The Triplex has always been one of my favorite locomotives despite its flaws. The design is incredibly unique and it did do the job as a pusher, so I can appreciate this locomotive and its existence. This is a nice model, but I will say it’s hard to find one in good condition at a fair price.
Thank you. Great video. You mentioned setting CV52 to the value of 1 and a required step to other programming. Will that help me program a long address into my MTH HO Triplex #5014 p/n 80-3196-1? I get two toots after setting CV29 to 38, but then no toots after entering CV17 or 18 values and the engine then no longer responds to address 3 or 5014. It takes a short address no problem but a long one. You also mentioned another video of yours in which you cover this. Which video is that? I look through all of yours listed and did not find it. Thank you.
Ok.. so trying to understand. Setting CV 52 won't help you in this particular case if all you're trying to do is set CVs 17 and 18. Can you tell me what values you're putting in to 17 and 18? Also, can you tell me what value is in 1?
@@DoctorHobby Thanks. Afterward I found out that to program a long address in an MTH HO engine that won't accept NCE Option 1 long address programming (many later MTH HO do, some earlier ones don't) you should first program CV17, CV 18, and then CV29. MTH instructions have it backwards with CV29 first. 29, 17, then 18 did not work, but 17, 18, then 29 worked great. My engine now has address 5014 which is its cab number. ( I used the MTH cab # conversion table to get the correct CV17 and 18 values.) But back to my original question - what does programming CV52 to 1 do that you said it is essential to do first before getting started? Would you also please provide a link to the video in which you said you explained that earlier? Thank you. PS sorry for the typos in my first comment. I was on my phone and parallel-processing with something else.
Basically, MTH locomotives are in NCE mode, for the lack of a better way to put it, and setting 52 to "1" tells the decoder that you're going to be sending DCC change commands to it and not NCE commands.
@@DoctorHobby Interesting. Thank you. I've never heard of them in NCE mode, but for latter production units that makes sense. My experience has been that some MTH HO engines definitely work better with NCE Option 1 and 3 buttons for Address and Configuration respectively than others. I've also noticed a correlation between production timeframe and that compatibility. The cut off point so far seems to me to be around mid-2014. Everything 2008 to mid-2014 is less apt to work with NCE pre-packaged commands than engines mid-2014 to 2021 (last release Yellowstone). Earlier units also do not respond to CV8=resets. Later ones do, no problem. Earlier units require 55-55-55. Earlier unit Function button assignments are also different than latter. In some cases (e.g. 2010 cataloged but Sep 2014 delivered Triplex) the Function button assignment page in the manual is correct, but the cheat sheet packed with the engine is wrong (it reflects latter F button assignments). Delivery date is also not the only indicator, but also in which catalog an engine first appeared. Some appeared, for example, in a 2010 catalog but weren't delivered until 2014, while others took much less time between catalog and delivery. If in a pre-2014 catalog but maybe not delivered until 2014 or later, an engine may actually have earlier than latter DCC electronics. In which case CV8=8 reset and NCE Options 1 and 3, for examples, will not work even though you might expect them to as with latter production MTH HO DCC equipped locomotives. In any case, MTH HO engines are well done and fun to own and operate. Scale Trains has a great starting point with which to launch some killer engines.
Nice triplex! For your case of the engine stopping on the curve, maybe check the drawbar. It maybe coming loose when you round the curve. MTH makes a small plastic brick for the drawbars in O gauge. Not sure if they make it for HO gauge…
Ah, you know, I just blindly assumed that they would transfer everything through wires, but you might very well be on to something! I'll take a look to see if they're transferring power through the bar and let you know! Thanks tons!
I've dealt with a person who accused me of breaking a danbury mint car I bought from him off of ebay be careful everyone before you buy used stuff sometimes you get more problems than you bargain for
That was always the issue with MTH the horrible DCS system and some questionable quality, but their engines always looked really nice. With scaletrains now owning the tooling hopefully they can work out some of those quality issues and obviously they won't be bothering with DCS, will be putting in DCC decoders. I know they were also modifying tooling to accept their motors which will improve low speed performance of engines like this. So someday in the future when they release this model again it should be better and less frustrating.
The DCS system is nothing but terrible. I have a NYC Empire Builder Hudson that's going to need a complete DCC replacement because of it's horrible speed control. I guess I'll make a video out of it.
The Triplex has always been one of my favorite locomotives despite its flaws. The design is incredibly unique and it did do the job as a pusher, so I can appreciate this locomotive and its existence. This is a nice model, but I will say it’s hard to find one in good condition at a fair price.
Wow it functions exactly like the real Triplex.
It looks great! So many things moving around, right? Thanks for tuning in!
@@DoctorHobby it was a more at a tease at the triplex's complications.
Thank you. Great video. You mentioned setting CV52 to the value of 1 and a required step to other programming. Will that help me program a long address into my MTH HO Triplex #5014 p/n 80-3196-1? I get two toots after setting CV29 to 38, but then no toots after entering CV17 or 18 values and the engine then no longer responds to address 3 or 5014. It takes a short address no problem but a long one. You also mentioned another video of yours in which you cover this. Which video is that? I look through all of yours listed and did not find it. Thank you.
Ok.. so trying to understand. Setting CV 52 won't help you in this particular case if all you're trying to do is set CVs 17 and 18. Can you tell me what values you're putting in to 17 and 18? Also, can you tell me what value is in 1?
@@DoctorHobby Thanks. Afterward I found out that to program a long address in an MTH HO engine that won't accept NCE Option 1 long address programming (many later MTH HO do, some earlier ones don't) you should first program CV17, CV 18, and then CV29. MTH instructions have it backwards with CV29 first. 29, 17, then 18 did not work, but 17, 18, then 29 worked great. My engine now has address 5014 which is its cab number. ( I used the MTH cab # conversion table to get the correct CV17 and 18 values.) But back to my original question - what does programming CV52 to 1 do that you said it is essential to do first before getting started? Would you also please provide a link to the video in which you said you explained that earlier? Thank you. PS sorry for the typos in my first comment. I was on my phone and parallel-processing with something else.
Basically, MTH locomotives are in NCE mode, for the lack of a better way to put it, and setting 52 to "1" tells the decoder that you're going to be sending DCC change commands to it and not NCE commands.
@@DoctorHobby Interesting. Thank you. I've never heard of them in NCE mode, but for latter production units that makes sense. My experience has been that some MTH HO engines definitely work better with NCE Option 1 and 3 buttons for Address and Configuration respectively than others. I've also noticed a correlation between production timeframe and that compatibility. The cut off point so far seems to me to be around mid-2014. Everything 2008 to mid-2014 is less apt to work with NCE pre-packaged commands than engines mid-2014 to 2021 (last release Yellowstone). Earlier units also do not respond to CV8=resets. Later ones do, no problem. Earlier units require 55-55-55. Earlier unit Function button assignments are also different than latter. In some cases (e.g. 2010 cataloged but Sep 2014 delivered Triplex) the Function button assignment page in the manual is correct, but the cheat sheet packed with the engine is wrong (it reflects latter F button assignments). Delivery date is also not the only indicator, but also in which catalog an engine first appeared. Some appeared, for example, in a 2010 catalog but weren't delivered until 2014, while others took much less time between catalog and delivery. If in a pre-2014 catalog but maybe not delivered until 2014 or later, an engine may actually have earlier than latter DCC electronics. In which case CV8=8 reset and NCE Options 1 and 3, for examples, will not work even though you might expect them to as with latter production MTH HO DCC equipped locomotives. In any case, MTH HO engines are well done and fun to own and operate. Scale Trains has a great starting point with which to launch some killer engines.
Hey Doc your pilot wheels in front are not turning
Ah well… the track gives…the track takes…
How fast can it go
Not speedy
Nice triplex! For your case of the engine stopping on the curve, maybe check the drawbar. It maybe coming loose when you round the curve. MTH makes a small plastic brick for the drawbars in O gauge. Not sure if they make it for HO gauge…
Ah, you know, I just blindly assumed that they would transfer everything through wires, but you might very well be on to something! I'll take a look to see if they're transferring power through the bar and let you know! Thanks tons!
@@DoctorHobby no problem;)
I've dealt with a person who accused me of breaking a danbury mint car I bought from him off of ebay be careful everyone before you buy used stuff sometimes you get more problems than you bargain for
Yeah.. They're are definitely some rotten eggs on eBay that make it a pain for everyone
That was always the issue with MTH the horrible DCS system and some questionable quality, but their engines always looked really nice. With scaletrains now owning the tooling hopefully they can work out some of those quality issues and obviously they won't be bothering with DCS, will be putting in DCC decoders. I know they were also modifying tooling to accept their motors which will improve low speed performance of engines like this. So someday in the future when they release this model again it should be better and less frustrating.
The DCS system is nothing but terrible. I have a NYC Empire Builder Hudson that's going to need a complete DCC replacement because of it's horrible speed control. I guess I'll make a video out of it.