Lionel H10; Are problems related to tender type?

FWIW, my H10, from the set with the "small" tender is perfect. I've run it a TON over the past 10 days or so I've had it and it is a strong performer. I'm really, really happy with it. Great little engine.

I have the Atlantic tender which I opened up before running it and everything was fine except for one molex connector was not seated properly. I also had to bend the locomotive draw bar down slightly as the chuffs were dropping out on left turns. My circuit board in the tender was not oriented like GRJ’s and the coupler and wiring were fine. 

I have a Western Allegheny version and it’s a great engine. The only problem is that there’s something wrong with the smoke unit fan, but I can fix that myself. I have heard from a couple of forum members that there were wiring problems in engines with smaller Atlantic-type tenders. So, SJC, you might just want to open up your tender just in case. I know there was one where when the electrocoupler was fired, instead of releasing, it heated up and burnt the owner’s hand when he touched it. The CC2 tenders seem to not have problems, so if you own an H10 with a smaller tender, open it up to check for anything out of order.

TrainMan1225 posted:

I have a Western Allegheny version and it’s a great engine. The only problem is that there’s something wrong with the smoke unit fan, but I can fix that myself. I have heard from a couple of forum members that there were wiring problems in engines with smaller Atlantic-type tenders. So, SJC, you might just want to open up your tender just in case. I know there was one where when the electrocoupler was fired, instead of releasing, it heated up and burnt the owner’s hand when he touched it. The CC2 tenders seem to not have problems, so if you own an H10 with a smaller tender, open it up to check for anything out of order.

Ever hear of the saying "If it isn't broken, don't fix it"?

I'm most certainly not going to start taking my H10 apart, that is running perfectly.

I have the same 1288 as Gunrunnerjohn with the small tender.

My tender did not have the pinched wires/clearance issues as I opened it to check. Apparently a board mounting change was made before mine was built.

It does not have the electrocoupler  wire issue either.

It did however, have the tender access hatch not sitting flush. This is due to one of the mounting posts for the hatch being cast too short, this flaw may be the most common with this tender. John added washers to resolve his. I backed off the screw on the short post and tightened the one on the longer post to correct the problem.

It also had one tender shell mounting  screw missing, I managed to run across one that would fit in my train room. Johns had a couple that had stripped heads.

Its easy enough to open the tender and check things out to be on the safe side. I would recommend doing so if you purchase one.

Actually, in this "new" age of Lionel, I'd go over anything I buy and check for missing or loose screws and any other flaws.

I'm ready to start selling off my Lionel and replacing it with MTH. One has to look long and hard for an MTH issue thread, even harder when it pertains to an out of  the box loco.

We have the Penn. Lines version with the tall tender. No problems at all. Hatches were flush and coupler was operating perfectly. I opened it up today just to see if there were any clearance issues and the wiring and boards were all neat and tidy with plenty of room.  Other than the smoke box and tender deck color issues that have been discussed, we've been really happy with this loco.

RickO posted:

I have the same 1288 as Gunrunnerjohn with the small tender.

My tender did not have the pinched wires/clearance issues as I opened it to check. Apparently a board mounting change was made before mine was built.

It does not have the electrocoupler  wire issue either.

It did however, have the tender access hatch not sitting flush. This is due to one of the mounting posts for the hatch being cast too short, this flaw may be the most common with this tender. John added washers to resolve his. I backed off the screw on the short post and tightened the one on the longer post to correct the problem.

It also had one tender shell mounting  screw missing, I managed to run across one that would fit in my train room. Johns had a couple that had stripped heads.

Its easy enough to open the tender and check things out to be on the safe side. I would recommend doing so if you purchase one.

Actually, in this "new" age of Lionel, I'd go over anything I buy and check for missing or loose screws and any other flaws.

I'm ready to start selling off my Lionel and replacing it with MTH. One has to look long and hard for an MTH issue thread, even harder when it pertains to an out of  the box loco.

I have a wester and allegheny version and it runs fine. I would not suggest switching to MTH just yet because even though the product may be better on the outside, meaning the detail. I have heard the sounds of an MTH steam and it is terrible compared to a Lionel. Also, depending on the size of your collection, it would be very difficult, so it might be better to stay with Lionel. Finally, I recently found out with the Renz hobby shop was slowed down in production so that the product would be a great one. This may be a sign showing that the products in the future will be better.  

Got my H10 Western Allegheny 85 with the tall tender a month ago; perfect out of the box except for one dim marker light on the tender; have about 2 hours on it; no issues; have not opened up the tender; great smoke from the stack and whistle; no issues with the tender hatches or hot electro coupler; great little runner with the banshee whistle.