Some conventional wisdom...

You can run TMCC/Legacy locos in conventional mode with the TPC as long as you don't have a command base plugged in anywhere.

Smoke wise, I run my postwar 736 berkshire on fluid most of the time in the original smoke unit.  It seems to smoke better on fluid, but I can still use the pellets when I feel like it.  Your unit sounds like it's functioning normally

If you're talking about the brand new Conventional Classics berkshire, it is built pretty much like the old one you have, but with a digital bell and whistle instead of an air whistle, and an electronic circuit board reverse unit instead of the electromechanical unit in the original.  It does have the same type of motor so it will run about the same as a brand new original one.

Thanks Jake, don't I need the base to run the TPC?

What I do with my TMCC engines is set the TPC to a reasonably high voltage, and then address the engine and run it in command. 

There is also a way to address the TPC to make it either full on or full off to run command engines. Since most of my engines are conventional, I just adjust the voltage with the knob. I am sure someone will chime in with how to set the TPC into "command" mode.

J White

What is a TPC?

Track Power Controller.

http://www.lionel.com/products...neID=&CatalogId=

ditto

After reading the above posts, and others, I'm wondering if a simple switch could be added to TMCC/Legacy locomotives so that they could be run conventionally even when a TMCC/Legacy signal is present. I think that if a switch could be fitted that grounded the locomotive's antenna when closed ('on'), it would suit the bill and provide a simple method to switch between modes. 

I run two TCP 3000 and two 180 bricks with Legacy. The issue I read here is that if you turn off Legacy/TMCC base you have no control over the TCP. Also if the Legacy/TMCC equipment engine see the signal then it will run only in the command mode. What have is a DTSP center off toggle switch on each main line and use a Z4000 transformer for my conventional operation. I use a SPST toggle to turn off the Legacy base.

If you have the ZW-C transformer you could just turn off the Legacy/TMCC unit and use the handles. It has the TCP build in the unit. Just my 2 cents.

It's only the Legacy signal to the track that needs to be disabled. (Disconnect the Legacy signal lead to the track at the rear of the base unit. Disconnect it here, as otherwise there may be enough cable connected to enable a signal to be broadcast.) You will then still have full control over any TPC units connected via the serial cable.

Nicole

You are correct about removing the wire and still having control but what I found on my layout is that I used a spst toggle switch to kill the signal wire but the wire from the unit to the toggle ran threw my wire chase and the engines still saw just a small signal and the head light just flickered and the engine would not move. So I had the kill the power going to the unit to make it work. But it was my layout and if there is anything odd it will happen to me.

Hi Wyatt. As you discovered, there doesn't need to be much wire connected to the base in order to generate sufficient signal to confuse the locomotives. The best place to disconnect is right at the base unit. Although I haven't tried it myself, in theory you could neutralise the signal at a different point by connecting it to earth via a switched cable to the household wiring earth. I'm not sure if this could present any other problems though.

I believe the TPC operates similarly to the less expensive Powermaster controller.  In that case, no.  The TPC gets it's own signal from the Cab-1, but you can wire a command base to the TPC to control command engines.  As others have mentioned, there are various ways of shutting off the signal from a command base.  I've found the best to be simply pulling the power cord out of the unit.

On a two loop christmas display one year, I had the command signal (only hooked up to the outer loop), jump via the power wires that passed under the outer loop, to the inner loop.  I was actually able to run trains on the inner loop in command mode without an actual connection.  So you do have to be careful with that.