Oldest Command Control Engines

I probably do not have anything that has endured what your GP38 has, but I do have working TMCC locos that go all the way back to the beginning in the mid-90's. Still work. 

I am organizing/modifying my layout these days, and I have had to move TMCC locos that have not stirred for 2 - 3 - 4 - some, more - years. They live in my non-cooled/non-heated - unless I am in there - train building. They al fired right up and moved out (even my not-yet-upgraded Lionel Niagara), cold and dusty. Some of them are 15+ years old. My old 1998 Lionel Pullmor 5344 TMCC Hudson just never says no.

Oldest factory TMCC locomotive I have is a Santa Fe F3 from 1996, one of the first TMCC locomotives. Runs fine with no issue. Now as far as oldest command control locomotive I have a 1950 set of 2343 Santa Fe F3s I installed an ERR AC Commander in.

My first were these GP9s with TMCC, great runners and still going. Circa 1996 or 1997?

I think the first TMCC equipped engines are the NYC & SP GP7s.  

sidehack posted:

My first were these GP9s with TMCC, great runners and still going. Circa 1996 or 1997?

The 2028 was my first TMCC also. Haven't ran it for a while but have full faith it will still go down the tracks.  Nice looking consist there. Do you have any running video's of them. That would be great.

Forest

William 1 posted:

I think the first TMCC equipped engines are the NYC & SP GP7s.  

Without trying to look it up, I thought there might have been a few before that.

Maybe the C&O yellow Hudson, and some sort of Dash-8?

But like I said, I didn't go try to look it up, so I could be mistaken.

-Dave

Dave45681 posted:

William 1 posted:

I think the first TMCC equipped engines are the NYC & SP GP7s.  

Maybe the C&O yellow Hudson

The C&O "yellow belly" Hudson was indeed the first engine with TMCC factory installed. 

The first Proto 2 engine was the PRR 4-4-2 atlantic.

So is it hit or miss and we just got lucky with these engines or is this the norm?  Based on my subway engine experience, I assumed engine electronics had about a 10-15  year lifespan. 

I have a Lionel Santa Fe GP 9 that was my first engine, and had it upgraded to TMCC.  I don't run it very often, but still have it. 

John

I have an MTH Railking Southern Pacific GS-4 with over 7,900 miles on the odometer.  Runs like a champ.  Only repair to date was to replace the motor on the smoke unit.

December 1996 Lionel N&W Warhorse set # 600 J weathered engine. Came with a CAB 1. Added electrocoupler and back up light to tender with wiring that was already there. Ended up buying a second set and putting a front electrocoupler to doublehead Js. 

GP9 Lionel Centennial 1997 diesel that I also added electrocouplers to once they came available.  Cut grooves in the wheels and added to tires for more pulling power. 

Regarding pulling power- Ive read varying reviews regarding the older TMCCs with pulmor motors and magnetraction.  Over the summer, I bought a 1999 NOS Amtrak Dash-9(can motors) from Gryzboski's- guy runs like a champ, no issues except for changing things around with the fan-driven smoke unit and putting in new batting- as per recommendations that were later discovered to improve the performance of the smoke output. Regardless, it has worked really, really well.

When I was at Gryzboski's, I expressed concern that the unit was 20 years old and that I had been at another reputable dealer(who shall remained unnamed) and said how that dealer had swayed me away from purchasing a NYC GP9, the 1283(1996-1997 production) saying that early TMCC engines were less reliable. The person at Gryzboski's said that, in his experience, the older TMCC units were more reliable. Further, he rhetorically asked "what was he(the person at the other dealer) trying get me to buy instead", basically saying that the other salesman was trying to get me to buy the more expensive newer engine. 

I was going to say that, "Point is, pulling power of the original TMCC engines with pulmor motor and magnetraction isn't as good as pulling power of later units" however, I've even read mixed reviews there- let a lone if you add traction tires into the mix. That said, general rule is that a can motor will pull a greater load at less power than a pulmor motor. Can motors are just more efficient hence their adoption and usage in modern O.

The two oldest TMCC units I have are a 1996 NYC GP-9 and NYC NW-2. I run them time to time just to hear the growl of the Pulmor motor. In contrast, my first 'modern/scale' TMCC locos was the NYC RS-11. When I picked up that loco and ran it for the first time, it was so quiet, because of the can motor. Aside from the TMCC lurch, it's one of my favorites.

My 3 Geeps from the 96-97 era still run like the day they arrived.....

NYC 2380

NYC 2383

Pennsy 2028

Tractive force on Lionel track is about 16 oz and the early RS sound system is great.

Peter

Forest posted:

sidehack posted:

My first were these GP9s with TMCC, great runners and still going. Circa 1996 or 1997?

The 2028 was my first TMCC also. Haven't ran it for a while but have full faith it will still go down the tracks.  Nice looking consist there. Do you have any running video's of them. That would be great.

Forest

Yes I found a video taken quite a while ago, forgot how many cars they were pulling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5nvtNj9FNc

Atlas was 2000 or 2001 with generic TMCC.  Speed control was soon after.   Cab1/Command base sets  may be as early as 1996.  The SAW (Sunset, Atlas, Weaver) Generation II (2) products were interesting, but had issues.  Better products, higher amperage boards soon followed. ERR still around today.  Before Lionel control systems Dallee electronics were common in three rail Atlas.  

Atlas RS-1 some were conventional, some Speed control. Train America Studio (Mike Reagan) products. 

Hi`,i only have 2 loco`s that are first generation TMCC, aPenn GG1 and the Pratt`s Hollow Phantom, purchased in the 90`s, they both run flawlessly after all these years, happy holidays, to everyone, Phil

DaveP posted:

The two oldest TMCC units I have are a 1996 NYC GP-9 and NYC NW-2. I run them time to time just to hear the growl of the Pulmor motor. In contrast, my first 'modern/scale' TMCC locos was the NYC RS-11. When I picked up that loco and ran it for the first time, it was so quiet, because of the can motor. Aside from the TMCC lurch, it's one of my favorites.

DaveP

          You are spot on re: the NYC GP-9 and NYC NW-2.  I have the NW-2 and its on my layout now.  Nice little engine and the sounds aren't bad at all.

I just bought a NOS NYC GP9 (1996) for my Dad as Christmas present this year. A little grease and a little oil and off she went!

Love the horn on that one. 

Those early TMCC locos just seen very robust.

I have 3 of the DRG SD-50 Liontech engines, the first TMCC, they have similar functions as ERR boards, Pullmor motors, they run, very rudimentary but after all the latest engines, these still program and run when asked. The one set has railsounds, the other just a horn.

Another real winner, IMO from that era is the Dash-9 (GE Demo unit (6-18226)or Southern Pacific (6-18228)). 

Not that it's nearly as nice scale-wise as more recent offerings (yes, it's definitely a "toy" by today's scale standards), but it's a decent puller with the 2 pulmors and the horn is still one of my faves, even compared with the most recent offerings.  Also the Soo Line SD-60 (6-18232).

-Dave