Finally a Legacy user

Fred,

I recently became a Legacy user myself.  I really enjoy learning the functions and it has been great fun to watch the interaction with the train.  As a matter of fact, I've already read the VL BB owner's manual many times so when it arrives I can hit the ground running!

Totally sold on Command Control, it's what I always wanted to do with trains.  Addictive.

Once you get a steamer and hear the varying whistle, you'll be hooked on 'em.  My VL Challenger is a blast to listen too!  Then add whistle smoke...

I would also like to upgrade my MTH PS UP Turbines to command control.  Will get around to it someday.  Are you going to use PS2/3 or TMCC?  I'd like to use TMCC because I don't have DCS.  Wonder what I'd have to do to have sound?

Can't help but notice your avatar, what do you fly?

Re: Avatar - I was a student pilot, though it's on hold for a while. (WAY more expensive than trains.) I was flying a Piper Cherokee, which is a plane I fell in love with as a kid.

I now have Legacy, DCS, and DCC (NCE Powercab, running N and British OO). From an upgrade standpoint, DCC is by far the easiest to deal with - the decoders are tiny, bulletproof, cheap, and reasonably easy to install. I've hardwired several $20 Digitrax decoders, including adding nice lighting, and have even put in a couple of their $40 sound decoders. All work flawlessly. YMMV.

My first O scale loco was an MTH GP-38 with PS1. I bought it because I really love the road and the model, and thought it was a good entry into O. Later I decided to go the DCS route. I thought that because I had an electronics background professionally and was so successful with DCC that doing the upgrade myself would be fairly straightforward. It wasn't, and I ended up frying a board.

I had to have the MTH tech I bought it from finish the job. I figure I have almost $500 bucks into that unit, though I still really love it. But I won't make the mistake again of trying to install a PS2 upgrade. I still have no idea where I went wrong, but I suspect some sort of ESD issue, because it was working and then just went *poof*.

I don't think there's a Legacy upgrade kit like the PS2 kit, but The Electric RR Company sells TMCC-compatible upgrade kits. If I understand correctly (big if!), for about $120, you can add TMCC speed control, but no sound. Sound kits are available to add on, but they don't have the selection that some of the DCC companies have, and our gas turbines aren't on the list. The turbine has four motors total, but I think I would just remove the motors from the second unit and only use the one board. (The turbine is a pricey PS2 upgrade because it also requires a slave board for the second unit.) I don't have a giant layout or anything, so it wouldn't matter to me.

The less expensive ERR option is one of the reasons I used to justify the Legacy purchase, though strictly speaking it only justifies the 1L base, since I already had the DCS setup. But I figure ERR allows me to "stage" upgrades, spreading out the cost between control and sound. I'm hoping that ERR's boards are more friendly to an amateur installer!

Fred

Gentlemen,

    I now have both DCS & Legacy, both are fantastic and a might different,

I do wish the legacy had more founds like the DCS PFA, the Legacy sounds are great but I wish there were more.  I did upgrade my DCS hand held remote control and made it a totally rechargeable remote control.  The Legacy Cab2 definitely has the right idea

now that they have the bug out of the Legacy base unit.  Having both you get he best of both world, I do wish the Legacy Cab2 could run my P2 trains, and I do wish the DCS hand held remote, could run my Fastrack Command Control switches, without the use of wires & the AIU.   FT CC low voltage wireless switches, are definitely big time engineering technology.  Both technologies have great advantages, ya go to love this new remote control train world.

PCRR/Dave