SOLVED - Is this light supposed to blink?

I have never seen blinking number boards.....perhaps switch the bulbs around.....steady one on the back and blinking for Headlight/Mars forward.

No Mars light on an Erie engine.  These are not working properly.

Check the manual for the reset code or see this...

It most likely thinks it has a strobe light so a reprogramming should fix it.

Marty,

I'm going to disagree, not on the need but on the method.  This model appears to have an LCRU1 in it.  These were not resettable by a sequence of button pushes.  (Pushbutton reset began with LCRU2).

Here's an explanation from @PaperTRW:

I'd say that Ron's LCRU thinks that it's currently setup to be a "diesel with strobe light" instead of a "diesel with directional lighting".  Based on Todd's explanation of how LCRI1's are configured I'd say that here's a configuration wire that's either not connected (loose connection?), or is connected incorrectly.

See THIS OGR FORUM THREAD for the explanation above and additional details.

Mike

I have a Santa Fe Alco with the same flashing number board.  On the TMCC remote, button 9 turns it on and button 8 turns it off.

@RON ARNDT 091718 posted:

I have a Santa Fe Alco with the same flashing number board.  On the TMCC remote, button 9 turns it on and button 8 turns it off.

Would that be the same with a Legacy remote?  I do not have a TMCC remote.

Thanks!

Ron

Yep Ron, the Legacy will do it as well.  If you're running in TMCC mode, the +/- keys are the smoke ON/OFF keys.

It’s got to be set up wrong. I have never, ever seen a locomotive with flashing number board lamps.

Rich,

On page 8 of my Alco PA-1 Owners Manual, printed 09/97, under TrainMaster Command operations, it states:

8 Turns side marker lights off.

9 Turns side marker lights on.

So, yes, it was designed to operate this way.

@RON ARNDT 091718 posted:

Rich,

On page 8 of my Alco PA-1 Owners Manual, printed 09/97, under TrainMaster Command operations, it states:

8 Turns side marker lights off.

9 Turns side marker lights on.

So, yes, it was designed to operate this way.

But they are not designed to blink.

Marty,

They must be designed to blink.  That's two engines now that have the blinking marker lights, and it has to be designed into the board.  I think that it was a little trick feature that Lionel added back then.  I got sidetracked on my reply to Rich.  The Owners Manual didn't specify that the marker lights blinked.  However, I found it unusual that they did and looked in the manual how to turn them Off.

Ron

Marty,

I took the shell off my Alco for a better look at the lights.  I wonder if a factory worker changed around the position of the two bulb assemblies.  The engine may be designed to have a Mars light, but usually there are two headlights in this case, with one fully on.  But there is only one headlight on the engine.  Maybe the marker lights were the ones meant to be non-flashing???

Ron

Ron, the LCRU is programmed wrong, so they're using the smoke output as a strobe.  If you jumper it properly, it'll stop blinking.

Ground the white wire and leave the black wire not connected.

This information was already presented, if you follow it, you'll eliminate the blinking.

Ok... What if there isn't a white wire?

The light that blinks has an orange wire.

Ron, look at the pictures I posted.   You're looking at the wrong wires.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Ron, look at the pictures I posted.   You're looking at the wrong wires.

I'd like to think I'm not a total idiot.  But hey, maybe I am.

The board looks just like the one in your picture.  I still don't see a white wire.

Not a total idiot, but you do have the wrong board.  You're showing me the LCRU2 with the white connectors, the LCRU has pins, no white connectors.

LCRU on top, LCRU2 on the bottom.

My top board does not look like yours.

Ron045 -- I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I think you and GRJ are talking past one another.  Your picture three posts upthread looks to me to be the same board as what GRJ shows as the lower board in his picture two posts upthread (his reference is to the two boards in his picture, not the top board inside the loco...).  From that, I would infer that what you have is the LCRU2 board (look at the size/shape of the chip on the LCRU2 - its square - vs the rectangular one on the LCRU).  Way further upthread, Mellow Hudson Mike suggests the LCRU2 is reset-able via a series of button pushes.  Beyond these observations, I know nothing about this, since I'm a Flyer guy, but I'm just trying to have you avoid the Cool Hand Luke effect...

- Rich

Rich, it's as I said.  Ron has the later LCRU2 board, it's a totally different layout and it's programmed differently as well.  The LCRU2 is programmed using the TMCC commands, the LCRU (original) is programmed using the jumper wires.

John,

It looks like both us Rons have the LCRU2 boards.  How do we program it to stop the blinking without being able to use the white wire method?

Ron

@RON ARNDT 091718 posted:

John,

It looks like both us Rons have the LCRU2 boards.  How do we program it to stop the blinking without being able to use the white wire method?

Ron

Read the 4th post down.

Marty previously posted this, here's another look in case you missed it.   This works for the LCRU2 boards with the white connectors.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESTORE TMCC FUNCTIONS (R2LC/LCRU 2 CIRCUIT BOARDS)

@RON ARNDT 091718 posted:

John,

It looks like both us Rons have the LCRU2 boards.  How do we program it to stop the blinking without being able to use the white wire method?

Ron

The previously posted parts list had yours with the original LCRU.  If it does have the LCRU2, see above.

OK... Fixed it with programing.  The manual has no information about this, but I found these instructions on a forum sponsor TrainDoctor website.  I selected #6 Diesel Engine with cab light.  Everything works as it should.  I tried code 36 (Alco PA-1 (from 1997, Santa Fe NYC)) but that just makes the front light blink like a MARS light.

The TrainDoctor instructions explain how to do it using a Cab1 so I found this thread were MartyE explains how to do it with a Legacy remote.

Thank you to everyone who showed an interest in the problem and provided suggestions.  I do appreciate the conversation.

Ron

Great video! (Can we lose the "tune"?:-)

Ron045

Thanks for coming up with the solution and asking the question in the first place.  If this wouldn't have come up, I would not have realized that my engine had an issue that needed fixing.  Also thanks to everyone else for their input, and GRJ for also posting the solution.   I will be using my TMCC remote for the reprogramming.

Ron.

Marty,

Sorry I missed your post.  I wasn't in a reprogramming frame of mind at the time!

Ron