A few videos while working on the Acela

Nice work.  Thank you for that look inside

Urrggg. You keep teasing me with this engine. Maybe someday I'll get my hands on them. Beautiful set. Thanks for sharing.

Well done Alex and most interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

Dave

Thank you for sharing that Alex.  Not that I'll ever have an Acela to work on, but those are great reminders to everyone to be very careful to not bend pins when plugging in and to watch where the wires are when putting the shell back on.  It is so hard to see where wires are going to be. 

Yep, that's the way it goes. Just multiply the problems by Six. I am working on three sets, plus 4 expansion sets.

After a while you begin to feel like a watchmaker.

But then everything in the set works, and you think there is a God.

Very nice videos, Alex!  Thank you for sharing.  If you ever work on the passenger cars for this set, I'd love to see that video too.  I'd like to see how you get to the gears for the doors to lubricate them.

On my Acela, the pantograph board shorted out on 2026 while it was running and fried the motherboard too with a puff of smoke when it stuttered and stopped.  Luckily it was still under warranty and I got it fixed.

In spite of the issues with the Acela, it's still my all time favorite Lionel set!  The sounds and motions are exactly like the prototype.

Alex

I always appreciate your posts.  Thanks for doing them.  The Acela always seemed to be a great engine with a bad reputation. 

Nice Alex.  That's one set I've always wanted, but I was also always afraid of it.

U STILL DA MAN ALEX!!!!  Thank you for the video and your layout is coming along nicely.

Hello everyone,

    Thank you David, Joe, Dave, Mark , Marty E, and Laz , for the kind words

Brian, I might have a few Acela passenger cars coming in for repair in the future, if so I'll definitely post a video.

Paul, i agree you almost have to be a watchmaker to work on some of these engines.

GRJ, you don't have to be scared of this engine, you can repair anything

ALex

I'm just afraid if I got the set, I'd have to do some redesign to make it work properly.

Hey John, Go for it, and let us know what you find to improve.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm just afraid if I got the set, I'd have to do some redesign to make it work properly.

Liiiiike...replacing the infrared emitter/recievers with plugs? (I don't recall if this was judged to be feasible)

---PCJ

RailRide posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm just afraid if I got the set, I'd have to do some redesign to make it work properly.

Liiiiike...replacing the infrared emitter/recievers with plugs? (I don't recall if this was judged to be feasible)

---PCJ

Yes, it has been done; Marty Fitz has posted about this a few times. I’m strongly inclined to try it (if someone more expert will take on the actual work).

Alex M posted:

Brian, I might have a few Acela passenger cars coming in for repair in the future, if so I'll definitely post a video.

ALeX

Alex, if you are up for this you can have a couple of mine; out of the seven I have, only three work reliably. I really want the Bistro Car to function!

Thnaks for the video; your posts are fascinating and this one is no exception!

 

Hancock52 posted:

RailRide posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm just afraid if I got the set, I'd have to do some redesign to make it work properly.

Liiiiike...replacing the infrared emitter/recievers with plugs? (I don't recall if this was judged to be feasible)

---PCJ

Yes, it has been done; Marty Fitz has posted about this a few times. I’m strongly inclined to try it (if someone more expert will take on the actual work).

Alex M posted:

Brian, I might have a few Acela passenger cars coming in for repair in the future, if so I'll definitely post a video.

ALeX

Alex, if you are up for this you can have a couple of mine; out of the seven I have, only three work reliably. I really want the Bistro Car to function!

Thnaks for the video; your posts are fascinating and this one is no exception!

 

 

I’ll gladly take a look at them for you ,email me and we can set it up. 

Thanks, Alex

Brilliant as always Alex! 

Phenomenal inside tour! As much as we gripe about this set and others, seeing the interior really helps me appreciate all of the engineering and hard work Lionel does to provide us with some amazingly fun trains. 

Thanks Alex. With as much time as you take to fix these items I’m impressed you are willing to take even more time to share your work with us. 

Alex M posted:

I’ll gladly take a look at them for you ,email me and we can set it up. 

Thanks, Alex

I'll be in touch. The work you have done for me before has been great.

With the ebay 2,000 price tag for a new in the box set unopened set. What were the issues with this set out of the box. I like john always wanted this set,but with most going between 1,500 to 2,000 on ebay just for the set not the add on cars they are around another 500. I am very scared the set would need work right out of the box further adding to the cost. Is 2,000 overpriced for this set?  Also another concern is parts. Would you guys here recomend if the price was right for a new in the box set picking up one? Also did not ryan and dave hint that somewhere in the future a legacy version was in the works?

Lionelzwl2012 posted:

With the ebay 2,000 price tag for a new in the box set unopened set. What were the issues with this set out of the box. I like john always wanted this set,but with most going between 1,500 to 2,000 on ebay just for the set not the add on cars they are around another 500. I am very scared the set would need work right out of the box further adding to the cost. Is 2,000 overpriced for this set?  Also another concern is parts. Would you guys here recomend if the price was right for a new in the box set picking up one? Also did not ryan and dave hint that somewhere in the future a legacy version was in the works?

Frankly, it's a great deal of money to pay for a set that almost always had out of the box issues - as did mine, which I got some years back nearer the actual production time (and for much less than the auction site price you mention). Do a search on Lionel Acela on this forum and you will find many threads on the problems and remedies that have been tried. Anyone will tell you that when you can get the set or some of it to run as it was meant to it is the most impressive thing. 

Lionel cataloged a new Legacy version a few years back but it was cancelled. It was meant to have a different inter-car signal transmission system (not infrared and based on what they use for some subway sets = hard wired) and no tilt feature.

This was a very ambitious project by Lionel that was probably too ambitious for its time. Ignoring the problems with the operating features - mainly the automatic opening doors - the passenger cars are the finest looking ever produced in 3rail O scale. 

Awesome work and that horn sounds great on that engine Alex!!!

The Acela set has a city horn, and a country horn setting.

Work continues on the Acela's. Some shots of the inner workings of the passenger car, and the service tools.

I never bought the set. I have to say that for people looking at getting one, especially brand new in the box, think of the value and what goes into each piece of the set. Separate the car's and the engines price's, and to me it seems like a good value. I just never have that spare cash laying around. You can't buy each piece, one at a time. 

 I have to believe, that there's defects/quality man. issues, also included (factored) in the comments above. Comes with the attempt vs. QC.

Alex-- great videos on what the Acela engine looks like under the hood; you have a lot of patience!!!

I do hope Lionel comes out with a updated Legacy version with improved reliability!!!

Carl J

Alex, If one was to get a new in the box unopend set namely me. Should I open it up and check for issues or just assume there are issues with it from the get go and send it to you guys to get working correctly. Still on the fence about getting one, but I watch this and think man I want this set.

Lionel and jon z have stated they were looking into doing a legacy version,but it may never happen. So getting a tmcc in good working order maybe the only way to go. This is by far the most prized lionel set of all time IMO when working. If it was not so popular the used market prices would not be so high$$.

If I were to get a set. You will be my first call for advice. Great work and more videos on this please with your commentary. These are great glimpses into the workings of the set. They also show your master talent as a repaire tech. You have always done top notch work. Love this thread glad you started it. 

One question, maybe marty can chime in here since he has done this. Does not his fix by making teathers from car to car fix the main issue or most of the issues with this set? In my search here on the form about this set I recall it did. Just cant remember.

First I want to thank everyone for the very nice comments. 

Roger ,

Paul and I are going to post something on how to start up this set when you open it for the first time. We don’t think it’s a good idea to just take all engines and cars and put them on the track at the same time. We will explain it. 

As for what Marty said about the tethers , I fully agree with him. It’s a better idea to hard wire all cars rather than use the  infrared

Thanks, Alex 

Thanks for posting the vids Alex. 

The Acela is a great looking set. I would never have got one due it’s reputation but a certain little boy asked for one for Christmas....TM Videos have a lot to answer for!

Mason with his Acela Christmas 2012. He was 4 years old here. He’s never damaged it. Proof if it were needed that kids can be trusted with trains.

I have fixed a few things as the set was second hand. A new door on a passenger car, new teather and traction tires. 

I got a very special price on this set from a forum member. And a big thank you to him for making it possible.

Nick

Thanks alex, cant wait for that video it is going to be a must watch at least for me.

Alex M posted:

First I want to thank everyone for the very nice comments. 

Roger ,

Paul and I are going to post something on how to start up this set when you open it for the first time. We don’t think it’s a good idea to just take all engines and cars and put them on the track at the same time. We will explain it. 

As for what Marty said about the tethers , I fully agree with him. It’s a better idea to hard wire all cars rather than use the  infrared

Thanks, Alex 

Alex, any chance you and/or Marty will post a "how to" wire tethers between the cars. I love my set, but after a loop or two around the track the IR link breaks...  

Thanks,

Ed

Good Morning Ed,

It seems that most people that own an Acela set have trouble with the coupling and connections between cars.

Like everything with the Acela the couplings are over engineered, there is the mechanical coupling itself, and the IR sender and receiver part. When putting the set together one has to be sure that the leading coupler with the pin, remains square and centered. After working with the sets for a while I developed the following tool.

As you can see the tool helps to keep the pin part supported, while placing the loop trailing coupling over and down into position. The next, and very important step is to roll the tool out from under the coupling, and then lift the trailing car to check that the coupling has snapped together. If you look carefully that the coupling assembly you will see that there are protrusions on the sides of the pin coupler, that must pass by the loop coupler and hold the assembly together. After you assemble the two cars, lift the trailing car to check that it is latched to the leading car.

If you then power up the consist, the newly added car will remain dark and silent. If the lights below the doors flash, and the left side doors open, the connection between cars is not correct.

You Too can become a Acela Fella

Thanks for the explanation and guidance to assure the  couplers actually couple. I’m going to make that tool. Great trick!  My goal is to be an “Acela Fella” 

Ok, all you Acela Fellas, time for today's Acela Lesson.

If you are setting up the set on the track and are wondering if the IR system is working, this will help you out.

Take your phone and look at the pin connector of the leading car with the power on, and the consist in operating mode. You have to use the camera that looks at you, the back side camera has a filter in it to cancel the IR signal. If the system is working correctly, you can see the glow of the IR signal.

Testing One,Two.

"Doc"