@Reading RR posted:Just got an email from Charlesro that my L1 has shipped. What is interesting is they normally use UPS, but this time they shipped Fedex. Must be due to the possible strike in the near future.
Same here, and FedEx as well.
Ro uses FedEx and UPS. I've had deliveries from Ro from either , no ryhme or reason.
They did say they have multiple pallets of stuff. They might use both shippers to move items faster.
@rplst8 posted:Same here, and FedEx as well.
They may have been concerned about the possibility of a UPS strike…
Just opened up a package from Charles Ro (1369.) For those on the fence about the color, here are a few shots of the L1’s tender next to a K-line B6 tender under sunlight.
I was a little worried about it standing out but was pleasantly surprised. It’s just a little greener than the paint used by K-line.
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Alex - Thank you for posting - that doesn't look to bad - I've really been on the fence about this engine after seeing some of the online pics - not a fan of the light "army' green however yours doesn't appear to be that light ??? - any chance you can post a few more pics with the engine ???
Thanks in advance
Joe S
I picked up the 1343 the other day from Grzyboski’s. I’m not a rivet counter by any means, but I am very happy with the green color (as well as the shade of gray).
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I really wish they would have continued the 2R Scale Wheel version that MTH had.
@dorfj2 posted:Alex - Thank you for posting - that doesn't look to bad - I've really been on the fence about this engine after seeing some of the online pics - not a fan of the light "army' green however yours doesn't appear to be that light ??? - any chance you can post a few more pics with the engine ???
Thanks in advance
Joe S
Hi Joe,
Here are a few additional shots in similar lighting. I agree that the green doesn’t seem as bad as other photos. I wonder if the difference is more pronounced under certain types of lighting.
As other posters have mentioned the smokebox color isn’t too bad either. Not as dark as the K-line which is spot on for Tru color 008 graphite.
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Got my copy of #1369 today. Like other's have said, the shade of green is not as bad as some thought. I think it largely depends on the type of light hitting it (daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, LED) and the brightness of said light. Smokebox color is on par with my 3rd Rail Q1 and others.
Haven't had a chance to run it - more to follow.
@Alex W posted:Hi Joe,
Here are a few additional shots in similar lighting. I agree that the green doesn’t seem as bad as other photos. I wonder if the difference is more pronounced under certain types of lighting.
As other posters have mentioned the smokebox color isn’t too bad either. Not as dark as the K-line which is spot on for Tru color 008 graphite.
Alex,
Thank you. What about the black pilot? Is the mismatch that noticeable between the pilot and boiler? Can you please posr some shots of the pilot. Thanks in advance,
@SusieQ posted:Alex,
Thank you. What about the black pilot? Is the mismatch that noticeable between the pilot and boiler? Can you please posr some shots of the pilot. Thanks in advance,
Here’s quick close up using my phone. Personally I don’t really notice the color difference - it kinda blends together. I’m not sure the reasoning but it’s been done before. K-line did a black pilot and steam chest on their PRR B6. I believe Lionel did the black pilot on their B6 reissues and some A5s too.
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@Alex W posted:Here’s quick close up using my phone. Personally I don’t really notice the color difference - it kinda blends together. I’m not sure the reasoning but it’s been done before. K-line did a black pilot and steam chest on their PRR B6. I believe Lionel did the black pilot on their B6 reissues and some A5s too.
Thank You Alex!! Sincerely appreciated.
Update on my 1343 L1. Runs good both directions with load, and color is fine for me. Color very very close to my Pennsy H10.
Another comparison picture. New Lionel L1 in the middle, recent Lionel 0-6-0 on the right and a K-Line K4 on the left. K-Line looks to me to be slightly darker and 0-6-0 slightly lighter.
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Well that was short lived. Ran the engine for about 15 minutes in forward and it worked great.
Once I backed up around an 0-54 curve with a few cars, I heard grinding and all the gears locked up. Here’s a video with the cab light diagnostic code. I encourage anyone with this engine to try running it in reverse for a while. If I hadn’t I’d be none the wiser.
I‘ll reach out to Charles Ro, but part of me wonders if I should just go straight to Lionel Support.
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So much for Chris's first engine being an isolated incident.
I wonder if you look through the spokes of the powered axle you'll see the secondary gear shaft walking out of the chassis?
Mines coming Monday. I wish this would have come up sooner. I would have cancelled it.
No more preorders for me. I'll be taking a hard pass on that decapod as well.
The consistent electronics and gearbox failures is rediculous.
Ughh mines supposed to be here today
@RickO - I don't see anything walking out at first glance.
What's most concerning is that this engine ran great until this specific maneuver. Forward operation and running backwards without a load were problem free. I would have never tested it this way if I hadn't seen Chris's initial report. If the issue is widespread, I could see it popping up and being a nasty surprise for others as time goes on.
It's a shame because everything else about this engine is great. The L1 was my new favorite engine for it’s first 15 minutes!
I’ll let Lionel take a look but I have a feeling I’ll need to get on Pat’s waitlist for a gearbox fix.
Hopefully yours is an isolated case. Pat’s a great guy but I would certainly contact Lionel first since the engine is 100% under warranty.
@Alex W posted:@RickO -
If the issue is widespread, I could see it popping up and being a nasty surprise for others as time goes on.
And how many will reach that point later on, out of warranty?
I had the first run Legacy K4, which is where this gearbox issue started. Mine was defective out of the box and then a year or two after the repair the shaft began turning its bushings into metal shavings. Clearly this gearbox is not a robust design.
Had I known Lionel would use the modified poorly design K Line gearbox. I never would have wanted one. Silly me "assumed they would have to use the MTH chassis in order for the shell to fit correctly. I don't think I've ever heard of an MTH gearbox failure.
It's a shame because everything else about this engine is great. The L1 was my new favorite engine for it’s first 15 minutes!
Thats debatable. For me, it makes it even harder to overlook the green that is too light ,as well as the mismatched black pilot.
I’ll let Lionel take a look but I have a feeling I’ll need to get on Pat’s waitlist for a gearbox fix.The talent of Lionels service dept. is questionable to me, and fixing a poorly designed gearbox is more difficult than swapping out a command board. Unless Lionel covers Pats services I refuse to buy a new locomotive that has to be modified by someone else at an extra cost to make it reliable.
I have enough 10 or 15 year old Legacy and TMCC locomotives with properly engineered gearboxes proving it can be done. If someone is minding the store, of course.
@romiller49 posted:Hopefully yours is an isolated case. Pat’s a great guy but I would certainly contact Lionel first since the engine is 100% under warranty.
The isolated case is back on page 1 of this thread. This is a second case. These are just getting to buyers, so theres a reasonable chance there will be many more "cases".
It's here, so far so good.
Welp, can’t put this one on the factory. This is a home grown engineering problem. He needs to offer a solution or at least do a total recall of the engine. Can’t always count on an outsider to fix the problem. I hate these kinds of posts cause it destroys my enthusiasm of saving up for a purchase.
@romiller49 posted:This is a home grown engineering problem.
@RickO posted:The consistent electronics and gearbox failures is rediculous.
How do folks know that this is a design flaw with the gearbox? If it is an engineering flaw in the design, would not every locomotive have the same issue.
My T1b Berkshire from 2012 has held up just fine forward and reverse, up and down, freight and passenger.
Anyways, my 882 arrives next week.
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@WBC posted:How do folks know that this is a design flaw with the gearbox? If it is an engineering flaw in the design, would not every locomotive have the same issue.
My T1b Berkshire from 2012 has held up just fine forward and reverse, up and down, freight and passenger.
Anyways, my 882 arrives next week.
How do folks know that this is a design flaw with the gearbox? If it is an engineering flaw in the design, would not every locomotive have the same issue.
Not necessarily. We’ve taken an in-depth look at certain Legacy equipped gear box designs on another thread. In fact, we’ve chronicled A LOT of gear boxes. Your T1b Berkshire is of a slightly different design. Note the spacer on the intermediate shaft I’ve circled from your photo. Your T1b has a rear mounted motor. The gear boxes that seem to be problematic are those with the front mounted RS385 mabuchi motor.
Pat 
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Not quite sure exactly what’s going on but could this be some form of assembly issue ??? - may sound silly but loose screws etc ???
Just got an email that my 1369 is in - now what 🙄
Thank you to all for keeping us posted
Let’s not hit the panic button just yet fellas, …..
thanks to my partner in crime @Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 , I have his L1 in route to my shop to see what’s going on. When it gets here, I’ll open it up, and take a look at everything. Beings this thread is not originally intended for an issue, I will start a new thread, and we’ll leave this thread for all the sugar & spice & everything nice. Let’s keep an open mind till we what’s going on. We’ll discuss all the whizzbang mechanical wizardry on a new thread in the Harmon Shops….
Pat
Problematic gear boxes and incorrect finishes. How can Lionel offer beautifully executed complicated paint schemes for some roads like the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western, a regional shoreline of 140 miles with 30+ engines, modeled by few, but cannot execute a less complicated paint scheme, from the engine pilot to the tender end beam, for the Pennsylvania, formerly a nationwide system of 11,600 miles with thousands of engines, modeled by many.
This might not be an issue for the Lionel "fan-boys" but it certainly is a process indicator of a lacking consistency of quality control for many.
Will cancel the L1 order, will wait and see for the I1 order, and cannot even think about an M1 order.
Ok, it happened to mine too, I used my hand as pressure in reverse and it stopped and cab light flashes. It wouldn't move again till I pushed it forward to unjam it, I didn't hear any grinding so ill put some cars behind it and try
We're at 3 now.
Mine won't be coming out of the box when I get it. I'll be in contact with Ro on Monday to see what my options are.
@dorfj2 posted:Not quite sure exactly what’s going on but could this be some form of assembly issue ??? - may sound silly but loose screws etc ???
Just got an email that my 1369 is in - now what 🙄
Thank you to all for keeping us posted
Not silly at all, ….we don’t know the issue yet, but we’re gonna find out!
Pat
@RickO posted:We're at 3 now.
Mine won't be coming out of the box when I get it. I'll be in contact with Ro on Monday to see what my options are.
Rick, you folks bought these because you wanted them, & like them,…..I’ll only offer as a suggestion, let’s see what’s going on, …..Dave has his L1 enroute and we’ll get to the bottom of this, ……As soon as Dave’s gets here, we’ll do an exploratory, and then everyone can formulate their options…..
Pat
Here's a video of mine in reverse pushing some cars
@harmonyards posted:Rick, you folks bought these because you wanted them, & like them,…..I’ll only offer as a suggestion, let’s see what’s going on, …..Dave has his L1 enroute and we’ll get to the bottom of this, ……As soon as Dave’s gets here, we’ll do an exploratory, and then everyone can formulate their options…..
Pat
What's a production run Pat? 1500?, 2000 units? more? You might have to quit your day job.
Maybe you should send an email to Dave, and tell him your tired of these mikado gearboxes tying up your workbench.
@tom21pa posted:Here's a video of mine in reverse pushing some cars
Turning off the sound would make it easier to hear any potential grinding of gears.
@RickO posted:Turning off the sound would make it easier to hear any potential grinding of gears.
You got it, coming up
@RickO posted:What's a production run Pat? 1500?, 2000 units? more? You might have to quit your day job.
Maybe you should send an email to Dave, and tell him you’re tired of these mikado gearboxes tying up your workbench.
I’m not contacting them, ….it should be the other way around!, ….but again, we don’t know what the actual issue is, but we’re going to find out!
Pat
What do you have to press on the CAB2 to change the tone of the whistle and bell on these?
@BradFish1 posted:What do you have to press on the CAB2 to change the tone of the whistle and bell on these?
AuX 1 then blow the whistle. Repeat to continue changing the tone.
Same for the bell. AUX 1 and hit the bell.
