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This seems like a silly question but here goes. The manual shows the program switch is under the coal box on the tender. I can't seem to lift the coal box to get to the switch. Is there something I'm missing? The manual doesn't say anything about how to open.  Is there a button that releases it? Do you have to slide it in some direction?

Thanks for your help!

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Maybe message Dave and see what he comes up with. I would have thought that if the manual isn't right, that they should have it somewhere stated showing how to or at least an amended manual. If it is under the coal bunker, then it should be easy to figure out how to open, unless it is all die-cast. If that's the case, oh boy.

Skip, is the bunker diecast? Should be able to see if it's plastic or metal with a finger tap test.

I see a ever so slight color variant between the tender and the coal bunker top. That would indicate the bunker is more than likely plastic. Where the release tabs are also looks like where the ladder lives,….I don’t think squeezing it from the sides will release the tabs. There does look like a small gap under the ladder, so hopefully you can get your finger under it to slightly squeeze front & back……if not, just ever so slightly push on the front of the bunker as you try to lift up, maybe that’ll release at least the front tab……kinda a dumb design, as you’d think the locking tabs would be easier left & right.

Pat

It has locating pins and magnets. Pull up and toward the rear of the tender.

No plastic. It's all die-cast.

The Legacy board would not fit in the loco, so it had to go in the tender, with a wired tether with many connections. It's also how we were able to fit the swinging bell in the engine!

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@Dave Olson posted:
The Legacy board would not fit in the loco, so it had to go in the tender, with a wired tether with many connections. It's also how we were able to fit the swinging bell in the engine!

I didn't realize this one had a swinging bell, that's pretty cool for a small unit.   That's one of the features that visitors usually notice on my H10 and CC2.

Well I finally got the coal bin off. Seems there was a paint issue on the guides that hold the cover in place. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the problems with this unit. Programmed it into Legacy and it wouldn't move. Made sure the brake was off but nothing. The whistle blew and the bell sounded but didn't swing. It's now on its way back to the dealer.

Thank you all for your help.

I received my NYC version yesterday, unboxed it this evening. Those magnets are pretty strong took some effort to remove the hatch. I will test her tomorrow. The swinging bell is a very nice touch. Whistle steam would have been fantastic but I’m betting there was no room for it. The 20-pin unwrapped cable is a bit messy looking. Perhaps a piece of heat shrink tubing would have been nice but the cab plate hides most of it. The detail is really nice, I hope it runs as nice. Stay tuned…

Well, I finally had the opportunity to test my NYC switcher. I wish I had good news. After entering her in my CAB-1 and assigning an ID number I added the prescribed 20 drops of Lionel smoke fluid and started her up. Bell swings and changes pitch. Check. Whistle blows and changes through the 5 different sounds. Check. Smoke unit on, nice volume of smoke. Check. Throttle up, engine moves forward a few inches and stops and the blinking cab light starts. Reset, and the same thing but no smoke. A check of the stack reveals cool air through the stack. Not good. And… the front couples does not activate (not good in general but a must for a switcher). So tomorrow I will call my dealer and arrange a return.

Disappointed…

Mike

Sorry to hear that Mike. I won't get to mine until tommorrow.

I'm not feeling too confident especially since the shipper is pretty beat up.

I can't help but think that that complex tether was a bad idea. Had I known  that was part of the design when these were announced. I likely would have passed.

I would think there should be a glut of videos on these like the class a. I've only seen 2. Might be a glut of returns.

Last edited by RickO

Rick, most probably weren’t bothered by the tether mentioned in the catalog seeing the Pennsy 0-6-0 and the last run of 0-8-0’s both featured 4 pin tethers. All sounded good. 4 pickup rollers and wheels all connected. You have a hard time stalling one.  What Lionel failed to mention on this one seeing it was MTH tooling was that now everything was moved to the tender requiring a much bigger tether. You can diagnose 4 wires pretty easily. 20 wires all done in black. Not sure I’d want to tackle that one. My biggest fear on these was that because of lack of space they may opt. for the Flyer boards that were a disaster with the 0-8-0.  Hopefully you get one with no issues. Nice looking engine and the swinging bell is pretty cool.

I bit the bullet a few years ago on an Atlas one. There are 2 hard to reach tethers. I found the easiest way to attach them was to pop the front truck off while the engine and tender are on there  sides. Then you can get your hand in there. They do a good job of hiding them. Once connected it gets moved as a unit. Lucky it’s small.

Thanks for the input Dave as well as a vote of confidence.

Ok, my turn. I get it programmed everything works as it should forward, reverse, smoke whistle, bell couplers. We're batting 1000.

BTW, I pulled up at the front of the coal bin and it came off without much effort. The magnets are strong, and that's a good thing so it doesn't fall off every time the tender isn't upright. All in all, it's a slick design.

I run it down the siding where it crosses 2 fastrack turnouts. At the second turn out it jumps and shorts out.

The front pickup roller is loose. O.k. no biggie just tighten it up. Uh oh, won't tighten, screw bottoms out and the pickup is still loose. It falls off taking a double sided nut with it.

I really don't want to send this thing back. I'm no expert but I've had all of my engines open at one time or another for routine smoke unit maintenance.

The double sided nut ties the pickup roller to the hot wire/screw. Apparently the hot wire screw was never sufficiently tightened.

I took the 3 of the gearbox cover screws out, loosened the last, so I could rotate the cover and get the board and wiring out of the way and tighten the pickup wire onto the nut and snug up the pickup at the same time.

Problem solved.

Now the good and bad. Overall it's a great looking model. No suprise, the loco is Mth tooling.  The tender Lionels respectable usra tender for 2 decades.

However, this model reminds me of the H10. It must be the same contractor as the casting is rough in the steamchest/pipe area and there are faint parting lines across the top. The handrails are unpainted , but that's 10 minutes with a brush. It does have a whistle cord, cab glass and a nice looking backhead. None of which are on the h10 at  about the same price point and this 0-6-0 is more accurate to the prototype.

On the layout these flaws aren't  noticeable. I can see similar in Skips as well as Mr. Muffins so I think the odds of getting a "perfect one" are slim.

The tether never really feels "seated" but it doesn't fall out. I suspect  this is to make it easier to disconnect without damage. I put my thumbs in front of the cab and reached around and under the deck plate using my second finger nail on each hand on each edge of the plug. I was leery about raising the deck plate vertically for fear I might bend it or break the hinges.

There is a larger horizontally mounted can motor than I would have expected, which is a plus. It does have the multi gear gearbox however Lionel has covers over the outside and I suspect something has been done to prevent the shifting/wear in the K4 and Mikados.

BIG PLUS. The drive line looks like they were taking notes from Pat @harmonyards. A metal driveshaft and the worm turns in ball bearings.

I added some grease. There wasn't a ton of that clear stuff they use at the factory, much of it was liquefied and running down the chassis.

Not the best photo:20230109_110642

Who's to say what the causes of the other failures are but, I would suggest folks that purchase these check the pickup roller tightness out of the box.

Aside from the casting flaws.  I do like the loco, so I plan on keeping it unless I run into a huge operating failure. As a switcher, it runs slower than anything I have ever experienced in any scale. The 3rd whistle, Reading style? Really fits this loco.

I only ran it a few minutes. I need to give it a good break in run to make sure there are no more gremlins

Anyone who prefers cosmetic flawlessness may want to pass. We all have different levels of what's acceptable, and that's o.k.

Sorry for the long winded post. Hopefully my findings can help others.

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Last edited by RickO

Rick, thanks for the information. I didn’t look for any other issues mainly because the blinking cab light meant it was going back anyway. My dealer had no issue taking it back and replacing it with a new one. They will check that one before it leaves them. The tether is tricky to seat and you’re correct, it really doesn’t feel like it’s securely in place and there really isn’t much room to get your fingers in there. Although once it’s on the layout no one will see all those wires I am sure my eyes will always see them. I’m no expert so I’ll believe you when you say all those wires are because everything is in the tender but couldn’t they still have use an IR sensor? The detail meets my expectations but I agree, everyone has different expectations.

I certain will post some videos when the new one gets here.

Mike

@ezmike posted:

I’m no expert so I’ll believe you when you say all those wires are because everything is in the tender but couldn’t they still have use an IR sensor?

Mike

Dave Olson mentioned putting the electronics in the tender on the most recent "demos with Dave", he's the expert😉

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1uyg4jfyECc

I'm wondering if the antenna is in the tender as well, thus the wire handrails on this model

If nothing else, surely the swinging bell compromises space in the shell for boards.

I'm glad the dealer took care of you Mike! I hope Skip gets resolution to his satisfaction as well.

Last edited by RickO
@RickO posted:

Dave Olson mentioned putting the electronics in the tender on the most recent "demos with Dave", he's the expert😉

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1uyg4jfyECc

I'm wondering if the antenna is in the tender as well, thus the wire handrails on this model

If nothing else, surely the swinging bell compromises space in the shell for boards.

I'm glad the dealer took care of you Mike! I hope Skip gets resolution to his satisfaction as well.

If the boards are in the tender, I suspect the antenna is there as well.

@BillYo414 posted:

@NYC Fan did you have the blinking light as @ezmike described?

I programmed the engine hit set and the whistle blew. Turned off the power and switched to "run." Powered up and addressed the engine and hit the whistle button I got no whistle, a dim headlight, and no response to direction change. I tried to re-program the engine and at that point I got the blinking cab light.

My dealer is sending me a new one and he is  checking it out before he sends it.

Thanks for all the good info.

Last edited by NYC Fan

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