help me!!! question, need answers

Hi Brandon, are you near either a Hobby store or another forum member who can look at what you purchased and give you a better idea on what needs to be done.  I think it would be a good idea for someone with some experience in repairing O gauge trains to have a look at it.  I don't know exactly where you live but you might be able to find a forum member who lives close who can help you.

TEX

Steve

that would be great if someone was close by to look at it, i live near marysville washington if anyone can help!

Thanks for posting the photo's Brandon. 

Common Washington State members.  I know there are members who might help Brandon get this engine back on the tracks.  I live in central Oregon but their should be a member who lives near Marysville, Washington.

TEX

Steve

also just seen one of the boards says TAStudios

TA Studios is "Train America Studios" They make/made aftermarket Trainmaster Command Control boards. The copper strip attached to the inside of the shell is the antenna.

It appears these units were retrofitted for command-control operation. I can't tell you what the steam-engine-type tether plug is for, but the electronics in the B unit may be the original Williams sound board (or another aftermarket sound board). Someone who has actually seen them would be able to tell you better than I can. (I only recognized the command board by its antenna)

---PCJ

Since you new to the hobby what I would suggest next time, that, these shows usually have a test track available for the general publics use.

Any engine you buy, you should test out before leaving. This way you will know if it is O. K. Good luck on getting these units running.

I would use this as an experience to learn about TAS boards and how they are wired.  Try to do some internet research.  It will probably cost you as much for someone else to try to figure out what was done and fix it as the engines cost to begin with.  Have you tried to run the powered A by itself?  The B unit has the sound board and speaker and the A has the TAS command control board/electronic reverse etc is my best guess.  The crackling is probably a bad speaker.  

Wish I could provide more info but with a little digging and help from her on the forum you can probably learn all you need to fix it yourself.  It just won't happen overnight. 

Brandon welcome!

From the annals of been there done that. I hope this doesn't discourage you. It is a fun hobby. Going forward, be careful when you buy an engine. I'd suggest buying only from places that you have a way of returning things (or if used, at least a way of testing it, before you buy. Rolling stock, in my opinion, is different. If it looks nice to you, you can make it work, for at best the cost of a coupler or some lighting.

This can also be as expensive a hobby as you make it, I have paid list price for engines in N scale and O at nice hobby shops, only to find MUCH better deals, or to find that the technology was 10 years old (anyone wanna buy some new LifeLike E8s in N). At first I thought I had been taken advantage of, but in reality, it was part of the learning curve. If you want simple conventional control (a transformer running 1 train) you will find very good stuff at low prices, both new and used. If you want any kind of remote control (called DCS by MTH and TMCC by Lionel), be prepared to spend more and in my opinion, buy your first unit new, so you know that you are getting a good loco and can learn about the control system, before you start troubleshooting issues with used locos.

Im sure you will be able to get this one running. I hope it can be done inexpensively

Lastly, read a bit and plan a bit, before you buy a ton of track, it will save you money, in the long run.

Again it's a great hobby and you can get lots of help here.

wow thanks for all the info! the good thing is the engine works and pulls itself and the other two units around the track nicely, its just getting the sound figured out.  So the lionel transformer and controller i have (powerhouse set 6-12938) with the big round dial, is it is a comand controll unit or i thought any ways, but i dont have the remote controll unit for it like i have seen online.  I have pushed the bell and whistle/horn buttons and they do nothing, only sound it starts making is when you start powering up speed, what would i need to controll the tas board?  

   I already have purchased 3 other loco sets that all work great and even my post war southern 2356 works great, i really want something that has railsounds and crew talk and all that jazz.

i have a 4x6 board set up in my sons room that we play with, and am ramping up to start building my setup in our downstairs spare room which is 11x16

A starter set transformer may prove a little wimpy once those locos start pulling a decent load (you won't see that happen on a layout of the size you describe, though). Command control for your unit would consist of a Lionel CAB-1 remote paired with a Command Base. But that combination has been discontinued for a couple of years or so now, and the Legacy system (an updated, but also more expensive remote-and-receiver combo) has taken its place.

"Command Control" is essentially constant power in the track, with remote-controlled throttles inside the locomotives telling them what to do independent of any other locos on the same track.  As long as you are satisfied with one train running, (and on a 4x6, that may be all you can manage) the remotes can wait till later--O Gauge command control-equipped locomotives will run just fine on traditional transformer control. They figure out how they're being run when powered up.

A better investment would be a larger transformer in the event you want to add lighted/operating accessories. The locomotives you bought will haul a train many times larger than the biggest one that'll fit on your layout, so no worries about horsepower.

---PCJ