2-10-10-2 Arrival (and problems)

That won't fit under the tree!!

Wow, that paint scheme is fantastic 🤤

Hmmm, I bet I know what the whistle on the vl Class a will sound like.

Also interesting, that sounds like a new/fresh hooter whistle for Lionel. Wonder where that came from?...hmm.

That loco is amazing! Hats off to Lionel. Drop dead gorgeous! Think I will stay away from it as I couldn't deal with having to find someone on my own to repair it when the warranty runs out.

I would think if they have it in the store it shipped. Also note the price tag riding on top of the Tinder.

I hope it shipped. That would be pretty cool to get it soon. Although I have no curves big enough to run it at the moment.

Nassau Hobby has them in stock.

My mistake, I thought you were debating whether Lionel had shipped them to the stores.

Nah haha @shasta I deduced that they came across the ocean. It was the remaining trip to my porch that I was curious about

Just another reminder of how strong the 2021 Catalog was.  It scares me to think of the financial shape I would be in without my "one loco / year" limit.

Got mine.

@Stephen Johnson posted:

Just another reminder of how strong the 2021 Catalog was.  It scares me to think of the financial shape I would be in without my "one loco / year" limit.

It beat my wallet up but it was worth it for sentimental reasons.

@laz1957 posted:

Got mine.

Well spill the beans! How is it?! Im hoping mine shows up Monday.

I have the original VL version I love it.

BILLO4014

  I just ordered it coming next week. Can’t wait.

@Shawn_Chronister posted:

I have the original VL version I love it.

I know it was well received. I hope they nail it this time too. It's such an interesting looking locomotive because of the way the boiler looks. I guess it looks undersized to me.

@laz1957 posted:

BILLO4014

  I just ordered it coming next week. Can’t wait.

Ohh I thought you meant yours arrived.

@BillYo414 posted:

I know it was well received. I hope they nail it this time too. It's such an interesting looking locomotive because of the way the boiler looks. I guess it looks undersized to me.

Ohh I thought you meant yours arrived.

Its was undersized it was two regular 2-10-2's hob cobbled together and it was a huge failure for SF so much so alot of them were turned back into regular 2 -10-2's.

Forgive my ignorance, but what kind of consists was that engine designed to pull?

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

Forgive my ignorance, but what kind of consists was that engine designed to pull?

Peter

It was an unsuccessful freight locomotive.  The were eventually rebuilt into 2-10-2's between 1915-1918.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

It was an unsuccessful freight locomotive.  The were eventually rebuilt into 2-10-2's between 1915-1918.

Rusty

Noted, thank you.........

Peter

@Rusty Traque posted:

It was an unsuccessful freight locomotive.  The were eventually rebuilt into 2-10-2's between 1915-1918.

Rusty

@Putnam Division posted:

Noted, thank you.........

Peter

Peter - The Virginian Railway had 10 of these locos built for them in 1918.  They ran out of steam quickly and could only be used as helper locomotives on a short but steep grade. The AE class could take a big train from Mullins to Roanoke but they were much slower than a Norfolk & Western class Y-6 or any simple articulated. The AE class pretty much was limited to 20 mph.  In the early 1920s, the Virginia electrified the division the Class AE was designed for. The "Square Head" electric locomotives could move similar sized trains at 25 miles per hour. The AEs were too slow for the relatively level Roanoke to Victoria division, and being a 2-10-10-2 were to long for the tight curves of the branch lines to the coal mines, so they were used as heavy-duty shunters at the Sewell Point coal pier, from 1925 to the late 1940s.

-Greg

Didn't the Virginian version have a bigger boiler? I thought it looked different. It looks a lot beefier.

@Greg Houser posted:

Peter - The Virginian Railway had 10 of these locos built for them in 1918.

-Greg

@BillYo414 posted:

Didn't the Virginian version have a bigger boiler? I thought it looked different. It looks a lot beefier.

While both roads had 2-10-10-2's, the wheel arrangement was the only common factor.

The Virginian locomotives weighed about 16,000 pounds more, had larger cylinders and about 26,000 pounds more in tractive effort than the Santa Fe's.  Plus the Virginian 2-10-10-2's were built in 1918, the same year the last of the Santa Fe 2-10-10-2's were rebuilt into 2-10-2's.

Rusty

Gotcha. I think I misunderstood the pages I skimmed. I thought they were all built at the same time but with certain design tweaks.

I just got the notification that mine has shipped. So that's exciting! It's less exciting that I tore most of the 4x8 test layout down when I painted the ceiling

Looking forward to receiving the "Black Bonnet" #3005. I know it's a fantasy scheme, but what the heck it's all in fun. I just hope my wife doesn't know what I $$ ;~)

@Ford33 posted:

Looking forward to receiving the "Black Bonnet" #3005. I know it's a fantasy scheme, but what the heck it's all in fun. I just hope my wife doesn't know what I $$ ;~)

When you receive it, would be kind enough to share a video/ photo of it?

@Ford33 I got the blacked out version but man those "fantasy" schemes are SHARP. I kind of regret my choice haha

Wow!!!!!!  That was an extremely impressive display.

George

BillYo, I actually ordered the #3009 like you did, which looks the most realistic of the 4. Somehow my kid brain and the iconic bonnet took over and I switched. They all look good, it's a tough call.

@G3750 can't wait to see it pull coal drags!

@Ford33 yeah a friend tried to talk me into buying a fantasy scheme when I preordered but I kind of expected them to look cartoonish in real life. I was very wrong haha

I got a call on Monday that #3009 came in to my LTS. Eric of Eric's Trains popped a video of his #3001 at Legacy Station. In that video they also popped #3009 on the rails for a test run. I'm so glad I went with #3009 because of the blackened drivers.

I love the look of the blackened drivers. I hope to weather this thing one day and I think the blackened drivers will look great in the meantime.

Just picked up my black bonnet today, this thing is gorgeous in person

Man that is such a nice paint scheme!! Looks great!! How's it run?

@BillYo414 posted:

Man that is such a nice paint scheme!! Looks great!! How's it run?

Fantastic, it's a lumbering giant and definitely likes to run at lower speeds.

@SB30 posted:

Fantastic, it's a lumbering giant and definitely likes to run at lower speeds.

Awesome. Allegedly, mine arrives tomorrow. I don't have any 0-72 loops at the moment. Might just power it up on a straight away I guess.

@SB30 posted:

Fantastic, it's a lumbering giant and definitely likes to run at lower speeds.

Just like real life!

@SB30 posted:

Just picked up my black bonnet today, this thing is gorgeous in person

Wow! That thing is gorgeous! My Black Bonnet arrives tomorrow.

It appears Lionel knocked it out of the park on this Vision offering.

@N'awlins posted:

Wow! That thing is gorgeous! My Black Bonnet arrives tomorrow.

It appears Lionel knocked it out of the park on this Vision offering.

It's very glossy, almost like it's after a restoration version if there ever would've been one. I think some nice heavyweight Santa Fe passenger cars and a fantasy excursion train are in the works for this

@SB30 posted:

It's very glossy, almost like it's after a restoration version if there ever would've been one. I think some nice heavyweight Santa Fe passenger cars and a fantasy excursion train are in the works for this

Without a doubt! RBP trains has a Black Bonnet video and he pairs his BB Northern with some MTH plated streamliners and it looks super sharp.

@Rusty Traque posted:

It was an unsuccessful freight locomotive.  The were eventually rebuilt into 2-10-2's between 1915-1918.

Rusty

So...to my mind, this is kind of an odd choice, is it not? Seems like a lot of effort,$$, etc on Lionel's part to tool up and offer a model of "an unsuccessful freight locomotive"...🤔

Maybe some day they will put together a nice, "short line" type of steam engine, like a low-drivered 2-8-0 or something...

Mark in Oregon

@Strummer posted:

So...to my mind, this is kind of an odd choice, is it not? Seems like a lot of effort,$$, etc on Lionel's part to tool up and offer a model of "an unsuccessful freight locomotive"...🤔

Yes, but that's the beauty of this hobby. To bring cool engines like this back to life that were expiramental or lost to history. Who cares how successful or unsuccessful it was in real life. You see an engine like this and immediately it catches your attention

Lionel has done several one-off engines, so nothing new here.  A lot of folks like collecting engines from different eras, especially unique ones like this.  While less successful than Virginia’s 2-10-10-2, this was probably the better choice.

For me, a fantasy scheme works best for this engine.  Why not use it with matching lightweight passenger cars for an excursion train on your modern era layout?

The Erie Triplex was a failure in real life. It has to be one of the coolest model train engines ever produced. Multiple runs in multiple scales from MTH. Boy if Lionel ever got a hold of the molds for it and did a Legacy version. There would be a line to buy them.

@Dave_C posted:

The Erie Triplex was a failure in real life. It has to be one of the coolest model train engines ever produced. Multiple runs in multiple scales from MTH. Boy if Lionel ever got a hold of the molds for it and did a Legacy version. There would be a line to buy them.

It might have the most pre orders of any vision line or high end legacy steam engine ever, I'd definitely get one

I will admit that a great number of years ago before O Scale started getting into scale locomotives, I did see an article in one of those other publications on this engine. I fell in love with it right from the get go probably because it was something I'd never seen before.

To further this though, yeah the engine was an overall bust in the end. As stated before on numerous occasions, there are quite a few engines that fall into that category but there is a want for these things regardless of the cold hard truth. To put this further into perspective, musicians that a good majority of people enjoy seem to fall right into this as well. There are a number of them that are considered one hit wonders or not even that, but we love them and listen to them.

Any way the pie is sliced, it is still going to get eaten. Sometimes there are bigger slices, other times they are small. There's always some kind of draw.

@SB30 posted:

It's very glossy, almost like it's after a restoration version if there ever would've been one. I think some nice heavyweight Santa Fe passenger cars and a fantasy excursion train are in the works for this

I'm not too concerned if mine is glossy. I intend to weather it one day anyway.

I think scale models of engines that failed in real life are cool. I also think articulated steamers get more attention because you can fit more stuff in them. There is usually a lot of real estate in the boiler for smoke units and electronics of all types.

I just received mine and it is a beauty!   I got the 3001 instead of the true fantasy schemes, in part because I wanted the engine that starred in the 1915 silent film “Hazards of Helen: The Leap from the Water Tower.”  If you haven’t seen it, it’s available on Youtube.   Some very nice footage of the 3001 pulling a short train.  

One TINY little, easily avoided problem, is the super cool cow catcher on the back of the tender often decouples cars that have thumb tack couplers.  The cow catcher is just long enough and at just the right height.  No big deal; the first car after the tender just has to have no thumb tack.  But it made me think there was something wrong with the coupler on my $2200 engine when it first happened!  

@Strummer posted:

So...to my mind, this is kind of an odd choice, is it not? Seems like a lot of effort,$$, etc on Lionel's part to tool up and offer a model of "an unsuccessful freight locomotive"...🤔

Mark in Oregon

I believe these were originally produced as Lionels second VL locomotive. The first was the all new Pennsy cc2 0-8-8-0 back in 2009.

At the time Lionel was describing vision line as unique never done before locos with all the added " bells (swinging) and smoking whistles and everything else.

Over time the VL has morphed into rehashes of previous run "existing tooling"locomotives with added goodies.

I think Lionel realized they could market anything with the VL label after the VL Hudson ,which as cool as it is. Is a poorly detailed model due to the antiquated tooling. Having said that. These hudsons regularly get over msrp on the secondary market.

While out of my price range. I prefer the stigma of the really unique first vl models.

@SB30 posted:

It's very glossy, almost like it's after a restoration version if there ever would've been one. I think some nice heavyweight Santa Fe passenger cars and a fantasy excursion train are in the works for this

Eye candy for sure. Definitely a fantasy piece, so why not a fantasy passenger train. Not in the era, but I ordered 2 of these from Pats trains.. Maybe he could do some fantasy passenger cars. Of course I've already blown my train budget for a few years

@SuperChief posted:

Just like real life!

Who's gonna be the first to saw theirs in half and make two decapods?......just like real life...

@Strummer posted:

So...to my mind, this is kind of an odd choice, is it not? Seems like a lot of effort,$$, etc on Lionel's part to tool up and offer a model of "an unsuccessful freight locomotive"...🤔

Maybe some day they will put together a nice, "short line" type of steam engine, like a low-drivered 2-8-0 or something...

Mark in Oregon

Apparently, it's all Neil Youngs fault. ;~)

@Ford33 posted:

Apparently, it's all Neil Youngs fault. ;~)

I did not know ol' Neil was a 2-10-10-2 fan...I know he likes Martins 🎸...🙂

Mark in Oregon

@Strummer posted:

So...to my mind, this is kind of an odd choice, is it not? Seems like a lot of effort,$$, etc on Lionel's part to tool up and offer a model of "an unsuccessful freight locomotive"...🤔

Maybe some day they will put together a nice, "short line" type of steam engine, like a low-drivered 2-8-0 or something...

Mark in Oregon

Lionel moves in mysterious ways...  Look at how many Pennsy Turbines Lionel sold over the decades, an unsuccessful locomotive that was scrapped after six years.

Rusty

Here are my pics of the new 2-10-10-2.  This is a beauty indeed.  The only problem I had was the yellow step had broke off and boiler plate feel off.  A little glue and back in business.  Be careful with this engine, lots o small parts. I do love the HOOTER, not that kind but the whistle.😀

I would have got the one with the yellow strip in retrospect.

Thanks for the heads up on the small parts!

Well it did actually arrive today. So here it is on my parents kitchen counter.

It's a pretty awesome locomotive! Definitely need some lubrication on the tender unless it's normal for the wheels to make a noise when you spin them. Looks like the front of the locomotive is lubed pretty good though. My paint job isn't overly glossy. I love the blackened wheels and whatnot though. I was in a hurry so I couldn't get a good cab pic but I should have some time later on to post more pics. The sand domes actually come off pretty easy if you grab the sides of it instead of trying to flip it up with your fingernail. I can't wait to actually run it! I'll be quite pleased with this if it's electronically functional.

Hopefully these photos post right! I'm doing this from my phone.

Quick pic

I don't know what magic they used for the firebox but it looks amazing. I have no power to this engine in the attached photos. Pretty wild stuff.

I also noticed a piece of plastic under the plate that sits on the tender from the cab (I can't think of the real name). That's a nice touch.

@BillYo414 posted:

I don't know what magic they used for the firebox but it looks amazing. I have no power to this engine in the attached photos. Pretty wild stuff.

I also noticed a piece of plastic under the plate that sits on the tender from the cab (I can't think of the real name). That's a nice touch.

Very nice! I believe the term you are looking for is tender deck plate.

@Rusty Traque posted:

Lionel moves in mysterious ways...  Look at how many Pennsy Turbines Lionel sold over the decades, an unsuccessful locomotive that was scrapped after six years.

Rusty

The S2 was not scrapped for purely operational reasons.  The S2 was competitive on longer routes where it could maintain speed (above 40mph), plus it was a crowd pleaser.  Its high appetite at low speeds could have been solved if it were not for the arrival of diesels.  It was scrapped because of turbine damage in 1949, and to the Pennsy's bean counters it did not make since to fix it.

Why did Lionel decide to make it?  Like the 2-10-10-2, it is an awesome locomotive.

A little running session today.

Here's my 3001 I just got.  Ignore the mess in the background layout is still a WIP. 

Very beautiful model, the blow down and whistle are strong smokers, and the bell looks amazing swinging, I love the stereo sounds and the detail is top notch!

I like that this is not only a strange obscure engine, but it also is from the early 1910s which most of the o gauge engines (not all) today come from the 20s-50s so it's also unique in that respect

@BillYo414 posted:

I don't know what magic they used for the firebox but it looks amazing. I have no power to this engine in the attached photos. Pretty wild stuff.

I also noticed a piece of plastic under the plate that sits on the tender from the cab (I can't think of the real name). That's a nice touch.

Yeah, the deck plate has been something that has been improved quite a bit. The CCII Niagara's one was diecast, which broke as easily as snapping a toothpick. Since then many improvents have come about, the plastic to cut out(hopefully) metal on metal rubbing. I don't remember if Lionel was the first to do that or not as my first time seeing it was a video on Eric's Trains a good number of years ago(maybe VL Hudson).

Great looking locomotive, that much is sure. Be a bit before I get mine even though it is in. I have a few other engines and such ahead of that which must come home first. 😊

Thanks for the videos! I can't wait to run mine. When would blowdown realistically be used in real life?

I'm glad the deck plate is improve and I'm glad it's there in general. The gap has always bugged me even though I hardly notice it once the train is moving.

Why can't people turn the phone sideways and shoot in landscape to make videos better???????????

@SuperChief posted:

A little running session today.

WOW!

Apologies for the phone not being in landscape mode. I usually do this, but with holding the legacy remote in my right hand trying to access the features and my phone on my left hand its difficult to get landscape and keep the phone from shifting when I press and release the record button. I made the video above initially for only myself and originally did not intend to post on ogr forum which explains the lack of quality.

Aside from that have you guys opened up the boiler front and seen that there was actual detail in there? I can get photos, but its cool to see!!

@BillYo414 I believe what a steam "blow down" is usually for is to release steam from the boiler at the end of the run before cleaning the firebox and putting the engine to sleep.  I'm not sure if this blowdown is for that or if it might be for releasing condensation from the boiler similar to a cylinder cock.  I bet the steam experts here will probably weigh in much better than I!

Best,

Gino Fabbricante

I knew it cleaned out the boiler but I wasn't sure if when they did it @Gino Fabbricante. It looks like it works very well on this model! Thank you for posting the video!

@BillYo414 posted:

I knew it cleaned out the boiler but I wasn't sure if when they did it @Gino Fabbricante. It looks like it works very well on this model! Thank you for posting the video!

How often depends on the RR and who you ask. Blowing down is used to release scale from the mud ring and any other foreign substances. On Live steam models, this would also serve as a way to drop the boiler pressure and “shut down” the locomotive. On the prototype they would instead drop the fire, build a small warming fire (to keep some boiler pressure), and build a new fire for when the locomotive is called for a train.
Onto how often they blowdown. It usually is done after the locomotive is steamed for the day. Other times, it is done at clearings (bridges, fields, etc.) or certain locations. For the Santa Fe, and all other RRs, engineers would blowdown for how ever many miles traveled. Here is a great video of a SF engineer driving a 3460 class that mentions their blowdown procedure.

@Trainmaster04

Thanks for sharing that video!  Its easy to romanticize steam and forget how complicated the operation can really be.  Although,  a beast that size pounding away at 93 mph would be a sight to see!

@Trainmaster04 posted:

How often depends on the RR and who you ask. Blowing down is used to release scale from the mud ring and any other foreign substances. On Live steam models, this would also serve as a way to drop the boiler pressure and “shut down” the locomotive. On the prototype they would instead drop the fire, build a small warming fire (to keep some boiler pressure), and build a new fire for when the locomotive is called for a train.
Onto how often they blowdown. It usually is done after the locomotive is steamed for the day. Other times, it is done at clearings (bridges, fields, etc.) or certain locations. For the Santa Fe, and all other RRs, engineers would blowdown for how ever many miles traveled. Here is a great video of a SF engineer driving a 3460 class that mentions their blowdown procedure.

I learned a lot from this video - I never realized that the crew was so active every minute.

I just pull the lever to make 'em go.

Thanks for sharing Trainmaster04!

@jhz563 posted:

@Trainmaster04

Thanks for sharing that video!  Its easy to romanticize steam and forget how complicated the operation can really be.  Although,  a beast that size pounding away at 93 mph would be a sight to see!

Pretty awesome video!

I'm looking at this engine and wondering what half the pipes and stuff are even for. I'm considering posting a topic with lots of arrows asking what all this stuff is. I get the basic idea of how a steamer works. But I don't know what all this extra stuff is.

Not that I broke anything, but when does Lionel post the exploded parts diagram stuff to the website? I don't want to take mine apart before warranty ends but I'm curious to see the innards of the locomotive. Sometimes the exploded parts view gives an idea of orientation inside.

UPS just dropped mine off. Here’s hoping shipping didn’t mess anything up. I’ll post photos/videos once I get it out.

@BillYo414 posted:

Not that I broke anything, but when does Lionel post the exploded parts diagram stuff to the website? I don't want to take mine apart before warranty ends but I'm curious to see the innards of the locomotive. Sometimes the exploded parts view gives an idea of orientation inside.

Your best bet would probably use the original 2-10-10-2 parts view for now.
https://www.lionelsupport.com/...9b-a360-659e0d29ff64

I hope it's good @Trainmaster04. And thanks! I didn't think of that.

@BillYo414 posted:

I hope it's good @Trainmaster04. And thanks! I didn't think of that.

Happy to help! Unfortunately, all is not well. I got the engine on the tracks and overall, it is stunning on the outside! On the inside, well. The board fried after a couple of minutes into its break in run. In the video you can see it smokes a tone, runs smoothly, and then dies at the end. I got close to the locomotive and I smelt the dreaded fried electronic smell.

Wow, I'm really sorry man I mean it's great it's under warranty but that the same time, that's irritating. Any idea what caused it? Or what can cause this sort of thing? Just a wire or board coming in contact with the shell?

@BillYo414 posted:

Wow, I'm really sorry man I mean it's great it's under warranty but that the same time, that's irritating. Any idea what caused it? Or what can cause this sort of thing? Just a wire or board coming in contact with the shell?

Thanks for your sympathy. My best bet would be a bad smoke unit board that took in too much power and subsequently fried itself. The last time this happened it was a smoke unit as well.

That's rough man @Trainmaster04 I feel for you. You ever send anything back under warranty before?

I gotta admit, I'm inclined to pop mine open and check all the wires and whatnot. I just hate to void the warranty in case something does go wrong.

@BillYo414 posted:

That's rough man @Trainmaster04 I feel for you. You ever send anything back under warranty before?

I gotta admit, I'm inclined to pop mine open and check all the wires and whatnot. I just hate to void the warranty in case something does go wrong.

Many times and each time has been a different story. Sometimes it goes fine and other times it is difficult. With all of them, it was all time-consuming. I wouldn't blame you if you did but it is a hard gamble.

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Many times and each time has been a different story. Sometimes it goes fine and other times it is difficult. With all of them, it was all time-consuming. I wouldn't blame you if you did but it is a hard gamble.

Well at least you know what to expect I suppose.

My long term goal is to be decent at electronics and be able to hold my own. I have done some real minor repairs and and an ERR upgrade. I feel like I could repair it if I could get parts. I don't know. I'll think it over while I work on getting the layout built.

Oh man, that is terrible.

Well, that right there is incredible!

Update on my 2-10-10-2. I called Nassau, who I preordered it through, for a replacement engine. They said they had no more due to two other people called with similar complaints. Hopefully this will not be a continuous problem. Onto calling Lionel and thankfully I was able to make some headway. They were able give me an RA number and start the usual process of getting fixed. The only problem is their turn around time is 4-6 weeks.

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Update on my 2-10-10-2. I called Nassau, who I preordered it through, for a replacement engine. They said they had no more due to two other people called with similar complaints.

Your video.( and some others I've seen) It  seems like the smoke unit for the whistle and blowdown is getting too hot. In my opinion. The blowdown and whistle steam is too thick and unrealistic ,yet the stack smoke appears like its under producing.

Folks keep wanting better smoke effects. the only way to get better smoke is to add more heat. Too much heat and well.....

I'm hoping you get your locomotive back in a timely manner ,with this issue resolved.

@RickO posted:

Your video.( and some others I've seen) It  seems like the smoke unit for the whistle and blowdown is getting too hot. In my opinion. The blowdown and whistle steam is too thick and unrealistic ,yet the stack smoke appears like its under producing.

Folks keep wanting better smoke effects. the only way to get better smoke is to add more heat. Too much heat and well.....

I'm hoping you get your locomotive back in a timely manner ,with this issue resolved.

Agreed. It was definitely to thick. As was blowing the whistle the smoke would immediately fall meaning it was too dense. I think for the blowdown it is almost just right, but for the whistle it is a little bit too much. It is a hard balancing at that either ends burning itself up or being too little.

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Agreed. It was definitely to thick. As was blowing the whistle the smoke would immediately fall meaning it was too dense. I think for the blowdown it is almost just right, but for the whistle it is a little bit too much. It is a hard balancing at that either ends burning itself up or being too little.

Really sorry the boards fried. Your smoke is super thick compared to ours. Just curious, what smoke are you using?

Matt

Wasn't there a similar problem with the Santa Fe Northern's getting too hot as well? I think that only burnt out the smoke unit(s) though IIRC from the post a couple of years ago?

One thing I've also noticed on the newer smoke units is. If you run them , turn them off, and then turn them back on before letting things cool down. Things get really toasty upon restart.

I believe several years ago Lionel redesigned the smoke units to "ramp up" upon start up to get smoke production started faster. Unfortunately, they still "ramp up" even though the unit has already been warmed.

@SuperChief I use JT’s Mega Steam Coal Fired scent but I have never seen it produce this much smoke in any of my other engines.
@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 Yes, there was a problem with them which I had the unfortunate luck of have to deal with it.
@RickO Thanks for the tip! This being a cold start of the engine I don’t think that was the problem for my engine.

Maybe I'll fire mine up with all the smoke items off and then turn them on one by one to see if it pops.

@RickO posted:

Your video.( and some others I've seen) It  seems like the smoke unit for the whistle and blowdown is getting too hot. In my opinion. The blowdown and whistle steam is too thick and unrealistic ,yet the stack smoke appears like its under producing.

Folks keep wanting better smoke effects. the only way to get better smoke is to add more heat. Too much heat and well.....

Would adding a resistor limit how much power (amps?) can get to the smoke units to prevent this? That's a helpful tip about the ramp up getting restarted each time the whistle key is pulled. Especially if the board isn't checking temp before restarting the ramp.

TRAINMASTER04,

   Sorry to hear about the smoke unit getting toasted.  Hopefully Lionel will make it good.  Question for you, what level on the smoke were you at?  I have the Valley 2-10-10-2 but only take it to medium level.  I only use it when wife is not around.  I am curious if it was set at high and that was the cause?  I remember with the TMCC units if you kept increasing the smoke it would get hotter.  Did you stop at the high mark or did you keep pressing for more smoke?

@laz1957 posted:

TRAINMASTER04,

   Sorry to hear about the smoke unit getting toasted.  Hopefully Lionel will make it good.  Question for you, what level on the smoke were you at?  I have the Valley 2-10-10-2 but only take it to medium level.  I only use it when wife is not around.  I am curious if it was set at high and that was the cause?  I remember with the TMCC units if you kept increasing the smoke it would get hotter.  Did you stop at the high mark or did you keep pressing for more smoke?

When I programmed it the locomotive was set to low and I increased it to medium. I kept it on medium all the way till it burn itself up. I generally keep my engines set to medium or have them off if my mother or myself can longer take the smell of smoke.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Wasn't there a similar problem with the Santa Fe Northern's getting too hot as well? I think that only burnt out the smoke unit(s) though IIRC from the post a couple of years ago?

Yup. 2019 run of ATSF 3751 class Northerns had the issue. They would melt smoke funnels and fans. It was a two part issue. The first was the unit thermistor was too far from the resistor. Secondly was a mis-programed RCMC. The smoke units were basically on high all the time with no way to turn them down. I wasn't about to send mine back to Lionel for a new RCMC as I had already corrected the thermistor issue and swapped the Canon motor for a 9433 Pittman, so I didn't want a service tech anywhere near the thing. After some back and forth Lionel sent me a reprogrammed RCMC, which I installed and sent them back the mis-programmed one. The issue was fully corrected after that.

@Lou1985 Nicely done. Did you have a thread on that by chance? It sounds like a solid repair. I wonder if we're seeing a repeat of that situation.

@BillYo414 posted:

@Lou1985 Nicely done. Did you have a thread on that by chance? It sounds like a solid repair. I wonder if we're seeing a repeat of that situation.

I don't. The fix was to move the thermistor about 4mm (1/8 inch or so) away from the resistor. There is actually a printed graphic for spacing on the smoke unit but the thermistor was beyond 4mm when I opened it up.

Well that and a new RCMC.