@0-Gauge CJ posted:I have gone back and forth about posting this, as it feels like a dumb question to ask. The differences between Legacy and TMCC are pretty well documented, so there's no reason to ask this question, right? Let me explain.
When the scale model bug bit me, I wanted to stick to Legacy engines, the idea being that I wanted to have all of the latest features avaliable to me. However, there are some locomotives I would really like to have, but the Legacy versions are either too expensive on the second-hand market, they are highly sought-after items and disappear before I can buy them, or they haven't been produced as a Legacy model before.
As time has gone on, I have gotten a better understanding of what I want and use in my models. For one, I've discovered that I have never bothered with any of the extra sounds and nice features (eg, depleting coal, refilling water, etc.). I also don't really use the crewtalk features. Sound is important to me, but the only sounds I really care about are the steam chuffing (including 4 chuffs per revolution), whistle, and to a lesser extent the bell. I also like slow starting and running too. I've also discovered that for some Lionel models, the tooling hasn't changed between TMCC and Legacy versions, just the electronics and feature set. Thus my attention turns to the TMCC version.
But before I go out on a limb and make a purchase I might regret, I want to ask: those of you who run both Legacy and TMCC, does having Legacy spoil you? Does TMCC feel like a downgrade when you run a TMCC engine? Or do you alternate between the two without being bothered? Because quality sound is important to me I am thinking I would limit my TMCC selection to railsounds 4 or later (I've found some old videos of railsounds 4 engines, I think it sounds good). I know Gun Runner John's chuff generator can provide 4 chuffs/revolution too, so with some tinkering I can address that on any engine I buy.
I realize this question is pretty subjective, but I am hoping to get some concerns laid to rest, maybe get some new insight too. Thanks for your time.
Hello 0-Gauge CJ,
A little over half of my locomotives (Steam and Diesel Electric) are Legacy (TMCCII), and the rest are TMCC. First, my TMCC models are physically the same level of detail as their Legacy counterparts, so the differences are mostly functional. My TMCC's are mid year 2004 through 2010 and none have been modified yet. The most noticeable differences are functional, speed control and sound. The most noticeable is the speed control. Legacy has many more speed steps than TMCC, like 100 steps Legacy w/Odyssey II vs 32 steps TMCC w/Odyssey. Because TMCC has fewer steps it doesn't adjust speed as well as Legacy and therefor will slightly slow down going up grades and speed up going down grades. Legacy seems to maintain an exact speed up as well as down a grade. If anything, TMCC is more prototypical because it does slow down up a grade. The speed up down the grade is minor, and neither of these bother me. Crew talk on my 2004 and 2005 Santa Fe EMD F3 ABA sets is minimal, but I don't use it much anyway. I'm happy with either TMCC or Legacy.
My 2004 TMCC Western Pacific 485 GS-66-77 Northern 4-8-4 chuff kinda leaves a lot to be desired, but the crew talk is fantastic and up to Legacy standards. I do plan to upgrade WP GS 485 with a Super Chuffer II and Chuff generator, as it is currently about 1 chuff per revolution compared to my Legacy SP Daylight GS-2 which is 4 chuff per rev.
I hope this helps a little.
Scott
