Berkshire President posted:John: I think the backlog is four weeks or so. I doubt any of these have been updated and returned yet.
I was just told 6 to 7 weeks... i just called in for mine...
Bob: assuming you're at liberty to say, can I ask what you're sending it in for? Just the articulated sound upgrade?
Ray of sunshine posted:I think that Lionel did a great job on the detail of the Vision Line Challenger and Big Boy. EXCEPT. Why are the marker lights on the tender lit in red? In fact, why are there marker lights at all on any tender? In all the videos I have looked at, I can not find any marker lights that are lit in red while the train is in operation. Maybe if the engine is running without any cars, or as a pusher, they might have turned on red marker lights on the tender.
Ray
It is a very simple fix. Like any other modern Legacy or VL locomotive, you can turn those markers off using the cab2 remote. When you go to the AUX2 secondary screen, you have icons to turn them off/on. When pulling a train, turn off your rear markers. Turn off your front Class Lights.....
VERY SIMPLE
Laidoffsick posted:Ray of sunshine posted:I think that Lionel did a great job on the detail of the Vision Line Challenger and Big Boy. EXCEPT. Why are the marker lights on the tender lit in red? In fact, why are there marker lights at all on any tender? In all the videos I have looked at, I can not find any marker lights that are lit in red while the train is in operation. Maybe if the engine is running without any cars, or as a pusher, they might have turned on red marker lights on the tender.
Ray
It is a very simple fix. Like any other modern Legacy or VL locomotive, you can turn those markers off using the cab2 remote. When you go to the AUX2 secondary screen, you have icons to turn them off/on. When pulling a train, turn off your rear markers. Turn off your front Class Lights.....
VERY SIMPLE
Good information, as I did the same thing with most all of my MTH steam locomotive models. That said, why does Lionel still insist on offering these high end Vision Line steam models of freight locomotives, with green class light?????
Yes, I am aware of how to turn them off, and it was good to see a reminder on that, thanks Laidoffsick.
I personally would rather not have marker lights at all on the tender of engines, with only a few exceptions like PRR, that the prototype did not have/use. They aren't correct and I personally just really don't like them. It's as though the manufacturers fell that the more lights added to the animation of a model engine, attracts more buyers.
And as far as Class lights, I agree with Hot Water.
RAY
because Lionel feels the same as many people in the 3 rail hobby....they just love all the lights and sounds whether they are accurate or not. Kinda the reason this and several other threads have started recently. Better to have them with the ability to turn them off, we never had that ability before. I went in a cut or unplug a lot of lights.
Just because your car has a dome light doesn't mean you ever have to drive with it on 
but better to have it in case you dropped your ________ in the dark so you can find it.
Like Hot Water says, get rid of the green, at least go with clear, but we were all told they are no longer accepting input from their customers!
Berkshire President posted:Bob: assuming you're at liberty to say, can I ask what you're sending it in for? Just the articulated sound upgrade?
Surely not Bob said he was ok with the sound the way it was did he not!!!!!
As we become more educated in the hobby and in prototype operation, and with manufactures, such as Lionel, that does a fantastic job of detailing models for us 3rd railers, it sure would be nice if they did pay more attention to our input and suggestions. Weather they implement out suggestions, is another thing.
Not taking anything away from others that like all the gimmicks , whistles and bells, even if not accurate, is fine. I'm not saying that everything needs to be prototypical correct. Look at what Lionel did with the SP AC12 cab forward in Daylight colors, or the UP Challenger "what if" paint scheme. I don't like them, but others do and they should have what makes them feel happy.
But more and more modelers, especially those that are coming of age, are looking for something that is even more accurate. The great improvements in sound and control, WIFI instead of remotes, quilling and smoking whistles and "smoking" water scoop on the new Niagara, etc. have enhance the hobby. So I applaud Lionel and others to continue to push up the bar.
I support the elimination of marker lights on a tender, even for "what if" paint schemes. This little change may be too late as the dies have already been cut years ago. The last thing Lionel wants to do is invest $$$$ in new dies for existing tenders.
So I guess "it is what it is".
RAY
How hard can it be to lop them off and re-touch the crater?
Half my locomotives have green class jewels. I put as many markers as I can on my models. An AC-11 can have four markers and two class lamps. Mine get them all! Yet I insist on 2-rail track, and a scale that makes the track scale out to 4'8 1/2" gauge. Takes all kinds.
Cut those offending suckers off, fill the hole with JB Weld, and touch up with a black paint marker.
Berkshire President posted:Bob: assuming you're at liberty to say, can I ask what you're sending it in for? Just the articulated sound upgrade?
Hi Berk... yes sounds upgrade...
Then i will reset drivers when they get home!
They actually answered my email yesterday. Granted it was a mixed question about the Mallets and Challengers. I needed clarification on the one part of the answer they gave because I don't know if they were talking about the sounds or the drivers. They question I asked had been about both sync sounds and sync driver and unsynx sound and unsynx drivers.
Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:They actually answered my email yesterday. Granted it was a mixed question about the Mallets and Challengers. I needed clarification on the one part of the answer they gave because I don't know if they were talking about the sounds or the drivers. They question I asked had been about both sync sounds and sync driver and unsynx sound and unsynx drivers.
Not sure what you expect them to say every has been answered on here about those questions, one has nothing to do with the other.......
Shawn_Chronister posted:Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:They actually answered my email yesterday. Granted it was a mixed question about the Mallets and Challengers. I needed clarification on the one part of the answer they gave because I don't know if they were talking about the sounds or the drivers. They question I asked had been about both sync sounds and sync driver and unsynx sound and unsynx drivers.
Not sure what you expect them to say every has been answered on here about those questions, one has nothing to do with the other.......
No, not everything has been answered here Shawn, and obviously the two locomotives I am talking about aren't the same. My point was that they actually answered my email which included questions about the two. I know someone besides myself has stated that the emails we send in go to the great black hole more often then not. I was surprised to get a response. Granted they were a bit sketchy with not exactly telling me if it was the sounds or the drivers they were talking about of the second part of my question I had asked as I was asking about both the sounds and the drivers(this had been before most of this thread had gotten underway as the prior one had just been shut down IIRC).
If Dave Olsen would do a brief Video of the new and old sounds in just one road number, it could help owners decide if it is worth sending the engine back for service.
I know you are busy Dave, but this actually could cut back on some returns …. or bring you a large number more. It would allow owners of Challengers to make an educated decision.
Again, Thank you for moving the pick-up rollers apart more on the Oil Burning Big Boy Tenders.
Thanks, John Rowlen
I saw an HO steam engine that you could control the class lights. you can turn them on and off and change the color from white to green. I believe they used 2 color LEDs for the two colors.
John Rowlen posted:If Dave Olsen would do a brief Video of the new and old sounds in just one road number, it could help owners decide if it is worth sending the engine back for service.
I know you are busy Dave, but this actually could cut back on some returns …. or bring you a large number more. It would allow owners of Challengers to make an educated decision.
Again, Thank you for moving the pick-up rollers apart more on the Oil Burning Big Boy Tenders.
Thanks, John Rowlen
Are you serious???????? OMG
Howard Reed posted:I saw an HO steam engine that you could control the class lights. you can turn them on and off and change the color from white to green. I believe they used 2 color LEDs for the two colors.
yes bi color or tri color led allows you to change the input voltage to get different colors. Would be a cool option could switch from white green or red depending on the service schedule.
Well, red was not exactly heavily used, only when the locomotive was on the rear end of the train and running backwards, so the white and green should get the job done for most of us.
The problem with current designs is that the class light fixtures are designed to accept the tiny 2mm ceramic LED's for the most part, and those are not bi-color.
Shawn,
I am serious in my thanks to Dave Olsen for moving the pick-up rollers apart more on the new Big Boy Oil Burning Tender to accommodate my Atlas O #5 switches. I have often not had pleasant things to say about the many repairs my new Lionel engines and passenger cars needed.
Praise when good things are done is as important as criticism, when bone-headed blunders occur. At some point, and soon, I hope praise will be all I have to give Lionel. But, and it's a big butt, I know the endless Chinese blunders are keeping me up at night. I've invested big in Lionel engines, 21" passenger cars, etc. like many others. The parade of issues is just unbelievable. It must stop.
I can't wait to see my two Hudsons from Pat's Trains and Mr. Muffins.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
John Rowlen posted:Shawn,
I am serious in my thanks to Dave Olsen for moving the pick-up rollers apart more on the new Big Boy Oil Burning Tender to accommodate my Atlas O #5 switches. I have often not had pleasant things to say about the many repairs my new Lionel engines and passenger cars needed.
Praise when good things are done is as important as criticism, when bone-headed blunders occur. At some point, and soon, I hope praise will be all I have to give Lionel. But, and it's a big butt, I know the endless Chinese blunders are keeping me up at night. I've invested big in Lionel engines, 21" passenger cars, etc. like many others. The parade of issues is just unbelievable. It must stop.
I can't wait to see my two Hudsons from Pat's Trains and Mr. Muffins.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
I was not talking about the thanks I was talking about asking for a video they are fixing plenty of other have shown what it should sound like. I thanked him to for coming out and stating there was a problem at they are fixing it. I am pretty sure if you listen to WM challenger video from Charlie nassau those had the correct chuff its kind of tough to tell be cause of the way it was being run.
