Lionel 990 Legacy Command Set, Train Remote, Run 2 Engines on Same Track

My husband read the review regarding the date on the box. He went to his Favorite Railroad forum and commented there regarding the date and the warranty concern after I ordered the item for him. The Box from Amazon came in a shipping box and within the shipping box was a Lionel Overpack box and the overpack box did have the 2016 date. My Husband was very confused as late last year he did send his original Command Base set back to Lionel and it was absolutely purchased prior to 2016 was very cordially accepted back for warranty repairs. Upon my husband unpacking the Command Base he opened up the shipping box and inside was the Command Base in an overpack box. My husband was surprised that there were no peanuts to prevent the unit in the shipping box from moving around. No discernable damage was observed so he continued the unpacking. As far as the date on the overpack box, the date was labeled as "OBS" Date. He and I do not know what these initials mean. After opening the actual Blue Set box, all the materials were very nicely packed. If you are familiar with the Command Base and Remote, the current software versions for the units is 1.6 and both the Base and Remote had this version loaded. This told my husband that these units as relatively new. My husband was still concerned about the warranty and attempted to register the equipment on the Lionel website but was not able to. He was informed on his railroad forum and it assured him that Lionel is not bothering to registering this equipment anymore. Numerous individuals on the forum assured him as was his experience late last year that this equipment is repaired by Lionel under warranty regardless of age assuming it is not abuse due to the failure.

There are too many features to write about but I’ll mention a few: You run your layout at full power. The speed of the train is controlled by the remote, so all the car lights remain at full power and are not dependent on the speed of the train. You can run 2 engines on the same line at the same time and control each engine separately via the remote. You can throw switches using the remote. There are a lot of accessories that can be contorlled by this system but they must state That they are a Legacy controlled accessory! Have fun!

The Lionel Legacy Command Set seems to work fine. Good news is that it is the latest version produced by Lionel so it doesn't have to be updated either by Lionel directly or by having to get the latest card(s). Looking forward to using it for a long time. Thanks for your help.

I have a straightforward setup with an old Lionel 1033 Transformer. I wanted to control newer Legacy engines more easily and added the #990 to the setup. This involves only a single wire and leaves the 1033 able to control older engines without needing any type of adapting switch. For Legacy engines, one merely powers up the 1033 fully and then controls the engine with the 990. The hardware arrived with version 1.4 of the Legacy remote and base control software already installed.The setup is easy enough, with each Legacy engine's orange firmware module utilized to add the engine to the available queue. That said, the hardware is fairly complex, with engine ID's needing to be changed prior to adding the firmware. Then I found I needed to install LSU software on the PC side of my Mac in order to add capabilities for each engine. For instance, my Amtrak Dash Nine diesel has ditch lights which can be controlled but which are not part of the provided firmware. Adding the control requires the LSU software. Moreover, the included wiring has only 9 pin serial connectors, so I needed a KeySpan USB adaptor to hook that up (luckily I have one handy). The LSU software works without difficulty.The hardware seems to have some problem knowing how to recharge batteries in the remote since I have blinking red lights even when the batteries (provided) are fully charged. They never seem to turn green as the instruction manual indicates will eventually happen. That said, the remote works both on and off the control base.Newer Lionel Subway cars work nicely with the remote, and can now function properly with announcements, buzzer, horn, and doors opening and closing as desired. The digital control capability also permits multiple Legacy engines to be operated on the same block of track. I haven't yet explored the complex possibilities of recording, switching, operating accessory cars, and so forth. This is not your father's (or grandfather's) train command control -- it is far more complex and will provide for days of exploration, if not months. The instructions are somewhat circuitous and Lionel has provided an online FAQ for achieving the basics of adding new engines to the queue, hooking up the base to the computer, and so forth. You'll need all the available information for your first few hours to make everything work properly.My four star rating is based upon the potential of the hardware, but the fifth star is reserved for a time when the instruction manual is improved and for the battery charging hardware to work properly. One good point of the latter issue is that the batteries are standard AA rechargeables and can be recharged separately if it comes to that. It would also be nicer if icon changes could be made on the remote without needing to hook the base up to the computer and run LSU. Most folks probably don't have a PC handy at the train table, though I can see that becoming more frequent in the future.

Easy to use and set up. Works great.

Nice control, when you figure out what buttons to use. Found the manual a little complicated for a novice. Went to YouTube and demos to get through the little problems. Train operates well with this controller.

It works great and is easy to use.I'm able to run two trains on the same track with no problem.

I purchased this item because I thought would operate in a conventional mode. I have a Postwar Zw transformer. The 990 does not operate in a conventional mode. I do not have Legacy engines yet. Deep in the manual they explained that I would have to purchase more equipment to make it work as advertised. The Lionel manager who explained the function of the system was not a good communicator. I was not interested in sign waves. I wanted my trains to run. He seemed out of touch. I will probably spend the thousand or so dollars to make my system viable. But with I would not invest any money in Lionel stock. Unless they improve their marketing techniques they will not servive.