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My Lionel Scale Legacy Polar Express 10th Anniversary Berkshire 6-11451 has a four (4) blinking cab light issue.  Manual indicates 2nd smoke element issue.  No whistle steam, but there is main stack steam.  While not a complete show-stopper, it is a feature I paid for and would like it functional.  Has anyone done just the #2?  How do I know it's the element and not the 2nd fan? I'm very leery about tearing it apart for just #2, replacing the element, then finding it was the fan but there is no blinking light code for a 2nd fan....or worse, possibly render the main smoke unit #1 non-functional in the process.

I've been down this path before.  Fix the element...then a couple months later, the fan goes....or vice-versa....While ridiculously more expensive, I'm tempted to get an entire assembly:

6101450200         SMOKE UNIT W/ 691DSMKC01 / DUAL SMOKE / LEGACY

6101462200         SMOKE UNIT W/ 691DSMKC01 / DUAL SMOKE / LEGACY

But these are marked UNAVAILABLE.  I think I have seen Lionel smoke unit assemblies unavailable for years.  Is there any path towards resolution?  Any suggestions?

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5 blinks would be a Aux unit fan bad. Your element is probably just bad. No way to know until someone opens it up. Worse case is that the driver for the element on the RCMC is actually shorted and that’s where the problem is coming from. But like I said no way to know until you open. Keep in mind if you replace the element you’ll need high temp solder otherwise when the element heats up it’ll just re liquify the solder.

I’ve never used “hi temp solder” in a smoke unit rebuild……and I’ve never had an issue. Obviously the OP is going to have to dive into the smoke unit being it’s NLA. If this smoke unit uses the thermistors to control heat, a known issue on some units is the thermistors are too far away from the heating element to affectively do their job. Bending the thermistors towards the element after replacing a charred element helps them regulate the amount of voltage supplied to the element for a longer life. If this locomotive uses a regulator, suspect its failed if seeing a lot of char in the smoke unit….first thing that’ll have to happen is to open the smoke unit up for an inspection and testing of the individual components…..

Pat

7+ months and still no replacement smoke unit from Lionel, so I fixed myself.  Had a couple free minutes yesterday, along with spare element. Turned out no soldering required.  Updated Lionel parts website for 610-1462-200 shows the screw/nut/wrapped element lead (like a washer) configuration.  Bent the leads of the element like the one I took off.  Whistle steam is back, and the blinking cab light is gone.

So the dreaded 4 blinking cab lights of whistle steam death came back in the Christmas season of '22.  I  didn't want to fool with it a second time last Christmas, so just ran without the whistle steam in hopes that a new assembly would be manufactured so I could have a complete replacement backup.  After 2 years, I would have thought that Lionel would have made more of those smoke unit assemblies for parts/repairs, but still no luck.  Still out-of-stock.  With 24 hours of rain and upcoming holiday season, I decided to replace the 8 ohm smoke resistor (again) for the whistle steam and rid the engine of the 4 blinking cab lights...  Fixed a second time.  Maybe it will last longer than a few weeks this time.

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