REAR Pantograph Issue with MTH Kroc

Could use a little assistance - THANKS in advance! 

I personally don't like the automatic pantographs. First off, not all railroads used the back pans going forward. Milwaukee ran their Joe's with the front pan up as well at using the back pan sometimes. In icy conditions they used both at the same time. Only the bi-polars used the back pantograph because they were so close together. I wish I had the option. Don

I've found the MTH automatic pans to be less than reliable. I have four or five locomotives with them and I've had trouble with about half. I have two suggestions: 1. Be sure that the pan is properly seated - it won't work right if it's not snapped in all the way. 2. Call MTH. You may have to send it in for warranty service. 

 

The regular DCS remote has an option for manual control of the pans, IF (and only if) you have the latest firmware update, 4.20 if I remember right. It's an option on the softkeys. I know absolutely nothing about the "DCS Remote Commander."

My somewhat uninformed diagnosis is that it is a board issue that possibly could be resolved with the regular DCS remote soft keys relevant to the manual control of the pantographs. 

 

Probably will live with the problem.

 

Actually, when the Swiss Kroks were first deployed, they used BOTH pantographs for several years.

TinplateArt, did you unlock the mechanism of the panto? Does the other panto go up and down by changing direction? Just to let you know; for MTH engines, pantos and smoke units are not under warranty.

Regards, Stefan

Not under warranty? What sort of crappy consumer protection do you have in the US? (Stefan, I know you are in Switzerland.)

If a product is faulty within the warranty period, how can you just make exceptions?

What happens is that a pantograph might bind or have a problem causing the Pantograph board to fail.  It is a small part with three connectors on it  Cost is about 30 dollars

Dave, I also had to learn this by reading the manuals last page when I had an issue with a customer. MTH's warranty practiceis absolutly not swiss-like. We have no choise but to deal with this. So far, I always could work out something with the customers.
For our own products, we offer a full service for all faulty things, no limited warranty for that. Rarely, a new product hits the market anyway, but some would expect that from a swiss product anyway. Never had trouble with that practice with first owner and after market buyers for that matter.

Regards, Stefan

1. I don't understand why MTH is not covering the pantograph mechanism and boards under warranty in Europe. I called MTH about a problem with the pans on my Traxx, which I think is due to the stop mechanisms being out of alignment, and the tech assured me that I could send it in under warranty if I couldn't sort it out myself.

 

2. It is highly unlikely that a bind in the pans or the mechanism would cause the control board to burn out. The mechanism retracts the pan, rather than erecting it. The pan is spring loaded and the default position is open. Therefore, leaving the pan locked down would cause it not to erect, but wouldn't do any damage to the mechanism because the cam would just rotate without hitting anything. I seem to recall that the original version of the mechanism worked the opposite way, but it's been a few years since I took a boxcab apart so I'm not sure of that. 

 

3. The most likely reasons for a non-functioning pan would be that the user has forgotten to unlatch the pan, as Stefan mentioned above, or that the pan is not properly snapped into its seat. 

Your original post suggests that the rear panto did retract at first and then stopped ("which will NOT automatically go down when engine is reversed as it formerly did"); is that correct?

 

I had a shedload of similar problems with my MTH Little Joe pantos until I figured out how they work - mechanically.There was never any board problem with them, but the slightest inadvertent impact knocked them out of alignment. It was all to do with an L-shaped arm that fits into a slotted guide beneath the panto which moves forward and back to retract/release the panto assembly. It is spring-loaded as described above.

 

Without a standard DCS handset you might have to try using just the transformer controls. I'd toggle the engine between forward and reverse and observe whether there is any movement in the slot. You might see that the arm has come out of it. If so, you might have to unscrew the panto mechanism and then put it back with the slot in the retract position and the panto down, at which point the L-shaped arm should be easily inserted in the slot.

 

If you think this is bad, try fixing an Acela panto . . .