Gensets are in

Just got an email from Nassau Hobbies for new arrivals.  The Lionel Gensets were on the list!   Hopefully we all will be seeing them soon.

This is great news,  my dealer called and my CSX Genset should arrive this Friday. It will be a few days before I actually get the engine but I’ll post pictures when I do. So, if anyone reading this thread can post pictures of their gensets, please do so. And, if possible, post a short video. Happy railroading everyone.

Still waiting to here from my dealer, should not be long I hope.  Waiting for my Pennsy.

My dealer in NJ has my CSX Genset as of last week.

Just received my BNSF yesterday, intial thoughts after some intial running time:

• one marker board in the cab had fallen out in transit, no big deal just popped it back in
• BNSF color looks good to my eye
• Sounds great, even includes a female voice as part of the tower communications
• Smoke, does not always open the rain flappers, but not a deal breaker, but I have noticed the center stack gets quite warm, possibly even bordering on hot.  Hope that does not result in melted plastic.  Anyone else notice the temp.  Wonder if the previous versions did the same
• Lights, cab light illuminates when stopped and goes off when under way, however you can not turn it on while under way with cab 2, is that possibly unique to Genset switchers, or a possible electrical issue

Overall happy with the engine and great puller with dual motors.

Frank

Mine is on the way, anyone have pictures?

I received mine yesterday and have been very happy with it, but I did have to open it up to fix the smoke funnel on the rear stack.

• Sounds are fantastic - double speakers in the fuel tank make a difference
• Smoke is great, but the stacks with the flaps weren't working for me, one would work fine and the other two not that much so I switched to the open stacks
• I had to open it up and push in the rear funnel since I was getting smoke leaking from the rear body
• Love the horn selection and the radio chatter
• Colors for BNSF are spot on
• I also own the die-cast Santa Fe Genset from several years back so I might do a comparison in a future review
• Slow speeds on this are unreal - this thing is a creeper

Matt, great review.

In follow up to my previous review, do you notice the middle stack becoming hot, I can still touch mine but it does get quite "hot" or very warm.  Also while underway can you turn on the interior cab light.

thanks

Frank

the BNSF doesn’t look half bad.  I’m supposed to get mine Sunday, and I’ll put it next to the diecast one and see how close they got.

@FJI 05 posted:

Matt, great review.

In follow up to my previous review, do you notice the middle stack becoming hot, I can still touch mine but it does get quite "hot" or very warm.  Also while underway can you turn on the interior cab light.

thanks

Frank

Yes, the middle stack and upper middle body get a little warm. I also tend to get a small amount of smoke residue on the outside at the bottom of my stacks from time to time. I don't remember it building that much on my Die-Cast Santa Fe Genset.

I couldn't turn on the cab light while it was moving, however I usually never do this so I can't tell you if it's possible or not.

BNSF Matt, thank you for the review, Question, is the smoke unit, any of the three supposed to heat up, also, are the flappers like the ones on the original VisionLine gensets, where one unit motor, came on, opening the flipper, then the second motor coming on and opening the flipper, then the third etc.(can you show pictures of the flappers) Also, the VL model had opening hatches on the sides, does this model have them same features although plastic? I like the idea of twin motors and the new Legacy features and also the twin speaker effect, sounds so cool. I’m concerned about the heating up of the smoke stack. I purchased the CSX and get it Tuesday. Happy Railroading Everyone….

@leapinlarry posted:

BNSF Matt, thank you for the review, Question, is the smoke unit, any of the three supposed to heat up, also, are the flappers like the ones on the original VisionLine gensets, where one unit motor, came on, opening the flipper, then the second motor coming on and opening the flipper, then the third etc.(can you show pictures of the flappers) Also, the VL model had opening hatches on the sides, does this model have them same features although plastic? I like the idea of twin motors and the new Legacy features and also the twin speaker effect, sounds so cool. I’m concerned about the heating up of the smoke stack. I purchased the CSX and get it Tuesday. Happy Railroading Everyone….

It's just 1 smoke unit that feeds all 3 stacks at once, like the diecast non-vision line version from 2011. From what I saw in the demo video, from about half a year ago, the side hatches still open but none of the hatches on the body open up anymore.

Thanks for the information Michael B, I get mine Tuesday. I thought the smoke units were separate units? I’m probably wrong…. Happy Railroading everyone..

Alright here you go. Plastic and diecast.  
the new one is not bad.  It looks like a lot of the original tooling was just “converted” to plastic.  There’s a few spots where things changed, not always for the better.  The headlight was inset in the nose on the diecast one (like it should be), it’s on the surface of the plastic one. The handrail stanchions on the diecast one were plastic for a reason (handrail was the antenna) They’re still plastic on a plastic model and I don’t understand why. The originals are sturdy and stiff, the new ones seem very flimsy and flexible. One side of mine is all shifty and they don’t seem to want to flex back straight. Maybe Dave can explain why they didn’t use standard metal stanchions.
The plastic one has see thru screens and stuff, just like the diecast one but it lacks the 3-D depth of the original.
The piece under the back of the cab fell off mine, it doesn’t look glued in.  I popped it back in, if it comes off again it’s getting glued.
the battery door magnet keeper had already popped loose of the door, that got glued (this was a problem on the originals too).
The paint match….. not too bad. It’s a passable shade of Orange, a little pale, though not exact to the original model,  and the almost black shade of green is fine. If anything, the yellow striping is too gold and gets lost in the orange paint.

I wanted to shoot these outside in the sun, but it’s going to rain and the light is awful. Maybe another day, til then, kitchen table for a backdrop.
1228 is plastic, 1249 is diecast and the ES44 is an MTH model just for another paint color comparison.

Also, if it needs to go back in the box, pull the stacks out.  It just seems like they’re gonna snap off if you press the foam lid down.

@Boilermaker1 posted:

Alright here you go. Plastic and diecast.  

The paint match….. not too bad. It’s a passable shade of Orange, a little pale, though not exact to the original model,  and the almost black shade of green is fine. If anything, the yellow striping is too gold and gets lost in the orange paint.

I wanted to shoot these outside in the sun, but it’s going to rain and the light is awful. Maybe another day, til then, kitchen table for a backdrop.
1228 is plastic, 1249 is diecast and the ES44 is an MTH model just for another paint color comparison.

Also, if it needs to go back in the box, pull the stacks out.  It just seems like they’re gonna snap off if you press the foam lid down.

I didn't realize that until now about the paint stripe. It's there but the color is really close to the body paint as you noted.

Did you have issues with the flapper stacks, one of mine works and the others just don't stay open. I put back on the open stacks to avoid any issues with build up.

Thank you for the comparison review.

I didnt try the smoke unit out.  After seeing the reports of the smoke unit running hot, I'm not sure I feel like melting the shell (you know that there are zero spares in Parts), and on a loco like this, making it smoke is kinda ehhhhh. Just playing with the flappers, I would think it is going to take quite a bit of air pressure to blow them all open and keep them open. If you want to run the smoke unit with the rain cap stacks, I'd say a dot of glue or wax on the hinge and just keep them open.

My friend had one of the cab window overhangs fall off, he glued it back on.  My Pennsy arrives later today, when I remove it from the box I will give everything a little tug to make sure everything is secure, if not superglue out  you come.

I would not deliberately pull on stuff, its liable to just snap off.   If it falls off on its own, use a tooth pick to put a dot of glue in the holes in the shell then slide the piece back in (saves from sliding glue all over the shell trying to line it up).

So when I say pull I actually mean a slight tug.  Got the engine and all seem OK for the most part.   I ran the smoke on high for a couple of minutes to test the problem with heat we have heard about.  T stack was hot, but the top of the plastic shell was warm.  When I ran on low which I normally do the stack was very warm shell was a little warm, but not anymore that my other diesel switchers, I will keep an eye on it and report back.  Now for those that have the Pennsy, the 2 ditch lights on the front and back are steady when you blow the horn.  On my friends UP they flash side to side when you blow the horn.  What are others experiencing with the Pennsy version?

You can toggle the operation of the ditch lights. Pressing the on button on the remote changes it. the lights can be off, always on and flash, off and flash.

Boilermaker1, thank you for the side by side comparisons, the thorough review of colors, the hand rail review, so, are the smoke stacks with flappers like the VisionLine models? Interchangeable? Also, the windows, are they like the VisionLine models, interchangeable? I just picked up my CSX Genset, will post pictures in the next day or so and give a review, compared to the UP VisionLine model. I really wish this model had three smoke units, fan driven, then the flappers would work consistently. However, two motors is a plus. It’s a nice model and the BNSF paint scheme is beautiful. Happy Railroading Everyone

Thanks Joe,

Mine are on after it starts moving and then never flash with the horn, while my friends Genset comes on when moving, but flashes when you blow the horn.  I'll have to do some reading and play with the buttons.  Also for anyone wondering I am using the stacks without the caps, for those who might have been wondering.

@leapinlarry posted:

Boilermaker1, thank you for the side by side comparisons, the thorough review of colors, the hand rail review, so, are the smoke stacks with flappers like the VisionLine models? Interchangeable? Also, the windows, are they like the VisionLine models, interchangeable? I just picked up my CSX Genset, will post pictures in the next day or so and give a review, compared to the UP VisionLine model. I really wish this model had three smoke units, fan driven, then the flappers would work consistently. However, two motors is a plus. It’s a nice model and the BNSF paint scheme is beautiful. Happy Railroading Everyone

The cab side windows are not the same. The VL diecast one has opening side windows, this one does not. I have never tried to pull the stacks out of my diecast one, so I dont know if they're the same. The new ones are keyed with a tab on the front side so they go in the right way.

I never found the original to be a lousy puller, as it weighs quite a bit. The new one weighs about the same amount, its quite heavy.  My layout is a mess at the moment, I just ran it back and forth to make sure it wasn't a dud.  I'll have to leave it to someone else to do the performance testing.

Thank you very much Boilermaker1, I was actually wondering if the front windows of the cab, left side, and right side and the rear cab windows were replaceable? I know the side windows are different, your review is really good. Also, does the cab top lift off as does the VL model. Although it’s different in a lot of ways, I think it’s a really cool diesel. I’ll be opening my CSX version soon. I’m glad there are two motors and added weights for more traction. Happy Railroading Everyone

Well ditch lights working OK now, although I'll have to turn in my man card.  I read the instructions in the Legacy manual.

These look, sound and run great.

The lights in the wheel wells were a pleasant surprise for me. (not sure what these are for in real life - anyone know?)

I also got a laugh out of the dialog where the entered password is incorrect...  sounds like something i'd do.

ScottV, thanks for posting the beautiful pictures, the CSX version looks great and are you set up for Legacy control? You have a beautiful layout, nice track work, and awesome scenery. I’m glad your happy with this new Genset. Are the other ones in the pictures Lionel? Thank you.

The flapped stacks were an issue on the diecast gensets as well. Because the smoke fluid is vapor it creates a suction effect so you periodically have to wipe them after they change volume or sit.

@leapinlarry  Thanks for the kind words about the layout. It's a work in progress and very rough yet. Yes,  the 3 engines shown are new Lionel gensets and I'm running Legacy with LCS sensors, switch monitors (so that my iPad remains in sync with any switch changes made from remotes), plus ASC units to control key accessories or animations. The iPad makes for a nice control board overview of engine and switch positions.

@Shawn_Chronister  with the new Gensets, I usually do a check of the engines with the flap smoke stacks and do a wipe down before running. I've had it stick and it creates a case of smoke trying to seep out every crack and seam. I would imagine if left that way that the entire insides of the engine would get a nice coating of smoke residue.

@ScottV posted:

@leapinlarry  Thanks for the kind words about the layout. It's a work in progress and very rough yet. Yes,  the 3 engines shown are new Lionel gensets and I'm running Legacy with LCS sensors, switch monitors (so that my iPad remains in sync with any switch changes made from remotes), plus ASC units to control key accessories or animations. The iPad makes for a nice control board overview of engine and switch positions.

@Shawn_Chronister  with the new Gensets, I usually do a check of the engines with the flap smoke stacks and do a wipe down before running. I've had it stick and it creates of case of smoke trying to seep out every crack and seam. I would imagine if left that way that the entire insides of the engine would get a nice coating of smoke residue.

Yeah we had one come back like that when I used to work for a trainshop I cannot name because I always get jammed up for it. The engine was a mess inside.

Just ran my Lionel UP Genset for the first time and all systems go!

This is a beauty and it runs and sounds (and smokes from all stacks) great!

Ditch lights oscillate in both forward and reverse directions - this was a nice surprise

The new Gensets look great! I saw the UP Genset at Legacy Station and was very impressed with how they turned out! Overall Lionel did a great job on the re-issued Genset! Still holding off for a VL one but maybe I'll get the UP one too!

Ok friends on the forum, I opened my CSX Genset. It runs perfectly smooth, all functions work, however I haven’t tried the smoke yet. Lionel did a fine job on this model. Happy Railroading Everyone… Welcome Aboard Will2926

Nice engine LARRY!!!  Enjoy 👍👍.   My PRR comes in today.

Wow Larry that Genset looks great!! Its going to be awesome for your CSX Work Train!!! Can't wait to visit Leapin Larry's Looney Lines again!! Thank for the shoutout, I miss my train friend!!

I just received the BNSF version and noticed some weird behavior with the number boards, they are dim when the model just sitting on the track shut down. But as soon as the smoke unit turns on they come on at max brightness. When the smoke unit is turned off they stay in the dim state, but start to flicker between bright and dim while it's moving. Anyone see this behavior on theirs?

Hi MichaelB,

So I tried what you said for the # boards and mine stay the same brightness from the time you apply power to the track, run it and do a shutdown.  I even turned on and off rule 17 to see if that would have an effect, it did not.  I also have an update to my earlier comment about the center stack temperature.  I stated the plastic was not getting hot around the center stack, well when running say 7 min. or more yes my center stack is getting hot and so is the plastic around it, assume the metal stack transferring heat to the surrounding plastic, amount of smoke output did not matter.  So I will mostly run with the smoke off since Gensets are environmentally friendly anyway.  Probably only turn on when demoing smoke.

I only have excessive heat when the smoke unit is running out of fluid. Otherwise I've done 30 minute run sets without issue.

As for the lights, no dimming abnormalities, regardless of rule settings.

Thank you Reading RR, your update is much appreciated, and to me it’s concerning that the smoke unit heats up, is it possible that it could melt the body? The VL and the second run of the gensets had DieCast bodies, this third run has the addition of two motors, but one smoke unit feeding three smoke stacks with a plastic body…. I like the way they operate under Legacy commands, however I would like to know if anyone has ran there new Genset for over thirty minutes with the smoke on. I hope it doesn’t get that hot. I rarely turn on the smoke units in my diesels but love the smoke in the steamers. Happy Railroading Everyone