Can't get MTH e-unit or speed control on/off

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I have a MTH Penn.steam turbine engine with LOCo sound. I had the remote control z750 but it died. I am now using the CW80 transformer and can not get the engine to turn off eunit lock or speed control on-off. It is supposed to work with whistle-Bell combinations. Even when I had the MTH remote it took a LONG time for me to change something and was very annoying. I tried for half an hour with CW80 and nothing would change. Does anyone have any tips? Anyone else have a hard time with this? I would really like my engine to back up again.

2

I have one MTH LocoSound engine, a Pennsy 2-8-0. When I operated my small layout with a postwar 1033 transformer, I was able to reset the speed control most of the time using a Lionel Sound Activation Button with the 1033. When I switched to using a CW-80, I could never set the speed control on or off, so I usually ran the engine full throtle just to get nominal speed. Nowadays I run with a postwar ZW and have enough power to run the engine at a decent speed regardless of the LocoSound speed control setting. I couldn’t tell you if speed control is on or off right now.

I know this doesn’t help you much, but I wanted to convey my experience with this to you.

Lou

3

Try a different transformer. MTH engines do not like the CW80 because how it crops the sine wave.

4

Even with a MTH transformer, it’s hard to get good at hitting the bell and horn buttons in the right order with the exact amount of pauses without practice. It takes me 10 minutes to get it right, so I usually don’t change it. I think it is one of those things that once you figure it out, it’s easy, but I just ordered DCS to bypass the problem.

Wes

5

FIFE!!!

Fifey has this down PAT with his Z4000 - he seems to get it right on the first try nearly every time. He’s a tapper from way back! LOL!

6

I think the button feedback is different. On both of my Z1000s, I can’t get the button to respond fast enough for rapid horns (about 1 a second intervals is as fast as I can do…) The Z4000 is easier for some reason. At least I thought it was when I went in for a demo lesson on how to get any of the features to work on my train when i first got it. I guess I just also need a Z4000. Doesn’t everyone?

Wes

7

trainsfan,
I just reread this thread again and have a couple questions:

  1. By MTH Locosounds are you referring to PS1 or PS2?
  2. What is the date code on the bottom of the CW-80?

The reason I ask is I should have my layout partially operational this weekend and I have both PS1 and PS2 engines, and a newer and older CW-80 and a Z1000. So I can run whatever tests you require to see if I have the same problem with this.

8

Thanks for the help everyone. It is an older MTH engine, on the bottom it says Locosounds. It has chuffing, bell and whistle only. It is maybe 5 or 6 years old. At the time I bought it MTH sold starter sets with either Locosounds or Protosounds. My CW80 is from 2003. THanks again for your help.

9

Sounds like your engine is pre PS-1 and I am not sure if DCS base would help you any to control it. If it was PS-1 or PS-2 the DCS base and handheld would really help for good speed control. The DCS system is around $300.00 new, maybe more by now.

Lee F.

10

$270 from LHS…