I bought my backshop new from a dealer back in 1998 when it was released. It's been on my layout since then. I had done some work last year on my sidings so the backshop got boxed up until I was ready to reinstall. Got it back out and decided to bench test it before putting it on the layout. It had some operating issues that needed attention.
The first was the doors. One door kept jamming going down. I found the rubber was no longer flat but had some ripples on the sides. The ripples were not tracking well and causing it to jam. Lionel does not list any doors available for replacement so I had to fix my current door. I ended up putting a soft cotton cloth over the door and ironed the rubber! I figured the heat would help give the rubber new memory of being flat. A couple of passes over the cloth did the trick! It warmed up the rubber and now it lies flat again.
Second issue was the electronics kept thinking there was a jam. One of the cherry switches was out of alignment. Simple quick adjustment as Lionel has slotted holes to adjust the switch.
Third issue was the middle machine. The wheels were no longer turning. Found the wheels uses the same drive belt as the rotary snowplow. I have a new belt on order to fix the machine. It was held in by 4 screws and the machine pulls apart for simple repair. It also exposes the gear box. I opened that up and added some fresh gear oil on the plastic gears. Just waiting on the new drive belt to finish it up.
Finally, I updated the wire panel with correct info from the addendum sheet. The panel is labeled wrong so I thought it best to mark it correctly.
Not too bad for a 24 year old accessory.
