have several of each - constituting a large portion of what I own there, that have died, and I consider them flawed.

 

Otherwise no.  Modern locos are more complicated, and that means more to fail.  I accept that because they are far superior in what they do to postwar, even MPC.

 

Post-war stuff in good condition and well-maintained is nearly bulletproof as to durability, yes, but realize they have few features, either.  I have several in pristine condition, and none run nearly as slowly, or as smoothly when slow, as modern locos (the major advantage I like about newer locos).

 

Postwar locos have no chuffing or diesel sounds - no sound except some groaning and rumble from their frame type motors as compared to nearly silent modern can motors, and their whistles and bells are rather basic - meanwhile all of us are spoiled rotten by today's mid-range and premium locos that should, we claim in myriad posts here, reproduce whistle and horn sounds prototypically accurately.  We take electro-couplers for granted - they even have them front and back on the LC+ GPs, which are lower-end prices now (and fun to use!).  

 

Those features add to the complexity of modern locos and sometimes cause problems, but on balance I'm pleased.  I wore out a Lionmaster Big Boy - several hours ever day for four or five years, until the bearings and all were so loose that I put it on the shelf.  It had one minor problem (IR sensor gone bad) that I replaced.  I have some Legacy and Premier locos with hundreds of hours on them and no problems at all.

 

I've had a WBB diesel go very bad, an Atlas loco that needed extensive repairs, a couple of RMTs that needed minor surgery, etc., and minor problems I fix here and there with no pattern I see as to what company or what type of model, except this:

  • the mid range of Lionel - conventional or rather basic Legacy locos -- seems most bulletproof to me.  I have had no problems at all with the several dozen locos like the conventional Atlantic, Legacy diesels, etc.  None at all.  
  • And buying for my grandkids, I have had problems with two or three MTH RTR set steamers - so I steer clear of them now and get them LC+.  
Last edited by Lee Willis

Only problem I have had with MTH is a broken thumbwheel on my DCS system (plastic bracket broke, electronics still work), probably from over use? I would consider this a wear and tear issue and not a defect. Only real problem I have had was my new Legacy 990 system base power supply died after about 15 minutes of operation. A new on is on the way from Lionel service.

I do think that there are certain designs or build batches that are worse than others. Lately for me 2 of three Lionel Legacy engines that I bought have issues. Actually it has been 3 of 4 but one I won at an auction and I used my last spare smoke motor to fix that one. IR sensor did not work on one which is really frustrating when you have the LCS WiFi system and sensor track, which my first WiFi was defective and now that is was replaced I have 2. The GP9 I just got tonight runs erratic and one red LED appears to be misaligned and the glue that should hold the access door magnets appeared to have failed. Just disgusting. I think I am done buying anything more for a while. I will be too busy getting the new stuff repaired. The engine with the bad IR went back to Lionel the next morning after I received it and if course I had to pay for shipping. I have not been able to run that set for 4 weeks now since I paid for it. Such fun.

I have seriously considered just mailing each company a $20 bill to save the both of us the headache and hassle of them making then selling defective products and me to buy them and then send them back.

True, I have never had any trouble with any of my PW articulateds...wait! There

weren't any PW articulateds! Or much of anything else.

 

All I run is modern, most Fully Involved, and almost all have been reliable and trouble-

free, even after 20 years, in a few cases.

 

PW and Modern Scale are apples and oranges, and even a well-running PW loco is just...

a PW loco. Buzzz.

 

I'll wager that the GPS never failed on your grandfather's '46 Plymouth, either. And

how was the A/C on that model?

Thanks for all the comments. D500 you made me laugh. I actually wasn't seeking to make comparisons- just commenting on my personal experience of some individual engines acting up where as others never do despite similar usage pulling the same stuff on the same tracks.

 

Paul - thanks for your concern and sorry about the golf - LOL!

Hi Mike

 

I must say that I am moving to Lionel for my new engines, the biggest problems that I have are with the DCS signal particularly with Proto 3 engines, not sure why that is, the engines themselves are behaving well.  I plan to get a TMCC Legacy controller and visit Charles Ro this Thanksgiving for some treats !!! I never have any problems with TMCC signal I feel its a much more robust system and importantly more forgiving with the layout configuration, also Lionel after sales service and parts is far superior to MTH.

Originally Posted by masoner:

Hi Mike

 

I must say that I am moving to Lionel for my new engines, the biggest problems that I have are with the DCS signal particularly with Proto 3 engines, not sure why that is, the engines themselves are behaving well.  I plan to get a TMCC Legacy controller and visit Charles Ro this Thanksgiving for some treats !!! I never have any problems with TMCC signal I feel its a much more robust system and importantly more forgiving with the layout configuration, also Lionel after sales service and parts is far superior to MTH.

That's interesting.

 

Although, I like the MTH DCS system more than Lionel Legacy and TMCC, i.e. I find it more user friendly with less quirks, and also you dont have that annoying buzz when you power up a TMCC or Legacy track from the engines.

 

However, I do like the sounds on my Lionel Legacy engines better than PS2 and PS3 sounds.

 

Also, there are some issues with design and quality control on MTH PS3 transit models myself and some other forum members reported.

 

My Williams trains have been 100% issue free.

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