Running TMCC Locomotives Conventionally

Glad you asked this, as I was wondering about the same thing.

Are you saying that if the TMCC fails, can it run on conventional? I think not.

Yes, if TMCC were to fail could the board be bypassed? 

No.  The motor driver needs a signal from the R2LC.  Lionel has plenty of R2LC and basic DCDR Motor drivers.  ERR is not needed to fix a Lionel OEM TMCC engine.  G

Yes, a TMCC loco will run in conventional/analog, they are designed that way - but not "without a board" (I am skipping the straight DC/AC conversation here). The "board" is the reversing unit, which will take its commands from the base if in a TMCC/Legacy environment, but becomes a traditional latching "E-unit" without the command environment signal. 

If worse comes to worse, but if you don't want to go the straight power route, you can pull all the Lionel electronics out and install a Dallee or other electronic reversing unit. No command, sound, couplers, cruise, smoke - but it will F-N-R run. Yuk.

Doesn't take much for a house of cards to come tumbling down, does it?

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Maybe we should start taking another look at 2 things in our world:

- DCC (not DCS - it's proprietary, too)

- straight DC track power for can-motored locos - all you need is a capable DC power pack, run your +/- leads to the inside rail and the outside rails, gut the loco electronically and do a few internal connections, and watch it go. Short of a motor failure, you're bullet-proof - "they" can't touch you. Now we'll see which locos have good gearing and which do not.  And, really, how many of us run multiple locos at the same time, anyway? Plus, polarity direction control just means that both will go in the same direction at the same time - the world's simplest - wait for it - lash-up.