S SCALE LOCOMOTIVE OPERATING SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY | |||||||||||
| Locomotive (on-board) motors/operating systems | |||||||||||
| Gilbert | Flyonel (3) | ||||||||||
| Power Source/ | Universal | Can motor | (3a) | (3b) | (3c) | AC version | AC version | ||||
| Command-Control | AC (1) | AC (2) | Legacy | TMCC | FlyerChief+ | Am Model (4) | SHS (4) | MTH (DCS?) | DC (5) | DCC | |
| A | Variable AC | Y | Y | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | N | N |
| B | Legacy | Y-2 | Y-2 | Y | Y-3? | N-1 | Y-2? | Y-2? | Y-2 | N | N |
| C | TMCC | Y-2 | Y-2 | Y-4 | Y | N-1 | Y-2? | Y-2? | Y-2 | N | N |
| D | FlyerChief+ | N | N | N | N | Y-5 | N | N | N | N | N |
| E | Am Model (AC) | Y | Y | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y | Y (?) | Y-1 | N | N |
| F | SHS (AC) | Y | Y | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y-1 | Y | Y | Y-1 | N | N |
| G | MTH (DCS?) | ? | ? | ? | ? | N | ? | ? | Y | ? | ? |
| H | Variable DC | Y | N | Y-6 | N? | N? | N | N | Y-1 | Y | ? |
| I | DCC | N | N | Y-6 | N? | N | N | N | Y? | ? | Y |
| Loco Notes: | |||||||||||
| (1) Gilbert universal (open-frame) motors are AC and DC capable - does not account for whistle/horns available on some ACG locos | |||||||||||
| (2) Flyonel AC Can motors w/o Command/Control systems | |||||||||||
| (3) Lionel command/control sytems all have specialized electronic capabilities available only to CC systems | |||||||||||
| (3a) Lionel Legacy system is backwardly compatible with TMCC and with additional hardware, non CC AC locos | |||||||||||
| (3b) TMCC has some compatability with Legacy equipped locos (those needing only 8-bits) | |||||||||||
| (3c) FlyerChief+ can co-exist with Legacy/TMCC locos, but FC+ locos can only be controlled with FC+ controller (in FC+ mode) | |||||||||||
| (4) American Models locos are either AC or DC; SHS locos have a shunting plug to choose AC or DC operation (not clear what MTH will do) | |||||||||||
| (5) Includes AM or SHS locos that are DC; also original ACG DC locos | |||||||||||
| Power/CC Notes | |||||||||||
| A. Some transformers have whistle/bell and horn buttons that will trigger those functions when available in the loco | |||||||||||
| B. Additional hardware needed for Legacy system to control non-cc AC locos | |||||||||||
| C. Same for TMCC | |||||||||||
| D. FlyerChief+ controller unique to specific FC+ loco; loco has switch to select non-CC Variable AC control | |||||||||||
| E. Only sell an AC transformer | |||||||||||
| F. Only sell an AC transformer | |||||||||||
| G. Not clear what sytems a DCS controller will control | |||||||||||
| H. Is basic control of DC locos universal to all? | |||||||||||
| I. Several choices of decoders, etc. Does this affect 'interoperability'? | |||||||||||
| Compatibility Notes, Definitions and Caveats | |||||||||||
| Y | yes, fully compatible | ||||||||||
| Y-1 | will run but limited functionality | ||||||||||
| Y-2 | Can operate; additional hardware needed | ||||||||||
| Y-3 | fully compatible, i.e., Legacy will operate all TMCC functions (?) | ||||||||||
| Y-4 | TMCC will control some but not all Legacy functions | ||||||||||
| Y-5 | FlyerChief+ controllers and locos are uniquely paired | ||||||||||
| Y-6 | Lionel claims Legacy locos will recognize DC and DCC; not clear if this is "always" true? | ||||||||||
| N | no | ||||||||||
| N-1 | Legacy/TMCC locos can run at the same time as FC+ locos, but a FC+ controller is needed to control FC+ locos | ||||||||||
A word or two of explanation about the operating system table above. A few weeks ago Tom Stoltz asked the question about compatibility of various operating systems for S-gauge locos. After some back and forth, he and I put together this chart - which has as many questions as answers. So we're hoping our fellow forumites will weigh in with their ideas and experiences - especially on the command/control side.
This is very much a draft. All of the yellow-colored boxes reflect our uncertainties/lack of knowledge. We'd like your help in converting those to red or green... and fix any other misconceptions we might have... Our plan is to issue a revised version of this (or as many as it takes 
) so we'll incorporate all the corrections, additions, etc.
One other note - we think of this as a "90 percent answer" - its likely we can never account for all of the details and arcania in a 'short' list... So have at it - if you want to respond to either of us directly, you can email us. thanks in advance.
