Help on troubleshooting LionChief Plus 0-4-0 Steam Locomotive that stopped dead after running 30 minutes

I never experienced this type of issue w/ LC+ locos.  I would not even try to figure it out- it's their problem, not yours.  Trying to reach Lionel support- I HAVE experienced.

Hint- there is a certain Engineering Director who monitors this forum- you might drop him a Private Message.  That goes around the not answering the phone, and the not responding to e-mail issues.  In my experience that worked.

Sad that these even have to be talked about.  But only the Lionel Brass can make the changes necessary- like more phone lines, more people, a "We will call you back" function, or keeping the voicemail box cleared so a customer can communicate-   to eliminate these types of issues.

Thanks, Mike Wyatt. I don't think I'm able to private message since I'm just a regular member of the forum... I'm also relatively new to the forum so I'm not sure who that engineering director is... Hoping to run across a name, perhaps on a search.

Sadly, I was on hold with Lionel customer service for 1 hour yesterday morning, another 1 hour and 15 minutes yesterday afternoon, and another 1 hour this morning. The entire time listening to background music....

I sent an email to TalkToUs@lionel.com this afternoon. I am so disappointed!

Are other trains running ok on your layout ?

Are the batteries in the remote fresh ?

Have you checked the engine to make sure nothing is binding in the trucks, wheels and drive rod assembly ?

Hi Richie. My other LC+ train runs fine and everything is good on the layout. I have new batteries in the remote as well. The wheels and assembly all look good. I cannot turn the wheels at all. The locomotive and tender do absolutely nothing on the powered track. It should blink the light and chirp as it waits to connect to the remote. It did all that just fine when I first ran it. Then it just died on the track.

The manual says LC+ locomotives are equipped with "motor lock out" technology, meaning that if the internal electronics do not detect the motor feedback signal the motor will lock itself out. My hunch is it is a bad connection inside and/or faulty electronics.

This was posted just the other day and sounds like a similar problem: https://ogrforum.com/...ionchief-plus-diesel

Thanks, RickO. Unfortunately my LC+ is not intermittent, just stopped dead. I've tried the obvious stuff but no luck. The train is literally dead on the tracks. Nothing happens at all.

Been there also. Bought a Lionel Lionchief Hudson. Got thirty minutes and the sound stopped. I called Lionel service, was on hold for close to an hour and they just hung up. I was really smoked. At the time I thought more China quality!. I got on the internet searching to see if I was the only person to be suffering meltdown with this. Then I thought what the H***. I pulled the engine casting off. It looked ok? Didn’t smell anything. The started to pull the tender shell off. Then I noticed a lose wire. Black wire. I thought I’m in luck. One wire not a problem. I’ll just solder it back. Everybody knows China is still learning to solder. When ahead a pulled  the tender shell off. Crap. There are three (3) wires off. Now what. It appeared that the two (2) orange wires came out of the engine side by side. The black wires came out on either side of the orange wires. WTH again. Two wires went to the speaker in the tender and two wires went to the coupler.  

The real problem was the shrink wrap on the draw bar was not even close to tight. I also corrected that.

Today’s O gauge toys require a degree in electronics. Most of us do not have the skills or the tools to repair modern trains. I must have gotten allot of my fathers genes. He was not one to wait either. Down side to doing what I did will kill you Lionel warranty I’m sure. I did luck out.

PS: The Mikado I bought first and out of the box the smoke unit didn’t work! The place I bought it from replaced the engine. It is one of my favorites. Great puller. The replacement Mikado the smoke unit quit after an hour. I got a replacement friend in New York. Different part number than the original. It’s been working months and smokes like a WWII destroyer?

Quick Update: Lionel repaired my B&O Lionchief+ A5 0-4-0. The technician's comments stated that the PCB faulted and they replaced it. Curious, has anyone else experienced this, especially on a new locomotive?

I learned that the Lionel warranty is valid for 3 years from product manufacture, NOT date of sale. This particular engine is a 2016 product. That seems a bit concerning... especially when purchasing a new engine without knowing which catalog it appeared in. Any advice?

Thanks!

Actually, the Lionel warranty is only ONE year from date of sale.  This one-year warranty from date of purchase will not be honored if the engine was purchased 3 years from date of manufacture.

Thanks for that correction, Ron.

Mario's Trains is in the middle of a physical inventory.  I personally know how demanding this can be.  Perhaps that is why you are waiting for a response.  I have always received good service from Mario's.

Even with cash in hand I use a credit card for such purchases.  It's money I can take back for situations just like these.  Any store that won't exchange or credit a DOA product gets the deal with the credit card company, I don't have time for sellers like that.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Any store that won't exchange or credit a DOA product gets the deal with the credit card company, I don't have time for sellers like that.

I think the issue in this hobby is.  Its a bit unclear as to what the options are regarding a defective item.

Some dealers will exchange and others will tell you to contact Lionel directly.  There are still others that will offer to make the repair(s) themselves. It would be nice if Lionel and/or the dealers could standardize some type of customer service protocol.

No wonder Amazon is so popular, don't like it, don't want it, its broke, return it, no problem. we'll even pickup the shipping.

Of course, your credit card thing is certainly a win win.

I had a similar experience with that dealer...received a defective Legacy B6sb. They refused a return, to replace and had no repair facility. Was told it was under warranty and to contact Lionel. After 2 trips for repair and 4 months time, I received the engine back and keeping my fingers crossed that there are no other issues. I did notice upon return...that the front pilot/step assembly was loose, and found a screw was missing and that the wire next to it was damaged. I considered doing what John referenced regarding the credit card company...but, at least with my bank, there is only a 60 day window of opportunity for a disputed purchase. So, as a remedy for this less than positive experience, I am no longer a customer of this dealer.

Missing screw and damaged wire:

UKE KAT, their response to me was exactly the same as you stated, although in my original post I was intentionally vague because I didn't know if my experience was a one-off. Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be the case...

I have since purchased rolling stock from them if the price is right, but I will not purchase another locomotive there.

On a subsequent purchase of a "new" 2017 LC+ steam engine from a different retailer, I explained that prior experience and was assured that they don't operate that way and would stand behind replacement, repair, or refund without me needing to beg Lionel support for help.