MTH Railking PS3.0 F3 engine is locked in reverse.

I had the same issue on my PS3 engines when going from DCS to conventional. Try a conventional reset and see if that fixes it. It should. Apparently it is a common "issue" to PS3 although a really screwy one. 

SJC:

If I am correctly reading the owners manual, the engine has to be in neutral to do a conventional reset and I can't get it into neutral.

Curt

How about a directional unlock with the  engine moving .I forget  the bell whistle combination.  You're going to need a bell button.

I've experienced engines being locked in neutral, forward or reverse when going from DCS to Conventional. I don't remember if it says it has to be in neutral (sounds right) or not but I've been able to get it to work at a very low throttle setting - as in low enough that the engine isn't moving or moving at a crawl. I use Z-1Ks and a Z-500 on my layout so I would recommend using those as opposed to the ZW and a bell button. 

 

I would also try Gregg's suggestion. 

Thanks guys!  I'll try both suggestions using my son's Z-1000 tomorrow.

Curt

 I believe  a  full DCS factory reset should also unlock the forward conventional.  (if you know someone handy with full dcs.)

Gregg,

 I believe  a  full DCS factory reset should also unlock the forward conventional. 

Unfortunately, that's typically not the case. It almost always requires a conventional transformer (bell/horn) reset.

When you apply power does it immediately move in reverse before sounds start up?  If so it is a hardware fault.  Either a damaged motor lead touching chassis, or a motor FET failure.

 

If it starts up and then moves it is locked in reverse.  G

Gentlemen:

The factory reset using my son's Z-1000 did the job.  The key was leaving the throttle set at a stall speed while I performed the reset steps.

I wasn't aware this PS3.0 DCS to conventional operation was an issue till SJC mentioned it above.  After doing the reset on my PRR F3's, I pulled out my set of Lackawanna PS3.0 F3's I had run recently on a friends DCS equipped layout and, sure enough, that powered unit was also locked in reverse and required a reset.

Thanks to all of you for the excellent guidance!  Your help here is very greatly appreciated and the knowledge of this DCS to conventional quirk will be particularly useful going forward.

Curt

I wasn't aware this PS3.0 DCS to conventional operation was an issue till SJC mentioned it above.  After doing the reset on my PRR F3's, I pulled out my set of Lackawanna PS3.0 F3's I had run recently on a friends DCS equipped layout and, sure enough, that powered unit was also locked in reverse and required a reset.

 

 Hokey  smokes!     This is not a good thing especially for those  who doesn't follow the  dcs forum.

Curt 

 

Glad it worked for you. Not sure why it is this way but it is one screwed up way of doing things IMO. I found out about it, I think, on the forum after it did the same thing to me. I no longer have DCS set up on my home layout but use it on the club layout. I've also found doing the remote reset in DCS, both factory and feature, don't "unlock" the reverse unit. 

Gregg,

 Hokey  smokes!

Really?  

This is not a good thing especially for those  who doesn't follow the  dcs forum

This really isn't that big of a deal. It's a very, very small number of occurrences as compared to the number of PS3 engines produced.

 

Also, if one calls MTH with the problem, as RJR did and as others should, they get told exactly how to remedy the problem using any transformer with Bell and Whistle/Horn buttons. Further, this will be well-documented in the 3rd edition of The DCS O Gauge Companion.  

 

FWIW, I have purchased 11 PS3 Premier and Rail King Imperial engines (2 diesel, 2 electric, and 7 steam), 8 of them brand new, and have yet to encounter this issue. Interestingly, I believe that one of my PS3 steamers is the same one with which RJR had this issue.