What is the market like for PS-1 Premier engines with PS2 upgrade?

My advice is to check the auction sites for recent sales.  It also obviously depends on the specific locomotives in question, some are in more demand than others.  Finally, it will also depend on the quality of the PS/2 upgrade workmanship.  I've seen them from really bad to superior workmanship.

The Locos are the N&W 1218 & the 611. I did check the auction sites but found little on the models with PS2 upgrades.

My $.02. They are worth more than if they were still PS1 but still worth less than the same prototype that came with PS2 from MTH. The reason is, MTH has been making incremental improvements to each release over the years whether it be detail or paint. Not always obvious until you put them together side by side.

Pete

I agree with Pete.

I have a few locomotives with upgrades to PS2, and they operate as good as locomotives with OEM PS2. In my opinion, a ProtoSound (AKA PS1) locomotive with an upgrade to PS2 or PS3 has a lot more value than it had with its original ProtoSound. Only PS2 and PS3 locomotives run on my railroad.

In the case of your 611, it may not be cost effective to upgrade it because there are so many 611s in circulation with PS2 and PS3. However your "A" Class 1218 is not so common, and in my opinion it's worthwhile to upgrade its electronics to PS2 or PS3.

I have upgraded to PS2 or PS3 every loco I have and have not regretted the expense.  I would not buy a PS1 or equivalent loco with a view towards upgrading it.  I did do one, a Y6B, and while it's a good runner, in retrospect I'd have been better off looking for a used PS2. 

Never shy about starting a kerfuffle, I'd add that if I were buying a used loco, I's prefer PS2 to PS3.  I feel it is a more solid platform; I have replaced all batteries with supercaps.

Then there are some of us that think if you upgrade the locomotive, you have ruined it.  Yes, I love PS-1 locomotives.

There are some of us that think it's your locomotive and you can do whatever you like to it or with it.   Yes, I love command/control.

These locomotives in the market are kind of like restored cars - you're not going to get back the effort you put into it in money. Yes, more people will want to buy it, but definitely will still not pay as much as an already PS2 equipped counterpart.

As far as operation, again, the quality of the upgrade also matters. Always make sure the wiring is correct, has good, solid soldering, and is neat. Many times a PS1 engine upgraded has gone bad because the ohm settings were not correct, and internal electronic components can be ruined.

Many of those folks also have upgraded PS1 engines with Lionel's ERR cruise and special chuff boards, like the ones John has offered. It may be a bit more costly, but some people prefer Lionel sounds and control over MTH.

What, pray tell, is an "ohm setting?"

It's supposed to be the set amount of resistance in certain areas so that they receive a safe amount of voltages. If it's not done, certain electronics can receive a too high voltage and get totally fried.

This is at least what a friend of mine told me from looking over one that experienced just that.

I've upgraded a dozen or so locos and never heard of a need to "set ohms."  And I've never added resistance.

Mikado 4501 posted:

It's supposed to be the set amount of resistance in certain areas so that they receive a safe amount of voltages. If it's not done, certain electronics can receive a too high voltage and get totally fried.

This is at least what a friend of mine told me from looking over one that experienced just that.

I think I understand what you are trying to say but I wouldn't call it an "ohm setting". I think that is a misleading term and just doesn't sound right.

Just this past Sunday I went over a friend's house to show him a MTH PS1 SD40-2 that I upgraded to TMCC about 17 years ago. I used a TAS UCUB board. I had to calculate a resistor for the light circuit. Well, I may have miscalculated because the lights never worked after the upgrade and I never did bother to trouble shoot the problem. Either I put too little a resistor and blew out the bulbs or too much of a resistor and they won't light up. I lent my friend the locomotive for a while and I will look into this when I get it back. Other than the lights all the electronics still worked. Back when I had a 3 rail layout I thought there was something wrong with this locomotive. Sometimes it wouldn't blow the horn or bell. What my friend told me was that the PS1 sound board was thinking it was in reset and he was actually able to consistently put the board in forward or reverse or reset by using the MTH Z-4000. I only had a PW ZW back then. However, unlike the original PS1 electronics the TAS board will move the locomotive forward and backward in any of these modes because it is the TAS board that is controlling the motors not the original PS1 control or motherboard. I was happy to find out that the UCUB actually does work properly with a PS1 sound board! I always thought it worked just not quite that good.

This is probably old news to all you professional repair guys out there but it was very interesting news to me.