To Upgrade or not to Upgrade

It depends on how sentimental you are to the model in question and how much work and funds you'd be willing to put in to get it to the point you want to get it.

Some older models I leave as is not just for sentiment, but the costs and time to upgrade them sometimes outweighs the benefits.

MTH Proto-1-era models (Premier and RailKing) are a bit more of a job to keep the old QSI electronics running compared to the Lionel electronics of the day, but the sounds are still pretty solid. If you are okay staying with conventional control, I'd say keep it as is, but if you're serious on command operations, it might be worth the upgrade. As is, the locomotive has an awesome motor and drivetrain design that should last forever.

Be forewarned, on these older MTH engines, you'll need to get a new fan-driven smoke unit to replace the old Seuthe smoke units and work with PS3, which means you'll also need to find a way to mount it and, in the case of the Challenger, a new top funnel piece to feed the smoke out of both stacks. This for me was the most difficult part when it came to upgrading these models.

With 3D printing, coming up with a custom funnel is easier.

Ahhh...remember the days when a headlight, whistle and smoke were all you needed?  The rest came from the imagination.

If it was mine, and my plan was to run it, it would get upgraded.

gunrunnerjohn,

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

With 3D printing, coming up with a custom funnel is easier.

Is there a link for this item?   I couldn't find it on the hennings site.

@Richard Inman posted:

gunrunnerjohn,

Is there a link for this item?   I couldn't find it on the hennings site.

That was just a sample, a number of folks here have designed many smoke funnels for various locomotives.  I know that @Bruk has done several that I've used.

In cases like this I try to be careful to consider features I actually use compared to cost and effort to convert. For instance, I rarely if ever use smoke because many older visitors have breathing health issues. If you regularly use smoke on your other locos, and enjoy it, then a vote to convert is clear to me...

@Richard Inman posted:

In one way the engine is a classic, in another way the new technology is superior and the sound and features area vast improvement, I would love to be able to stop it without running through the button pushes to get it moving forward again.   

A MTH Proto 1 engine doesn't really constitute a "classic;" it has no additional value as such, unless it's to you personally. The new technology is certainly superior, such as sounds, but the main thing is that upgrading will give it entirely new operating capabilities with command control and cruise control. If it's an engine you really like and want to keep, and the cost to value relationship works (and it sounds like it does, given what you paid for it), then the upgrade makes sense. The newer engines will have more detail, but whether that's worth paying more for a new one is up to you.

I am the original owner of a UP Challenger and I upgraded because I much prefer command over conventional. Obviously a personal preference.

I've upgraded a bunch of engines to both DCS and TMCC/Legacy.  If you already have the engine, sometimes it's WAY cheaper to do an upgrade, especially if you do the work yourself.  I used to buy the older MTH PS/1 Premier steam for peanuts 8-10 years ago, I could upgrade them and then sell the result and turn a nice profit.

I caught the command control bug about 7 years ago and pretty much have never looked back. I love my prewar trains and would never alter them, but modern trains are a different story. Since 2018, I've had several locos (Lionel, MTH and Williams) upgraded because I wanted to enhance the way they run. Preserving/increasing collector's value or preserving original condition never came into question. It was purely about improving performance, and I am very happy with the results.

Like others on this forum, I have upgraded a few conventional locos to TMCC with no regrets. IMHO, the score is:
upgrading current technology versus staying with conventional ...  10 to zero.

I understand the nostalgic affection for 1950s-era trains, but that was then, and this is now.  After taking the hit to the wallet, one can always ruin a TMCC-converted loco in conventional mode "for old times sake." But who would?

Mike M.   LCCA 12394