Engines starting when tracks are powered up

If you are running your Lionel engines through DCS, sounds like the Lionel command signal is not getting to the track. I run DCS - if the TMCC base is unplugged the TMCC engine will start like under transformer control. Once the base is sending a signal, the engine is quiet, except for the head light turning on. 

Sometimes the power can get to the tracks before the command signal. Try powering up the Legacy base first. Then the track.

Your trains are still seeing one side of the signal . Otherwise they would go into full conventional mode and take off at full speed.

If that doesn't work. Is your base plugged into a power strip? Power strips can cause signal issues. Try plugging the Legacy base directly into the wall outlet.

ScoutingDad All of the engines that I have on the track now are Legacy and I am trying  control them with the Legacy System.

Are you sure the command base is still working?  If you truly didn't change anything and it's suddenly failing, obviously something has changed.

RickO, Tried it but unfortunately it didn't make a difference. Thanks

Test the command base on the workbench with a short piece of track and a transformer, see if an engine behaves in that environment.

Got good ground?

gunrunnerjohn, I did as you suggested and everything works fine. As soon as I put it back through the TIU set up it goes back to the same thing, starts up as soon as power to the track with no response from the Legacy controller.

Did you ever get this resolved?

I have also had different Legacy engines start up upon powering my DCS/Legacy layout to 18 volts. Sometimes, if I immediately push the Z4000 lever back down they will shut down and I if I raise the handle slower, they stay silent. Not sure why this works, but it does.

Be sure that you have 18 volts at the rails. I recently ran into a problem with Legacy engines on our club layout. It turns out someone lowered the voltage on one of the variable outputs of  the TIU.  The trains ran at only 7 volts but with all kinds of strange command results. A quick voltage check solved the problem.

Also try attaching the Legacy wire to a different location after the TIU one track at at time.     

@speperak posted:

I have also had different Legacy engines start up upon powering my DCS/Legacy layout to 18 volts. Sometimes, if I immediately push the Z4000 lever back down they will shut down and I if I raise the handle slower, they stay silent. Not sure why this works, but it does.

The usual issue with Legacy engines starting up on power application is powering the command base up with the power, it should be powered up before the track power is applied for best results.  If that's not the case, you might check the output of your command base, the late Dale Manquen used to sell a little box to do the testing.

It's a very simple circuit, if your Legacy or BASE1L command base doesn't come up to around 1.5VDC or more on this test, it may have weak signal strength.