Can MTH PS1 engines be set to start in reverse?

Years ago, in my PS1 days, I did it to run multiple units by reversing the wires on the can motors so the last unit would start in reverse, or back to back.  Dependable and an easy fix if you decide to sell the unit.

Chris,

    No settings to due what you want, Paul has the only rework that I know that work.

PCRR/Dave

You can easily lock a ps1 loco in reverse or forward for that matter,but when a loco is locked in a set direction you lose the ability to cycle the units if you want to change direction.

For the models with plugs on the bottom of the board, you just swap the white wire plug into the yellow connector and vice versa.  No soldering.  You also could install a double pole 3 position switch and remove 4 of the pins on the top board from connecting to the bottom and solder wires to those pins to switch and back to bottom board so that the switch can reverse the signals.   This would be for a unit you want to swap between modes.   G

 QSI (not proto1)  had Feature 5, which allowed 4 options   

Start up in forward,,,, Start in reset before forward.....start in reverse or start in reverse after reset.    

Might  make a great dcs feature.  

GGG posted:

For the models with plugs on the bottom of the board, you just swap the white wire plug into the yellow connector and vice versa.  No soldering.

I've done this with a PS-1 equipped GP38-2 that I have.  I have three of them, and set one to start backwards by just swapping the connectors. 

Funny thing is I got the locomotive cheep because it didn't run.  When I opened it up, I found that someone prior had tried to get it to start in reverse by swapping the wires at the motor.  They did such a bad job at soldering that they had shorted the wire to the can on one motor and the other motor one of the leads broke off.  So I rewired it to match one of my other locomotives, then s2wapped the connectors on the board, and presto, a backwards starting locomotive.

But as someone else stated above, and I would actually recommend it, turn on direction lockout with feature 40, and then lock them in the direction you want.  It can be a royal pain if you hit some dirty track and weakly powered switch and one of the locomotives cycles and they are no longer in sync.

QSI offered replacement top board upgrades called QS-2+ and later QS-3000 that had the MTH sound set but offered additional programming features including setting the start up direction.  This would work if you can find one.  I agree, however, that Paul Romano's method is the easiest. 

As George stated above, swapping the connectors sets it up to neutral-before-backward. As I recall, the motors are the white and yellow and the lights are green and blue. Swap the white/yellow and the motors will reverse their orientation; swap the green/blue to set the lights up (or leave them disconnected if you want the locomotive to run "dark". I did it on a couple of locomotives that I always ran MU'd.

Thanks for all the information.