Back in February I purchased Pennsylvania EMD F3 AB set with Proto-Sound. This is my first MTH product I have owned. I did everything according to the instructions that came with it, however there was a problem in that the B unit ran faster then the A unit causing it to sometime almost hop along the track and even caused it to derail on my 24" radius curves at times. Thought I could change the CVs to speed match them. I couldn’t get read back on my Prodigy Advance system so placed a call to MTH. They told me I couldn’t do that and that it had to be sent back to the factory for speed matching. They told me the turn around time would be 3 to 7 weeks. It’s been 6 weeks since they recieved it. I know I have another week to go before I can expect to get it back. I’m not bashing MTH, but I am disappointed they they never let me know they recieved it or have been in touch with me at all since they told be to ship it back. The only way I knew they recieved it was through tracking with USPS. On the up side, I was really pleased with the model’s looks, sound and smoothness of it’s slow speed running. I did change out the operating MTH couplers to Kadee. Has anyone else had similar problems? Thanks, Ken
How much faster did the Bunit run?
My athearn A-B set also has the same kind of problem…slightly.
the B unit tends to run 1 or 128 speed steps faster.
I remember reading back then that the B units are usally slightly faster because the A unit is basicaly a B unit with the extra cab, and since the A unit is bigger, it is slightly heavier, and slightly slower…
Then again, Im usally wrong, so… yea
You CANNOT use a DCC controller to program ALL (emphesis on ALL) MTH loco CVs.
MTH uses a system called DCS, and their locos are only partially compatible with DCC, so DCC can only program a few certain CVs. (Like the major ones, CV29, engine ID number, etc) If you want to acess all the CVs, then you’ll need a DCS controller.
This is why many people dont buy MTH HO locos.
Hope this helps [:D]
hate to dash your hopes but had a similar experience with my mth sd70 in Erie two tone green, about a year ago. Great looking, great sound system, ran well,for a few days then started to surge and stop, surge and stop. Tried the factory reset, spoke with mth, and as advised returned it to them. As you stated received no confirmation from mth that they had received the unit. I figured it would be at least 8 weeks but having not heard nor received anything after 10 I gave them a call. Wouldn’t you know they had just put my unit on the workbench to check it out. I am not making this up. Perhaps having sped up the process the engine came back about 3 weeks later with a new board running beautifully with the exception that the front truck axles and frames were loose and would separate constantly until my friend and train guru got that truck back in one piece. The engine since has been nothing short of perfect for about 10 months. The companymust be doing a lot of things correctly, a great array of all sorts of models that we crave in all scales and road names etc. but this type of service leaves an awful lot to be desired. So don’t hesitate to bother them with follow up calls etc. You are likely eventually to have a nice AB unit that will run well for a long time.
Trainman: The B unit ran a lot faster. If I place both units on a straight section of my layout a car lenth apart, the B unit would catch up and start pushing within 4 feet. When I talked to Mth they told me that shouldn’t happen and that they would have to have it back and that the speed is matched by spacing the flywheels correctly. But like I said it was pushing hard enough to derail the A unit at times on my 24" radius curves. Will see once I get it back. Otherwise I was very happy with it. Ken
Trainman, MTH has upgraded the DCC firmware it is using in engines brought out in about the last two years. This can also be downloaded into older diesels, but not older steam, with your programmer or with a dealer’s.
The new firmware gives about the same set of CV’s as other DCC decoders have, and includes start and max voltage, 28-step speed table, advanced consisting, accel/decel, forward and reverse trim, etc. 08 to CV8 resets. F buttons can be fully reassigned. There are also many other functions, similar to a Paragon 2. The decoders may or may not program on a program track, depending on its current capability (like most other sound decoders), but AFAIK cv’s still cannot be read back.
I have engines with many types of sound decoders, and they all have good points but lack some features.
Hal
I feel your pain, Erie. I just had to send my brand new H10 back because the driving wheels weren’t centered on the axel - of all things! I haven’t checked the shipping status online yet, but my gut says I won’t be seeing my engine for a good month or two.
In defense of MTH though, I will say that I’ve never not had an issue resolved. But I’ve never had an issue resolved promptly by them, either.
LION hears mush about MTH, not all of it sterling. HIM has on Pre-Order (whatever that means) some subway sets. Six months and waiting.
Even if they not work sterling, LION is not opposed to pulling all of the guts out and rebuilding them to the specs of the LION.
ROAR
you rip out their decoder and put in a true DCC decoder. I wonder if you could pull it and make MTH buy back their decoder (rant) Thats the problem with proprietaryness. Its why I hate DEll computers and the like they insert their own proprietariness and if theirs problems it gets sent back and you wait…and wait… go true DCC.
3 to 7 weeks to correct a problem with a brand new product is terrible customer service in my opinion.
Scott
I have 2, actuall 3 MTH locos. Erie triplex and Erie Lackawanna F7AB. I am useing a NCE 5 amp PH Pro system. Had the same problem with the AB when programing them seperatly. Ended up putting them both on the programing track at the same time. Works sorta OK. With them uncoupled they will make several laps the same distance appart going forward. In reverse the B unit will pull away about 2" a lap (about 20’). I can live with that.
Now If only I could get the Triplex to stop smoking…Darn DCS 
Thanks BumpyJack. I’m new to DCC and using Prodigy Advance2 and “self teaching” the workings. The four locos I have are two BLI and two Bachmann along with the AB unit from MTH. They all have reset options so if I mess up I can just resetr them back to factory specs. Is it possible to unplug the smoke unit on your Triplex?
BumpyJack68 wrote the following post 8 hours ago:
‘Now If only I could get the Triplex to stop smoking’
BumpyJack, according to the MTH manual, there is a smoke “on/off” switch under the removable coal load on the tender.
Eric
Ripping out the decoder would probably not solve the problem here - there’s probably a mechanical issue. Or maybe it just needs a reset - find a shop that sells MTH 3 rail stuff (so they would have a DCS system) and have it reset. It could also be as simple as the speed sensor has failed, or the wire came loose - these MTH locos have a tacho disk on the motor so the speed is effectively servo regulated and one unit should never run away from the other if that it working properly. There’s no need to speed match two MTH locos to each other, they are already electronically controlled. Matching with other brands, well, you can adjust the other loco with a standard DCC decoder, but you won’t get speed tables in the MTH.
The OP’s problem is not one of what CVs the MTH decoders support - it’s a mechanical/electrical issue.
–Randy
rrinker, I understand. When I talked to MTH they told me about the same thing, that the flywheel spacing was not correct. Thanks, Ken
Randy, newer MTH decoders do have DCC speed tables, as well as other features people complained were missing, as I stated above. Earlier diesels can also be updated to the new version via download; not older steamers, which have no upgrade capability. New steam has it also, such as my Yellowstone M3. The website manuals spell it out.
Varying the relative volume levels of sounds and some other more obscure items still require a DCS controller. These adjustments hold under DCC, so one can, f. i., change his sound balance if he takes the loco to a club or dealer with DCS.
Hal
All of the talk of problems with DCC and MTH locos, plus their HO line apparently not doing very well/being neglected has scared me away from MTH permanently.
“Randy, newer MTH decoders do have DCC speed tables, as well as other features people complained were missing, as I stated above. Earlier diesels can also be updated to the new version via download; not older steamers, which have no upgrade capability. New steam has it also, such as my Yellowstone M3. The website manuals spell it out.”
Thanks for that info Hal. After spending about 2 hours rooting around MTH web site and reading the F7 manual my dumb *ss found no DCC updates? Could you possibly show this old dummy a link? Thanks.
http://mthtrains.com/80-2118-1
Click on the support tab. It’s in the pdf manual, about 2/3 of the way down maybe.
I’d MUCH rather they support adjusting the volume levels than have speed tables. I have have YET to need to use speed tables with ANYTHING. And I’ve beeing DCC for nearly 14 years. Just support CV2-6-5 and you can get things more than close enough (also one reason why I don’t use Tsunami sound decoders). Being able to adjust the sound levels without needing to find someone with a DCS system would be MUCH more useful.
Anyway the OP’s problem is not one with speed tables or speed matching.
–Randy
Those Pesky manuals. The smoke setting is under a tender hatch. All the way clockwise and F17 controls the smoke. All the way counter clockwise turns smoke off. Took me 2 minutes reading the PDF manual[:$] Thanks for the tip.