Question re red light on Lionel Milwaukee Road S-3

There was a thread about this when it first came out there were some suggestions there plus a fix once the Lionel Legacy software comes out later this year.

You may want to search for it

The light is not connected in the "Tender"; it is connected in the Loco. It is a unique connection to the Electronics. You should be able to isolate this wire in the connector harness, disconnect, and have no side effects from the tweak. It is also possible to connect the MARS light wire to the cab-light wire; without damaging the electronics. Each output has 2 unit (LED) load drive capacity.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing you opening the loco - I am sure you understand the warranty policy in making your decision.

Chris

Thanks. I have, in fact, saved the info from that thread to be used when and if I ever acquire a Legacy setup.

Jon

Thanks for the info and the very quick response. I appreciate very much the way you and Mike R. have been participating in this forum and providing technical information. This has definitely gone a long way toward reversing my previous opinion of Lionel.

As a customer, I am not happy with a policy that voids the warranty if the shell is opened, apparently regardless of whether the actual problem is related to anything the customer did. I do, however, understand why you feel the policy is necessary. I may well decide to wait until the warranty runs out to fiddle with the light inside the shell, or at least until I have 10-20 hours of running time to be sure everything is OK. So far, so good, except for the very anemic output on the steam chest smoke, and a loose railing that I will have to reinsert very carefully to preserve the antenna insulator.

The only issues is if you swap the cab lights with front emergency light would be that the cab light now would have the dimming circuit cycle on and off?

Maybe Jon can shed some light on when the new software / modules will be available?

quote:

Originally posted by Southwest Hiawatha:
Chris

....and a loose railing that I will have to reinsert very carefully to preserve the antenna insulator.

It's my understanding that Lionel stopped using the railings for antennas quite a number of years ago.

Actually, after close inspection the railings above the cab are the antennas.

Jon

Thanks for the info on the load capacity for the cab circuit in the S3. I would like to make this change to my S3 when my warranty expires and would like to know if it will be possible to keep the pulsing action of the warning light (MARS light action) or will it just illuminate with the cab light as a steady on?

Thanks for your time


Milwrd

quote:

Originally posted by milwrd:
Jon

Thanks for the info on the load capacity for the cab circuit in the S3. I would like to make this change to my S3 when my warranty expires and would like to know if it will be possible to keep the pulsing action of the warning light (MARS light action) or will it just illuminate with the cab light as a steady on?

Thanks for your time
Milwrd

It will just illuminate with the cab light as a steady on.

I'm going to be patient and just wait for the ability to turn it off with the Cab2. Certainly does not bother me enough to bust into the locomotive when a fix is on the horizon.

The light doesn't bother me, I kinda like it.

^^^ Same here, I think I got over it about when the drive wheels started to turn. LOL, and my son thinks its cool so it stays on for us!

Yeah, I agree, I am leaving mine on until the modules are available to change it.
Anyone know when?

"Waiting is the Hardest Part"...

quote:

The only issues is if you swap the cab lights with front emergency light would be that the cab light now would have the dimming circuit cycle on and off?

Don't think he said to switch wires. Sounds like you only need to add the Mars light lead to the cab light wire that has the capacity to load two LED's. Rewired that way, the Mars Light would work pretty much the way it should.
Joe

i think its important to know if lionel will have a program fix or if the mars light will have to be rewired. i would appreciate if someone from lionel would comment. thank you.

quote:

i think its important to know if lionel will have a program fix or if the mars light will have to be rewired. i would appreciate if someone from lionel would comment. thank you.

They already did in another thread. A upcoming utility program for legacy will give S-3 owners an option to shut off the light.
From first glance, I like the rewired route better.
Hate to say it but I can find some sort of annoying mistake in just about every recent Lionel engine.
Yesterday, walking past the train display at my LHS, I noticed three recent high end SF warbonnet engines, the Genset, the AC 6000 and the F3's.
None were painted alike, the red ranged from orange/red to deep cherry red and it's possible none were correct. All three are painted in noticeably different shades of red. Almost laughable to look at...
Very sad and worse, inexcusable as they do market a nice product..
Don't know why Lionel can't get their act together??
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by JC642:

quote:

i think its important to know if lionel will have a program fix or if the mars light will have to be rewired. i would appreciate if someone from lionel would comment. thank you.

They already did in another thread. A upcoming utility program for legacy will give S-3 owners an option to shut off the light.
From first glance, I like the rewired route better.
Hate to say it but I can find some sort of annoying mistake in just about every recent Lionel engine.
Yesterday, walking past the train display at my LHS, I noticed three recent high end SF warbonnet engines, the Genset, the AC 6000 and the F3's.
None were painted alike, the red ranged from orange/red to deep cherry red.
It's possible none were correct. Almost laughable to look at...
Very sad and worse, inexcusable as they do market a nice product..
Don't know why Lionel can't get their act together??
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by JC642:

quote:

The only issues is if you swap the cab lights with front emergency light would be that the cab light now would have the dimming circuit cycle on and off?

Don't think he said to switch wires. Sounds like you only need to add the Mars light lead to the cab light wire that has the capacity to load two LED's. Rewired that way, the Mars Light would work pretty much the way it should.
Joe

Cut and splice into the cab wires... got it...
Then both lights flash when there is a diagnostic error?

quote:

Originally posted by MichRR714:
I'm going to be patient and just wait for the ability to turn it off with the Cab2. Certainly does not bother me enough to bust into the locomotive when a fix is on the horizon.

I very much agree with that. Opening up a complicated engine and snipping and moving wires is a slippery slope - I certainly wouldn't risk it. Like another poster on a previous thread - he opened up his S3 and started doing surgery, and created further problems. Not to mention creating warranty issues.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...
I fixed mine 3 times already! really what good is the warranty?
Most have purchased already this year and will nut run them till next year around the tree.
And guess what...

quote:

Originally posted by J Daddy:
Most have purchased already this year and will nut run them till next year around the tree.

I really don't think that's the case. I don't think most folks buy $1000 engines just to have something to run around a tree for a few weeks. For the most part, expensive engines like this are purchased by more serious operators who use them considerably more than 2 weeks a year.

quote:

Originally posted by J Daddy:
I fixed mine 3 times already! really what good is the warranty?
Most have purchased already this year and will nut run them till next year around the tree.
And guess what...

Like most things, and as your experience has in fact shown, if something new doesn't work or is going to fail because it's defective, most likely it will show up within the first year. That's the benefit of the warranty.

quote:

Originally posted by JC642:

quote:

i think its important to know if lionel will have a program fix or if the mars light will have to be rewired. i would appreciate if someone from lionel would comment. thank you.

They already did in another thread. A upcoming utility program for legacy will give S-3 owners an option to shut off the light.
From first glance, I like the rewired route better.
Hate to say it but I can find some sort of annoying mistake in just about every recent Lionel engine.
Yesterday, walking past the train display at my LHS, I noticed three recent high end SF warbonnet engines, the Genset, the AC 6000 and the F3's.
None were painted alike, the red ranged from orange/red to deep cherry red and it's possible none were correct. All three are painted in noticeably different shades of red. Almost laughable to look at...
Very sad and worse, inexcusable as they do market a nice product..
Don't know why Lionel can't get their act together??
Joe

I had a lionel ac 6000 that didn't run so sent it back. The yellow of the 6000 was way darker than the yellow on my lionel sd70 ace. Traded the lionel for a mth 6000 and the yellows match perfectly. The sd70 is a dummy so no problems in running both at the same time.