MTH CTA 3200 series EL Cars

Thanks for posting.  Was looking to buy a set of these as road these a lot as a kid   

Be interested in the video and if after fixed did it improve  

probably hold off till I actually see and hear a couple of samples

thanks  

bigtruckpete posted:

I just picked up the latest edition of the MTH CTA 3200 series EL Cars in the CTA blue circle logo paint scheme item 30-20576-1 from the 2018 Volume 2 catalog.

At first glance the latest offering of this set has a nice improvement in the way they added black paint around the windows and door creases the way they have on other passenger cars. However, they just did this for the doors leaving the side windows with sliver paint. The detail on the doors is very nice and a meaningful improvement. 

Next up I removed all four cars of the set. For those who, like me, are regular riders on the Chicago EL System the route signs on two of the cars looked very odd. The signs with Howard looked great on two of the cars with the correct red background. The other two cars which include the power car have Howard signs with a brown background. This made for a fun first start up of the set to see would the recorded announcements be for the Red Line or for the Brown Line! Turns out the PS 3 recordings are for the Red Line! 

The last item I found that needs work is the quality of the recording. The bell sound is very odd. The best I can do to describe it is it sounds like no bell anyone on Earth has ever heard! The audio quality is extremely poor. Putting these two issues together I hope it is just a case of a bad upload of the sound file. I’ll see if I have time to make a quick video of the sound.

Did anyone else have such a time with their set?

It’s on its way back for hopefully an easy fix. Come on MTH. I know you can do better!

 

I was thinking about getting the yellow book train...i wonder how that the sound is for this model?

They look real nice, and I was waiting for the MP3 to get posted, but they never did. I have these on order and should be here on Wednesday. I have 4 other MTH CTA sets, the PS3 Bicennetenial, the PS2 White Sox, Bears, and Yellow Book. The PS3 Bicennetenial sounds are spot on and done very well. Was really hoping for a Blue line train this time around.

I would really like to see a video on this if you could Pete.

i ride the BLUE LINE so no interest

I know it would be crossing geography here, but there was an odd sounding "bell" on 2 of the NYC models from several years back (R11 and R34).

While this sound was (to the best of my knowledge) correct for these, it is an odd sound that is really nothing like a bell.  It almost sounds like the cyclic buzz of an alarm on a clock radio (what most of us used (or still do) before everyone used their phone to make various sounds for their alarms ).

I have no idea if this is the same sound, or if it's possible for the sound set bell to be accidentally recorded for an incorrect engine when the other sounds like the station stops are correct.  That's an MTH question.  Maybe at the manufacturing level there is a "piecing together" of the various elements before they create the master sound file.

Thought it might be worth a mention, just in case.

-Dave

Here is the video so you can hear the audio issues. 

Thanks Pete, that sounds like a bad sound upload to me. Just for reference my Imperial BNSF GS-4 that I got last week had garbled sound clips in some places, and after I reuploaded the sound file to the engine it's been perfect.

I will test mine when it arrives on Wednesday and let you know if I have the same thing.

It's been a few years maybe since I've run them regularly, but that sounded pretty close to what I remember in the R11/R34 sets I have.

-Dave

Matt, Thanks for info on the reloading of the sound file. I hope that does it. However, the Red and Brown signs are going to be a lot harder to fix! 

Dave, Thanks for the info on your R series sets. Sure is strange sounding!

Im taking this one back to the dealer. If there isn’t a fix for the signs then they can send it back to MTH. 

Only the Red and Purple lines go to Howard. The Brown line does not....

That sound that you refer to as a bell may not be a bell at all.  I remember riding those years ago, and just after the conductor closed the door, he pushed a button that made a buzzing sound just like you hear here.  That, I believe was supposed to warn station platform people that the train would be moving shortly and to stand back.  It also served as an audible signal to the train engineer that all doors were closed and it was safe to depart.  I vaguely also seem to remember that the buzzer was pushed just before the doors were opened at a station stop.

I do not remember ever hearing a bell from any post-1960 CTA EL car.

Chuck

I run all my sets in Trolley Auto-Mode and it doesn't use the bell or horn. My 3200s have the "ding dong" "doors closing" and other than that it's just stop announcements which is actually protypical to riding it today. My Bicentenial 6000s have the actual coductor making the stops which is pretty cool.

Lou1985 posted:

Only the Red and Purple lines go to Howard. The Brown line does not....

You are correct. That’s one of the problems with this set. Brown line runs to Kimball. 

Looking to purchase either the CTA 20582 or yellow book versions.  Anyone get theirs and any feedback would be appreciated. 

Just back into the hobby in the last year and wasn't around when the previous versions came out,especially Sox and Bears versions when they came out so looking to get one of these this time. 

Reason asking as do they all have announcements and trying to remember which stops are programmed?    As we use to live up in Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville for awhile as well as ride down to Comiskey park I think on the red line.  

 Thank you in advance.

They all have announcements (run them in Subway auto mode) and they are all different. My White Sox CTA cars are the red line and stop at 35th / Comisky Park. My Bears CTA cars are the Brown line. My Yellowbook cars.... I don't remember (will have to check). My Bicetennials are the old Englewood-Howard "A" train.

I do have the Bicentennials posted as a video on my YouTube page if you want to hear it. I plan on doing vidoes for all of them in the next few months.

Thank you.  Like to get both but either one will be great I’m sure

They pop up on Ebay every now and then. A Bears one got posted today.

MTH Bears Subway

I received my CTA Blue Silver set today and both of my CTA large Blue logo cars have black backgrounds on the Howard sign and the other two have red. First, these are stunning looking cars and I will probably end up getting the 2 car add-on. Sounds are correct for being a Howard red line train and there are a lot of misc sounds in Subway auto mode.

I did notice a small set of sound samples that had minor distortion and turning down the volume to 75 seemed to correct it for the most part, although if they do post the audio file I will try a reload.

The signs don't bother me that much as the audio was going to be my deal breaker and I'm pretty happy with them.

I posted a small video of it running in subway auto mode below.

That buzzer sounds like a train crew signal on older NYC subway cars (R12-R42?). Possible it was stuck into the CTA sound file as a placeholder?

---PCJ

I am building my elevated CTA Station on the blue line.  I have most of the structure completed for DAMEN. I have laser cut the platform, support structure, the unique fencing and laser printed the covered section, working on the lighting and roofing.

I like the arch supports

Matt, Thanks for sharing your results with the set. I stopped by Berwyns Toys and Trains today and all of the sets have the black background on the Howard sign for the power cars/large CTA logo cars as well as the bad quality audio.

I left mine there to have them contact MTH for a fix. I’m hoping they will have a solution to get the color corrected and the audio cleared up. 

Railride, I bet your right about the strange buzzing sound being a NYC thing as I’ve never heard that sound on the CTA. 

AlanRail posted:

I am building my elevated CTA Station on the blue line.  I have most of the structure completed for DAMEN. 

Alan, How about posting some photos of your project?!! Sounds amazing. 

I will. 

I’m staying at the Westin on Dearborn. Cool wall pick of the El from overhead. Thought it may give some modeling ideas  

i just received my MTH CTA 3200 series subway sets.....all four of them, and the sound is terrible.  The announcements are garbled and the volume was down too.....

Did you fix your sound?

How's your sound now? 

Ret.Leo posted:

i just received my MTH CTA 3200 series subway sets.....all four of them, and the sound is terrible.  The announcements are garbled and the volume was down too.....

Did you fix your sound?

Sounds like a battery problem. Recharge or replace and see how it goes. 

ChiTown Steve posted:

Ret.Leo posted:

i just received my MTH CTA 3200 series subway sets.....all four of them, and the sound is terrible.  The announcements are garbled and the volume was down too.....

Did you fix your sound?

Sounds like a battery problem. Recharge or replace and see how it goes. 

PS3 battery?

Ret.Leo posted:

ChiTown Steve posted:

Ret.Leo posted:

i just received my MTH CTA 3200 series subway sets.....all four of them, and the sound is terrible.  The announcements are garbled and the volume was down too.....

Did you fix your sound?

Sounds like a battery problem. Recharge or replace and see how it goes. 

PS3 battery?

 

Sorry I was thinking PS2.

I did find this thread of sound issues that was fixed by reloading sounds. First with a different sound set and then going back and reloading the correct sound set. See attachment. 

ChiTown Steve posted:

Ret.Leo posted:

ChiTown Steve posted:

Ret.Leo posted:

i just received my MTH CTA 3200 series subway sets.....all four of them, and the sound is terrible.  The announcements are garbled and the volume was down too.....

Did you fix your sound?

Sounds like a battery problem. Recharge or replace and see how it goes. 

PS3 battery?

 

Sorry I was thinking PS2.

I did find this thread of sound issues that was fixed by reloading soundsFirst with a different sound set and then going back and reloading the correct sound set. See attachment. 

 

Thanks...I emailed midge in parts and she forwarded my email to Jacob in the service dept.  thanks for your help, I’m hoping this will be an easy fix. When you spend around 1,600$$ on new trains you want them to work. 

What does MTH do if the original sound file is bad?

They would have to recompile it and hopefully post it on the support page for that model. I have fixed several engines with a sound reload. Too bad these all have sound issues. My PS3 bicentennials from last year were perfect sounding so I doubt it's the speaker unless they changed it.

Ret.Leo posted:

What does MTH do if the original sound file is bad?

Good news guys. MTH finally fixed the sound file and it is available on their site for download. My sounds now are very good with just one stop slightly garbled. 

I may buy a two car set to see if I can cannibalize the window inserts to improve the power car. MTH totally blew me off on getting the route boards corrected to the proper red. Anyone have success printing small stickers to make a new sign?

Re: destination signs

I don't know how small you need to go, but Michaels craft store has Cricut-brand printable self-adhesive vinyl that you can use in your inkjet printer.  The vinyl is very thin and looks good.  I use an Epson  printer at its highest resolution and use the single-sheet feed.  For best results, use a marker to color the edge before peeling the vinyl, so no white shows.  I could run some off if you give me the dimensions.