# Got The Hudson Home, Lionel 5412



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Got my hands on it and immediately noticed the screws to hold the shell down were missing. I pried it up loose with a small flathead screw driver. As soon as it cracked I saw an obvious wire cut. Also noted was the absence of the battery. The engine runs like a TANK! It looks clean but still no sound, not even a crackle...


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Engine shines up nice.


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

You may have noticed this already but if not at the base of each connector on the motherboard it should be marked where the wires go. (Tiny print) I am guessing the loose red and black wires are for the battery. No sound points to no power or speaker/speaker wires so make sure the pickup roller and frame are connected to the board.

Pete


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

I did not see any print, but the roller wires (2 black) are spliced together with one red and secured with the small wire nut. I checked and its a tight connection. I did noticed where the red wire secures to the board theres an empty space next to it. Also, it looks like the graphic labeled GENS 10 LIONEL TRAINS is melted.


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Also, there are two switches on the bottom of the engine. One for smoke which is on and one reads Run and Prog, does anyone know what the Prog stands for? Its currently switched to run.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

It is switched to run in conventional mode. The other required the controller, etc. for digital control.


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

I believe this engine is TMCC upgradable. If you open the engine you will find a motherboard with a 24 pin connector and nothing plugged into it. To convert this to TMCC you have to buy a radio board R2LC and also a TMCC capable audio board. Thats the board with the burn on the label. For some reason Lionel did not include a TMCC ready audio board in their "upgradable" engines.
The burned label is not a good sign. You may need a new audio board. If this is the case then just buy a TMCC audio board. This has generic steam and I think Lionel still has these in stock. A TMCC audio board will work with TMCC or conventional.

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'd insulate those two loose wires, they are for the battery and if they short or the red one hits ground, it's bad for the boards. 

If you want the two tender boards tested, you can send them to me and I'll check them for the price of return postage, $3. If they're bad, I can also fix you up with replacements.


----------



## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

Congrats! Glad you got them. Nice looking set. Did the shop deal with you?


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

balidas said:


> Congrats! Glad you got them. Nice looking set. Did the shop deal with you?


They sat at 100, but when I ran it last night after insulating the wires and pushing down on the boards it blew me away! Not because of sound, as there still is none, but just the consistent speed it kept around the track. I was able to crawl it and it never varied its speed. It's also very quiet. I'm thinking about a TMCC upgrade, also the smoke doesn't work...


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Ryan, here is link to the owners manual if you don't have it. 
It explains the TMCC upgrade if decide to go that route. It sounds like John has the parts you need and can help determining if the boards are OK. As I mentioned above for TMCC you still have to replace the audio board regardless.

https://www.lionelsupport.com/media/servicedocuments/72-8065-250.pdf

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you're thinking of a TMCC upgrade, you'd want to make sure the RailSounds board is the TMCC compatible one so that the sounds will work in command mode. I believe that locomotive upgrade is as simple as taking out the socketed _REVERSING UNIT 104E_ and replacing it with the R2LC. It already has the standard DCDR, and I believe it also has the insulated handrails. It's possible that the handrails have to be connected to the motherboard, but that would be about the extent of the conversion. If you get the yen to add cruise control, that's a pretty easy upgrade with the ERR Cruise Commander M as well.


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

If this still has the original Railsounds board, it will be conventional only. I don't think it can be determine what board is in there without testing it. Both boards look identical, the conventional one just doesn't respond to TMCC commands. I just helped with an upgrade of the identical engine. Disappointing when we found out a new audio board was required. Talk about Lionel nickle and diming you. Sheeesh

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Since someone has been in the tender, it's hard to know what he has. In any case, I have lots of the TMCC compatible RS4 boards.


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Norton said:


> Ryan, here is link to the owners manual if you don't have it.
> It explains the TMCC upgrade if decide to go that route. It sounds like John has the parts you need and can help determining if the boards are OK. As I mentioned above for TMCC you still have to replace the audio board regardless.
> 
> https://www.lionelsupport.com/media/servicedocuments/72-8065-250.pdf
> ...


Thank you very much for the link!


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

This engine will be run conventional only as the home it's going to doesn't have a control that supports. He's running a Z750 brick to MTH controller.


----------



## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

Ryan L said:


> They sat at 100, but when I ran it last night after insulating the wires and pushing down on the boards it blew me away! Not because of sound, as there still is none, but just the consistent speed it kept around the track. I was able to crawl it and it never varied its speed. It's also very quiet. I'm thinking about a TMCC upgrade, also the smoke doesn't work...


Well, you'll never know unless you try. I say you still got a good deal tho, even with any upgrades you may do. Good going.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Ryan L said:


> This engine will be run conventional only as the home it's going to doesn't have a control that supports. He's running a Z750 brick to MTH controller.


Well, you did previously say...


Ryan L said:


> I'm thinking about a TMCC upgrade, also the smoke doesn't work...


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Yes I did! Thank you for pointing that out! Lol! I think it can still be run conventional too? This is a gift, but now I need one for my collection!!!! Absolutely amazed by its detail and power, can't wait to hear it!


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Ryan, there are a few of these baby hudsons around that would fill the bill. This one from K-Line is a smooth runner and adds working markers and tender backup light. It came in conventional and TMCC with the same cab number. I found this conventional one for 75 bucks.










K-line made semi scale Mikados and Pacifics that are just as nice.
Probably nicest semi scale Hudson is the Lionel Lionmaster but with TMCC they usually fetch nearly three times what yours cost.

Pete


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

At this pint I think I'm ready to toss a few bucks in the right direction.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Ryan L said:


> At this pint...


And I presume the pint is to ease the pain?


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

I'm sure I'll need a few to help me cope with my train addiction! Haha


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Norton said:


> Ryan, there are a few of these baby hudsons around that would fill the bill. This one from K-Line is a smooth runner and adds working markers and tender backup light. It came in conventional and TMCC with the same cab number. I found this conventional one for 75 bucks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is a beautiful engine! Why do they call them "semi scale"? What makes the difference between the Lionmaster and other Hudsons, I think I'd be interested in learning more about this...


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Semi Scale can have many meanings. In this case it refers to something that is not a full 1/48th of the prototype. Most full scale equipment won't run on 031 or smaller diameter curves and a lot of three railers still use that track. Lionel created Lionmaster to offer well detailed models that can be run on smaller layouts. MTH has Railking, Atlas has Industrial Rail, K-Line actually called this Hudson and many more of their smaller engines "Semi Scale".

http://www.legacykline.com/apps/kl/catalog.html?useraction=item&p_item_type=Semi-Scale+Steam

Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

In the US, "scale" is 1:48 or one inch for every 4 feet of the prototype. "Semi-scale" is smaller, and may be selectively compressed to enhance it's appearance, but it will not be as large as the true "scale" model. "Traditional" is another term for semi-scale.

In Europe, "scale" is 1:43, don't ask me why we couldn't even agree on that!


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Thats great info guys! So I'm assuming the Lionmaster Hudson is the engine that sits on top of the heap? I like the idea of being able to run this engine on my smaller inner track without compromising detail.


----------



## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Ryan L said:


> Thats great info guys! So I'm assuming the Lionmaster Hudson is the engine that sits on top of the heap? I like the idea of being able to run this engine on my smaller inner track without compromising detail.


The Lionmaster Hudson is item 38045. There are some pics on the web. Its a bit nicer than the K-Line one and has a wireless tether. 

Pete


----------



## Ryan L (Dec 16, 2016)

Okay, I'm prob not gonna be able to sleep now till I have one of these! They look incredible, I'm blown away!


----------

