Year: 2011
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Fixing Lionel TMCC ground plane issue without ruining layout cosmetics
Installed ground cover in the yard area and telephone poles carrying a wire to solve the Lionel TMCC ground plane issue where engines to not respond and lights blink.
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Tape Chain Christmas Card attempt – 1986
An attempt at creating a Taped Chain Christmas Card for 1986 grads who went off to college that year. We were 2nd on the list so this is all I have. Christmas Chain Letter – 1986
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More disappointment from Lionel – Yet another bad ES44AC!
My excitement of receiving my third replacement BNSF ES44AC from Lionel quickly changed to disappointment and disgust. Upon opening the box, I could tell by the packaging that it had been previously opened by someone else, just like the last defective replacement they sent me. In both cases, the packs of silica gel were wedged…
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It's getting laughable with Lionel
I received my replacement BNSF ES44AC diesel engine from Lionel and carefully but eagerly unpacked it for a test run. Initial inspection revealed 3 loose or broken pilot steps which I was able to glue back on. The cab windows had small scratches and fingerprints, and overall the loco didn’t look “brand new in the…
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BNSF ES44AC loco and Legacy Remote gets returned to Lionel for Repairs
I decided there were too many issues with the BNSF ES44AC Lemon, er, uh, Loco so I returned it to Lionel for a repair. They agreed that there were too many separate issues and are sending me a replacement. I pushed for a replacement and appreciate Lionel’s concern and willingness to try to satisfy me.…
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Giving up on Lionel?
In previous posts I have documented my experience with opening up the Lionel Legacy BNSF ES44AC and related build quality and wiring issues inside. After re-assembling from the last repair, the engine ran OK for a few short sessions and then the rear coupler would no longer fire. I took it apart and found a…
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I just wanna know where the gray wire goes…
In a previous post, I explained how I opened my Lionel Legacy ES44AC and found a loose small gray wire. I determined it was coming from the radio board with another gray wire which went to a side handrail for the TMCC antenna. But where should this second loose gray wire go? It was a…
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Lionel Legacy BNSF ES44AC internal wiring build quality issues
While troubleshooting Legacy/TMCC signal issues, I decided to open the shell on my Legacy ES44AC. Note that this is essentially a Vision Line Evo Hybrid diesel without the charging lights and without the Vision Line coat-of-arms; and therefore, not being an “official” Vision Line product, I am apparently allowed to open it up for repair…