2 days late, but I got my Legacy system back on Saturday of December 29 last year. It came straight from Lionel to a dealer in CA, then to me. I dont know how many people on here have Legacy, but I do know about 6 or 7 that do. I remember back when Chief first got his, with the “LAZ and DON BAKER, EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT” thread… [swg] Then Laz got his, then me, then Don. (I think thats the right order)
So, whats the verdict? Its been a year. Plenty of time to reach a decision. Is Legacy THE best system? I’ll be honest. I have run my Legacy with both TMCC and my Legacy engine. But, I have probably put a little over an hour in operating the system. I havn’t had a layout to operate it on.
But, something is going to happen soon… keep looking at the forums…
Far better than anything out there. Only problem is loss of signal adn it is not as bad as I first thought. Ordered an external signal antenna. When it comes, will give a review. With Legacy, I can “creap” conventionals a lot better than DCS. New “brake loading” allows you to make diesels rev up as if they are preparing to pull a heavy train. Horns and whistles sound better. Legacy engines crawl [compared to the few PS2 enignes on DCS that I own, a lot better where PS2’s stall under load]. The remote has the direction “button” with the brake and boost. Once you get use to it, fine. I now use the quick reversal of the throttle knob [now graduated] to change direction. I wish I could buy a remote without the docking station as the rechargable batteries are not the best. Also, tape over your charging prongs in the base where you store your remote. Even with charger off, will drain your regular batteries.
I actually received my Legacy with the Big Boy I had ordered. Got the system in late Nov 2007, got the engine in Dec.
I enjoy the Legacy, but will admit that probably run it 10% or less as compared to DCS. Primary reason is that I have all my switches programmed through DCS. And, can run everything with one controller. When I use Legacy I am either stuck to my control panel or have to use 2 controllers. The features Chief talks about are probably valid. BUT WE BOTH NO THAT HE IS BIASED, DON’T WE !! Or maybe its that vibration in the hand held that is exciting, I don’t know. I SURE like all the sounds on PS2 dialect!!!
I waited on Legacy to avoid the initial bugs. I have had the system for two months now. It is my third command system following TMCC and DCS. I think it is a great system. I especially like the Legacy remote. It is layed out very well and all functions, save one, are easily accessible. The one feature that is not intuitive is the Cab light on/off command. You must hit the ‘ENG’ button as if you were changing engines to see it. It is a minor issue. I think Lionel did an excellent job in designing Legacy, and the system shows it.
Jon, of Lionel, kept commenting on the smooth Lionel cruise control. I didn’t see how Lionel could improve upon the DCS cruise control, which I thought was outstanding compared to the original Lionel Odyssey, but indeed they did improve the cruise. All of my Legacy engines (2) are completely smooth at every speed step. My MTH engines are smooth, although not as smooth as Legacy, from 4 SMPH and above. Below 4 SMPH, the MTH engines can be quite jerky.
When DCS came out, TMCC seemed like an old system. Now that Legacy is out, DCS seems like an old system. I am sure we will see something new coming from MTH in the future. Competition is good for the hobby.
I don’t have any Legacy loco’s (yet) but I’ve had the system since Feb 08. Legacy allows me to run my original TMCC engines much better than they did with the original TMCC (Texas Special PWC unit can move smoothly at low speeds). My one Odyssey equipped unit behaves beautifully and I can actually run it with Odyssey turned on. The touch sceen lcd control pad means I don’t have to worry about plastic overlays getting lost and I really love the TrainBrake feature (this alone was worth the price of admission). I’ve pulled the batteries out of the Cab 1 and will soon retire the original Command Base.
I operate on the original TMCC system with TPCs linked to PowerHouses along with ACS modules operating Tortoise turnouts,etc.
My question to Chuck was whether the Legacy Train/Layout control system makes $$ sense and operating ease if one only has TMCC and Conventional engines? I have a large roster of mostly OEM and converted to TM/RS engines and will not be acquiring many [or any] engines in the future. I assume with Legacy one mothballs the Cab 1s and Comm Base
You don’t have to mothball the original equipment but there are caveats about trying to run the same loco from the CAB-2 and CAB-1 at the same time.
The main improvements in running older equipment through Legacy has to do with issues within the CAB-1 itself. It predates the Command Base by almost a year. It’s main failing is that it can’t generate absolute speed steps (these were always built into TMCC). When you set up a loco in Legacy, you can select CAB-1 mode (relative steps), TMCC (absolute 32 speed steps) or true Legacy (ony works/available on Legacy loco’s).
The opearing difference between TMCC and CAB-1 modes can be quite impressive. I was able to get my open frame command engines to move slowly and was finally able to run my one Odyssey engine in Odyssey mode. These are things that could have been done via the original command base IF you had a computer hooked up to the serial port AND software that could generate the commands (stuff was published). I don’t know if any of the older TMCC software control packages are still available and even a laptop isn’t as easy to move around as the CAB-2/CAB-1 or any other remote throttle.
I was originally going to wait for Legacy till I got a Legacy engine. A LHS got a system in and the customer that ordered it backed out. Rather than ship it back and pay shipping and restocking fee’s, I got the set at a slight discount. Personally I’ve been very happy with the way it works. This isn’t chump change we are talking about so I would suggest trying before buying.
Thanks Chuck. I have noted your comment regarding the TMCC components and practices over the years and respect your expertise [expertise that I don’t posess].
I had the system for about a month before buying a Legacy engine. Even non-Odyssey engines run better in my experience, and the controller is much nicer to use. It adds a whole lot more functionality while still maintaining the simple and straightforward layout of the CAB-1. Most of the time, it can be used without looking at the screen, which was always one of the biggest advantages of the CAB-1.
If there’s anyone out there who owns Legacy engines and does not yet own Legacy, you are doing yourself a disservice. There’s no comparison to how Legacy engines run under Legacy as compared to TMCC1.
9 months and counting here. I have 2 Legacy engines (the Chessie GP-30 and the GN GP-7) I run the GP-30 double headed with my TMCC Odsy GP-30 from the Chessie Diesel Freight set and I couldn’t be happier. I also have an older TMCC Chessie Diesel (the model escapes me, but I think it is a GP-7 or GP-9) and the Legacy system makes operation of this engine rather simple.
I also have the C&O Berk from the TMCC Super Freight set that I have upgraded with ERR’s Cruise Commander and simply love running this engine now. I also have a C&O 0-6-0 that was upgraded with TAS’s TMCC upgrade and that engine too is smooth as silk.
I’ve had mine since Nov 07, got it bundled with the BB. I really enjoy it, but I have never owned a different system to compare it to. Mine has not been upgraded, and I dont see any reason to do so (?). I have 4 Legacy locomotives now and they are a pleasure to operate. I have some earlier TMCC locomotives and they too, work well, just not as well at super slow speeds, but none the less quite enjoyable. One place where the difference is most notable: recording a switching session. With a Legacy diesel, I have made recordings that I have been able to loop, for more than an hour before the engine has drifted the small amount from its original starting point to not complete the sequence. I discovered the issue mentioned above about the command base discharging the remote batteries over time, so I dont leave it in its dock when Im done.