gunrunnerjohn posted:I'd love to see brushless motors come into use in the model trains. I suspect the need to redesign the electronics for the motor has stopped many in their tracks.
If I recall correctly, Lionel spent a lot of money designing a brushless motor for the then new UP Veranda and PRR PA locomotives. Rumor was over a million dollars. This was advertised as the new Oddessy brushless motor. Was going revolutionize the O gauge market. They were never able to make a motor that was reliable. Word was they overheated causing burnout. After more than a year of delays they dropped it for the Oddessy speed control using Standard DC motors. I ordered the PRR PA A-A set with extra powered B unit. They never ran well in a lash-up until the Legacy System came out with Absolute Speed Steps. This eliminated the A and B units from bucking each other. These engines were way overpriced for the time period at over $900.00 for A-B-A setup. Lionel knocked $100.00 off after the failure of the Oddessy motor. That was the last time I ever rushed into buying trains with any kind of new Technology.
Forest
