When Lionel introduced their big 4-8-4 Northern model of the Milwaukee S-3, I "had to have one". Bought mine in #265 livery because I already had a Weaver model of the same prototype numbered #261, the number of the excursion engine up in Minneapolis that we have seen and ridden behind several times. The #265 is also still in existence today, originally on display in the City of Milwaukee but now located at the Ill Rwy Museum in Union, IL.
Loved the engine, had it professionally weathered and use it in my crack freight consists. Only one thing that had been a real problem was that the sound would suddenly drop out and there would be no chuff, no whistle, no bell, no nothing. The only quick fix was to hit the "reset button" (#0) but then the engine would come to a jerky stop, blow the whistle and the sound would come on full volume. It generally seemed that it was more likely to "drop out" when the train was going downhill, but there were times it would happen even on level track. I had brought it back to Lionel 3 times and for a while it might seem better but sooner or later, "bang" it would drop out again. Rather embarrassing for me, especially when my train buddies were over.
Well, almost by accident, I discovered a "cure" for the problem. When I opened up the tender, I noted a battery clip and connector for a 9v. battery. Now, I own at least 20 TMCC equipped engines but I never installed a battery in any of them. Everything I run is by Command Control, either TMCC, DCS or, with the S-3, Legacy. No conventional operation on my layout, so the battery issue was never an issue for me. But, I thought: I'm gonna stick a 9v. into that tender and just see what happens.
Result: Problem solved! I have run the engine for several hours, in several different operations and, with the battery, the sound never dropped out again. So for want of a $3 dollar battery my issue went away. My question is: Have any other of you guys found a similar problem with a Legacy engine and have fixed it with the battery? I'd like to hear of any other similar issues and if so, is this a "fix" that we can recommend for all Legacy users?
Paul Fischer
