ATLAS RS-1 lights backwards

If it runs in the direction of the F on the sill, then swap the light bulbs. Most of the time atlas uses equal length harnesses, so if you can just pull out the bulb, work the wires off the clips in the shell and just reverse them. Otherwise, somewhere along the way it’s a cut, reverse and solder back together.  If the lights are LED, be mindful of the resistors in the light wires. If it goes in the opposite direction of the F at first, then reverse the motor leads. I hear those RS1s are “fun” to take apart.

Any Atlas O engine is "fun" to take apart including the non powered ones.

One other command before you take it apart.  Assign the Engine to TR 0, which usually clears all consist (lash-up) programming.  Backward lights, is/are part of consist programming.  TR 0, Eng No., Dir, Set.  Horn should blow.

Link to Lionel Advance commands.    Click on the underlined to link.

Edit/Add: 9:30 AM.   RS-1 Handrails removal requires the hand rail anchor, at the pilot, to be disconnected, so that the hand rail, can be moved toward the end of the locomotive, and out of the hole, in the Cab.   RS-1 requires a fair amount of patients to get apart, and back together.   

Have fun, Mike CT.

RS -1 was one of the first Atlas Diesels to have EOB, Train America Studio's Engineer on Board speed control   If you don't have the instructions that came with the model, you may be able to fined the paper work on the tech section of this form.

Atlas RS1s are the worst to take apart. Made me swear off Atlas unless it was very unique. If yours has TAS EOB no speed control can be related to the tach sensor out of position, antenna lead broken, radio board needs to be reseated. Light leads can be swapped. All require removing the shell. Lots of hidden tabs to locate but after removing the screws from the bottom start with pulling off the cab which has tabs on the bottom, then the short hood and finally the long hood.

Pete

Thanks for the suggestions- I'll try the TMCC "advanced" train lashup removal, to see if that is what might be happening.  But the engine had never been out of the box, I think anyway- so unlikely anybody tried to use it in a lash up.

The rest- the tach sensor etc., I HAVE seen on new (in my case a Legacy GP-9 from the same era- early 2000s) locomotives/ That would lead to a factory mistake, but the age of this model means I have to work on these things myself.  Ugh!

Just curious, do the electrocouplers also run in reverse?  If so, it may be easier to swap the motor leads to reverse the direction.  The "taking off at full speed" suggests this is an older Atlas equipped with the TAS EOB board.

Now if you used DCC, and I know you don't, this would require changing one value on "control variable" (CV) through programming with your main throttle.    No wiring or disassembly needed.

@Mike Wyatt posted:

I just got a NOS Atlas PRR RS-1 w/ TMCC, Atlas No. 6875-2.  So far, I like it, but one strange thing- the headlights are coming on for the end OTHER than the direction the engine is going.

I have switched the lights on and off, and used the engine now about 4 times over two days, so on and off.  I have done a full reset - twice, and it still continues.  I assume I can simply get under the hood, and swap the light leads, but is there some other way?  And is that swap easy to do??

One other strange thing- the engine seems to take off at full tilt, out of control  of the CAB 1 occasionally.  Might be related?

This was moved from the 3-rail scale forum to the Atlas forum since it is obviously a discussion about an Atlas product.

@prrjim posted:

Now if you used DCC, and I know you don't, this would require changing one value on "control variable" (CV) through programming with your main throttle.    No wiring or disassembly needed.

Since you know he doesn't use DCC, what was the point of the comment?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Just curious, do the electrocouplers also run in reverse?  If so, it may be easier to swap the motor leads to reverse the direction.  The "taking off at full speed" suggests this is an older Atlas equipped with the TAS EOB board.

Usually if programmed for a consist, the in-board units have couplers that don't work.  The (Front unit, Front coupler, and Rear unit, Rear Coupler, work. (As a consist).  This also should clear,  by assigning the unit to (Train Zero)  TR 0.

Mike, if he's already followed the previous advice to clear any lash-up, that's not the issue.

I was thinking maybe he could look for the ability to do that sort of programing on the system he has.      Does it not have the same functionality?    Perhaps just finding the correct data point to change?  

Such capabilities don't exist with TMCC.

@prrjim posted:

Now if you used DCC, and I know you don't, this would require changing one value on "control variable" (CV) through programming with your main throttle.    No wiring or disassembly needed.

I've tried this and it doesn't work, it merely changes the direction of travel upon startup (forward becomes reverse and vice versa). The lights still operate opposite direction of travel.

I have an RS-1 (2-rail) where I got tripped up with the lighting. It runs long hood forward but I wired the lights as if it ran short hood forward. I had to take it apart a second time to correct that mistake. At least I got the motors right the first time.

Anyhow, it seems as if this locomotive is going to have to come apart, either to swap the motor leads or lights. As mentioned, this is a very difficult locomotive to take apart.

The reset removing any lash-up did not change anything.  Would it be possible to just switch the light leads at the board??

And, yes, the couplers work correctly.

@Mike Wyatt posted:

The reset removing any lash-up did no change anything.  Would it be possible to just switch the light leads at the board??

They have the same connectors but are located on opposite ends of the board. You may have splice some wire on the bulb in the short hood. Probably easier to swap the motor leads where they plug into the board.

Pete

Light function is determined by the Lionel board R2LC 08.  The change point,  before R2LC08. Light functions most likely are different.

Mike, download this manual.

https://ogrforum.com/...20EOB%20Complete.pdf

Page 38 shows you where the motor and lights connectors are. Page 39 shows how to reverse wires in a connector. Easiest to just swap the blue and yellow wires in the two wire motor connector.

Pete

Thank you very much!!  With this, I can probably find out anything that I need for this locomotive.  I appreciate what had to have been a big effort!!