Any reported, or known problems with LC/LC+?

My experience has not shown any issues with signal, etc. My sole issue with my LC+ Mikado (now gone, traded as a parts engine) was the side to side play in the drive axles was enough to push the screws holding the rods onto the drive wheels into the rods moving back and forth out of the cylinders. I had 3 of them and each one had the same issues on curves. Design issue is what it appeared to be if all 3 had the same problem. Lionel of course said there was nothing wrong with it and I was sick of dealing with them and the engine so I lost big time on it and traded it for an MTH engine I then sold for $100. Nice looking and sounding engine. Ran nice on straight track but otherwise, no good. The LC+ NW2 switcher is a neat little thing. I'm looking forward to getting a better look at them when released. 

I have 2 LC+ locos and have had no problems with either. I bought the Hudson last October and the Mikado about a month ago. I've run both of them a lot. I have had no problems with the Mikado so far. It runs and pulls fine.

Besides an occasional "dead" remote control, no other problems have been reported by our Authorized Service Station.

All OK on my layout. Great for guest to operate and children.

Plus they look & sound cool......

Cheers from Michigan

Gary

Thanks for the replies, folks.  

As far as the side rod issue, it is an issue, but not exactly what I was looking for, as I see it as a problem with the mechanical tooling of the model.  the control system doesn't really effect how then pressed the wheels on as far as I can imagine. 

I really want to give it a fair shake.  

JRJunction, what do you mean by "dead" remote?  Dead batteries, or some actual problem that makes a remote fail?

This sounds like a pretty serious design flaw to me, especially if you had three locos with the problem, but I wonder if it also may be made worse by the sharpness of the curves you run the loco on? O Gaugers, especially 3 railers are known to run on some pretty sharp curves such as O27, O31, etc.

Bill in FtL

Some plastic spacing washers solve this problem for me on several engines.  It wasn't enough to cause that kind of issue, but one Legacy diesel has enough play that the gears almost disengaged, the spacers solved the issue.

I've had a couple of steamers where the side play was enough to create issues when installing a chuff switch and magnets, spacers did the trick there as well.

Yes, it would be nice if I didn't have to do that, but I did.

I have seven LC+ locos.  Five steamers have worked perfectly.  Two UP GP7s have the same mechanical issues - locked axles on the power truck with the motor/speed controller.

No problems with the LC+ system itself.  Seems bulletproof.

Back to O after ... 40 years?  Wife wanted a little train to go around the Christmas tree for grandson...got the LC RTR 0-8-0Pennsylvania Flyer.  Now have a 5x9 table in basement! double loop, tunnels, bridges.  Winter just seemed to fly by.  Good to have hobby!

Ordered the Lc+ Santa Fe diesel GP7 online.  Arriving two Friday's ago.  Within five minutes it wouldn't budge.   Turns out one of the screws holding cab fell out, and then jammed in gears.  Backed it out, ran some, then found another small screw on track.  Then had contact or shorting problems.  Apparently Lionel QC had a bad day?  Decided it was Lionels's problem, not mine, and sent back to retailer.  Would have exchanged but they sold the last one they had that same weekend.

So, legend and has it there is a ATSF Mikado or two or three buried in the Kansas river from a flood back in the 1950s.  I drive near the spot every day.  Ordered the LC+ version and it arrived yesterday.   So far, so good after just a couple of hours of running, except one of the little plastic windows fell out when I unboxed  the sucker and I need to glue it back in.

The 0-8-0 LC has run like a champ for me and my grandson.  Pulls everything I own.   Even took to flight one day from the table, hit the wall, and then carpet.  Survived and ran fine.   Finally got around to cleaning the wheels the other night...filthy, filthy.  Guess you should make sure the track weathering paint and plaster and the glue is all cleaned up before you run it!  

I have a DCC n-Scale setup, and like all the neat features.  But the simplicity of the LC or LC+ remote, ease of wiring, and the ability of my almost 3 year old sidekick to run it, seems to hit a sweet spot for me.  LC+ is obviously more sophisticated, heavier and better at slow speeds.  In either case the RC operation has been flawless.

i find the problem now is that I am looking at adding either Gp7 SF or UP and demand seems to be outpacing supply as most prices are close to MSRP.

So, I think about legacy, dcs, ... and the LC system seems to be what I need right now.  When I see that Lee Willis thinks highly of the LC system I can only think I am in good company.  Heck, my fairly recent Z-1000 controller seems to be stuck on full power anyway, so 18 volts all the time works just fine.

Wife cringes every time I visit the local hobby shop or the UPS truck pulls up.  But it is all for my grandson, don't you know.  

(BTW, been reading the forum since Christmas, but this is my first post.  Thanks to all of you for inspiration and ideas.) 

The only problem I have is with a smoke unit, solid otherwise.

I have had a lionchief + NYC hudson since christmas.   Out of the box the front pilot axle was loose.  Charles Ro sent me a replacement pilot.  Otherwise never a problem and it runs like a top and my son runs it constantly.   

Just ordered the LC+ NH rectifier on pre-order from Nassau   

My only complaint would be having to wait for Lionel to offer LC+ in the next road name or loco that appeals to me...if they are listening (which i doubt)B&M GP9, NH EP5, PRR GG1 in brunswick, maybe a B&A berk or a NYC F series. 

There is a nice review of the LC+ Mikado in the latest issue of "that other magazine," which arrived earlier today. As I did with my five, they found everything ship-shape from when they first opened the box.  The measured a very respectable pull from it and got good performance in conventional and LC+ mode.  Altogether they gave it a sterling review. 

I looked at buying the Santa Fe GP7.   When it was test run at the LHS it had a noticable wobble and the back truck was higher than the front truck.   Decided to pass.

My UP Hudson smoke unit makes a wheezing sound.  my guests don't notice, but it aggravates me.  I have read posts about other LC+ steamers with failed smoke units.  I don't use the smoke unit anymore since I got tired of scrubbing residue off the tracks.  Runs beautiful other than that.  My favorite feature is the Odyssey cruise control.  My benchwork is a little sloped on one end and I have to manually adjust the throttle for convential locos to prevent a runaway and potential tipover at one corner.  The LC+ runs at constant speed and I don't worry about a plunge to the floor.  Pulling power is great.  My Christmas train consisted of 21 Lionel and K-line Hershey's candy themed cars.  Some of the cars were heavy compared with the light plastic traditional cars.  LC+ Hudson pulled it with no wheel slip and I could have added more if I had them.  I rate it a 95/100

No complaints about my Pennsy Mikado, except the coupler doesn't respond well.  I have read here that happens to a lot of them.  It's not a big deal to me.  

My son has a LC polar express and we have had no problems with it.  This engine has seen heavy use at public displays with multiple children handling the remote.  The public display is wide radius track so you can run full throttle, and the kids do!!

At home it is either 031 or 042 and no problems.  I do wish you could adjust the sound level in the LC equipment.  the only real issue we had was that at a public event there was a dip at a joint between two modules and the long pilot of the polar express engine was hitting the center rail - short term fixed with a piece of electrical tape.  No real problems so far with the electronics package. 

I have put a lot of hours on my five LC+ steamers and they all perfect, and they are among the best smokers I have, too.  Both of the UP GP7 diesels I have wobbled out of the box but adjusting the traction tires fixed that.  However, both have a frozen - solidly locked - set of axles on one truck and I have been unable to figure out how to fix them.  

I have ordered both the Camelback (expecting no problems) and the FA set plus a B unit (hoping for no problems), but I'm not buying any more GP7s until I know their problems are fixed.  

Hi Lee,

Would it be possible to take the good trucks off of both units in order to make a single running loco, or would doing that involve too much work? I know you don't want to return them to Lionel, but if everyone who has a problem with one of their locos just kept them on the shelf and didn't send them back, there would be little incentive for Lionel to try to correct any defects in their products. Let's hope they have had enough returns on their first diesels to correct any problems on the new releases coming up. Did they ever release the LC+ RS-3's that were recalled before they hit the market? I know they showed them again in the latest catalog, but I still haven't seen any in the stores.

Bill in FtL

Seeing the stuff you do mechanically, this does surprise me.  If you ever do find out what the issue is, it would be interesting to know.

I really need to jump into these more than I have.  Last time, I stopped and reversed at a point where I thought that I might do damage/not be able to assemble them again if I proceeded.  But it's not like I have anything to gain.  I plan to completely assemble the whole loco and trim a bit off the gears this time, which I think were binding in one place.  

Not like I have much to lose except some time . . . 

The only electrical issue I remember reading about has been a need for new remote batteries to operate right.

You may be able to spot them on a clear day with Google Earth or Bing Maps.

 I've found the pilings from the rail bridge to Canada that spanned the Detroit River from Gross Ile island in the 1800s. (S. of the city halfway to Monroe Mi)

 Below Whitefish Point and Paradise Mi.(Mich. U.p.) is a ghost town called Shelldrake that had a saw mill. I found the remains if that dock. (Early 1900s)

 You can also see 100 year old abandoned logging rail grades if you look close at tree lines, terrain, and foliage breaks.  

My Grandfather involving me in his trains, were a highlight of my life 

Now that your "wet to the waist", take a second to adjust, and dive in.

David,

Glad to have you on board!  Very interesting comment on the flooded locomotives!  Please join in more, seems you have a lot to contribute!

I think you have made the right decisions and that you will not regret one of them.  

Keep posting when you have questions or progress/fun to share. 

Well, the ATSF Mikado LC+ arrived in Concord NC yesterday, so will  wait patiently for Lionel to bring it back to life, or replace it.   The GP7 UP has been running great for a couple of weeks, and two new Menards weathered UP box cars arrived yesterday to give it something new to pull.