Anyone have trouble with Programming (Run-Program switch) Legacy Diesels?

Someone on the forum just reported that issue a couple of weeks ago. I forget if it was resolved...thinking unplugged wire from the switch or some such issue.

Well, the symptoms suggest that you have a TMCC signal reception issue, not a PGM/RUN switch problem.  Of course, the exact model you're talking about is always a big plus when talking about stuff like this.

It's the new Lionel Veteran's SD60E.  The same thing happened when I tried to program a Lionel BNSF Golden Swoosh ES44.  But after moving the run-program switch back and forth a few times I was able to program it.  I understand its covered under warranty but it's complete BS I have to pay to ship an engine for repair that doesn't work out of the box.  When an item is covered under warranty shipping should be covered both ways. 

Like you, I couldn't program a new Allegheny; so I called Lionel service to get authorization to open the shell without voiding the warranty.  They instructed me to put the request in writing and send it to "talktous@lionel.com"   With authorization, I removed the shell and discovered several problems.  

The RUN/PGM switch had  been installed with one of the three wires under so much tension, it had broken loose.  I soldered in a 1 1/2 inch splice and reattached the wire to the empty post on the switch.  

The circuit board for another switch (Smoke ON/OFF) was floating loose and hadn't been attached to the switch.  This was a simple matter of inserting the board in the switch and bending over a couple of tabs.  Before reattaching the shell, I tested the engine on the track and  established that all switches were operating properly.

At that point, I  noticed that the two marker lights on the front weren't on.  After some detective work, I determined that the polarity of one of the four pin plugs had been reversed.  I jury rigged a temporary harness which corrected the polarity, and both lights came on.  I need a new plug to complete the permanent repair.

All of the above, I did with photographic documentation in case of future issues with warranty.

A diesel shell is far easier to remove than a locomotive casing.  If you have experience such that you can remove the shell without leaving any marks or scratches, you could check to see that there are no loose or broken wires, and no detached circuit boards.   If you do identify a problem, it's best to notify Lionel service of any intended repair and receive prior authorization.  

Doing my own repair was worth it to me to avoid shipping a heavy locomotive with delicate parts round trip.  The tradeoff might not be the same on a diesel.  

Woodshire Bill posted:

At that point, I  noticed that the two marker lights on the front weren't on.  After some detective work, I determined that the polarity of one of the four pin plugs had been reversed.  I jury rigged a temporary harness which corrected the polarity, and both lights came on.  I need a new plug to complete the permanent repair.

Why not just slide the pins out of the existing connector shell and put them in the proper locations?

Sometimes it's not obvious to some that you can lift the plastic keepers and pull out the pins.

Thanks guys, that is just the advice I needed to fix it without a replacement plug.   I was concerned that the pins might  be crimped down and I might do damage.

Since you are answering questions, why is the left board at 8 volts and the right board at 5 volts?  I would assume the number board white lights might require the higher voltage, and the green marker lights the lower voltage.  Both plugs are now polarized such they  unidirectionally fit on the 8 volt board, and they both light in that position.  So I have to figure which plug to repolarize to fit on the 5 volt board.