New Lionel FA's

I saw Eric Siegel of Ericstrains picked up from legacy station his CP FA and FB units in the latest episode 77. I am sure we’ll see a review soon.

I have a Lehigh Valley A-B-B-A set on order myself. 

How do the colors look?

M J Breen posted:

I saw Eric Siegel of Ericstrains picked up from legacy station his CP FA and FB units in the latest episode 77. I am sure we’ll see a review soon.

I have a Lehigh Valley A-B-B-A set on order myself. 

That's good to hear.  That doesn't necessarily mean he'll review them but there's a chance.  Fingers crossed.  When you get them, if you could post pics or video of your ABBA set, that would be much appreciated.

I only bought a superbass FB, since I already have an ABBA set of the 2014 release. The first one I got was a non-programmable dud. I dont know if it was the switch or the board, I just sent it back to Charles Ro and got a second. The second one took an address and holds it. The wires for the electrocoupler are a problem. They are way too long and get in the way of the wheels. I dont think it would take too long for the wheel flange to shred the insulation and short out the works. I found the solution to be easy, simply remove the electrocoupler wiring from the truck block (i.e. make it a dummy coupler). Others may not feel like opening it up to do that. It being a B unit, the amount of times where I'd use the coupler anyways was going to be zero.

I bought a NYC unit. Its black, and I find it to be an acceptable shade of black.

Colors on my SP&S FA2 set appear to be spot on for the “as-delivered” units. 

Thanks everyone.  I hope we don't start hearing more ID problems like Boilermaker1.

No problems with my superbass B unit. Correct color and sounds awesome!

I took these at York today at one of the seller’s booth in the orange hall. The Lehigh valley may be a tad on the red side, but not a deal breaker for me. I’ll still enjoy my set once they come in. 

These are the custom run Santa Fe and Reading Units For Nicolas Smith.  

Here are the NYC:

Any CP unit pics?

Al

Thanks for the pics everyone.  I guess Lionel can't screw up black!  Unfortunately, I'm a Missouri Pacific guy and I can't say the same about those.  They are a pretty awful shade of blue.  It drives me crazy because it's not like they have MoPac in every catalog.  I don't have any pics but there are some at the bottom of this thread.

Al,

These run perfectly!! The super bass rattles the windows.

I received my set of 4 (2 FA & 2 FB) Santa Fes from Nicholas Smith and everything is in good working order!  They take their TMCC programming numbers and all.  This is my first super bass B unit.  The Lionel owners manual says you can command control a consist of these Alcos two ways: either same-engine-ID addressing (you program all 4 units to an identical TMCC number, I think) or Train-ID addressing (you program each unit with a unique TMCC number, then train build all those numbers together under one common train number to make up the consist, I think). 

I never tried the first scenario before, so that's what I did, programmed them all, one at a time, with an identical TMCC number. They all took the number and ran together as a consist, but any units running in the consist which were physically in reverse had their read headlights on.

So then I went to my more familiar scenario of programming each unit with a unique TMCC number, they all took the numbers, I train-built them all together under one train number, and ran them in a consist, this time flawlessly, including no rear headlights within the consist ever coming on.

Hope some of you may find this feedback helpful.

Rick

How q oit some blue and yellow ones for VIA Rail Canada?  MLW built some FA variant for CP and/or CN for optional passenger service.  VIA got some of these.

The Reading engines are sweet 👍🏼

MineRun posted:

I received my set of 4 (2 FA & 2 FB) Santa Fes from Nicholas Smith and everything is in good working order!  They take their TMCC programming numbers and all.  This is my first super bass B unit.  The Lionel owners manual says you can command control a consist of these Alcos two ways: either same-engine-ID addressing (you program all 4 units to an identical TMCC number, I think) or Train-ID addressing (you program each unit with a unique TMCC number, then train build all those numbers together under one common train number to make up the consist, I think). 

I never tried the first scenario before, so that's what I did, programmed them all, one at a time, with an identical TMCC number. They all took the number and ran together as a consist, but any units running in the consist which were physically in reverse had their read headlights on.

So then I went to my more familiar scenario of programming each unit with a unique TMCC number, they all took the numbers, I train-built them all together under one train number, and ran them in a consist, this time flawlessly, including no rear headlights within the consist ever coming on.

Hope some of you may find this feedback helpful.

Rick

Rick,

The trailing FA unit is designed to start in reverse? With the headlight normally off?

It comes on when you change directions as it now moves forward, the lead FA headlight goes off as it is now in reverse?

M J Breen posted:

I took these at York today at one of the seller’s booth in the orange hall. The Lehigh valley may be a tad on the red side, but not a deal breaker for me. I’ll still enjoy my set once they come in. 

That blue B unit in the photo part of the 6-85216 Conrail set?  Is it the same blue they painted the Missouri Pacific units?? 

BOBBYD: Yes, the trailing FA unit is designed to start in reverse, that is, when programming it with the SAME TMCC NUMBER as the lead FA unit. That's what it did, anyway. That's how is ran nicely in the lashup. And the trailing FA headlight was off, that is: the trailing FA's headlight in the NOSE. There is another headlight in the rear of this trailing FA unit, it's next to and on one side diaphragm on the rear. This is the headlight that came on, and should be on if this unit was running in that direction if it was a single unit, but it is not prototypically supposed to be on when this end of the locomotive is embeded in a lashup.

Rick

MineRun posted:

BOBBYD: Yes, the trailing FA unit is designed to start in reverse, that is, when programming it with the SAME TMCC NUMBER as the lead FA unit. That's what it did, anyway. That's how is ran nicely in the lashup. And the trailing FA headlight was off, that is: the trailing FA's headlight in the NOSE. There is another headlight in the rear of this trailing FA unit, it's next to and on one side diaphragm on the rear. This is the headlight that came on, and should be on if this unit was running in that direction if it was a single unit, but it is not prototypically supposed to be on when this end of the locomotive is embeded in a lashup.

Rick

Thanks Rick! So when you do the lashup the rear headlights no longer illuminate? 

We quit purchasing MTH units that need to be "lashed up" because when doing so it drops the Grade Crossing warning!  Their coolest sound feature for guest operators. I'd rather lose the 2 horn blasts than the grade crossing feature...

Lionel needs better quality control, MTH needs better Beta testors! 

BOBBYD: Yes, the rear headlights on these FA and FB units no longer illuminate when they are embeded in a lashup, but only because I first programmed each unit with its own UNIQUE TMCC number, and then created a new TRAIN number and built these units into this train number.

After telling all these gory details to my girlfriend, she asked "did you enjoy spending your evening doing this?" 

 

M J Breen posted:

I took these at York today at one of the seller’s booth in the orange hall. The Lehigh valley may be a tad on the red side, but not a deal breaker for me. I’ll still enjoy my set once they come in. 

That blue B unit in the photo part of the 6-85216 Conrail set?  Is it the same blue they painted the Missouri Pacific units?? 

Yes that’s the Conrail Patch set F Unit  A-B-B-A on the shelf below the reading FAs 

MineRun posted:

I received my set of 4 (2 FA & 2 FB) Santa Fes from Nicholas Smith and everything is in good working order!  They take their TMCC programming numbers and all.  This is my first super bass B unit.  The Lionel owners manual says you can command control a consist of these Alcos two ways: either same-engine-ID addressing (you program all 4 units to an identical TMCC number, I think) or Train-ID addressing (you program each unit with a unique TMCC number, then train build all those numbers together under one common train number to make up the consist, I think). 

I never tried the first scenario before, so that's what I did, programmed them all, one at a time, with an identical TMCC number. They all took the number and ran together as a consist, but any units running in the consist which were physically in reverse had their read headlights on.

So then I went to my more familiar scenario of programming each unit with a unique TMCC number, they all took the numbers, I train-built them all together under one train number, and ran them in a consist, this time flawlessly, including no rear headlights within the consist ever coming on.

Hope some of you may find this feedback helpful.

Rick

 

How does it work if your using a Universal Remote? Does the rear unit " A" run in reverse automatically ?

How do you program each unit with a unique TMCC Number?

I have the NYC ABA but have not decided if I am going to use the Universal Remote or Legacy.

Thank you.

NVisich posted:

Here are the NYC:

Are you using Legacy or the Universal Remote?  How do you program the last unit "A" to run in reverse?

Dkokoszka posted:

How does it work if your using a Universal Remote? Does the rear unit " A" run in reverse automatically ?

How do you program each unit with a unique TMCC Number?

I have the NYC ABA but have not decided if I am going to use the Universal Remote or Legacy.

 

• With the Universal Remote (I.E. Bluetooth), the trailing A is designed to run 'in reverse' automatically. The lead A-unit has the 'master' Bluetooth ID while the trailing A-unit and the B-units have a 'slave' version of the same Bluetooth ID. So when you connect to the Universal Remote, it'll pick up all of the units, up to 3 total. If you have 4 units (ABBA for example) it would only be able to connect to 3 on the same Universal Remote channel. That's a limit of Bluetooth. 

            The front coupler on the trailing A-unit will fire with the rear coupler button on the Universal Remote.

• Running the units under the same TMCC ID is similar to how they operate with the Universal Remote. The trailing A-unit will automatically run in reverse. There's no limit to the number of units on the same TMCC ID, so you can run an ABBA consist without issue.

• Running the units with different TMCC ID numbers and then building them into a lash-up works the same way as any other Legacy locomotive consist. You have to reverse the trailing A-unit in the Cab2 remote if it is facing backwards. You make each engine a different TMCC ID by changing the RUN/PGM switch to PGM on only one of the engines at a time as you set the TMCC ID. Then move the switch back to RUN before programming the next unit.

Hope this helps.

To program the Universal Remote with the ABA units do you program each separately  as engine 1 or

do you put all 3 units on the track first and then assign as engine 1?

Thank you.

I got the Canadian Pacific FA's. Picked it up at York and today I fired it up for the firt time. I went with the four units. Runs great and looks awesome. Pic............Paul 2

Dkokoszka posted:

To program the Universal Remote with the ABA units do you program each separately  as engine 1 or

do you put all 3 units on the track first and then assign as engine 1?

Thank you.

With the Universal Remote, the units do not have to be programmed. The RUN/PGM switches should all be in RUN. Place all units on the track, turn on the power, and with the Universal Remote just press the number channel you want them on and it'll connect.

If the channel of the Universal Remote has an engine previously stored on it, you have to clear that channel first. Press the channel and hold the button down until the LED flashes rapidly and then goes off. The channel is then clear. Then press the button again and it will search for the powered up ABA units and connect to them. Once connected, the LED on that channel will turn solid.

Thank you.

Dave

Nice to hear from you!  Hope all is well. 

Hi I just unboxed my set (all 4 pieces ABBA ) and I do like them. so far they are all working well.
  Thank-you for the heads up about the long wires on the Electro-coupler. I tucked it under the center of the truck more so the wheels won't cut them.
 Also a big shout out, thank-you, for explaining the 2 ways to operate these units together ( all the same TMCC # ,or individual Tmcc #'s ) Right now I'm just running them all as #1 and they are working well. The CP units have an F for the front of the unit marked on all the units so I did not come across the back up lights turning on , for  the B units when going forward.
  One observation I have though is that all the units have these vestibule LED's which shine over the coupler all of the time. I find them very bright and distracting and not at all prototypical. Is there a way to turn these off or do I need to open the units up and disconnect them?
 On the 2 B units I did have to open them up to realign the smoke units better with the hole in the roof, they were both off quite a bit. Once I had the body shells off, ( 6 screws each) i just used a pair of needle nose pliers and bent the bracket in the direction that it needed to go with very light pressure . Checked the fitment, and put them back together with a little grease on the screws to save the plastic screw legs. 
 The Bass, the Bass, the Bass, really is great, a real thump thump ALCO noise. Beauty !!!
 I haven't tryed the smoke units yet a will do so later with an update.
cheers

Hi again . One other thing I forgot to add was how I really like the fact that the units are individually powered and can run on there own. I don't need to deal with tethers between the units and be forced to run them together. These new Lionel units can be run by them selves. The only down side to what Lionel did is that they did not put sound in the trailing A unit or sound in the powered B unit. The second B unit is only smoke, electro-coupler and sound with that big bass box inside.
 So the ABA powered set can all be run individually without tethers so I ran the powered B unit with the Lionel C.P.R. Trainmaster which was pretty cool looking.
 I can't wait for the Canadian Pacific 21 inch Passenger cars to come out. it is going to be a pretty nice train. I hope Lionel comes out with more add on passenger cars
cheers

I love my Spokane, Portland and Seattle. I am probably the only guy left still running conventional, but the trailing unit seems to run in coordination with the lead unit fine, that is to say it starts out in reverse using conventional transformer power. Magic!

does the back light come on for the trailing unit when your going forward Dave W ?

MineRun posted:

I received my set of 4 (2 FA & 2 FB) Santa Fes from Nicholas Smith and everything is in good working order!  They take their TMCC programming numbers and all.  This is my first super bass B unit.  The Lionel owners manual says you can command control a consist of these Alcos two ways: either same-engine-ID addressing (you program all 4 units to an identical TMCC number, I think) or Train-ID addressing (you program each unit with a unique TMCC number, then train build all those numbers together under one common train number to make up the consist, I think). 

I never tried the first scenario before, so that's what I did, programmed them all, one at a time, with an identical TMCC number. They all took the number and ran together as a consist, but any units running in the consist which were physically in reverse had their read headlights on.

So then I went to my more familiar scenario of programming each unit with a unique TMCC number, they all took the numbers, I train-built them all together under one train number, and ran them in a consist, this time flawlessly, including no rear headlights within the consist ever coming on.

Hope some of you may find this feedback helpful.

Rick

 

I'm curious.  If you have a sound car or other car that has lights or sounds, do you create a train by treating the locos as the same cab number and build the train with the additional cars to get the features.  Or are you forced to assign the engines separately when building a train consisting of more than just locos.