Lion Chief Christmas Thomas Remote DOA

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, and a bit surprised to hear of your poor service experience.  

While you mentioned buying the set new, do you know when it was actually made?  sometimes dealers have old product sitting around a while.  I bring this up because the first generation of the Thomas set with the remote uses a different sort of radio control that is not really the same thing as any other LionChief engine.  I think these are the ones with the red remote.  The newer Thomas engines that have the same style of remote as other LionChief products should work with the universal remote when it comes out.   Edit: After looking at the parts diagram referenced below I realized the new thomas remotes still look different than the other Lionchief remotes, but internally they are the same.  As such, the Universal remote should work just fine. 

As to trying to fix the remote you have, there is very little in the way of serviceable parts in there for the average person.  I do recall hearing that the battery contacts may be an issue on the original remotes, so you might try using a small screw driver to bend the contacts outward slightly to make sure they are making good contact with the batteries.  You could also open up the remote and see if one of the wires broke off from the battery terminals or board, or maybe see if they have cold soldier joints.  

JGL

Farwest,

Good to hear from you (too bad it's for this reason)

Since you own it, so to speak, due to geography and shipping- Check out the remote as JGL suggested for a bad wire.

here's the parts reference for the 6-30162

A long shot is to email SantaFeFan about a solution. Reference this thread.

Thank you all. After adjusting the battery contacts to no avail, I took apart the remote to check the micro switch. It appeared to be working. I put the remote back together and low and behold Thomas is back from Sodor. My daughter is having a ball with it as I write. She is currently laughing and pushing the all aboard button while making station announcements herself in Japanese. These Lion Chief trains are a great value (if the remotes work.)  I do wish all of the trains were Lion Chief + however, then if you have a dead remote you won't have a dead train. It's always good to hear from all of you.

The woman at Lionel was probably overwhelmed by the season and had too many calls.

That's good news!  by the way, SantaFeFan is Lionel's CTO.

I was expecting to hear from you in the U.S. by now.

I can tell you that Thomas is sturdy and has withstood a lot of abuse from my grandson for 2 1/2 years. I have had to replace some parts, buffers and smoke stack and cover, eye mech bracket, but he is a very useful engine.

If it stops working again, look on Ebay for a replacement remote.

Far West,

   I would pick up another remote just to insure you always have one that works properly, all the time.  

Glad your daughter is happy with her new Thomas Train

Merry Christmas & happy New Year!

PCRR/Dave

If I were buying another remote, I'd buy the new 3-channel one, that's a much more universal solution.

Guns,

   I agree 100%, if the new 3 Channel remote is available that is the way I would go.

PCRR/Dave

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but we just had a remote that stopped working.  Is it possible to run these engines using just a conventional transformer until we can replace the remote?

@jjm posted:

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but we just had a remote that stopped working.  Is it possible to run these engines using just a conventional transformer until we can replace the remote?

Use the LC App or a Universal Remote.  The App is free the Universal remote is about $50.

Thanks, Marty.  This is an older set without Bluetooth.  Is conventional transformer use acceptable?

Nope, only the Universal remote or the exact replacement remote will run that set.

@jjm posted:

Thanks, Marty.  This is an older set without Bluetooth.  Is conventional transformer use acceptable?

No these are paired with the remotes.  A Universal Remote is probably the best option.  According to Lionel's website all LC engines should be compatible with the UR.

@jjm posted:

Thanks, Marty.  This is an older set without Bluetooth.  Is conventional transformer use acceptable?

Just wanted to mention that Trainworld, a forum sponsor, has the Universal  Remotes in stock for $39.99.

At that price, a Universal Remote seems like cheap insurance to have for all Lionchief systems.

Thanks, John.  Charles Ro has it for the same price.

After prying the thing open (no screws on it), we found that a wire came loose from the battery clip.  Superior quality!