Back in the hobby after a long hiatus. I picked up an MTH Imperial Big Boy, 30-1374-1, that was sold as "new" and looks it. It has no speed control and simply takes flight. The engine lights - headlight, markers, smoke box, and cab do not work. Tender lights work fine. Chuff works, but is not synchronized to the motors. Smoke works and is synchronized to the chuffing. I saw this thread and thought "Eureka!". Ordered a new power board from MTH and installed it last night, but no joy. It works just as it did before. I removed the engine shell and looked for loose connections, but see nothing obvious. I did attempt to wiggle connectors to see if there was any intermittent contact, but nothing changed. I am an accountant by trade, not an electronics expert by any means, but I dabble. I have replaced boards (successfully) in the past and done a few ERR upgrades. I am leaning toward upgrading to PS3, but some of you out there may know better. Obviously, I don't want to continue to just throw money at it. What's the upgrade path for this?
Original Post
In any case, my experience with your symptoms is it's not that likely it's the board, more likely something in the wiring.
