great learning video...I learned stay with postwar Lionel..collecting almost 50 yrs and no green boards but I admire your work and patience.Gimme my USA made in New Jersey not perfect trains..terrific work and great teaching..also love the music ROCK ON!
Another great video, Ron! Nice to see Dave stop by too. Awesome talking to you a couple weeks back about those Marx E7s you sold to me. Hope your new workshop is coming along nicely.
Awesome video!! Thanks Local Dave for supplying an interesting subject. Ron, I admire your patience and perseverance. Thanks for what you do as always,
I love those Proto sound 1 engines. I’ve upgraded several to protosound 3 and they are durable. Look up J and W electronics Ron for that BCR( capacitor). They have one that looks like a 9 volt battery and they work great. Great video
Ron, a really great O gauge MTH Proto 1 fix it video, highlighting akaline battery capacitor leakage and corrosion problems that resulted. In high heat and recovering from back injury, you prevailed 😊!!
Love Railking engines, I've got 13 of em. Worked on em long enough to know that when you first tested the Amtrak engine, knew automatically it was a dead 9 volt battery. There are replacements called BCRs that serve the same purpose, and you never have to change em or disassemble the engine. It's a 5 minute install that you only have to do once. Also if you want to get a Protosound 1 engine like this to move automatically, hit the direction button when there's 8 volts or less going to the track.
I had my older MTH engines cleaned and serviced last year, including replacing the batteries with a capacitor set up that eliminates the battery. Seems to be working perfectly 12 months later without the battery related problems I had previously. I'm told it is a solid fix for older MTH engines
@@N_scale - no, but there are a number of how to do it videos that I found after posting. I had re-started the hobby after an 8 year absence, started a MTH PR5, went "pop" then smoked. When I got it repaired, the tech recommended the capacitor solution, which I did with my Dreyfuss, a F unit and a Pacific. My HO collection all worked fine out of the gate, and I've moved on to that for new acquisitions, leaving the O gauge to one of my sons.
Great job Ron, I love that you give everything your best effort. Regardless of gauge, manufacturer, or age. In the end they run. Stay well and keep up the great work. 🚂🚃🚃🚃
Ron, you are truly a treasure, that very rare ability to have fun, informative, and just a regular good guy, dont ever change, you are what this hobby and the world needs,my greatest respect, regards, Joe
What a machine. I always enjoy the humour of your videos, great fun. I have heard that you need to put a diode in series with the positive wire to the battery to stop the train electronics from trying to recharge the non-rechargable battery. I believe that they can overheat and leak all over again. 😊👍
I hate seeing those twist joins in wires, they did so well with everything else. You're getting a lot of sparks off the pickups I'd give them a clean. And for batteries either the capacitor replacement BCR from J&W electronics or YLB railsounds battery (and hi from Australia)
Hi Ron, another great one. You made those big engines look not so scary to take apart. It makes you wonder why they build nice electronics for it to run and a battery is the weak link. Boggles the mind. @EricG610 has the right idea a keep alive circuit. Good to see it running on the new extended track layout, too bad the weather didn't hold out for a night shot. Great day shot. Good to see you getting around a lot better. Go 33%ers! Cheers .
Good morning Robert. It is weird they used a battery instead of a capacitor. I found a capacitor upgrade for it so it will not suffer these problems again
@@classicmodeltrains The original Protosound (sometimes called PS1) was a QSI design. MTH went into the command control era with their own in-house DCS system board known as *Protosound 2* first with a 5-volt system (used a 9V NiCad) that ultimately proved to have...issues. Also the board design did not lend itself to component replacement. They could run for decades, or could spontaneously give up the ghost (I witnessed a friend's PS2 subway train blow an electrolytic capacitor while idling in neutral. Splattered its guts all over the interior and smelled like burnt peanuts) Protosound 2 was redesigned with a 3v system using the AA battery pack you were initially supplied with. This was _much_ better behaved and much less likely to conk out, and those that did had a fighting chance at resurrection via component replacement. The latest iteration is Protosound 3, which ditches the battery in favor of a super-capacitor, and adds the ability to run under DCC by throwing a switch.
@@RailRide once again thank you for such good information. This 3 rail fancy stuff is pretty new to me so I’m learning as I go. Your comment helped me out a bunch !!
I had the same problem with the Lionel CW80 using Proto-Sound MTH equipment. My though is that the wave form clipping from the triacs on the Lionel CW80 confuses the Proto-Sound board. I ended up using the MTH Proto-Sound remote since I don't have the DCS system after replacing the battery. Everything performed well with the MTH Proto-Sound remote. If the MTH remote or DCS is not used, then I recommend using a conventional transformer that draws power from the transformer windings instead of using a controller that uses triacs for voltage control.
@@classicmodeltrains Make sure they're actual 8.4v rechargables. There are 7.2v batteries in the same 9v form factor and those won't work. Also, you can use a NiMH 9V in place of the NiCD and do away with the potential for memory effect over time.
The first thing to know is mth engines don't like the Lionel Cw80 transformers. Second the battery needs to be replaced. White battery's are 20 plus years old and if they die the boards in the engine can get scrambled ruining the electronics. Use a new rechargeable battery for mth or a bcr. I appreciate your interest in trying to get this running again. The 3 volt battery is for the protosound 2 3 volts boards. You are working on an original protosounds locomotive here. You might want to clean out the old grease and reapply some new. Great video Ron!
@@classicmodeltrains (Edit: I saw a few comments down where you mention being informed about the CW-80 issue, so I guess you can stop here :D ) The issue with the Lionel CW80 is that the whistle and horn buttons have built-in delays that can mess up the user's timing when attempting to input feature adjustments with the half-second pause between button presses the Protosound electronics are expecting to see, such as locking the reverse unit into forward or reverse...or neutral--which has caused more than it's share of agita among those who didn't know that could happen). You've probably seen these horn/bell sequences spelled out in the manual you downloaded. Adding to the complication is the CW-80 doesn't put out a pure sine-wave AC waveform like a conventional transformer. Instead it uses its electronics to chop the AC wave into "shark fin" waves that can confuse the QSI electronics. Later iterations of Protosound were more tolerant of weird AC waveforms, but they really prefer pure sine-wave AC like old-school traditional transformers (or a modern-day transformer designed for command-era trains like the MTH Z4000 or Lionel ZW-L).
@@RailRide thank you for sharing this very good information. Dang suppliers finding ways to make modified sine waves and just ruining everything downstream boggles my mind. I love the fact that MTH and Lionel found a way to use the old analog transformers to operate their new fancy sound system locos. Too bad HO didn’t do that as well.
Another outstanding reaction!!! You really should get the lyrics to this song, it's much deeper than it appears! Most of Rush's songs are that way. Lyrical genius. 2112, studio version, lyrics in hand. It's another thought provoking story! Keep up the great work, you're doing great!
Hey Ron, you're one tenacious guy. I got to hand it to you. You're determined to get them going again without ever throwing in the towel, which is an admirable trait. I have a sizable collection of O-gauge, but only one MTH engine, and it's conventional without protosounds. There are those who are hating on Lionels' new high-end offerings, but I don't have any of those either. I prefer to run mostly trouble-free rather than fiddling around with something trying to get them working all the time. The MTH models with protosounds can be too problematic and finicky for me to want to own personally. There is a BCR available now that is a permanent replacement for the battery, but I'm not sure it can be used in the older PS-1 models. It seems the older boards in PS-1, PS-2, and PS-3 models can be too easily blown if the battery is bad or not fully charged before attempting to run the locomotives. It's not for me. I've heard claims that the MTH engines with protosounds don't function well using the Lionel CW-80 transformers. They are too much of a PITA for me to want to mess with. My layout isn't set up to run them properly, and I have no desire to make the investment to do so. As far as the problem with the finicky couplers go. The next time you're at a Walmart or Dollar General, check out the health and beauty isle and pick up a package of those black rubber bands for hair braids. They come in an assortment of sizes, and the small ones work great on couplers. While you're at it, pick up some makeup brushes. They are excellent for detailing and dusting tight spaces.
Greetings and thanks for some good information. ive received a few comments about the MTH not liking the CW-80's. Ive located a replacement capacitor for this one. I agree these fancy things are a pain in the bottom for sure. I really like the old school stuff for its simplicity
As soon as I heard it start up, I was like Proto 1! It’s probably has the dreaded white battery. Sometimes MTH trains don’t work well with that Lionel transformer. The shot was nice! I’m a 33%er
Yes, Ron, aside from getting BCR " 9v looking battery styled " capacitors installed , MTH Proto 1 locomotives never played nice with some transformers such as the early versions of the Lionel CW 80. Sine pattern problem. I have 4 of the MTH Proto 1 engines from 1997 era and with the BCR : battery installed they all have worked pretty much trouble free with my Lionel ZW 275 watt from 1964.
Years ago, in the late 1990's, I actually spoke one on one to Mike Wolf himself ,creator of MTH trains and he told me at York PA train meet that the original intention of that white battery in early Proto 1 locomotives was for it to " last " as long as the locomotive was being tested and retailed with the consumer replacing it soon after purchase. " [ BCR ]
While all the bells and whistles are neat on these new offerings I’ll stick with my analog junk that’s older than me and still works as good as it did when it was new. For the random uncoupling of the cars, all I can say is welcome to O gauge!! It happens from time to time lol.
Great video, and a good reminder to remove batteries before storage. The next step is to get the cars in the right order . Baggage ( when or if you get one), coaches, sight see-er lounge, diner , sleepers,
@@classicmodeltrains I have been an automotive technician for over forty five years. I mostly work on high performance cars like Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, Bentl
Bentley etc. I used to work on weekends in a local toy and Hobby shop repairing Lionel and Flyer Trains. I’m retired now and enjoy watching your videos
@@classicmodeltrains Ron I have known Jeff from Train Tender for a few years now and we have sometimes talked on FaceTime. He has a beautiful shop. I meant to tell you about him several times. Fred
Usually with a coupler problem they'll usually do the old rubber band over the plunger tactic, I did have a MTH steamer locomotive For a short time it worked really well and was really strong, And they can work on O27 track
I had an MTH GG1 that I bought on EBay several years ago that did basically the same thing but took out the whole pc board and I had to take it to my local shop for repair. I love the details on the MTH trains but overall think I prefer the simplicity of the old school stuff but anyway have to say that you did an excellent job on this project 👍
Hey Ron ! Glad you’re up and around. Saw your last video. Glad your back is doing better! Hey your video was so ontime. Last week I just happened into a deal with a MTH SD60 M . I haven’t run it yet . But was glad it doesn’t have soo much electronics or a battery either. Well get better soon. And thanks for the great video!
EXCELLENT Another BIG “O” Scale 3rail train video!! I know I said I may have to do a couple O scale 3 rail locomotives…and cars…because you did such a fabulous job on the first one!! But, fundage is a might low right now…may have ta wait until tax season, next year. I hope your back is better.
nice work making that Loco run again despite how badly corroded some of the wiring was. the set of cars loks good for their age and a little TLC should make them really shine. seems there are a few items missing for a proper complete train. a second Loco a Baggage Car up front behind the locos. a nice set of sleepers with the Lounge & Diner mid train and the coaches in the back. an optional finishing touch would be a couple of Material Handling Boxcars tacked to the rear
Lucky it didn't take out the whole control board! Pretty neat. Messy guts, but a good running engine. I had to CA glue traction tires on one of my Flyer engines. I had to re glue it multiple times before it finally stuck
As always Great video Sir! Nice work! I have several MTH HO engines could only imagine working on those thry are DCC/Sound! So far knock on wood! All Good they run Great! Thanks for another lesson! Stay cool its hot in Pennsylvania also upper 90's and Humid! B Safe......
Well Ron, Local Dave certainly made you work for the prize at the end of that rainbow lol. I would guess you have about 10 to 12 hours work on just the locomotive and another 10 to 12 hours on the track, cars, plus run time. Now comes the editing with another similar effort. Absolutely great video, Jersey Bill
About 3 days on and off. Back gets stiff just sitting and or doing anything. probably 3 hours in the loco repair. The outside track work was just a pleasure. Rootin thru all my stuff, seeing what I forgot I had
Remove the uncoupled plunger and super glue the coupler shut. I use a self tap screw in hole for plunger pin to eliminate issue. Even good post war couplers have issues. Same fix or wire them shut. I never uncouple trains anyway. But collisions are eliminated if cars stay connected, and no run away engines with no load. Old trains are more reliable that modern electronics. Thank you for showing why I would never want stuff with modern electronics.😊
I'm surprised you worked on a modern model train! Modern in that it has circuit boards and a good quality sound system, but also classic in that this was released in 1999 and model train technology has advanced in those 25 years.
You could have added tiny holes so that you could oil the shafts now and in the future. If you were really fancy, you could get some small letter stamps and imprint "oil" next to the holes.
@@classicmodeltrains I was just tryin to make you laugh .... Its always fun to have heavy rain when its 105* outside ... Makes the best humidity ever 🤣
After seeing this mess I am proactively going through my MTH PS1/PS2 engines in storage and removing the batteries. What a crazy time bomb to put in these, MTH docs say they are dry cells that never leak. 🤦 Definitely something to watch for when buying these now that they're getting up in age too.
Nice Love Amtrak Hope to get Lionel Lake Shore Limited and my Amtrak MOW shipped here to the Philippines and running Getting an American Flyer Franklin Frontiersman set that not running off evil bay Besides a good cleaning and wire check any other suggestions
Another great video Ron. What a complicated mess. The battery appears to be colossal fail and why would you bury it under pretty much everything so one can’t easily get to it. Take care, Jeff Hanna.
Rust 911 would be a life saver for cleaning the track. Vinegar will do damage if left in too long. Rust 911 won't and you do not need but an empty container. It is reusable until it stops working.
Great job on the rebuild. I think my favorite part was the super hero shot. How successful was using the channel for selling the train collection? I have over 2,000 Hotwheels that I need to sell.
I think you may have 2 kinds of track. There is a difference between 027 and 0 gage track With 0 being a bit higher. That might be why it keeps uncoupling.
@@classicmodeltrains ok, you do so much HO, was' Ent sure you know. Thanks for all your work. Getting back into the insanity of model trains after 50 years, learning a lot from you, and SMT, he dos want to do a Collab with you.
Love your channel I’m an o gauger but love it all . First video that I saw was rebuilding zw , excellent! Have watched ever since. I’m a 💯 % 33% er lol . Your a down to earth guy and not afraid to dive into repairs .
33:49 _"I been fighting that too"_ ... I can see when you pull back the coach to look at the source of the uncoupling, that the inner rail is dipped just before the joint. That sort of thing can snag square-edged uncoupling plungers and induce uncoupling if the coil spring holding up the uncoupling pin is weak. One remedy is to remove the spring and stretch it a little before reinstalling it. You want a good deal of upward pressure on those long coupler arms as it's that upward pressure (concentrated at the far end of the arm) that keeps them shut. Here's an even _longer_ train (39 feet) with even _bigger_ Superliners (18") running on a nice and _level_ 11x17 loop: ua-cam.com/video/UQTmqdmNDu8/v-deo.htmlsi=vCegRumwrzSqacyU (5 mins) If the plunger is riding that close to the railhead that it's shorting out, the coupler mount or coupler arm itself may have a bend allowing it to droop too much. Those Wal-Mart tables might also contribute to the uneven track. I once ran a Lionel Acela -- a real technopalooza of a train -- on a set of library-provided folding tables at an exhibition ( ua-cam.com/video/w7PTRTODYOE/v-deo.html ), and while less swaybacked than on your loop, the train didn't particularly care for them, which even after it settled down and behaved itself, signaled its displeasure later on by making itself difficult to separate the cars during teardown.
I have a horn only unit of this same engine. My cars do the same thing. The cars will arc and uncouple. I was thinking about seeing if I could make Lionel couplers work on these cars. I am over it.
Hello, i have just bought a Z scale märklin Train set and the tiny motor wont turn when given voltage, ive looked at all the pick ups and similar and its now just the motor wich doesnt work, any ideas? I've seen yoz fixing motors in the past, so i'd hope you have some imput
I've had a few MTH F3s and dont care for them, I've seen other MTH locos that had the battery explode and the control boards are easily cooked. New boards are about $300 and requires programming.
Honest new bee, but good repair... Note: the battery in there has to be 8.4 volt rechargeable, not the normal 7.2 type. Also be aware to not have any thing like that metal battery shell touch the bottom of that lower circuit board. For me the MTH stuff headache: is their motor control system being linked to the sound system. I have two engines that are messed up due to their weird programming. Let me know where you got your thorough instructions. The up and down or the direction button thing I have seen, however what buttons do I push to have it get to that mode or to program that mode?????? I have the feeling one of my engines (pronto 2) is just not going to work without a complete new control system. It is more dead then the one you had here. Just lights up and has one ding. I have not taken it to a pro shop yet. I have no problems with fixing these when they are are normal including replacing components on the circuit board, but the MTH ones are a bag of oddities... .
I found the operating manual online. Yes I'm aware the battery needs to be more voltage than normal 9 volt. Ive found a replacement capacitor upgrade to put in it.
Great vid!!!! Thinking on the fly and making it work!! YOU are the man!!’
45 minutes flew by! SOOOOPERLOOOOBE! Great vid!
:-D
Amazing job Ron! Stupendous work on the loco! Kudos my friend!
Thank you Regis
Wow what a process to get it running again. Thanks for sticking with it and sharing the process.
thanks for watching :-)
great learning video...I learned stay with postwar Lionel..collecting almost 50 yrs and no green boards but I admire your work and patience.Gimme my USA made in New Jersey not perfect trains..terrific work and great teaching..also love the music ROCK ON!
I agree, those postwar locos are tough!
Another great video, Ron! Nice to see Dave stop by too. Awesome talking to you a couple weeks back about those Marx E7s you sold to me. Hope your new workshop is coming along nicely.
All the work has stopped due to my back injury. Always something it seems
Awesome video!! Thanks Local Dave for supplying an interesting subject.
Ron, I admire your patience and perseverance. Thanks for what you do as always,
Very welcome
I Really enjoy your videos! Your narration is the best …..keep it up . Much joy , thanks !!
Very kind of you Steve
Yay! A Friday night and a new (long) video from Ron. Time to sit back with a frosty adult beverage and enjoy the show. :)
Glad my timing was spot on!
I love those Proto sound 1 engines. I’ve upgraded several to protosound 3 and they are durable. Look up J and W electronics Ron for that BCR( capacitor). They have one that looks like a 9 volt battery and they work great. Great video
Thanks for the tips!
Love the o gauge content, especially the postwar ones. Excellent work as usual Ron!
Awesome! Thank you!
Ron, a really great O gauge MTH Proto 1 fix it video, highlighting akaline battery capacitor leakage and corrosion problems that resulted. In high heat and recovering from back injury, you prevailed 😊!!
It took awhile. Just glad I didnt drop anything to the ground. Very hard to get down there and pick it up
Your skill and knowledge make it look effotless inyour repairs. Thank you again for another excellent video, as alwats unformative and entertaining!
Thank you very much Tony!
Hi Ron & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Ron & Friends Randy
Hello Randy, Thank you!!
Love Railking engines, I've got 13 of em. Worked on em long enough to know that when you first tested the Amtrak engine, knew automatically it was a dead 9 volt battery. There are replacements called BCRs that serve the same purpose, and you never have to change em or disassemble the engine. It's a 5 minute install that you only have to do once. Also if you want to get a Protosound 1 engine like this to move automatically, hit the direction button when there's 8 volts or less going to the track.
I need me one of them BCRs
Man, couldn't even get the weather to cooperate. I was pulling for you, from a 33%er!
Got the shot a few days later
@@classicmodeltrains Awesome video, as usual. 😎👍
I had my older MTH engines cleaned and serviced last year, including replacing the batteries with a capacitor set up that eliminates the battery. Seems to be working perfectly 12 months later without the battery related problems I had previously. I'm told it is a solid fix for older MTH engines
I need to look into getting one of them there capacitors
I just started watching the video but I'm already guessing it has something to do with the battery.
Do you have a capacitor listing Amazon or eBay?
@@N_scale - no, but there are a number of how to do it videos that I found after posting. I had re-started the hobby after an 8 year absence, started a MTH PR5, went "pop" then smoked. When I got it repaired, the tech recommended the capacitor solution, which I did with my Dreyfuss, a F unit and a Pacific. My HO collection all worked fine out of the gate, and I've moved on to that for new acquisitions, leaving the O gauge to one of my sons.
Great job Ron, I love that you give everything your best effort. Regardless of gauge, manufacturer, or age. In the end they run. Stay well and keep up the great work. 🚂🚃🚃🚃
Ron, you are truly a treasure, that very rare ability to have fun, informative, and just a regular good guy, dont ever change, you are what this hobby and the world needs,my greatest respect, regards, Joe
Thank you very much Joe for those kind words
Excellent video. I love how you break down the engine to resolve the issue(s) and the make it run better than ever. Good luck on the sale of it.
Thank you!
What a machine. I always enjoy the humour of your videos, great fun. I have heard that you need to put a diode in series with the positive wire to the battery to stop the train electronics from trying to recharge the non-rechargable battery. I believe that they can overheat and leak all over again. 😊👍
The owners manual said a normal standard battery can be used temporarily.
@@classicmodeltrains Ok, I was just thinking about all your good work. 🙂
Nice work on that mth Amtrak genesis locomotive and nice German Shepherd dog you have! 33%er here
Thank you Matt!!
another great job Ron!!
Thanks Steven
I have never seen anything like this, but then I only do HO. Great job of figuring out the issue and reconditioning.
Thanks Lynn
I hate seeing those twist joins in wires, they did so well with everything else. You're getting a lot of sparks off the pickups I'd give them a clean. And for batteries either the capacitor replacement BCR from J&W electronics or YLB railsounds battery (and hi from Australia)
Hello Australia, Yes Ive already located a capacitor replacement/upgrade for it
😊 Great job Ron!! I always wondered whats inside of an MTH locomotive!! I only have postwar lionel myself. Very interesting video. 😊
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi Ron, another great one. You made those big engines look not so scary to take apart. It makes you wonder why they build nice electronics for it to run and a battery is the weak link. Boggles the mind. @EricG610 has the right idea a keep alive circuit. Good to see it running on the new extended track layout, too bad the weather didn't hold out for a night shot. Great day shot. Good to see you getting around a lot better. Go 33%ers! Cheers .
Good morning Robert. It is weird they used a battery instead of a capacitor. I found a capacitor upgrade for it so it will not suffer these problems again
@@classicmodeltrains The original Protosound (sometimes called PS1) was a QSI design. MTH went into the command control era with their own in-house DCS system board known as *Protosound 2* first with a 5-volt system (used a 9V NiCad) that ultimately proved to have...issues. Also the board design did not lend itself to component replacement. They could run for decades, or could spontaneously give up the ghost (I witnessed a friend's PS2 subway train blow an electrolytic capacitor while idling in neutral. Splattered its guts all over the interior and smelled like burnt peanuts)
Protosound 2 was redesigned with a 3v system using the AA battery pack you were initially supplied with. This was _much_ better behaved and much less likely to conk out, and those that did had a fighting chance at resurrection via component replacement. The latest iteration is Protosound 3, which ditches the battery in favor of a super-capacitor, and adds the ability to run under DCC by throwing a switch.
@@RailRide once again thank you for such good information. This 3 rail fancy stuff is pretty new to me so I’m learning as I go. Your comment helped me out a bunch !!
I had the same problem with the Lionel CW80 using Proto-Sound MTH equipment. My though is that the wave form clipping from the triacs on the Lionel CW80 confuses the Proto-Sound board. I ended up using the MTH Proto-Sound remote since I don't have the DCS system after replacing the battery. Everything performed well with the MTH Proto-Sound remote. If the MTH remote or DCS is not used, then I recommend using a conventional transformer that draws power from the transformer windings instead of using a controller that uses triacs for voltage control.
Thanks for that good information
Great job on the fix for that loco. Regards Steve
Thank you Steve
Hi Ron. Another great video. Always learn something watching your rebuilds. Your humor is stellar which makes learning fun. Keep up your mentoring
Thanks 👍
Ron thank you for making these interesting and fun to watch videos . That is a beautiful train set , some one will enjoy for years to come .
Glad you enjoyed it
I've run into this a few times, get temu they have rechargeable 9v batteries. You always do a good job on these videos and repairs
Thank you!
You're welcome
@@classicmodeltrains Make sure they're actual 8.4v rechargables. There are 7.2v batteries in the same 9v form factor and those won't work. Also, you can use a NiMH 9V in place of the NiCD and do away with the potential for memory effect over time.
@@RailRide picked up a capacitor upgrade to eliminate battery problems
That’s awesome train. Troublesome but awesome. 33% allday
Thanks for all your support
Good stuff Ron. Thanks for the Friday night show. I like it!
Thanks Gary
Excellent video Ron…I have zero DCC stuff…grew up with analog…think I will stay there…lovely set though, love those brute motors…cheers from 🇨🇦
Thanks. Analog for me as well
The first thing to know is mth engines don't like the Lionel Cw80 transformers. Second the battery needs to be replaced. White battery's are 20 plus years old and if they die the boards in the engine can get scrambled ruining the electronics. Use a new rechargeable battery for mth or a bcr. I appreciate your interest in trying to get this running again. The 3 volt battery is for the protosound 2 3 volts boards. You are working on an original protosounds locomotive here. You might want to clean out the old grease and reapply some new. Great video Ron!
The trucks were serviced in the video. Thanks for the info :-)
@classicmodeltrains sorry Ron I was commenting as I watched and was just think to myself outloud, lol! Great job on the video.
@@classicmodeltrains (Edit: I saw a few comments down where you mention being informed about the CW-80 issue, so I guess you can stop here :D )
The issue with the Lionel CW80 is that the whistle and horn buttons have built-in delays that can mess up the user's timing when attempting to input feature adjustments with the half-second pause between button presses the Protosound electronics are expecting to see, such as locking the reverse unit into forward or reverse...or neutral--which has caused more than it's share of agita among those who didn't know that could happen). You've probably seen these horn/bell sequences spelled out in the manual you downloaded.
Adding to the complication is the CW-80 doesn't put out a pure sine-wave AC waveform like a conventional transformer. Instead it uses its electronics to chop the AC wave into "shark fin" waves that can confuse the QSI electronics. Later iterations of Protosound were more tolerant of weird AC waveforms, but they really prefer pure sine-wave AC like old-school traditional transformers (or a modern-day transformer designed for command-era trains like the MTH Z4000 or Lionel ZW-L).
@@RailRide thank you for sharing this very good information. Dang suppliers finding ways to make modified sine waves and just ruining everything downstream boggles my mind. I love the fact that MTH and Lionel found a way to use the old analog transformers to operate their new fancy sound system locos. Too bad HO didn’t do that as well.
Another outstanding reaction!!! You really should get the lyrics to this song, it's much deeper than it appears!
Most of Rush's songs are that way. Lyrical genius.
2112, studio version, lyrics in hand. It's another thought provoking story!
Keep up the great work, you're doing great!
Thanks
Nice video I saw three Heritage Units today
Thanks!
Hey Ron, you're one tenacious guy. I got to hand it to you. You're determined to get them going again without ever throwing in the towel, which is an admirable trait. I have a sizable collection of O-gauge, but only one MTH engine, and it's conventional without protosounds. There are those who are hating on Lionels' new high-end offerings, but I don't have any of those either. I prefer to run mostly trouble-free rather than fiddling around with something trying to get them working all the time. The MTH models with protosounds can be too problematic and finicky for me to want to own personally. There is a BCR available now that is a permanent replacement for the battery, but I'm not sure it can be used in the older PS-1 models. It seems the older boards in PS-1, PS-2, and PS-3 models can be too easily blown if the battery is bad or not fully charged before attempting to run the locomotives. It's not for me. I've heard claims that the MTH engines with protosounds don't function well using the Lionel CW-80 transformers. They are too much of a PITA for me to want to mess with. My layout isn't set up to run them properly, and I have no desire to make the investment to do so.
As far as the problem with the finicky couplers go. The next time you're at a Walmart or Dollar General, check out the health and beauty isle and pick up a package of those black rubber bands for hair braids. They come in an assortment of sizes, and the small ones work great on couplers. While you're at it, pick up some makeup brushes. They are excellent for detailing and dusting tight spaces.
Greetings and thanks for some good information. ive received a few comments about the MTH not liking the CW-80's. Ive located a replacement capacitor for this one. I agree these fancy things are a pain in the bottom for sure. I really like the old school stuff for its simplicity
Great show Ron just shows all the fancy stuff can be a real pain. You really did great to make it run again
Yes all that fancy stuff is a pain
As soon as I heard it start up, I was like Proto 1! It’s probably has the dreaded white battery. Sometimes MTH trains don’t work well with that Lionel transformer. The shot was nice! I’m a 33%er
A few Fellers have mentioned that transformer issue. Thanks for your support!!!
Yes, Ron, aside from getting BCR " 9v looking battery styled " capacitors installed , MTH Proto 1 locomotives never played nice with some transformers such as the early versions of the Lionel CW 80.
Sine pattern problem. I have 4 of the MTH Proto 1 engines from 1997 era and with the BCR : battery installed they all have worked pretty much trouble free with my Lionel ZW 275 watt from 1964.
Years ago, in the late 1990's, I actually spoke one on one to Mike Wolf himself ,creator of MTH trains and he told me at York PA train meet that the original intention of that white battery in early Proto 1 locomotives was for it to " last " as long as the locomotive was being tested and retailed with the consumer replacing it soon after purchase. " [ BCR ]
That’s a nice set. I have 10 of those superliners behind my legacy f40ph’s aswell with material handling cars
Very cool!
Long day ..came home to see a new video..OGuage!…looking forward to it…always great videos!
Thanks so much Thomas
Great video Ron! Very neat set! Problematic though. I really like sound in scale , it adds so much. 33% er here!
Thanks Rick :-)
While all the bells and whistles are neat on these new offerings I’ll stick with my analog junk that’s older than me and still works as good as it did when it was new. For the random uncoupling of the cars, all I can say is welcome to O gauge!! It happens from time to time lol.
I like the old school stuff as well
That’s really awesome
Thank you
Great video, and a good reminder to remove batteries before storage. The next step is to get the cars in the right order . Baggage ( when or if you get one), coaches, sight see-er lounge, diner , sleepers,
This set has a combo baggage / coach car that was right behind the engine.
I use Scotch Bright pads on old track. And it works well. I’ll try the sonic first then use the Scotch Bright pad afterwards.
I like the way you think
@@classicmodeltrains I have been an automotive technician for over forty five years. I mostly work on high performance cars like Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, Bentl
Bentley etc. I used to work on weekends in a local toy and Hobby shop repairing Lionel and Flyer Trains. I’m retired now and enjoy watching your videos
@@classicmodeltrains Ron I have known Jeff from Train Tender for a few years now and we have sometimes talked on FaceTime. He has a beautiful shop. I meant to tell you about him several times.
Fred
Usually with a coupler problem they'll usually do the old rubber band over the plunger tactic, I did have a MTH steamer locomotive For a short time it worked really well and was really strong, And they can work on O27 track
Rubber band ..... Wished I would have though of that :-)
I had an MTH GG1 that I bought on EBay several years ago that did basically the same thing but took out the whole pc board and I had to take it to my local shop for repair. I love the details on the MTH trains but overall think I prefer the simplicity of the old school stuff but anyway have to say that you did an excellent job on this project 👍
Ive heard Fellers mention I was lucky the board was still good. But Gimmee old school any day!!
Hi,Ron. You can go to MTH parts and find the couplers for those Amtrak passenger cars.
I will have to look into that
Hey Ron ! Glad you’re up and around. Saw your last video. Glad your back is doing better!
Hey your video was so ontime. Last week I just happened into a deal with a MTH SD60 M . I haven’t run it yet . But was glad it doesn’t have soo much electronics or a battery either.
Well get better soon. And thanks for the great video!
Thanks Steven, Hope that new loco is a good one!!
Cool video. Darn rain.
Thanks Dennis
EXCELLENT
Another BIG “O” Scale 3rail train video!!
I know I said I may have to do a couple O scale 3 rail locomotives…and cars…because you did such a fabulous job on the first one!!
But, fundage is a might low right now…may have ta wait until tax season, next year.
I hope your back is better.
Its feeling better day to day. Then I do too much and Eff it up again :-/
I love your videos
Thank you
The infamous MTH Two Clangs of Death!
Too Funny, but seems to be true!
Great video. Have a great weekend.
Thanks, you too!
Great stuff again my older brother had a Marx O train. It was bullet proof but I made the switch to HO
Thanks
As reliable as the real thing it was just being prototypical! Good work Ron!
Too funny!!!
nice work making that Loco run again despite how badly corroded some of the wiring was.
the set of cars loks good for their age and a little TLC should make them really shine.
seems there are a few items missing for a proper complete train.
a second Loco
a Baggage Car up front behind the locos.
a nice set of sleepers with the Lounge & Diner mid train and the coaches in the back.
an optional finishing touch would be a couple of Material Handling Boxcars tacked to the rear
Thanks. I'm no pro on what order the cars are in on the real stuff
Lucky it didn't take out the whole control board! Pretty neat. Messy guts, but a good running engine. I had to CA glue traction tires on one of my Flyer engines. I had to re glue it multiple times before it finally stuck
Yes them electronics seemed pretty well engineered
Fun to watch Great show for us today
Thanks William
As always Great video Sir! Nice work! I have several MTH HO engines could only imagine working on those thry are DCC/Sound! So far knock on wood! All Good they run Great! Thanks for another lesson! Stay cool its hot in Pennsylvania also upper 90's and Humid! B Safe......
Thank you very much!
My old school DC loco's will never have that issue!!! 🤣🤣🤣
I completely agree with you!!
😊😊😊 super Classic train 😊😊❤😊
:-)
Well Ron, Local Dave certainly made you work for the prize at the end of that rainbow lol. I would guess you have about 10 to 12 hours work on just the locomotive and another 10 to 12 hours on the track, cars, plus run time. Now comes the editing with another similar effort. Absolutely great video, Jersey Bill
About 3 days on and off. Back gets stiff just sitting and or doing anything. probably 3 hours in the loco repair. The outside track work was just a pleasure. Rootin thru all my stuff, seeing what I forgot I had
Remove the uncoupled plunger and super glue the coupler shut. I use a self tap screw in hole for plunger pin to eliminate issue. Even good post war couplers have issues. Same fix or wire them shut. I never uncouple trains anyway. But collisions are eliminated if cars stay connected, and no run away engines with no load. Old trains are more reliable that modern electronics. Thank you for showing why I would never want stuff with modern electronics.😊
Thanks for some good tips and I agree....Old school for me as well :-)
Thank you for sharing👍
You bet
I'm surprised you worked on a modern model train! Modern in that it has circuit boards and a good quality sound system, but also classic in that this was released in 1999 and model train technology has advanced in those 25 years.
its got the best of both worlds
HOLY ITS A BEAUTY!
Thank you
Glad I got into MTH Premier engines w proto 3, way after the proto1 white battery hiccup they put out.
Every company seems to have growing pains with there products
Great video Dave, but I'll stick with my Classics HO and 0! Vintage ruelz
Thanks
seeing the trouble you have had. maybe that's why it was packed up and put on a shelf. guess i will tune in next time, incognito. stay well
I believe it was operating when packed away and never used for a long time, which ended up kinda ruining it
You could have added tiny holes so that you could oil the shafts now and in the future. If you were really fancy, you could get some small letter stamps and imprint "oil" next to the holes.
Thats a great idea!
That track you did outside looks like the Indy 500 Brick Yard!!! 🤣 .... You need 2 turnouts to make the pit stop area!!!
I have more stuff to add to it, just almost got rained out. More progress this weekend
@@classicmodeltrains I was just tryin to make you laugh .... Its always fun to have heavy rain when its 105* outside ... Makes the best humidity ever 🤣
Part of your 33% ....... Nice job, if anyone could do it we all know you could....Nice looking Locomotive, I will stay with HO DC safer for me.
Thank you for your support. I really like the old analog stuff much better as well
@@classicmodeltrains Yo, Ron, could you please tell me the name of a good Steam locomotive wheel bolt removal kit. Thanks
i have that same set, its the early PS1 set,
Right on!
Well done son
Thanks Clif
Navy needs new batteries good luck
Thanks
After seeing this mess I am proactively going through my MTH PS1/PS2 engines in storage and removing the batteries. What a crazy time bomb to put in these, MTH docs say they are dry cells that never leak. 🤦 Definitely something to watch for when buying these now that they're getting up in age too.
Yes. I thought it was weird to put a battery in them like that as well. Good idea to check and pull any in your inventory
Nice job detangling and rebuilding. What a pain in the butt. You won, though.
thank you
I love my o gauge
:-)
If you had hit the acid with vinegar first it would dissolve it then use the baking soda to neutralize it
Thank you for that. Never though about the vinegar
Nice Love Amtrak Hope to get Lionel Lake Shore Limited and my Amtrak MOW shipped here to the Philippines and running
Getting an American Flyer Franklin Frontiersman set that not running off evil bay
Besides a good cleaning and wire check any other suggestions
Sounds like you have what that old girl is gunna need right away all figured out
Another great video Ron. What a complicated mess. The battery appears to be colossal fail and why would you bury it under pretty much everything so one can’t easily get to it. Take care, Jeff Hanna.
Thanks Jeff. Yes engineers make weird decisions
Rust 911 would be a life saver for cleaning the track. Vinegar will do damage if left in too long. Rust 911 won't and you do not need but an empty container. It is reusable until it stops working.
Sounds like a good idea to me
Dave what kind of transformer were you using outside i never seen one like that,,,,thank youKen
Its a MRC dual power AC transformer. can control 2 separate rails. walk around corded throttle. 275 watts of POWER!!
Great job on the rebuild. I think my favorite part was the super hero shot. How successful was using the channel for selling the train collection? I have over 2,000 Hotwheels that I need to sell.
Thanks, Your the first person to mention the super hero shot!! I sold a ton of that train stuff this past spring.
fancy
To fancy for my taste
I think you may have 2 kinds of track. There is a difference between 027 and 0 gage track With 0 being a bit higher. That might be why it keeps uncoupling.
I am using only true "O" track
@@classicmodeltrains ok, you do so much HO, was' Ent sure you know. Thanks for all your work. Getting back into the insanity of model trains after 50 years, learning a lot from you, and SMT, he dos want to do a Collab with you.
Love your channel I’m an o gauger but love it all . First video that I saw was rebuilding zw , excellent! Have watched ever since. I’m a 💯 % 33% er lol . Your a down to earth guy and not afraid to dive into repairs .
Thank you Robert for your support of my channel
It always seems the more money we spend on trains the poorer the quality. I have both dcc and dc and have the exact same issues as you did
so true
I am restored a Bower 2-10-0.
right on!
That’s a Genesis, not an F40PH, but it’s a good set despite the board in it.
Thanks Owen, I got it fixed in the description.
Everything works but the locomotive doesn't run so what good is that@@classicmodeltrains
@@classicmodeltrainsYou’re welcome
33:49 _"I been fighting that too"_ ...
I can see when you pull back the coach to look at the source of the uncoupling, that the inner rail is dipped just before the joint. That sort of thing can snag square-edged uncoupling plungers and induce uncoupling if the coil spring holding up the uncoupling pin is weak. One remedy is to remove the spring and stretch it a little before reinstalling it. You want a good deal of upward pressure on those long coupler arms as it's that upward pressure (concentrated at the far end of the arm) that keeps them shut.
Here's an even _longer_ train (39 feet) with even _bigger_ Superliners (18") running on a nice and _level_ 11x17 loop: ua-cam.com/video/UQTmqdmNDu8/v-deo.htmlsi=vCegRumwrzSqacyU (5 mins)
If the plunger is riding that close to the railhead that it's shorting out, the coupler mount or coupler arm itself may have a bend allowing it to droop too much. Those Wal-Mart tables might also contribute to the uneven track. I once ran a Lionel Acela -- a real technopalooza of a train -- on a set of library-provided folding tables at an exhibition ( ua-cam.com/video/w7PTRTODYOE/v-deo.html ), and while less swaybacked than on your loop, the train didn't particularly care for them, which even after it settled down and behaved itself, signaled its displeasure later on by making itself difficult to separate the cars during teardown.
Thanks for the good information. I will have to check out your vids
I have a horn only unit of this same engine. My cars do the same thing. The cars will arc and uncouple. I was thinking about seeing if I could make Lionel couplers work on these cars. I am over it.
Must be a engineering mistake. uncoupler pin hangs too low perhaps
Does it need a dcc controller ?
No. I'm using a standard AC transformer
Hello, i have just bought a Z scale märklin Train set and the tiny motor wont turn when given voltage, ive looked at all the pick ups and similar and its now just the motor wich doesnt work, any ideas? I've seen yoz fixing motors in the past, so i'd hope you have some imput
Its pretty tough too diagnose stuff when its not in front of me. Sorry
@@classicmodeltrains Thank you anyways, i did get it working in the end and only lost a coupler spring doing it (:
Really like your content👍
I've had a few MTH F3s and dont care for them, I've seen other MTH locos that had the battery explode and the control boards are easily cooked. New boards are about $300 and requires programming.
Just a lot of unnecessary stuff for a few sounds in my book
Great video Ron! I was excited to see it run after hearing about the new "layout" in your fb page.
Thanks Danny!
This is a little of the subject, I like your ultrasonic machine, I need one. How many liters, and brand is yours.
Honest new bee, but good repair... Note: the battery in there has to be 8.4 volt rechargeable, not the normal 7.2 type. Also be aware to not have any thing like that metal battery shell touch the bottom of that lower circuit board. For me the MTH stuff headache: is their motor control system being linked to the sound system. I have two engines that are messed up due to their weird programming. Let me know where you got your thorough instructions. The up and down or the direction button thing I have seen, however what buttons do I push to have it get to that mode or to program that mode?????? I have the feeling one of my engines (pronto 2) is just not going to work without a complete new control system. It is more dead then the one you had here. Just lights up and has one ding. I have not taken it to a pro shop yet. I have no problems with fixing these when they are are normal including replacing components on the circuit board, but the MTH ones are a bag of oddities... .
I found the operating manual online. Yes I'm aware the battery needs to be more voltage than normal 9 volt. Ive found a replacement capacitor upgrade to put in it.