About to buy a MTH RTR set.

Jeff,  Depending on what set you get, I think all the new MTH come with DCS Remote Commander.  This is a basic entry level system with no transformer.  Instead it has the power Brick that plugs into a remote connected to the track.  This puts 18V on the track with a DCS Signal set to the factory reset address.  This allows many of the DCS features to be available, but not the full compliment.  SU/SD, coupler, PFA, direction, bell, whistle, smoke on and off, throttle.  Only engines with factory reset address will respond, so it is really meant to operate one train at a time.  If both were on the track, both would need the same address and therefore both would respond the same.  No independent control.  It wets your appetite and usually you get a DCS system in a week or two:-) G

This is the one my girls like.

http://www.mthtrains.com/content/11-5509-1

Click the instruction link and read page 9 and 10.  That will tell you what the DCS remote does.  G

I would suppose you already have yours by now. 

these rtr sets are one's best "bang for the buck"!!  I ordered the MTH 30-4222-1

Santa Fe PSNGR set which came with the remote commander(basic unit) and z-500

xfmr. It runs just so well on all my layout and runs conventional if one desires.

i had also purchased a Lionel KCS Southern Belle set(6-30186) from my LHS to

help keep them in business and this runs conventional only but appears to have

full size O gauge loco & cars which was surprising(not semi-scale).

The MTH diesel has all metal gears and the Lionel all delrin plastic.

Also, that z-500 power brick is very powerful.

Of the two my top choice would be the MTH.

Jeff:

I have the set your girl's prefer and it is a very nice Christmas train in the colorful Christmas train tradition.  Also, the red locomotive is not decorated with Christmas decorations on it so it can be used at any time of the year with different rolling stock.

My recommendation would be to consider buying the full DCS system after you have had a chance to play with this set for a while.  You won't regret it!

Let me rephrase my question.

I just bought a MTH RTR set with track, transformer and remote commander. On the way out of the hobby shop I spotted this incredible MTH BNSF that I really want.

Will the basics in the RTR set be enough to run the other MTH loco. I assume it would be similar to running a Lionel Legacy in TMCC, where it would run but you don't get all the features.

Is my assumption correct?

The RTR sets only run PS2 engines with the new 3v battery system (and I think PS3).  And it has to be reset to factory defaults.

Most MTH engines won't work with this system.

Actually, any PS/2 or PS/3 locomotive that's truly reset to factory defaults should run with the DCS Remote Commander.  They'll run the 5V locomotives just fine.

Yes, as long as the other locomotive(s) have been set to the factory default.  Probably only applies to PS2 and PS3 engines; I don't have any of the earlier/original PS engines to confirm one way or the other.

Even though you bought it "brand new", that doesn't necessarily insure it's at factory defaults.  I've run a number of 5V PS/2 locomotives on the DCS Remote Commander, they should be no different than the 3V models.

I'd have it properly factory reset with the full DCS system, and I'll bet it'll run fine with the DCS RC.

Allan, the original ProtoSound locomotives are strictly conventional control, they don't react to any DCS system at all.

Nobody seems to believe me, so I am posting a quote from Page 4 of the owner's manual:

Martin, the reason I don't believe you is I've actually done this with multiple locomotives.

I just took out my E-33 Rectifier MTH 20-5524-1 with a 5V PS/2 board.  I put it on my test track, fired up the full DCS system and did a factory reset.  I unplugged the TIU and connected the transformer directly to the track.  Then I took the DCS Remote Commander and connected it directly to the test track in passive mode.

I am now able to control the locomotive fully with the DCS Remote Commander.

Apparently, my 5V PS/2 locomotives can't read, so they ignore that statement in the DCS RC manual.  

I hope you don't believe everything you read on the Internet as well.

Yes.

It has come up in the past that an LHS might have run a new engine for a few minutes to demo to a potential DCS customer or as part of their incoming inspection.  In doing so the engine might have been left in other than a factory-default state.  So be sure your dealer knows you will be running this with the DCS Remote Commander and they can perform a factory-reset. It should only take a few minutes.

THis is a printing error and has been discussed in previous post.  As John says it will run PS-2 and PS-3.  Came with both sets.  G

Thanks for all the comments...  Looks like tin plate doesn't sell like it used to. I ran the number on the MTH site and according to their info there are only 5-6 dealers in the country that have it!!

To enforce what others have said...you need to have (or have access to) the full DCS system to do a full "Factory Reset".  I drove 90 miles to Richmond to have an engine reset a couple of years ago (before I knew George was in town ).  Since then, I've purchased the full DCS system.

The DCS RC is a fine set.  It's a "line-of-sight" system, but I found you can bounce the IR signal off things (like a mirror) when your back is turned to the engine and get it to work.  The beam is fairly wide so it doesn't have to be pointed directly at the engine (think of a TV remote).

As was noted by stan2004, there could conceivably be instances where a locomotive was tested by MTH prior to shipping (I thought they stated that they do this to all locomotives, although I've never believed that they do) or that a dealer tested it for a customer on a store layout (fairly easy to determine, even if the locomotive is in its box, by the way it is wrapped in the protective foam and plastic).

The point is, if the locomotive has ever been assigned an ID via the full DCS system, it won't operate with the DCS Remote Commander until it has been reset to the factory default.  You need access to the full DCS system to do this reset (a dealer or a friend who has DCS can do this for you if you don't already own the system yourself).

The IR remote is line-of-sight, but DON'T point the remote at the locomotive to make speed adjustments or to activate features.  It needs to be pointed at the receiver because that's where the signal is received.  Instinct--I learned this the hard way myself--tells you to point the remote at the locomotive, but depending on where the engine might be on the layout in relation to the receiver, that may or may not work.  The signal, no matter where or how it is transmitted, needs to reach the receiver.

As for the 5-volt vs. 3-volt PS2 thing, I just don't know.  I'm sure I have some 5-volt PS2 locomotives in my collection, but I have never tried to run one of them with the Remote Commander.  I have run several 3-volt PS2 engines with the Remote Commander, as well as a good number of my PS3 tinplate models.

I have the PS3 Christmas set that Jeff's girls like, and I really like the set myself.  It's running on a transformer-powered layout beneath my Christmas tree at the present time, so I haven't yet tried it with DCS or with the DCS Remote Commander.  I plan to sell the Remote Commander components that came with my set since I really don't need it (already have DCS Remote Commander on my tinplate layout and full DCS on my larger layout).

The DCS Remote Commander is an easy and fun way to operate your train, but it is no substitute for the full DCS system where you can easily make changes and access all the locomotive's various features.

Tinplate is a niche within a niche.  Many MTH dealers do not routinely stock the tinplate items (O gauge or Std. Gauge).  Many/most of these items are made in very limited quantities, and some sell out quickly.  If you see something you want, it's probably best to buy it while it's still available rather than procrastinate for too long.

I read Allan's post comment about MTH says they test all their locomotives

before shiment and maybe so....but....

upon receiving that starter set I mentioned in an earlier post, upon taking the F3 out

of the box, noticed a rattle and looked in the front windows and saw a loose wire nut

rolling around. I removed the shell, and attached it back to it's proper home. Just

jarred loose in shipping from China apparently. No problemo and after greasing the 

gears per the mfg's instruction booklet, it was r-t-r!!! 

It's a running set

MTH Doesn't test all engines.  They selectively test engines.  They may test all depending on the model or what they find.  G

Just to be clear...

the DCS Remote Commander set will operate any P2 or PS3 engine that is factory new or has been reset using a Factory Reset command from a DCS Remote/TIU or a DCS Commander.

The engine cannot be Factory Reset using either a DCS Remote Commander (there's no button for it) or a transformer's bell/whistle buttons (that's a Feature Reset).

This and a whole lot more is all in "The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", now available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book from MTH's web store site! Click on the link below to go to MTH's web page for the book!

http://www.mthtrains.com/content/60-1279

Martin H,

    Purchase Barry's book and review his instructions, you very well may need to reset all your engines.  As Barry indicated it should run all P2/P3 Engines.  The P1 stuff is a different story however.

PCRR/Dave

I received my new prize, the premier line RDG Co NS heritage unit about a month ago and brand new out of the box it would not operate with my dcs commander remote.  I took it to my club layout and ran for the day on full dcs.  At the end of running this engine I got some help performing the full factory reset.  I had brought my small remote and some track to set up on the floor as a test and it now worked as advertised. 

Interestingly I also had an older ps2 engine that I did the same thing to but still did not work with the remote commander.  The batteries in the main dcs remote were pretty dead by then so it may not have reset correctly)

For the Christmas layout I am planning on a toggle switch so I go back and forth between the remote commander and a standard transformer with rewiring constantly.

JZ.

Here are the steps I follow to do a factory default reset:

1.  Placed engine on the track of my full DCS layout.

2.  Added engine to the active list.

3.  Pressed "Startup" and waited for the sounds, lights, etc. to start up (which occurs almost instantly).

4.  Selected "Menu" on the remote

5.  Scrolled to and selected "Advanced"

6.  Scrolled to and selected "Factory Reset"

7.  Scrolled to and selected the proper engine-- in this case "Green 254"

8.  Selected and confirmed selection (at this point the sounds became a bit louder and distorted)

9.  Selected "Shut down"

10.  Turned off track power

11.  Moved the engine to my tinplate layout, and plugged in the DCS Remote Commander to power the track

12.  Pressed the "SU/SD" button on the DCS Remote Commander remote and all worked fine from that point on.

Allan,

You should add a step "0" to your process:

0. First, ensure that the engine, if it's a PS2, has a fully-charged battery.

If it does not, as I suspect was the case with JZ's older PS2 engine, the Factory Reset simply will not work.

Barry is correct about checking the battery (on PS2).

As I recall (haven't needed to do this procedure recently), I use the "shutdown" button on the remote.  I imagine turning track power off would have the same effect.

I wasn't aware of that "volume high" advisory.  I don't think I needed it when I did a reset, but I'll add that to the list and will post a new 14-step list a bit later tonight or tomorrow (after I shovel/blow all the darn snow that is falling now).  

The last time I did this procedure--successfully--I wrote down each step I followed; hence, the list I created.  I had a few failures before that time.