Skip to main content

I just received my Great Northern Legacy E6 Atlantic #1707 6-84947 yesterday. Based on the description from the catalog (2017 Signature V2) it was listed as having whistle steam. I know things change from the catalog and when it went up on Lionel's site that had changed to cylinder steam effect emits smoke from the steam chest. Not too big a deal for me, I prefer the whistle smoke over the steam chest smoke but I was fine with that. I was surprised to see on the box that it had the whistle steam.20180926_073528

However in the manual it still shows that it has the steam chest smoke on page 8 and then on page 9 it shows the switch to manually turn off whistle smoke.20180926_073630

To confuse things more the whistle is removable like you're supposed to add smoke fluid there.20180926_07343620180926_073451

I risked it and only added smoke fluid where the manual indicates. This worked and I have the whistle steam effect and not the steam chest smoke effect. I'm not sure why the whistle is removable, I'm sure someday I'll have the shell off and see what's going on under there. Just wanted to post this here for anyone who is considering buying this engine so they know that it's got the whistle smoke and not the steam chest smoke.

Another curious thing I saw with the under the hatch for the volume pot, something labeled "rail signal" the picture doesn't show it well however there is an electronic connector in that hole for something. Not sure what this is for, perhaps it's something they used at the factory to program the sounds in the tender.

 

20180925_171932

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Box 6-84947: Great Northern Legacy E6 Atlantic #1707
  • Manual: Page 8 & 9
  • Whistle: Whistle
  • Whistle Removed: Whistle Removed
  • Tender: Volume Pot and Rail Signal
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

There is no steam chest effect on this engine.  Legacy engines (non visionline) have either whistle smoke or steam chest smoke but never both as of today.

Previous runs of this engine suggest that the whistle comes off to fill the whistle steam smoke unit.  I'm not sure if they have changed this but your manual seems to indicate that it was changed.  I looked for a parts list and it's not available.  This maybe a question directly for Lionel.

Just for reference from the Lindberg version manual...

Pull the whistle off the boiler to add smoke fluid for the whistle steam effect. Use the small funnel to
add the smoke fluid to the hole. For the first filling, we recommend using 20 drops of smoke fluid. From
then on, 10 to 20 drops will be sufficient.

Again they may have changed this from the previous versions based on your manual.  Seems odd though to me they'd re-engineer it.

Last edited by MartyE
MartyE posted:

There is no steam chest effect on this engine.  Legacy engines (non visionline) have either whistle smoke or steam chest smoke but never both as of today.

I kind of figured that. I was just pointing out that it was listed each way in different places and with what it actually came with.

Davety posted:
Another curious thing I saw with the under the hatch for the volume pot, something labeled "rail signal" the picture doesn't show it well however there is an electronic connector in that hole for something. Not sure what this is for, perhaps it's something they used at the factory to program the sounds in the tender.

 

20180925_171932

Railsound/Signal Sounds switch.  This is simply a way to turn off the background sounds like chuff, etc. if you don't want them.  This capability has been around since the early RailSounds days.

If the switch isn't there, which is what you describe, it's probably an old mold for the tender and they didn't remove the old switch position.

pennsy484 posted:

The manual is obviously incorrect and uses the language regarding the cylinder steam effect.  You need to add fluid under the whistle or you are going to burn up the wick in the whistle steam smoke unit.

I have to agree with Jeff.  The Cylinder steam effect came from the same bowl as the whistle steam on those equipped locomotives.  This unit always had the separate smoke unit and I don't see that Lionel would have changed it.

gunrunnerjohn posted:
Davety posted:
Another curious thing I saw with the under the hatch for the volume pot, something labeled "rail signal" the picture doesn't show it well however there is an electronic connector in that hole for something. Not sure what this is for, perhaps it's something they used at the factory to program the sounds in the tender.

 

20180925_171932

Railsound/Signal Sounds switch.  This is simply a way to turn off the background sounds like chuff, etc. if you don't want them.  This capability has been around since the early RailSounds days.

If the switch isn't there, which is what you describe, it's probably an old mold for the tender and they didn't remove the old switch position.

Thanks John, I'll have to take a closer look and see if there a switch in there that I missed.

MartyE posted:
pennsy484 posted:

The manual is obviously incorrect and uses the language regarding the cylinder steam effect.  You need to add fluid under the whistle or you are going to burn up the wick in the whistle steam smoke unit.

I have to agree with Jeff.  The Cylinder steam effect came from the same bowl as the whistle steam on those equipped locomotives.  This unit always had the separate smoke unit and I don't see that Lionel would have changed it.

I don't know if the manual is correct or not. What I can tell you is that I only added smoke fluid down the stack and the whistle steam worked.

MartyE posted:

I have to agree with Jeff.  The Cylinder steam effect came from the same bowl as the whistle steam on those equipped locomotives.  This unit always had the separate smoke unit and I don't see that Lionel would have changed it.

I was hoping they changed the design of the new Legacy Atlantic.  I had the earlier Lindbergh Atlantic with whistle smoke, and it was PACKED inside!  Once you took the boiler shell off, it was a nightmare getting everything aligned to get it back on, wires are EVERYWHERE!

I would like another Atlantic, but I'm reluctant to buy it if it's packed like the older Legacy model.

Dave, probably there isn't a switch, I don't see them on the later Legacy stuff.  I think as I stated, this is just an old mold for the tender and it was easier just to leave the switch out.  That switch seems to have disappeared on most of my later Legacy locomotives, around the 2011-2012 timeframe.  I think that's around the time they dropped the old modular sound form-factor and went with the single "RailSounds Lite" board.  I think the "Lite" is the fact it's a single board that does the whole sound job, not that it's really lightweight in function.

Davety posted:
MartyE posted:
pennsy484 posted:

The manual is obviously incorrect and uses the language regarding the cylinder steam effect.  You need to add fluid under the whistle or you are going to burn up the wick in the whistle steam smoke unit.

I have to agree with Jeff.  The Cylinder steam effect came from the same bowl as the whistle steam on those equipped locomotives.  This unit always had the separate smoke unit and I don't see that Lionel would have changed it.

I don't know if the manual is correct or not. What I can tell you is that I only added smoke fluid down the stack and the whistle steam worked.

Well it would yes because it's turned on, but it's going to consume the existing fluid that was likely added during manufacture then it'll start burning the wick.  

Davety posted:

I just received my Great Northern Legacy E6 Atlantic #1707 6-84947 yesterday. Based on the description from the catalog (2017 Signature V2) it was listed as having whistle steam. I know things change from the catalog and when it went up on Lionel's site that had changed to cylinder steam effect emits smoke from the steam chest.

If you're still getting "steam chest steam", I'd recommend you get it fixed, it's probably a bad match between the stack and the smoke unit!

MartyE posted:
J Daddy posted:

So just to clarify - does the fluid go into Hole 1 or hole 2 ?

 

atlantic

Hole 2

I tried to put some smoke fluid in hole 2 and it didn't go anywhere. I ended up putting the fluid in hole 1 and that worked. As far as I can tell the whistle is only removable so you have good access to the smoke hole.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I would hope they added the extra background sounds like other newer Legacy locomotives have.  The last Legacy ones were still using the old Modular RS boards, in the case of the Lindbergh Atlantic, RS 6.0.

I took some pictures of inside the engine and tender.

I don't see a place to add a battery in the tender except for the 2 prong connector in the lower left corner of the board. Anyone know if that is for a battery?

Attachments

Images (3)
  • Engine 1
  • Engine 2
  • Tender
Davety posted:
MartyE posted:
J Daddy posted:

So just to clarify - does the fluid go into Hole 1 or hole 2 ?

 

atlantic

Hole 2

I tried to put some smoke fluid in hole 2 and it didn't go anywhere. I ended up putting the fluid in hole 1 and that worked. As far as I can tell the whistle is only removable so you have good access to the smoke hole.

Just going by what the oleer manuals states. Whatever works I guess. 

Davety posted:
gunrunnerjohn posted:

I would hope they added the extra background sounds like other newer Legacy locomotives have.  The last Legacy ones were still using the old Modular RS boards, in the case of the Lindbergh Atlantic, RS 6.0.

I took some pictures of inside the engine and tender.

I don't see a place to add a battery in the tender except for the 2 prong connector in the lower left corner of the board. Anyone know if that is for a battery?

Thanks for posting pics.  The Atlantics tend to be back heavy and pivot on the rear drive wheels, which makes them pretty wobbly.  MTH versions have the same issue, so I think it has to do with the nature of the Atlantic (only 4 drivers, and, well, back heavy).  Not sure if that's always the case, or if they fixed it (purposely or unwittingly), or if its true on earlier versions, but my Legacy exhibits this condition as does my MTH premier version (which is way too long and looks just wrong to my eye anyway). 

I am going to look at my legacy to see if there's any possible place to add some weight inside the front somewhere.  

I am in the process of converting a B&O to a somewhat proper PRR version of this Belpaire-boilered Atlantic.  I might end up with a round boiler-plate simple non-pinstripe tender version of the PRR 460, which I don't know even existed in such form.  

MartyE posted:
Davety posted:
MartyE posted:
J Daddy posted:

So just to clarify - does the fluid go into Hole 1 or hole 2 ?

 

atlantic

Hole 2

I tried to put some smoke fluid in hole 2 and it didn't go anywhere. I ended up putting the fluid in hole 1 and that worked. As far as I can tell the whistle is only removable so you have good access to the smoke hole.

Just going by what the oleer manuals states. Whatever works I guess. 

I suspect that the two holes are in communication and it all goes to the same place anyway, at least on the older versions.

pennsy484 posted:
MartyE posted:
Davety posted:
MartyE posted:
J Daddy posted:

So just to clarify - does the fluid go into Hole 1 or hole 2 ?

 

atlantic

Hole 2

I tried to put some smoke fluid in hole 2 and it didn't go anywhere. I ended up putting the fluid in hole 1 and that worked. As far as I can tell the whistle is only removable so you have good access to the smoke hole.

Just going by what the oleer manuals states. Whatever works I guess. 

I suspect that the two holes are in communication and it all goes to the same place anyway, at least on the older versions.

When I send it didn't go anywhere, what I actually meant was it filled up the little hole with one drop, didn't seep down into anything and I had to clean it out with a q-tip. 

romiller49 posted:

A lot of people here are trying to help but you are getting nowhere. Just call Lionel and ask an engineer. This can’t be rocket science.

Sorry if I come across as not appreciating all the advise people are giving here, I do appreciate it. I was just posting what I'm seeing vs what the older model / manual does. I'm pretty sure I've got it figured out now. The real problem here is for other owners of this new model and the fact that the manual is wrong.

romiller49 posted:

A lot of people here are trying to help but you are getting nowhere. Just call Lionel and ask an engineer. This can’t be rocket science.

I don't know, seems like it was a good discussion, "getting nowhere" is a bit cynical I'd say.  Established that you have to put fluid in by the whistle and that the new one doesn't have the two holes interconnected, and he's figured out that you just need to put the fluid down the whistle hole where the smoke comes out.  Not sure what he'd really even have to ask Lionel at this point.  

Last edited by pennsy484

Add Reply

Post

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

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×