Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen:
I have a RailKing "Imperial Challenger" Item No. 30-1818-1 Steam engine with Proto-Sound 3.0 that I won on a previous "Cabin Fever" auction of MTH production samples.
I have just gotten around to running it on my layout, and it starts-up perfectly using my MTH Z 750 transformer, then starts moving forward after pressing the direction button. After a couple of seconds of running at a slow/medium speed, it stops abruptly on the track, with all the wheels locked-up, for a couple of seconds, and then takes off again, only to do the same thing a couple of feet further down the track.
As I said, I am running this loco with my MTH Z 750 transformer, as it will not respond to my hand-held MTH DSC remote (50-1033). It just sits on the track after the "start-up" sequence, but will not move when I press the + (forward) speed toggle button on the remote. The whistle will not work, nor will the bell using the remote buttons, but everything (including the rear coupler) works perfectly using the horn and bell buttons on the transformer.
I have other RailKing locomotives (steam and diesel) with PS3, and the hand held remote (50-1033) operates all of them easily. I was thinking I need to do a "factory reset", and the procedure is clearly outlined in the Owners Manual that came with it, however information published on the "Hobby Speed" site on E-bay when purchasing the MTH Remote (50-1033) claims a full "Factory Reset" cannot be achieved using a transformer - extract attached:
* Locomotives will ONLY operate with the DCS Remote Commander if they are set to the factory default settings. If the Factory default settings must be reset, the reset procedure must be done with a DCS Digital Command System (Item No. 50-1001). Using a conventional transformer with bell and whistle buttons to reset to Factory default settings will NOT properly reset the Proto-Sound 2.0 or 3.0 electronics to the correct address needed by the DCS Remote Commander to operate the locomotive.
My question are:
Am I wasting my time trying to do a "Factory Reset" using my MTH Z 750 transformer so as to be able to run the Challenger using my 50-1033 remote?
Will the "Factory Reset" overcome the problem of the loco running and then stopping abruptly, every 3 feet or so for a couple of seconds, and then taking off again?
Peter.....Buco Australia.
