New Lionel Legacy S4 Switcher

Smooth!!  I guess you're operating it under Legacy?  Does this version use a drive shaft connecting the trucks to the fuel tank?  Any chance you could post a photo of the underside?  (parts diagrams for SKU # 2033150 don't seem to be on the Lionel website yet.)

This video darn near makes me want to pick up some diesels! I've always been a steam guy but the modern diesel offerings sure are enticing. 

Here is the M&E version

Yeah!  Vertical motored Geeps with swiveling pilots don't really do it for me.  But this little Alco with its fixed porches would be fitting company for my small steam!

@Ted S posted:

Smooth!!  I guess you're operating it under Legacy?  Does this version use a drive shaft connecting the trucks to the fuel tank?  Any chance you could post a photo of the underside?  (parts diagrams for SKU # 2033150 don't seem to be on the Lionel website yet.)

I was operating it with legacy. Although I did run it with the LionChief app on my phone and it was fantastic. It can crawl  almost as well as with legacy. Even though I have legacy I still might run this model with my phone. Here’s a photo of the underside. Also note the couplers are connected to the frame not the trucks.

I have an early-2000's Lionel Alco-GR S2.  They have really improved the sound on the new one.

One of the characteristics of the 539-powered S2 and S4 is the turbocharger whistling sound (which was not present on the 244 and 251-powered road Alcos), and the new one has it.  Very nice.

@773Hudson posted:

Here is the M&E version

773,

  Great looking engine. I used to see M&E engines all the time when I worked for Nabisco in East Hanover NJ. Sure miss them how about a video. Good luck with your engine.

JohnB

Looks great and certainly runs great but they need to fix the idler gear engagement issue. Should be a simple factory engineering fix. 

@romiller49 I presume you are referring to the areas circled in yellow toward the bottom of this photo?

The upper truck looks perfect.  I wonder what the root cause of this problem is?  (We've seen it on vertically-motored Legacy Geeps before, too.)  Is it possible for an owner to re-gauge the wheels in a vise?  Or just keep ordering new trucks from Lionel until you end up with two that are gauged properly?

The original poster's video shows smooth operation, at least with the loco facing clockwise on wide curves.  Is this something that gets worse over time, or eventually stops the loco from running?  I would love to know more, because like some of you I've already bought my share of "lemons" in the last 2 years!

They may need re-gauging. Check the distance between the flanges that look good compared to the sloppy ones. With this drive set up I don’t think placing a spacer washer on the non geared side will work. The drive coupling already looks off center. 

The "slop" is very common. In this thread on recent GP35 production I decribe how I take care of the excessive play in the wheels. 

https://ogrforum.com/...a-fe-kodachrome-gp35

In short, I use #10 nylon washers. 

The nylon washers work for my NW2 (6-83382) with the same drive setup. 

WBC, the washer is fine with the vertical motor drive but look closely at this new design and you’ll see a drive shaft entering the truck. 
Since it already runs great maybe just leave the gearing  the way it is. Maybe it’s never going to be an issue. 

Here is a picture of my NW2 with the nylon to reduce play in the wheel sets and improve gear engagement. 

If the slop does not affect performance, then there may be no short term need. The OP can make that decision for themselves. 

However, with that said, from a design and engineering standpoint there is no need to have so much play in the wheel sets; especially for a B-B unit. 

Good info all. 

I don't have one of these and the parts diagrams haven't been posted yet.  So I can only guess what happens when the drive shaft enters the truck.  I'm sure there's at least one worm gear connected to the drive shaft.  It looks to me like Lionel adapted the vertical motor truck design.  If so, the worm wheel in the truck block doesn't care whether the driving worm is mounted vertical (as in the Geep) or longitudinal.  So the nylon washer is an effective solution in either case.

It's encouraging to hear that in most cases, the excessive side play doesn't seem to affect operation.  The S4 (and maybe the NW2) remain on my wish list!

 Got mine on Friday - looks and runs great.