Lionel 6-28052 Class A LEGACY Upgrade with Whistle Steam Effect.

Well, I have to say, your rates are VERY reasonable, if I had one, I'd probably send it to you for the upgrade!

I’m in the early stages of converting mine over. The hardest part will be the smoke features which requires material to be removed from the shell and mounting it. Making the harness will also take some time. 

Im with John, it would take me much less time to earn the money to pay you than it would to do it myself

For $200 labor, I'd cheerfully send it to Bruk rather than do all this work myself!

What about other engines?

Do you have a source for RCMC boards? I am curious how you can activate whistle steam with early modular Legacy?

Pete

Same way they did it in many Legacy locomotives with whistle steam before the RCMC boards came out.  A number of earlier Legacy locomotives have whistle steam, the Lindbergh Atlantic for instance.

I'd be in for this upgrade!  I do agree that your labor estimate seems low.

It won't be the same way since some of the key boards in the Atlantic are NLA.

I will agree though that if Bruk has collected a list of parts that will do this, the price is not bad. He has already done a fair amount of research.

Whistle steam and swinging bells can be installed assuming there is room. Its getting the codes in the handheld and receivers that are the issue.

Pete

Curious, could you do the same work to a K-Line Pennsy K4 with TMCC? If you can, let me know. Very fair prices I must say.  

Well, I must say that this is the first time that I have seen people ask to charged more money!

Are you guys enamored THAT much with Legacy and a wisp or two of smoke from the whistle?  Although certainly reasonable, $500 plus two way shipping ($50/$60 average) is a sizable chunk of change to dump into a steamer.

I have one with GR John's smoke upgrade and ERR cruise added that I paid $550 for last year.  It looks, sounds, and runs great!  There are a lot of other things I would spend $500 on... Just MHO

Big Jim posted:

Well, I must say that this is the first time that I have seen people ask to charged more money!

Did you see anyone ask to be charged more money?  I saw comments about the price was below what we might expect, but I missed asking to be charged before.

c.sam posted:

Are you guys enamored THAT much with Legacy and a wisp or two of smoke from the whistle?  Although certainly reasonable, $500 plus two way shipping ($50/$60 average) is a sizable chunk of change to dump into a steamer.

Well, I would expect a bit more than a "wisp of smoke" from the whistle.   Also, Legacy offers a lot of other operational improvements, great speed control, much better sound, etc.  If I had one of these, it would already be in the box for shipping!

Maxrailroad posted:

Curious, could you do the same work to a K-Line Pennsy K4 with TMCC? If you can, let me know. Very fair prices I must say.  

You would be better off finding a Lionel Legacy K4. I believe Lionel's is the same tooling as K-lines

Norton posted:

Whistle steam and swinging bells can be installed assuming there is room. Its getting the codes in the handheld and receivers that are the issue.

Pete

Anything can be done with the right amount of accessibility to parts, money and will power of the individual doing it.

NBGT posted:

I'd be in for this upgrade!  I do agree that your labor estimate seems low.

I changed my post to "estimated labor" I truly wont know for sure until I see what needs to be done to the shell to accept the smoke unit(s). Honestly the true challenge will be the whistle steam. I could give you everything but the whistle steam effect and the job is much easier in my eyes.

Well, the whistle steam mechanical modifications was what I was most concerned about.  I think I understand the scope of the work if the whistle steam wasn't in the picture.  I guess it depends if you can fit the smoke unit close to the whistle, don't know what's under there in that model.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, the whistle steam mechanical modifications was what I was most concerned about.  I think I understand the scope of the work if the whistle steam wasn't in the picture.  I guess it depends if you can fit the smoke unit close to the whistle, don't know what's under there in that model.

There is no lower half of a boiler shell its one solid piece. Its almost an exact design to the EM-1 and AC-9. If you go back to the first pictures of my AC9 project the boiler shell you can see that it is one piece.

Yep, but what's under the whistle?  It it open space?  If so, I guess it wouldn't be impossible to get the whistle smoke working.

Can you throw in the swinging bell?

Bruk posted:

Norton posted:

Whistle steam and swinging bells can be installed assuming there is room. Its getting the codes in the handheld and receivers that are the issue.

Pete

Anything can be done with the right amount of accessibility to parts, money and will power of the individual doing it.

I have considered doing this without using any Lionel's mechanics. Its the electronics to drive the extra functions that are difficult to assemble. I assumed you have already determined the components required. An RCMC would be one solution.

If we were dealing with DCC it would be simple. Decoders can be purchased and programed in the controller. 

Perhaps one day Lionel or MTH will allow users to program in their own functions.

Pete

Norton posted:

Bruk posted:

Norton posted:

Whistle steam and swinging bells can be installed assuming there is room. Its getting the codes in the handheld and receivers that are the issue.

Pete

Anything can be done with the right amount of accessibility to parts, money and will power of the individual doing it.

I have considered doing this without using any Lionel's mechanics. Its the electronics to drive the extra functions that are difficult to assemble. I assumed you have already determined the components required. An RCMC would be one solution.

If we were dealing with DCC it would be simple. Decoders can be purchased and programed in the controller. 

Perhaps one day Lionel or MTH will allow users to program in their own functions.

Pete

I have had a list of components for over a year now that is needed and priced out. Everything but 3 parts would have to be ordered through Lionel.

TO BE HONEST. I would prefer DCC now over Lionel and MTH any day now. 

I'm in the process of converting most of my older TMCC engines too DCC. The decoders are so much easier to install, so much smaller and way better in the sound department by any Lionel or MTH file. Especially with ESU.

After I am done with my current project two Atlas O Alco C-630's with a ESU Sound Decoder upgrade and Custom paint work on my desk. I will be Upgrading my 3rd rail AT&SF #5021 2-10-4 to a "501 WowSounds Decoder" (I haven't installed one yet). It will feature a fan driven main smoke stack, Whistle steam effect, and possible a operating reverser and swinging bell.  

I do agree with you on everything. About them both.

Bruk,

Do you think you'll be able to incorporate a SensorTrack sensor?  Also will you be using an RCMC boar?

Thanks!

NBGT posted:

Bruk,

Do you think you'll be able to incorporate a SensorTrack sensor?  Also will you be using an RCMC boar?

Thanks!

Maybe and Yes. I can install an IR on the bottom of the tender. But I do not have a sensor track to test it. Also the sound board that will be used will be from a Y6b. So when it scans it and tells your remote what it is. It might and probably will come up as a Y6b. 

RCMC will be used. Its actually more expensive to use the first Gen Legacy componets.

Thanks - I've got a spare sensortrack that's a little wonky (plays same commands in both directions) that I can send to you if you want to do some testing once you get your project underway.

I'll look forward to hearing about your progress.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, the whistle steam mechanical modifications was what I was most concerned about.  I think I understand the scope of the work if the whistle steam wasn't in the picture.  I guess it depends if you can fit the smoke unit close to the whistle, don't know what's under there in that model.

(I was reading through this again I forgot to respond to your comment 10 Months later)

Under the whistle in the shell is where the bulky motherboard with R2LC and motor driver board is. In the conversion the RCMC will eliminate 60% of that used space and 30% extra space (in theory) above the board between the shell under the whistle.

This would either give me that space needed to run a long tube for the "whistle steam" and or mount a 2nd smoke unit for that function.

Only issue with having a 2nd smoke unit is that how in the world will I be able to fill it....down the whistle steam hole is an option but not a well working idea....

Swing bell would be possible but the actual bell on the loco is a air operated and wouldn't be prototypical.

If you have the whistle smoke unit really close, filling it through the hole is an option.  Of course, if you're going to go crazy and make the steam come through the whistle, it could be problematic.  Having a hole in the shell like Lionel does shouldn't be a big deal.