Err upgrade

For motion you have one of two options. The Cruise Commander gives TMCC control and constant speed. The DC Commander gives TMCC control but speed will vary with load. Either will drive one large motor typically found in Premier Steam, or two smaller motors used in their diesels. If you have AAs with four motors you should get a separate motor driver for each engine. Some have gotten away with one board driving 4 motors but that leaves no room accidents causing wheel lockup.

For sound you need to add the Railsounds Commander.

Also if you are upgrading PS2 or PS3 engines you have to replace the couplers. proto 1 couplers are compatible.

Pete

Thanks for the info. Regarding the two speed options, what would match what typical Lionel Legacy engines do? I only have one Lionel , a legacy b6sb that I bought recently,  but I haven't really noticed how it acts regarding different loads , I just give it the gas and it goes however I turn the dial haha.

Go for the Cruise Commander, it's well worth the additional investment!  BTW, the Legacy has speed control, that's why you don't notice a speed control issue.

This can all be very confusing when you are starting out (I know). But, really its not if you like your installations plain vanilla, as I do. You have been to the 3rd Rail/ERR website, I guess. Go back and peruse the manuals online. This will be confusing and eventually informative.

I really don't like the term 'upgrade", which everybody uses, including me. You will not be upgrading the MTH electronics; you will be replacing them.

If you could find someone in your area who has done this, pay him do one or two for you and show you how. Also, there have been articles in OGR (and other places) on this "upgrade" process.

If you are feeling brave, pick one of your plastic-bodied (easy antenna install) diesel locos (no loco/tender tether to handle), buy an ERR Cruise Commander kit and Railsounds diesel sound kit, open up the loco, read the instructions. Again. Again. Look around. Basically, PS2 boards are removed, AC track power from the trucks goes in to the Cruise Commander, DC to the motors goes out. There are drawings. The sound board plugs into the Commander. Ignore the smoke unit for now. MTH uses low-voltage bulbs; ERR uses higher voltage bulbs.

Several experts on this here on the forum. I'm not one of them, but you can get plenty of help.

I agree with D500 about replacing the electronics. I’ve never done MTH but you may want to give the model numbers so some of the guys here can give some advice on the lighting boards in the MTH. If there’s no issues with lights then it’s a piece of cake. You’ll love ERR products.

Just to add what D says, you may actually be downgrading your engines, especially if you have different types of engines and you double head them. Pretty much all PS2 and PS3 engines can be run together. The only way, other than luck, two TMCC engines will run together is if they are the same type of engine. Unlikely a steam and diesel will run together.

Pete

Essentially my main goal here is to take my conventional MTH engines and be able to use my Lionel cab 1 remote to make them work. Since MTH is closing up I wanted to give myself the best chance of being able to use my engines in the future assuming I won't be able to get MTH boards in the future., and I love remote control cab 1.

Sounds like it would be so expensive that I'd be better off just to buy myself new Lionel engines. Although I'm not super fond of them as the only ones I've tried have random coupler issues.

How did you try to contact 3rd Rail?  I'd email Scott Mann directly as his office is all working from home currently being in CA.  Calling probably isn't the best idea, but he Scott is definitely available via email. 

@Johnny B posted:

Essentially my main goal here is to take my conventional MTH engines and be able to use my Lionel cab 1 remote to make them work. Since MTH is closing up I wanted to give myself the best chance of being able to use my engines in the future assuming I won't be able to get MTH boards in the future., and I love remote control cab 1.

Best sit tight this month. MTH said it would announce the new company taking over DCS sometime in January so you may in fact still have support for those engines.  Also something not mentioned so far is when you go to ERR in a steam engine you have to come up another way to generate the chuff signal. MTH doesn't use a switch on the driver axle like Lionel TMCC engines. That will be an added cost in either time, money, or both.

Pete

You can run your MTH engines from the CAB-1 if you run them in conventional mode.

You just need a power master or a TPC for each track.

Royboy , if I were to run MTH engines with cab one would the horn and Bell buttons work as well as the coupler buttons? I thought I had read somewhere that it would not.

Norton, that is very interesting about a takeover. Last I had heard was that  they sold the building and was going to continue operations sometime well into 2021 but that's about all I know.

@Johnny B posted:

Royboy , if I were to run MTH engines with cab one would the horn and Bell buttons work as well as the coupler buttons? I thought I had read somewhere that it would not.

Don't know what you read, but with a TPC, the horn and bell work fine on all Proto locos. You can also fire the couplers on Proto 2 or 3. The TPC has the proper code installed to send out the correct sequence of short horn and short bell pulses.

You can also easily program Proto 1 locos by using the AUX1-5 button instead of raising and lowering the voltage many times.

It's funny how negative comments/aspects of a situation stick in our minds much more easily than positive ones. It's also funny how people who really do not know, will profess to have knowledge that they actually do not possess.