Legacy System beginner's question

I am not interested in trading or selling mine but my first Legacy unit was used and it works fine. I have been using it for about 4 months.

Ron

I haven't heard of any long term issues or things that wear out.

If I was looking at a used unit I would make sure it had at least version 1.2 installed and that the battery charger worked.

If it only has version 1.0 on it then it probably has to back to Lionel to be upgraded. The base will still function even without a decent charger, its just annoying

The new system I have is v1.4.  Today I received two v1.3 modules from Lionel.  If anyone needs v1.3 modules, still sealed in their packaging, just drop me an e-mail at editor@ogaugerr.com.  You can have them free of cost.  First come, first served.

I would believe that Lionel would fix any issue you have with your legacy system.  With Mike Reagan stating they would fix any with problems even out of warranty you can not go wrong.

At this point, the difference between the used and new isn't that great.  OTOH, from the reports I see here, I'm glad my two are earlier production run, so maybe it's not such a bad idea.

My new 1.4 base and remote are working fine but the batteries aren't. They trigger a high voltage error code when charging on the base. When I put them in my own smart charger 2 out of the 3 generate a high voltage error. When I get time I'm going to discharge them and see if I can condition them. 

Ron

Forget the battery charger, turn it off and use a good battery like Duracell. The rechargeable batteries are just not worth the time and cost. I buy the batteries on sale plus they also last longer then rechargeable batteries. Keep AAA for your dcs and AA for the legacy, you can't go wrong. 

Ron,  I have exactly the same problem with mine. I've swapped out the batteries for a different brand, and this helped for a while. But now I have the same problem with those too. I think that the Lionel charger may be a bit aggressive, so I have now switched to using an external charger instead, and rotating the set that is in use.

When setting up my new v1.4 Legacy system, that is the very first problem I also encountered...not so much that the built-in charging unit wasn't working, but (1) that it was taking forever to indicate a full charge and (2) that the Cab2 was getting very warm to the point of almost being hot.

I switched to regular alkaline batteries (Duracell) and will no longer use the built-in charger.  In addition to turning off the charger switch on the bottom of the base, I also applied a short piece of electrical tape over the contacts on the base where the Cab2 sits while charging.

Its kind of funny i bought mine with v1.2 on it i use the charger .It works fine when the batterys get warm i shut the charger off..

I sent my new V1.4 Legacy set back to Lionel, and they fixed the charger and replaced

the Cab2 for some issues I was having. now everything works like it should.

Great service!

 Nicole I am doing the same thing. I believe the charger I have is far and away better than the one in the base. I have been using Powerex batteries for years and hundreds of charges with no problems. I am using them in the cab2s and they work fine but I will charge them and the Lionel batteries in my charger. I believe they installed the chargers and batteries based on a price point not a quality point. I think if they invested 10 more dollars in the battery/ charger system they would have something that they wouldn't have to be fixing so much. 

Ron

Got my Legacy system almost exactly two years ago, v1.2. Lionel sent me 1.3 modules last year, and I am contemplating upgrading to 1.4 (have an adapter coming next week).

However, my battery charger has never worked. Same deal as reported here, lights kept blinking, batteries got really hot, no battery charge. Took it back to the store; they didn't want to deal with it at all. Now I use alkaline or lithium batteries, and take them out of the unit while I am away (I usually only get to my layout about every 6 weeks - long story), and they do the trick.

I have recently emailed Lionel to see about whether I can send the system in to correct the charger issue, but the "regular battery" solution works really well for me.

Other than that, the Legacy has been great. Sorry c.sam, can't part with it! But best of luck in finding one, you won't be sorry!

Bruce

After Lionel fixed both my #990 and #993 charger, I use the #993 for all charging.  It doesn't get the batteries and CAB2 hot, and charges first time, every time.  The #990 charges, but the CAB2/batteries get uncomfortably warm, so I don't use that charger.

Apple computer offers a NiMH battery charger for 30 bucks that includes 6 batteries.

Its processor controlled and won't overheat or overcharge. I've been using one at work and one at home for over 6 months now with no problems.

http://www.apple.com/battery-charger/

Pete