MTH Locosounds PCC direction lock out

That is the method and the train should be moving slow. Lower voltage 8-10V.  G

GGG, understood, multiple attempts, all failed.  A very frustrating design IMO.  Looks like it is going to stay as is until I can pick up a reverse board that has a reverse switch and replace the guts of this thing.  

Here are the directions from the user manual. It mentions to "hold" the button while moving.  Charlie

LOCKING THE ENGINE INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE
To lock the engine into Forward or Reverse, use the transformer throttle to enter Forward or Reverse (whichever state you want to lock the engine into) and while the engine is moving press and hold the whistle button. WHILE THE HORN IS BLOWING TURN THE THROTTLE OFF AND THEN LET GO OF THE WHISTLE BUTTON. After about one second, you will hear a short horn blast. QUICKLY TURN THE THROTTLE BACK ON AGAIN. Your engine is now locked into Forward or Reverse and it will remain so until you unlock the engine, even if you wait a year to run your engine again.

UNLOCKING THE ENGINE
Unlocking the engine is a similar procedure. WHILE THE ENGINE IS MOVING, PRESS AND HOLD THE WHISTLE BUTTON. WHILE THE HORN IS BLOWING, TURN THE THROTTLE OFF AND THEN LET GO OF THE WHISTLE BUTTON. After three seconds without power you will hear one chime of the RESET bell. TURN ON THE POWER AGAIN. Your engine is now in RESET and will operate normally once you interrupt power and enter the forward direction.

CPOWELL, you are correct with regards to those directions for a proto 2 pcc, the troublesome item is a loco sounds, an entirely different animal.  To be fair I tried this method as well with the hope it would work.  Thanks for the response. 

Are you using CAB-1?  Or a controller with bell and whistle button.  CAB1 can not respond fast enough to do this. Must used transformer controller with buttons control.  G

The instructions I have for a Locosound direction lock are a little different.

Put the engine into the direction you want ,run it at a very slow crawl (as slowly as it will move without halting), and quickly but firmly tap the Horn button once followed by three quick taps of the Bell button, allowing approximately ½ second to lapse between each quick button press.

The engine will not change direction (including going into neutral) until you repeat the 1horn, 3bells code to return the engine to its normal condition, even if the engine is kept without power for extended periods of time.

GGG and John are both correct. 1 Bell and 3 Whistles code. A cab one controller won't work, a CW80 won't work. Need a MTH controller to cycle properly.

Directions Charlie gave, are the old PS-1 type.  G

Update.  Wandered into the train room this morning, powered up the PCC on the test track, tried to reset while drinking coffee, no joy.  Got annoyed with the volume so I adjusted the volume screw lower, for the heck of it tried again, amazingly the critter now reverses.  I have no idea if that adjustment had anything to do with it and given the difficulty altering this setting I have no intention of further experimentation.  This was a one off observation on my part.  For the record, the setting was changed using a z-500 which afforded me the opportunity to quickly push the buttons, a rapid response on the part of the user is required.  For those musically inclined, eight or sixteenth notes are probably the way to do it.  Correct method for this item is as GGG and John described.  Thanks all for the responses.