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So I have received both my Phase IV F40PH (2233722) and my Phase V Cabbage (2233790) engines from the 2022 Volume 1 catalog and I have found some issues with the firmware loaded into the models. The original engines worked in pair mode very well; transferring both lights and sounds between the 2 engines perfectly. These new ones not so much...

When operating the engines as a single ID, with the "unit - pair" switch set to "pair," the lights work mostly fine, other than the rear marker lights and rear headlights remaining on, depending on direction. But there's a glaring issue of both engines having their strobe lights on regardless of which direction they are in. The original release had interior lights and the strobe lights only come on for the engine that is leading the train.

The issue with the lighting becomes worse when the engines are set as independent IDs and are programmed into a train, again with the "unit - pair" switch set to "pair." Now only the strobe lights and the interior lights remain active on the engine that was set as the lead unit and they will not come on when you change directions. So the engine set as the trailing unit does not have strobe lights or interior lights, when you change direction.

The normal F40PHs might have a similar issue with the lighting, but I personally cannot confirm if this is true as I only have one F40PH in my possession.

The NPCU is also programmed with the intent to run it with the same ID as the powered engine, so it starts up in reverse and the couplers are backwards in operation (fire the front coupler and the rear one activates, fire rear coupler and the front one activates).

What I also find weird is the Cabbage model does not have figures in the cab, but the previous production run did. So you can't really run the train with the Cabbage car leading because there is no crew in the cab.

Other than these issues, I like the products Lionel has created here in this newest batch. These firmware issues could likely be resolved, although I'm not sure if the single ID mode could be made exclusively linked to be active when the Bluetooth switch set to on. I hope Lionel will be able to make these changes so the models so they are more realistic in their operation.

Last edited by MichaelB
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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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