Question on Polar Express

I recently had a problem with my PE Loco stalling at various places on my layout. Found that the very stiff and thin wire connected to the front truck had broken.  After soldering it back on, I had no problems, but will likely need to replace it with a more flexible wire at some point

Thanks Mike, I thought that was the case.  I have the engine in storage and will have to break it out before the next show.

I just bought one recently and had a problem with the pilot truck arcing. I sent it in for warrantee service and have it back now. The arcing has stopped but now the sound cuts out for a fraction of a second in a few spots on my layout. Track is clean. I am reluctant to take anything apart because lionel voided a warrantee on me previously for removing wheels from an Alco PA. Perhaps I am stuck with sending it to Concord, NC again?

Chuck, Check and make sure the connector between the engine and tender is fully engaged, when mine had first arrived I had not fully engaged it and had some problems. 

Francine, The wire going to the pilot truck is very stiff and quite short, the best bet here is to splice a short piece of super flex wire to the end of this wire and then to the pilot truck.  

I will be running my  PE  at a number of shows so I took advantage of the fact that Lionel made the tender to be all wheel pick-up and have run power wires from the tender trucks through the tender to the engine. I added a micro plug for ease of handling.

I am adding flex wire to all of the cars also, the wire attached to the trucks is very stiff and I've had a couple of these break.

Ray

Thanks Ray,

I had the problem also with the passenger cars and bit the bullet and replaced all the wires before we did the spring York show.  No problems since.  The stalling is new, so I will get the engine out and inspect the wire to replace.

Also, has anyone heard when the next batch of Berkshires is being released?  I am trying to get a C & O to covert to Reading.

Also, my next project is the replace the light bulbs in the passenger cars with LEDs from Hennings.  They have a complete kit.  My question is does it matter that I run on DCC, or AC?

I don't know if they are going to release a second run of Berkshires for a few years. Might actually get a highly detailed legacy Berkshire before a flyerchief rerelease.

Francine,

Not sure but I believe you mean AC or DC. The LEDs operate on DC current and I would think Hennings sets will operate on both. I run on AC but have a rectifier in the circuit.

Ray

Thanks Ray, yes we run on DCC at the club, and either DC or AC at home.  Eventually I may change everything to either DCC or AC.  I am toying with the idea of only Flyerchief engines - then I can use my AC Lionel Trainmaster at home and DCC at the club.  If not I have to go DCC at home too.  Expensive and complicated.

Thanks guys for the tip about the wire. My boys where recently running ours and it was doing the intermittent thing and it had me baffled. 

Francine posted:

Also, my next project is the replace the light bulbs in the passenger cars with LEDs from Hennings.  They have a complete kit.  My question is does it matter that I run on DCC, or AC?

 

Francine, 

GUNRUNNERJOHN is the person who designed those modules and he is a regular contributor to the forum.  His email is on his profile so you could contact him direct with your question or you could start a new thread with your question so others could chime in and see the answer.

Mike A.

Francine posted:

Also, my next project is the replace the light bulbs in the passenger cars with LEDs from Hennings.  They have a complete kit.  My question is does it matter that I run on DCC, or AC?

 

Francine - I recently started playing with LED additions to loco's and cars. I used Evan Designs. Their web site was very helpful and made it easy to select the sizes, colors, and wire length.

Thanks guys for the the help, that's why this board is so great.  Unfortunately my vision isn't what it used to be and a back injury 4 years ago has me struggling to do detail work (go figure).  So a kit would probably be best for me now.

I used to and still do build 1/96 scale ship models - RC but am now have difficulty moving the larger ones. As an older gentleman said to me at York, "Getting old is no job for sissies".

Francine....If you read my interview of Lionel in the S Gaugian, they told me that no rerun of the FlyerChief Berks in planning.  They have other engines in the planning.  They still have a scale Legacy Berk in their future.  That will be an expensive unit.

Bill, you broke my heart.  I have one on order (since they were in the 2016 catalog). 

Francine posted:

Bill, you broke my heart.  I have one on order (since they were in the 2016 catalog). 

Don't feel bad.  I ordered one when they were first announced and my LHS's distributor got shorted by Lionel. 

Rusty

Since that post I have turned to using a complete voltage regulator/capacitor combo which offers an adjustment screw to vary the light intensity in the cars:

Mark, I agree, I have gone to these types of boards also, to me being able to adjust the lighting intensity, improves the lighted car effect.

Ray