LIONCHIEF - Electro-couplers not working

Union Pacific  LionChief Dash 8 (lionel.com) does not have electro couplers. 

I think you need to step up to LC+ to get the electrocouplers.

Forum sponsor TW has a chart showing the difference between the various Lionel offerings.

Key point is that while the Lionchief app can control any of these levels of engines and has the controls for electrocouplers- Lionchief engines do not have that feature.

Also, on the product page for this very engine https://www.lionel.com/product...hief-dash-8-2234210/

• Bluetooth™ equipped - control with included remote, Universal Remote (sold separately) or with the LionChief® App
• RailSounds® RC sound system with diesel revving and background sounds, horn bell and announcements
• Lionel Voice Control (LVC) - run your locomotive by speaking commands into your phone via LionChief App
• Voice Streaming & Recording (VSR) - record or live stream your own custom announcements via LionChief App
• Operating headlight
• Powerful maintenance-free motors
• Operating couplers- Note, this just means manual couplers VS non-operating "fixed" couplers, electrocouplers are only on LC+ and higher
• On/Off switch for sound
• Illuminated cab interior

• LIONCHIEF REMOTE FEATURES:
• Forward and reverse speed control knob
• Three buttons for horn, bell, and announcements
• Requires three AAA alkaline batteries not included

Thanks for the guidance. This makes sense - what is strange is the app shows the feature as available for this model (9214).  

Yea - I don’t think the app is smart enough to know much of anything other than the engine name and number.  I work in software and you would think the app would query the engines and then present the user with the features available - but that would make too much sense.  Lionel seems ggood at the hardware, but their software is very poor.  One would hope that improves with the base3, but unless they have developers that actually care about trains and how they function it will continue to present the user with a poor experience.  You posting this shows that it’s confusing for the end user.

I have a few of those lionchiefs - they actually got me back interested in o gauge - and my kids love running them from their phones.  I like that it works flawlessly - power on tracks and launch the app.  The same cannot be said for tmcc/legacy or dcs.  

@ChrisFromCle posted:

Yea - I don’t think the app is smart enough to know much of anything other than the engine name and number.  I work in software and you would think the app would query the engines and then present the user with the features available - but that would make too much sense.  Lionel seems ggood at the hardware, but their software is very poor.  One would hope that improves with the base3, but unless they have developers that actually care about trains and how they function it will continue to present the user with a poor experience.  You posting this shows that it’s confusing for the end user.

I have a few of those lionchiefs - they actually got me back interested in o gauge - and my kids love running them from their phones.  I like that it works flawlessly - power on tracks and launch the app.  The same cannot be said for tmcc/legacy or dcs.  

This has been discussed in the past. A key point that is not told explicitly to users is that the Lionchief app talks back to Lionel servers over an API over the internet to get these engine details. The first time you connect to a new engine ID, it reaches out over the API to a database that Lionel maintains and that's how it gets the picture and other details of that engine. One could assume (yeah, I know- assumptions) that it might also relate to features specific to an engine (steam vs diesel, Lionchief VS LC+, and we know it can differentiate because also of the streaming voice and recording function only applies to LC 5.0).

Again, key here is, an understanding that that picture of the engine, along with other details- isn't stored in the engine and transmitted over bluetooth to the app. No, it's an ID, that corresponds to an ID in a database, that then stores that matching info.

Edit- also, there appears to be caching of the information locally once retrieved. So in other words, if you isolate your device first and disable any data network access, and then fire up a fresh copy of the Lionchief app, then when you connect to an engine, you will get generic pictures of either a diesel or steam engine, no extra details or info. If you give the app access to networking- internet- boom it pulls those data elements from Lionel's server over the internet connection. Then if you isolate again, the app will display the cached info.

In theory, Lionel may be able to update the backend database- although I wouldn't hold my breath.

@ChrisFromCle posted:

Yea - I don’t think the app is smart enough to know much of anything other than the engine name and number.  I work in software and you would think the app would query the engines and then present the user with the features available - but that would make too much sense.  Lionel seems ggood at the hardware, but their software is very poor.  One would hope that improves with the base3, but unless they have developers that actually care about trains and how they function it will continue to present the user with a poor experience.  You posting this shows that it’s confusing for the end user.

I have a few of those lionchiefs - they actually got me back interested in o gauge - and my kids love running them from their phones.  I like that it works flawlessly - power on tracks and launch the app.  The same cannot be said for tmcc/legacy or dcs.  

@ChrisFromCle,

If I read your comments correctly then I can only conclude that Lionel is so bad at software and related features, with LionChief but even more so with tmcc/legacy, that we shouldn't consider anything presently sold as acceptable.

If this is the case then what are you suggesting that we should buy instead?

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

If this is the case then what are you suggesting that we should buy instead?

Fine, you asked for it- Menards. Yes, Menards is attempting to compete directly on the Lionchief remote control space.

I just think they could do so much more with the technology side - they still make great things.  I have taken the approach to buying what I like - MTH, Lionel - all of them - Conventional, DCS, TMCC, Legacy and LionChief.  I even picked up an older kline hudson the other day with TMCC.  I buy what I like and use the various control systems to run them - knowing they all have their pluses and minuses.  If I had a ton of money and every model I wanted was available in Lionel Legacy I would just go that route! 

@Vernon Barry posted:

Fine, you asked for it- Menards. Yes, Menards is attempting to compete directly on the Lionchief remote control space.

I don't think Lionel is hearing any footsteps just yet.

Am I missing something here????

If the coupler has a coil winding wrapped around it to activate the claw to open, then it must be an electro-coupler....right??......and there must be some way to trigger it from your transformer, or hand-held remote??

Why would a manufacturer install a coil operated coupler if there is no way to get it to open????

If there is no coil winding, and it has the "famous thumb tack" or some other type of magnetic trigger to the underside, then it is a manual coupler...right?

Wouldn't just looking at the coupler tell you what type it is????......and how it should operate??

Peter.....Buco Australia

Exactly my point Vernon.......shouldn't a visual inspection of the coupler identify how it will operate, when you open the box and look at your new "toy".....regardless of what some info may be trying to tell you????

Peter......Buco Australia

I'll give them benefit of doubt- maybe they didn't know.

Hopefully, they learned from this topic. It got way more attention than the mistake really deserves.