Does anyone have one of these yet or now when they will actually be available ?
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Current Lionel ETA: 4th quarter 2023
The Lionelstore.com website seems to be the place where shipping dates are update more frequently.
At the moment. There is no eta for base 3.
https://www.lionelstore.com/Lionel-Base3
Having said that. Imo, if you stop in on the forum occasionally . You'll know when it ships. There's sure to be a dozen threads on it.
4th quarter 2023 is current ETA most recently given on this forum by Dave Olson (Lionel’s director of engineering and project manager for Base3). Obviously, that could change…
@Keith L posted:4th quarter 2023 is current ETA most recently given on this forum by Dave Olson (Lionel’s director of engineering and project manager for Base3). Obviously, that could change…
Bet it already has.
I have no problem waiting as long as it takes for Lionel to develop and troubleshoot the new CAB 3. If it takes till the end of the year or longer, so be it.
It takes time to develop and test products that combine both hardware and software. Finding all the hidden bugs is the key, and the only way to do that is to test, test, test pressing any and every key combination you can think of to cause the product to fail, then correcting the software.
Case and point, we don't want another Acela on out hands.
@NYC 428 posted:I have no problem waiting as long as it takes for Lionel to develop and troubleshoot the new CAB 3. If it takes till the end of the year or longer, so be it.
It takes time to develop and test products that combine both hardware and software. Finding all the hidden bugs is the key, and the only way to do that is to test, test, test pressing any and every key combination you can think of to cause the product to fail, then correcting the software.
Case in point, we don't want another Acela on out hands.
Well said! I have one on preorder since last May and feel the same as you. Since I recently started, I have purchased 5 Legacy locomotives and looking forward to their full potential with the Base/Cab 3.
Gene
@NYC 428 posted:It takes time to develop and test products that combine both hardware and software. Finding all the hidden bugs is the key, and the only way to do that is to test, test, test pressing any and every key combination you can think of to cause the product to fail, then correcting the software.
That probably goes double for this product! They threw everything but the kitchen sink into it, there's be a lot of testing of interactions of the various transceivers in the box! Or to put it another way, there certainly SHOULD be a ton of testing for such interactions!
Wow another Base 3 thread wasn't last 3 pager deleted there is enough info on without starting a new thread. If you can't use search how will you operate the Base 3.
@Shawn_Chronister posted:Wow another Base 3 thread wasn't last 3 pager deleted there is enough info on without starting a new thread. If you can't use search how will you operate the Base 3.
If the other thread was deleted, we obviously needed another one. 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:If the other thread was deleted, we obviously needed another one.
Silly me I guess this one did not count
Lionel Base 3
@gunrunnerjohn posted:That probably goes double for this product! They threw everything but the kitchen sink into it, there's be a lot of testing of interactions of the various transceivers in the box! Or to put it another way, there certainly SHOULD be a ton of testing for such interactions!
This Base 3 reminds me of the all-in-one stereo systems that were popular back in the 70s and 80s. You had an AM/FM receiver, turntable (not the kind we use here), tape deck (remember those?), and sometimes an equalizer, all in one unit. It was a great concept, but if one component failed, you were pretty much out of luck.
While I'm sure the idea with Base 3 is to keep costs to a minimum, a separate component that allows for phone / tablet might actually be simpler, especially when troubleshooting is needed.
@BlueComet400 posted:While I'm sure the idea with Base 3 is to keep costs to a minimum, a separate component that allows for phone / tablet might actually be simpler, especially when troubleshooting is needed.
Look at the bright side John, if you have a Bluetooth capable locomotive, you can run it directly without the BASE3. 
There’s always hope and where there’s hope….
….there’s Crosby
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Look at the bright side John, if you have a Bluetooth capable locomotive, you can run it directly without the BASE3.
Probably not, as I'm with you in the "designated remote" camp. I have zero interest in running trains with a phone or a tablet.
@BlueComet400 posted:Probably not, as I'm with you in the "designated remote" camp. I have zero interest in running trains with a phone or a tablet.
Well John, you did say this...
@BlueComet400 posted:While I'm sure the idea with Base 3 is to keep costs to a minimum, a separate component that allows for phone / tablet might actually be simpler, especially when troubleshooting is needed.
Don't you hate it when you're words come back to haunt you? 
However, I'm in your camp, I like my remotes with real buttons and controls, stabbing at a touch screen just isn't the same. 
What I meant by "simpler" was it would be a separate component that the consumer could purchase or not purchase depending on phone or remote preference. With everything included in one base, many of us are ultimately paying for technology we won't use.
@BlueComet400 posted:With everything included in one base, many of us are ultimately paying for technology we won't use.
The irony of the base 3 is that imo it's a solution to a problem that never really existed, until Lionel created it
It seems one of the the main ideas is to allow one to operate Legacy command control locomotives along with Lionchief via the Legacy handheld.
Many of the Lionchief locos were offered with TMCC years ago. A few years after Lionel designed Legacy, they deemed the cab1 obsolete. To satisfy those looking for a simpler remote system ,and less expensive motive power, the Lionchief system was born.
Then the cab1L was created, the cab1 handheld that communicates via legacy.
Finally, after multiple redesigns, Lionchief 2.0 is TMCC equipped, go figure. Had Lionel not abandoned tmcc/legacy in the first place, Lionchief and Bluetooth would never have been needed. Base 3 brings things back to where they started.
I'm not interested in blue tooth , Lionchief, or 4 digit addresses...if I needed 4 digit addresses I'd probably be in divorce court with nowhere to keep my trains anyway.😉
@RickO posted:The irony of the base 3 is that imo it's a solution to a problem that never really existed, until Lionel created it
It seems one of the the main ideas is to allow one to operate Legacy command control locomotives along with Lionchief via the Legacy handheld.
Many of the Lionchief locos were offered with TMCC years ago. A few years after Lionel designed Legacy, they deemed the cab1 obsolete. To satisfy those looking for a simpler remote system ,and less expensive motive power, the Lionchief system was born.
Then the cab1L was created, the cab1 handheld that communicates via legacy.
Finally, after multiple redesigns, Lionchief 2.0 is TMCC equipped, go figure. Had Lionel not abandoned tmcc/legacy in the first place, Lionchief and Bluetooth would never have been needed. Base 3 brings things back to where they started.
I'm not interested in blue tooth , Lionchief, or 4 digit addresses...if I needed 4 digit addresses I'd probably be in divorce court with nowhere to keep my trains anyway.😉
Rick you are exactly right. Now look at where we are with no available higher end control systems and doesn't seem like Base3 will be here anytime soon.
@RickO posted:Had Lionel not abandoned tmcc/legacy in the first place, Lionchief and Bluetooth would never have been needed.
Why did they "abandon" it; why was LionChief needed?
- TMCC/Legacy is too costly for low-cost sets and engines (this probably became apparent to them about 15 years ago)
- Component obsolescence for Cab-x's (this came up well afterward, but is now a problem)
Why was Bluetooth needed? it wasn't but it "made things more attractive" to Millennials, Gen-Z, and beyond.
Mike
@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:Why did they "abandon" it; why was LionChief needed?
- TMCC/Legacy is too costly for low-cost sets and engines (this probably became apparent to them about 15 years ago)
- Component obsolescence for Cab-x's (this came up well afterward, but is now a problem)
Uhh... in that case, how do you explain that TMCC came back to LionChief? Also, they're still producing the CAB1L, so apparently they're still able to buy the components.
Somehow, Lionel can still produce the little TMCC receivers that are in stuff like the track speeder, Trackmobile, etc. Obviously, TMCC components are not all that expensive or hard to obtain.
Apologies for repeating this, but if your Base 3 doesn't work, you can use the $50 or so Universal Remote to control all basic functions of Bluetooth locos, LionChief locos (including LionChief 2.0+), and thus do not need a smartphone or tablet 
. It's a lot like the cab-1 or cab-1L, simple and reliable, in my experience. Won't control TMCC or earlier Legacy locos, but you have your cab-1, 1-L or cab2 for that.
Lionel's shipping schedule for the BASE-3 now puts it at February 2024.
The "Add to Wish List" button just taunts us now. Oh well, it'll get here when it gets here.
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How long has this been going on now? Clearly they have issues as Dave, et.al., have shown this off in several videos, but still no useable unit...oh well.
Hard to say what's going on, but it could be production issues as well as development issues.
@Don Beck posted:How long has this been going on now? Clearly they have issues as Dave, et.al., have shown this off in several videos, but still no useable unit...oh well.
See what Dave, et. al. have been doing with this link.
@H1000 posted:Lionel's shipping schedule for the BASE-3 now puts it at February 2024.
The "Add to Wish List" button just taunts us now. Oh well, it'll get here when it gets here.
Well, this is getting ridiculous and I’m glad I purchased 2 CAB 1Ls and a Base 1L years ago. They’re still going strong and are all I’ll ever need (or want).
If you don't already have a CAB-1 or Cab-3 you almost have to wait for the Base 3. I checked on Ebay and a Cab-1 is around $300 and a CAB-3 is $1000 to $1400. Makes waiting for something that does it all for $500 seem like common sense.
@DunningStation posted:If you don't already have a CAB-1 or Cab-3 you almost have to wait for the Base 3. I checked on Ebay and a Cab-1 is around $300 and a CAB-3 is $1000 to $1400. Makes waiting for something that does it all for $500 seem like common sense.
I think you mean Cab-1L and Cab-2.
The Cab-3 is yet to be released software. The Cab-1 can be picked up for well under $200.
@DunningStation posted:If you don't already have a CAB-1 or Cab-3 you almost have to wait for the Base 3. I checked on Ebay and a Cab-1 is around $300 and a CAB-3 is $1000 to $1400. Makes waiting for something that does it all for $500 seem like common sense.
I'll be really surprised to see the BASE2 in Feb, I'm thinking more along the lines of April.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I'll be really surprised to see the BASE2 in Feb, I'm thinking more along the lines of April.
Deja Vu 2023 
John
@Craftech posted:Deja Vu 2023
John
An April 1st schedule?
I thank my lucky star that I purchased the Cab1L system for my home layout. (I recently picked up a spare used one). Our club has full Legacy, but most folks pick up our Cab1L controllers to run their Legacy and TMCC trains. I admit that the Legacy controller has better whistle quilling control than the Cab1L. (It is easy to turn on the quilling in the Cab1L and it gives you plenty of play value). I find Legacy controllers as more than most operators need. It's sad that Lionel didn't keep the Cab1L around until after the Cab3 was available. I have hopes that the Cab3 will be successful but will wait until it has some time in the field.
Merry Christmas eveyone.
Earl
@Conductor Earl I think the Cab1L is perfect besides that whistle button. I wish there was a way to get a bit more out of it for quilling the whistle.
According to Dave it should be spring. The new website is expected to be up in January, the app will be released shortly before Base3 is delivered. You can watch Dave's outline in the video below.
@Conductor Earl posted:It's sad that Lionel didn't keep the Cab1L around until after the Cab3 was available. I have hopes that the Cab3 will be successful but will wait until it has some time in the field.
Actually, the CAB1L is still in production and will be for some time. I agree for casual running, I normally reach for the CAB1L, it's handier, and it is also considerably more robust as it doesn't have an delicate displays to break when you drop it.
Hi John,
Yes, I recently purchased a couple of new Cab1L controllers. Correct me if I'm wrong but it is my understanding that the base is no longer available from Lionel.
Earl
@Conductor Earl posted:Hi John,
Yes, I recently purchased a couple of new Cab1L controllers. Correct me if I'm wrong but it is my understanding that the base is no longer available from Lionel.
Earl
Correct. Lionel no longer makes a Base1L.
At this point I probably could have built an actual National Guard Armory
John
Go to the YouTube channel, look up Will2926 videos, and watch his video of the discussion about this new Cab 3APP at the new Lionel Store in Nashville. Dave Olson had the actual unit there and the demo was great. It’s coming and it will be a great working base and works great with the Cab 1L, and the Cab 2 remotes, and phones and IPads. I recommend you going to YouTube and watching all of Will2926 videos, ad he makes this hobby lots more fun. I’m thinking by April 2024…. Happy Railroading Everyone
