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I recently bought said train at a train show last Saturday for $150. Unfortunately, I tried running it and the PS2 battery was dead, so I went to get a BCR. The BCR still didn't work, and I made sure everything was on the track, plugged in right, voltage in the center third rail, etc. The train turns on, but only the lights and idling sounds work, with an occasional non-stop horn or bell that can't be turned off unless I stop track power. I have four Lionel CW80's, and I tried all. The results were the same. It still doesn't move (even though it did once for about three inches until it stopped). My guess is that the board might be scrambled because I heard #180 is from a 2005 release and if it had the same battery for 11 years, it most likely did something.

My dad is found someone in Saginaw, MI that might be able to repair it, but last time I got something repaired somewhere else (Lionel Legacy Amtrak Dash-9 #517), it took five full months. I don't want to go through such a long time span again, but I don't know what to do. Should I contact MTH? They might not even support something from made over a decade ago!

Am I doing something wrong, or is the locomotive at fault?

This is really frustrating because I've been looking for this specific locomotive for years and I don't want to go back to using my (too) powerful and anti-social WBB Amtrak Phase V Genesis pair.

 

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A Z-1000 will work perfectly for testing the locomotive. (Isn't board scrambling a Protosound-1 issue?).

The unit might also be locked in neutral.  Even though a CW-80 has a horn and bell button built-in, it has programmed-in delays and holds on those signals that do not allow you to send the precise half-second-interval signals that the loco electronics would recognize as settings adjustments. 

---PCJ

I don't have DCS (but I want it, and the TIU so I can swap sounds; they sound like an F40PH). I plan on getting an MTH Z1000 transformer and an entire MTH circular track loop to see if it works on that. If it doesn't, I'll have to get it fixed by either MTH themselves (like I said, if they still support the model), or an authorized dealer, much to my annoyance. I can see why the dealer at the train show I purchased it from was selling it for such a low price.

Regarding MTH's 2017 announcement; I saw the new Genesis units. I'm probably not going to get one because of the price (even the RailKing one is expensive) and I already have five Genesis locomotives (WBB AA AMTK #10 + #186, MTH AMTK #180, MTH AMTK #9 {disassembled; long story}, MTH RailKing AMTK #66), so I don't need any more.

This is so upsetting to me. I've been looking for #180 for a few years (some guy on YouTube had #180 and I was really envious; his username was p42Amtrak83) and I was sooo close to having a fully functional model of it.

Your Amtrak is the older PS-2 5V board.  So be careful.  Get a pure sine wave transformer. Even a post war will work for a test.  Turn on power to 10Volts and let start up and BCR charge for 1 minute.   Turn power off.  Does engine play shut down sounds?  If not, you have a battery wire or circuit board issue, assuming BCR is good.  you can use a new 9V alkaline battery as a test.  If the battery works, either BCR is bad, or board charging circuit.

If it plays shutdown sounds with a good pure sine wave transformer or the MTH Z1000, but still no movement or random horns and bells, the circuit board is suspect.  This can be upgraded to the new PS-32 board and the original Sound File added.  I have done this on this model.  My turn around is 2-5 days,  G

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