The future of PS2?

I think the future of PS2 and PS3 will depend on the level of service one gets when the need arises. 

 

Alan

The difference between PS2 and PS3 is not great enough to dump the PS2 engine like it was for the change from the original Protosounds to PS2.  That change was major.

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Dennis

The PS3 Railking Northern sounds like a step backward from PS2. I'm not sure if those are chuffs or someone sawing wood when the loco gets up to speed.

 

 

 

 

IMO the ps2 version sounds better in nearly every aspect.

 

 

PS2 is a good system and i do not see anyone dumping the locomotives for PS3.  I have some PS3 and they are both good.  I would never dump a good running PS2 just to buy a PS-3.   Rick, you are able to download a PS2 file into your PS3 locomotive if you have a good one you like.

The ps2 chuff is the same sound file my pennsy 2-8-0 has except the whistle is different.

For what it's worth i agree with you RickO

He he that is too funny, I must agree it does sound like sawing wood.

I can see PS2 dying out real fast in the 2 rail world.

No, No, and Not enough difference to switch!!!

I have a great many PS2 locomotives, but am only buying PS3 versions from this point on (I don't like worrying about batteries and am not a fan of the PS2 tethers on steamers).  But I don't plan on "dumping" the PS2 items that I currently have, and will deal with battery replacement on an as-needed basis (I have far too many to consider replacing all with BCRs).

 

I will be long gone before MTH gets around to re-introducing all the PS2 engines I have in PS3 versions, so I don't worry about it.  I like them all and am happy with what I have.

 

I love the PS2 engines I have. I will be hanging on to them for sure.

As far as new purchases I will try to buy all PS3 and Legacy 2012 and newer engines. I did buy a K-line  engine with TMCC at York because I couldn't resist how good it looked. There will always be some exceptions but I tend to buy the newest technology available to me. I did upgrade my TMCC K-line a bit with electronics purchased from BoxCar Bill.

I don't see the bottom falling out of PS2 prices on the secondary market the way it did with the original Protosound. PS3 is a significant improvement, getting rid of the battery and all, but it doesn't render the old stuff obsolete and PS2 doesn't have the scrambled chip issue that helped to drive a stake through the heart of PS1. I've bought two (used) PS2 locomotives in the past week, compared to zero PS1 locomotives in the past two years. The only reason I would buy a PS1 engine now is if it was a body style/paint job that wasn't available in PS2 (like old Weaver or 3rd Rail brass) or if it was so cheap that it would pay to upgrade it. Operation of a PS2 locomotive is identical to a PS3, and the electronics are reliable, so I think PS2 will be with us for quite a while. 

My preference is for PS2 & PS3 locomotives, but I have a concern that MTH will not stock parts to service PS2. I have already had to have one early PS2 locomotive converted to lower voltage PS2 boards because the earlier boards were no longer available for service. 

Proto2 wins the "who sounds better" contest.

We've a large investment in Proto2 and don't have any plans to be changing to Proto3.

I have 9 or 10 PS2 locomotives and 1 PS3. The only real plus for PS3, to me, is the lack of battery. All my PS2 locomotives have BCRs. My one PS3 engine, a B&O Railking GP9, does not sound as good, IMO, as my PS2 Premier GP9. I won't be trading in my PS2 engines for all PS3. In fact, I prefer PS2 for the sounds over some PS3 models. 

What's with the blinking headlight and marker lights on the PS3 loco? It also appears to have a bluish L.E.D headlight bulb where the PS2 loco looks to have an incandecent headlight and no blinking? Yes, I agree that the PS2 version sounds better, I have the Proto 1 version, and I think I like the sounds better on it than the PS3 loco.

 

 

There is indeed a problem getting some parts. I design electronics for Industrial controls and I must be very careful of what I use. Many parts become obsolete far too fast for my industry.

I too got the new PS3 Northern and the chuff is weak compared to my PS2 engines.

I suspect partly because I have not yet reduced the chuff rate.

The chuff do run together at speed and the Northern seems to not have as distinct a sound as the others. I'll have to fire up the PS2 northern and do a side by side comparison. I really like the new drawbar though. Now to add the plate and a stoker tube...

The sound being not better with the PS3 is a shocker to me because that is one of the things MTH was bragging about that was supposed to be superior having been developed for the HO line.  I heard this improvement prediction more than once at DCS meetings, and especially at MTH when I took the tour a couple years ago.

What happened MTH?

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Dennis 

I don't think there will be any 'dumping' of PS2 engines but I do think the older 5 volt ones will get less money for sure on the secondary market.  I am sure everyone is waiting to see what MTH will run again in PS3.   I would love to see a Premier model of the Reading Crusader in PS3.   I have a Proto1 Crusader and I am just waiting for the PS3 kits to become available even though I know they will probably cost close to $200.   

 

It is disappointing if the sounds of some PS3 engines are weaker than a PS2 version.  That would be a good question for MTH. 

It is disappointing if the sounds of some PS3 engines are weaker than a PS2 version.  That would be a good question for MTH.

 

Agree!

 

How's the speakers in the new PS3 locos?  Could it be they used an inferior speaker?

 

I noticed when I was downloading a PS2 sound file the other week into my recently upgrade 2-8-0 that the upgrade board has 2meg of memory, yet the sound files I tried were all 1meg.  Why is that?

 

What size can be loaded into a PS3 engine?

 

I also recently took possession of a 3rd Rail E7 with Railsounds 4, sounds pretty good to me what with that HUGE speaker inside.

 

I tried downloading a couple of Premier type sound files into my RK 2-8-0, but in the end I downloaded a file from an older RailKing engine and it sounds great, the Premier files just didn't synch up well with the RK engine.

 

Computer chip manufacturers incorporate new technology and improvements every day, we can't expect them to keep making old techno stuff forever (would be nice though).  I guess if MTH or Lionel wanted to pay them big bucks they would continue making older designed parts, but we all know that ain't gonna happen.