[Krieglok]

I bought the O gauge Lionel Hogwarts train set and the two add on coaches.

I have not run it yet. I was wondering about the operation of this locomotive. Do Lionchief equipped locos only operate with the provided remote?

They don’t operate in a convention mode with a transformer, do they?

Tom

 

[Qicvick]

Mine runs with regular transformer on my regular layout, no problem, I turn it on and increase power to max of 18 volts, train will light up and idle sound, the get the remote, turn on remote and bell, whistle, and throttle work,

 

[Jeff T]

LionChief - Provided remote only

LionChief + & LionChief + 2.0 - Remote or conventional

The chart is in the current Lionel catalog.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I wasn't really happy with the Hogwart's operation, so I did a small upgrade on mine.

 

[Volphin]

Did you add a cruise board to that loco as well as the super chuffer?

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I added cruise, Railsounds, fan driven smoke, and of course the Super-Chuffer and Chuff-Generator. One thing I didn't get to was lighting the lanterns on the pilot, I did that for a customer upgrade and I want to do it to mine.

 

[Bull6791]

I don’t like regular lion chief at all. I have to get a lion chief plus train.

 

[Krieglok]

I added cruise, Railsounds, fan driven smoke, and of course the Super-Chuffer and Chuff-Generator. One thing I didn't get to was lighting the lanterns on the pilot, I did that for a customer upgrade and I want to do it to mine.

Do the conversions you installed result in a “conventional “ engine or do you still need the LC remote to run it?

Tom

 

[Volphin]

Do the conversions you installed result in a “conventional “ engine or do you still need the LC remote to run it?

Tom

Tom, that loco would now be controlled via TMCC with the ERR upgrade... So it would be command mode using the CAB2.

 

[Krieglok]

Oh, okay. I am not really up on the terminology and names used in the various upgrades.

Thanks for clarifying that for me.

Tom

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

The command upgrade allows conventional or command operation. My focus is pretty strictly command, so that's how I run it.

 

[Thunder_Ridge_Railroad]

I added cruise, Railsounds, fan driven smoke, and of course the Super-Chuffer and Chuff-Generator. One thing I didn't get to was lighting the lanterns on the pilot, I did that for a customer upgrade and I want to do it to mine.

Hello, sorry to bring up an old topic, but we are new to model trains and we currently run the Lionchief Hogwarts Express around our living room ceiling shelf layout. Would you mind telling me what a "cruise board " is ? I like what you've done there, and I'd be interested in learning how to mod ours like this.

Thanks!

 

[Jetguy]

Hello, sorry to bring up an old topic, but we are new to model trains and we currently run the Lionchief Hogwarts Express around our living room ceiling shelf layout. Would you mind telling me what a "cruise board " is ? I like what you've done there, and I'd be interested in learning how to mod ours like this.

Thanks!

I wouldn't consider anything that you just saw done like adding cruise, adding a totally different smoke unit using super chuffer to be your first project.

I'm not saying you cannot, if you can follow instructions, follow a wiring diagram, and have both electrical and mechanical skills, sure, you could, ideally a lot of people should be able to do this.

But what isn't being said is this is a classic case of putting $300-$400 + dollars worth of the electronics, maybe more into an engine that ideally one should be able to get out of a set breakup for somewhere between say $130- $180. In other words, factor in the labor, and we are talking about putting 2-3 times the cost of the engine in upgrades.

Don't get me wrong, I've done it, we do it because we like the engine, but at the same time no, this is not recommended. If you want scale and features, do NOT buy a lionchief and then think you should upgrade it. Buy what you want in the features you want from the factory. Yes, a little harder to find these European engine styles, but MTH did make them and I own one. Way better money and time spent than trying to replicate what was done to the super Hogwarts. I think that example was where OK, so he designed the super chuffer, he is an ERR upgrade dealer, he has the skills and decided to see how far he could take one with upgrades. It's basically gutting and then scratch building an engine from an expensive and I do mean expensive to the rest of us, pile of parts.

Again, sorry, IMO, if you were talking about some amazing MTH Premier engine, that was say PS1 or a dead early PS2 5V, and then you blow this kind of coin on upgrades, that makes sense. Doing it to a Lionchief chassis, not so much.

BTW, ERR Cruise prices went up, I'll let him quote the new prices but that board alone is possibly more than the engine is worth stock. We are talking about $150+

 

[Jetguy]

Sorry if my post came off as negative. John's work is superb. That engine represents putting the best of the best components into an engine because you can. Again, to shoehorn it in there, to make some of the mechanical modifications that were done to change the motor and other details are true model making skills. Again, that engine is a true example of the type of master craftsman that he is.

All I was getting at is that as an example for a beginner, I think it's just an over the top of what is practical.

On the what is a Cruise board?
Well first you need to wrap your head around what is Lionchief. Lionchief is a simple all in one compact beginner board set with sounds that has a simple PWM motor speed control. It does not have any way of sensing the motor RPM and thus maintaining a constant speed regardless of load (the definition of what Cruise implies as a feature).
I've documented Lionchief boards here just as an example Early Lionchief non bluetooth enabled details

ERR is a company http://www.3rdrail.com/err-3rdrail/ that makes Lionel TMCC compatible (Train Master Command Control) circuit boards and upgrade kits. A Cruise upgrade kit consists of a motherboard combination motor drive circuit board, and then adds a plug in modular TMCC radio receiver and processor board that is basis of the engine control system.

Keep in mind, now we are also talking about adding a separate rail sounds soundboard since we have to chuck the original Lionchief. No to mention, while you can run a Cruise equipped engine conventionally, to get the true benefit of cruise, you really need command control or TMCC as a control system added to your track.

This is why I said this is not a suggested first project for "I'm just starting in trains" type of deal?
Again, sorry, jumping from Lionchief and then trying to get to ERR Cruise, command control, that is some serious cash outlay total end to end to upgrade from where you are today. You have to find a CAB1 base and remote, you would have to buy these upgrade kits, you'd have to do the upgrade, probably also want to buy the railsounds upgrade kit and they just went up in price too.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

The upgrade required stripping all of the electronics and the smoke unit from the locomotive and starting from scratch. Mechanically, it got a new fan driven smoke unit, then I added all the electronics. I have to agree, this is probably not a "first time" upgrade project.

 

[Jetguy]

Also, a perspective point of why I said what I said. This past weekend at a local trainshow, I bought a brand spanking new Lionel Lionchief Albert Hall engine that is the exact same engine as Hogwarts for less than the $65 asking price. Again, it was brand new, still had the white tag around the smoke stack indicating to fill it before running and had the foam packing inserts between the wheels and crossheads. It was missing the $15 lionchief remote control, but I tested with the orange Lionchief universal remote.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Also, a perspective point of why I said what I said.

I'm not sure why this really illuminates the point. A logical reason for doing a command upgrade to the Hogwart's locomotive is this is a unique road name/locomotive type, so if you're a command operator, it's logical to consider it.

FWIW, the plain LC version of the Hogwart's is hardly competition for a full command upgrade with fan driven smoke, cruise, real audio, 4-chuffs/rev, electrocouplers, etc.

 

[Jetguy]

Cost.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Well, cost is a consideration for any upgrade or conversion you do, this one is no different. However, if you really want a Hogwart's locomotive with better performance and features, right now it's the only game in town. I've had a few come through for the full upgrade after seeing my upgrade video, so cost obviously doesn't deter some folks.

 

[Millstonemike]

Like putting marble floors into an tent.