Starting an Engine with a BCR in Forward.

I don't see why you can't lock the engine in forward using the bell/horn combination(PS2&3) when the BCR is fully charged.  The engine should remember the setting even after a power down. Lionel engines start in forward in conventional (yes they come up in neutral after being run in command  mode but only once. After that they start in forward.

 PS-1  you may need the manual to lock but it goes something like.... While holding the whistle button down turn off track power and then immediately restore track power. However feature 40 must be enabled to allow a direction lock.

Good luck on your project.

Gregg,

I suspect that the OP's concern may be that the BCR is supposed to be allowed to charge for 20-30 seconds, after it's initially powered-on, before starting the engine moving.

If the engine is locked in conventional forward, it will start moving forward as soon as power is applied..

Barry that is indeed my concern.  The engine will move before the BCR gets fully charged.   Does it seem like a problem to you?  If the BCR is charged before operations starts, how long can it be powered down, waiting in a block, before the BCR looses charge? 

Thanks

Bill

Isn't that the plan to have the engines start in forward whether the BCR is charged or not ?   If the block ahead  is occupied then no power to the block the engine is  occupying .  When the block ahead is clear power is restored to the block the engine is sitting in and if locked in forward away it goes.

I don't understand what before operations start means.???

Gregg,

I don't use BCR's in PS2 engines so I have no idea exactly how the engine will behave if it's locked in forward and power is applied.

Regardless, I believe that the instructions that come with the BCR state that one should let the engine sit stationary for 20-30 seconds in order to fully charge the BCR, before starting the engine moving. That';s where the question, to which I don't have an answer, comes from.

Since the processor of PS-2 will make the direction change (not a disruption of track power) the BCR is not an issue.  It will continue to charge as the engine starts moving.  Give it a try you can't hurt a PS-2 doing this.

For PS-1 I would have to try it,  I believe it will work also since your not disrupting track power and the board never loses power. 

What you would not want to happen is have the train hit a block where you turn off power before the bcr gets the first charge for the PS-1 engines.  If the run time before next block is low ( like 20 secs).  I would consider going back to battery for PS-1.  G

I guess it comes down to..... Can you scramble a PS-1 engine if it's locked in forward?  Of course a good battery or BCR is required to lock it  but after locked is there still  a chance of scrambling the chip??  I doubt it.

You can not scramble a PS-1 when it's lock in any direction.  You can scramble it if you try to lock or unlock the direction with a weak battery (low charge BCR).  I'd even go so far to say that a battery isn't even needed in a PS-1 locomotive once it's been locked in a direction.  A battery is needed for programming, and since you can't program a direction locked locomotive, nor do you need to cycle it out of reset, the only feature you'll loose without a battery is sounds played after track power is cut.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.

Bill

Once the BCR is charged at first start up it should stay charged during your entire operating session.

This has been a really good thread for me - a question I wanted to ask, but for slightly different reasons.

My "layout" is a public available one where someone can come in, push a button and the thing runs for 5 minutes or so. i only have two MTH trains, neither which I have run on the public layout, because of this exact question.

The layout is on a timer and shuts down between 7 at night and 7 in the morning. when the power is turned on in the morning, everything is operated by a Dalee system. My question has always been about an MTH pioneer zephyr set that I think would go over really good with the public. I do know that it needs a new battery or BCR, but I have kind of held back because of exactly what this thread is about.

The other is a 20-2169 Rock Island set that I would like to use to pull a K-line set of golden state cars.  Again, I hae held back because of the battery/bcr question. Maybe I will take the plunge and see what happens with a BCR.