I have MTH's RailKing Burlington Pioneer Zephyr passenger set with Proto-Sound (#30-2186-1). I purchased it from a reputable dealer who described it as "New Old Stock" - as in, never removed from the box. According to MTH's website, this set was cataloged in 2000.
Before I ever ran it (for the first time) I removed the (notorious?) MTH 'White' battery and replaced it with a new, fully charged, MTH 'Green' battery. I have since replaced the green battery with a BCR from J and W Electronics. I'm running conventionally, using the MRC AH501 transformer, which is supposed to provide a 'pure' sine wave (vs a chopped sine wave). As far as I know, these should be favorable conditions for this particular train set.
The Zephyr has been sitting on the shelf for a couple of months. Earlier today I put it on the track and it will not move - forward or reverse. Upon advancing the throttle the lights come on and I get a 'Ding, Ding' (2 bells) out of it, along with engine noise (all of this is normal), but it seems to be stuck in neutral. I can't get it to move either by advancing/retarding the throttle or by using the 'Direction' button on the transformer.
The documentation that came with the set describes a tedious process (advancing/retarding the throttle (18 times) and listening for the proper sequence/combination of diagnostic 'Clanking' and 'Clinking' sounds for achieving a state that represents a reset to initial factory conditions. I went through all of that and got the train to run. And it would cycle normally: Forward-Neutral-Reverse, using the 'Direction' button on the transformer. But this only worked one time. As soon as I slowed the train to a stop it would not run again. So far, repeating the cumbersome (if you make a mistake anywhere during the process you have to start over again) 18-step throttle dance to get the right Clank/Clink combination does not result in success. Also: Behavior is the same regardless of whether I attempt to run the entire train (locomotive + 2 coaches + observation car), the lead unit coupled to the observation car alone, or the lead unit by itself.
Can anyone share any insight, or offer suggestions? Thanks in any case.
Peace,
Sam
ps: I have searched the forum here and found some other references to problems getting the MTH Zephyr to move (as well as instances where the user gets movement but no sound). So far, I can't see that the solution(s) offered there apply to my situation. Interested to see if anyone can offer alternative ideas.
At least one user indicates that this locomotive will not cycle out of neutral if the battery is dead. Is it possible I got a bad BCR? I suppose I could put the green battery (fully charged) back in, in place of the BCR, and try that.
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