How do like the engine? Good puller and Runner? Have whistle? THANKS!!
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You're talking about the K-Line tank engine, right? They're a neat little package, but the weak spot in these is the K-Line cruise module, it's prone to failure and it somewhat of a PITA to replace as it's not available.
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Ill be running conventional.
I guess Bachmann has the tooling for that loco. I wish they would remake it or sell it to Lionel. I think that was K Lines last engine and it is quite unique.
@iguanaman3 posted:I guess Bachmann has the tooling for that loco. I wish they would remake it or sell it to Lionel. I think that was K Lines last engine and it is quite unique.
If it is in Bachmann's hands, then don't hold your breath. It doesn't seem too interested in doing diecast steamers anymore, unfortunately.
@iguanaman3 posted:I guess Bachmann has the tooling for that loco. I wish they would remake it or sell it to Lionel. I think that was K Lines last engine and it is quite unique.
Lionel has the tooling and already done it in Legacy. As for the K-Line engine when the motor driver goes it won’t run in command or conventional.
Pete
Yep, when that board goes, as a majority of them seem to do, the engine is truly dead in any running mode. It's also complicated by the fact that it's the source of the chuff, so when you replace it, you also have to make provisions for a chuff switch and smoke unit control.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Yep, when that board goes, as a majority of them seem to do, the engine is truly dead in any running mode. It's also complicated by the fact that it's the source of the chuff, so when you replace it, you also have to make provisions for a chuff switch and smoke unit control.
spot on John.....got 2 down for the count...looks 10+ performance 2...
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Yep, when that board goes, as a majority of them seem to do, the engine is truly dead in any running mode. It's also complicated by the fact that it's the source of the chuff, so when you replace it, you also have to make provisions for a chuff switch and smoke unit control.
I guess I'm lucky. I have that engine, ( NYC), and while it only has just a few minutes of run time, I think after this thread its time to sell, cheap. Anyone interested?
@JC642 posted:I think after this thread its time to sell, cheap. Anyone interested?
Too late, we all know about the failure mode! 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:You're talking about the K-Line tank engine, right? They're a neat little package, but the weak spot in these is the K-Line cruise module, it's prone to failure and it somewhat of a PITA to replace as it's not available.
John, I got 2 of them TMCC Reading and conventional New York Central (still sealed) that I picked up at York last year. Is the board failure in either or both TMCC and/or conventional? I am in need of this kind of information as these are my first K-Line locomotives in my fleet.
@Allan Loczy and I were talking with a couple gentlemen who knew plentiful K-Line information about the development of the model.
When the cruise board goes, the engine won't run in any mode. Sometimes they fail differently, but the predominant failure I've seen is a little fire right around a small transistor/capacitor group at the connector end away from the large motor drivers and heatsink.
FWIW, I got my tank engine a couple years ago at York, before COVID. The guy had a bunch of them NIB, probably the same guy you bought from.
K-Line did make a conventional version. They won't have the problem that the TMCC engines have. You can still find NIB K-Line engines.
They are a good deal at the right price. Swap out the motor driver for a Cruise M and you have a runner. No chuff but everything else will work. Add chuff when you are ready.
Pete
@gunrunnerjohn posted:FWIW, I got my tank engine a couple years ago at York, before COVID. The guy had a bunch of them NIB, probably the same guy you bought from.
Eastern Depot (Troy, PA) located at E-div TCA-York: orange hall, far right/last aisle. They've been "winding down" for retirement for a number of years. They still had several K/L suburbans at last fall's meet. IIRC priced $450. Their west coast counterpart (Western Depot) also shows several still in stock but priced much higher.
@Keystone posted:Eastern Depot (Troy, PA) located at E-div TCA-York: orange hall, far right/last aisle. They've been "winding down" for retirement for a number of years. They still had several K/L suburbans at last fall's meet. IIRC priced $450. Their west coast counterpart (Western Depot) also shows several still in stock but priced much higher.
Yep, that's were I got mine! 
I did notice that Western Depot had them, I believe $600.
@Norton posted:K-Line did make a conventional version. They won't have the problem that the TMCC engines have. You can still find NIB K-Line engines.
I believe I have a conventional K-Line cruise board in my junk board box, and it had the same common failure and fire as the command version. The conventional and command versions of cruise look to be identical except for whatever firmware they used.
@Keystone posted:Eastern Depot (Troy, PA) located at E-div TCA-York: orange hall, far right/last aisle. They've been "winding down" for retirement for a number of years. They still had several K/L suburbans at last fall's meet. IIRC priced $450. Their west coast counterpart (Western Depot) also shows several still in stock but priced much higher.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Yep, that's were I got mine!
I believe I have a conventional K-Line cruise board in my junk board box, and it had the same common failure and fire as the command version. The conventional and command versions of cruise look to be identical except for whatever firmware they used.
Sounds like the same gentleman from my experience for one of them. The other came from the blue? hall at one of the corner vendors. Daughter's father was a collector who passed; she had 2 of them along with a few Legacy and TMCC locomotives.
I want to add one more to my fleet just because it's nice little engine. Overall, great runner, especially pulling Railking Army cars.
I picked one up at York last October brand new in the shipper and love it. One of my favorite engines in my collection.
@Norton posted:K-Line did make a conventional version. They won't have the problem that the TMCC engines have. You can still find NIB K-Line engines.
They are a good deal at the right price. Swap out the motor driver for a Cruise M and you have a runner. No chuff but everything else will work. Add chuff when you are ready.
Pete
On TMCC versions, would turning off or disabling the K-Line cruise setting offer any limited protection?
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Yep, that's were I got mine!
I believe I have a conventional K-Line cruise board in my junk board box, and it had the same common failure and fire as the command version. The conventional and command versions of cruise look to be identical except for whatever firmware they used.
@Keystone posted:On TMCC versions, would turning off or disabling the K-Line cruise setting offer any limited protection?
Not at all, the module is still powered, and something was obviously rated incorrectly or designed incorrectly as it would go up in flames!
Are the issues with K-line cruise boards consistent with all models so equipped? I have one of the SP berkshires and have run the snot out of that engine and it still runs fine. I’ve pulled 20-25 car freight trains with it running for 1-2 hour blocks of time and the only issue that has come up is the engine would get quite warm and stop running. After it cooled down, it ran fine again. I’m sure it was a combination of the undersized motor and cruise board. The overheating only happened 2 or 3 times whem running on the club modular layout.
@Ryan Selvius posted:Are the issues with K-line cruise boards consistent with all models so equipped? I have one of the SP berkshires and have run the snot out of that engine and it still runs fine. I’ve pulled 20-25 car freight trains with it running for 1-2 hour blocks of time and the only issue that has come up is the engine would get quite warm and stop running. After it cooled down, it ran fine again. I’m sure it was a combination of the undersized motor and cruise board. The overheating only happened 2 or 3 times whem running on the club modular layout.
The Berkshires have Cruise but the chuff is generated in the traditional way of axle cams and micro switches. The boards still are prone to fail but not as spectacularly as the 4-6-6Ts.
Early on when K-Line was still making trains I put a Cruise kit in one of their Mikados. Ran OK for about ten years then suddenly quit. I replaced it with a Cruise M.
Again the main hassle with the Suburbans is creating chuff after replacing their Cruise board. Not a big deal to put in a Cruise M but a chuff switch will be harder than most other engines due to the density of the boards.
Pete
I figure it's only a matter of time before the cruise board toasts in mine, then I'll find out about putting a chuff switch in.
I had admired these when new and researched where a few NY City suburbans became cheap power on logging roads, but do the conventional versions also have fireworks, as well as the electronics ones (as l think l read above?) Not interested in springing $400 and then gutting it.
These engines were also available in 2 rail. I saw one for sale years ago at Norms O Scale. Was more interested in gazing at the fixed pilot and how it was done. A couple years ago I was at an O Scale club layout and there was one running. I’m assuming with DCC. Sounded and ran good. I was more interested in the lettering for the B&A coaches it was pulling. Should have inquired more about the engine itself. I found some info and it says it just ran on DC from the factory. No mention of sound or DCC capable. Most 2 railers aren’t big into smoke features. I guess by eliminating that would free up some room for what’s needed for DCC.
I did manage to get my pilot fixed on mine. If Lionel got all the tooling for these and they’ve lately been adding the ability to add Kadee’s easily. To bad they didn’t offer the fixed rear pilot if it still exists. K-Line even did a few with factory weathering. Not quite up to Harry’s standards but they may have been testing the waters for future engines that never came to being.
I had a TMCC version painted in the rare Philadelphia and Reading livery for the longest time. Cruise worked fine, and the chuffing did not sound too off key. The locomotive's smoke unit actually stayed on during idle which I thought was really interesting. Sold it to hopefully find and replace with Lionel's Legacy CNJ version with the Elesco type feedwater heater mounted atop the smokebox. Production photos show this model with the water heater but website and stock photos do not.
I have both the K-Line, which I have had since it was released, and the Lionel. I did the modification that was needed on the #1295 K-Line and it has been running fine for many years both conventionally and in TMCC mode. The #1297 Lionel Legacy locomotive is great. Couldn't be happier with it.
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I have the CNJ version with TMCC still sealed in the box from Justrains. It's been sitting in the same spot since I got it from them when they were first released. I guess that it will be part of my "estate sale". According to TrainMinder I purchased it on 1/8/2008.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I figure it's only a matter of time before the cruise board toasts in mine, then I'll find out about putting a chuff switch in.
I really like the engine and I haven't done the change over to Cruise M and the chuffer yet. I also have a K Line cruise kit that I could use...but using it would make me nervous. The motor in the kit, however, has a better flywheel for a chuffer strip. The motor in the engine has a conical shaped edge with no room for a chuff strip.
I bought one from Eastern Depot a few years ago at York. They had made a fix to all their suburbans before putting them out for sale. I don't remember what the fix was for; I have had zero issues with it.
Scott Smith
The level of detail on this model is up there with the best offerings from Lionel, MTH, etc. I knew I had to have one and glad I waited for the Lionel re-issue NYC version.
@scott.smith posted:I bought one from Eastern Depot a few years ago at York. They had made a fix to all their suburbans before putting them out for sale. I don't remember what the fix was for; I have had zero issues with it.
Scott Smith
The fix was a diode in the chuff input line to isolate it from the smoke fan signal. I think there was no or erratic chuff sound until the diode was added.
Pete
Does anyone have the fix?
@Norton posted:The fix was a diode in the chuff input line to isolate it from the smoke fan signal. I think there was no or erratic chuff sound until the diode was added.
Pete
Correct it was I diode to fix erratic chuff from the fan of the smoke unit. Any 1n400# diode will work. Did a few of these back in the day.
So does this "fix" save the board? Or is it to just fix the chuff problem. I ask because I also bought mine at York from Eastern a few years ago.
@E-UNIT-79 posted:So does this "fix" save the board? Or is it to just fix the chuff problem. I ask because I also bought mine at York from Eastern a few years ago.
If your engine has a proper sounding chuff then that “fix” has already been made. Most were repaired within a year after release. It doesn’t save the Cruise board from failing.
Pete
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Too late, we all know about the failure mode!
And there is no way to add ERR cruise M, Railsounds, and supachuffaII?
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:And there is no way to add ERR cruise M, Railsounds, and supachuffaII?
Guys, you have to read these posts. The fix for a failing K-Line Cruise board is to replace it with a Cruise M and a chuff switch. No doubt Johns solution can be installed, its just not as easy as other installations.
Pete
@Big Jim posted:Does anyone have the fix?
