Broken Collectibles… Have you ever purchased anything knowing full well it was defective?

Yes.  I buy broken stuff, at "broken stuff" prices, all the time to get motors, wheels, other parts etc., for my bashing and scratch-build projects.  

I have also bought one "first shelf" loco knowing it was quite defective - and not caring.  I have the MTH coal turbine which I bought for far less than market price, knowing that while cosmetically perfect it would not run because it had both friend boards and bad motors.  It is a shelf queen now, displayed alongside my other (working) UP turbines and locos so one can see the full set of UP's ever-expanding quest for greater power in a single loco, etc.  The fact that it does not run is irrelevant since the monster is too big for my layout even if technically it would fit on my 72 and 84 inch curves.  I was quite happy with the purchase four years ago and still am today.

Since I like fixing trains, I buy broken stuff whenever I can. Either the piece gets fixed, or it becomes a parts source.
It isn't about money.  If one isn't careful, the cost of buying a junker, and the parts to fix it can wind up costing more than a nice one.

In my case, the question is, "Would I take something broken for free?". Probably not.

Like Lee I buy broken stuff, if the price is low enough, to either repair or use for parts.  Lately I bought some ZW's and 1033's.  New cords, rollers, cleaning, and good to go.

I bought a dirty, rusty, Lionel non-operating milk car just for the doors, door frames, and springs.

I kinda stay away from the new stuff though.  I don't really like tinkering with can motors and circuit boards.

Me too. I occassionally buy broken trains and accessories I either cannot afford new, or they are hard to come by. My most recent broken item purchase is a Railking NYO&W Y-2 Mountain that had dead electronics. GGG put new boards in this engine and it runs great!

Sometimes I bite Off more than I can chew like the Lionel Bascule Bridge. Even though this bridge came with the parts to restore it, it was more of a project than I wanted to get involved in.

I just bought some die cast turkeys missing their heads. I also hear the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale!

Oh my yes, as I have saved quite a bit of $$$ doing so (and couldn't afford some items I covet otherwise). A few examples:

- PW steamer. In a junk box stating it didn't run. Paid $20 and ran like new once cleaned.

- Parents gave me a box o' trains from a yard sale. A few pieces of rolling stock were trash, but the two engines cleaned up nicely. I think they paid $150 (way too much frankly)

- Standard Gauge 8E and cars, including a baggage car variation with bright red doors. The engine didn't run when I tried it, but just needed cleaned.

- Pre-war M10000. I knew it had some amateur touch-up work, but the pieces were all there and it didn't look too bad. Only a minor warp in one belly-pan as well. Ran well once I cleaned it. Still debating a restore or not.

I have bought broken stuff for the good remaining parts....

Gilly

Sure, all the time...Why wouldn't I??

I actually paid money for this 260E

Had the frame for this otherwise pretty nice original 263E

Bought this Huot Machinest tool box of Craigslist for $13, stripped it and repainted in the original colors (still need to put the front door on)

Brought this 1962 vintage Coronado TUBE stereo home from my Grandma's house.  Spent $25 on new caps and a new needle...oh and a can of pledge, and she screams a massive 7 Watts per channel.

Old stuff is the Best!!

I fix them.

If my daughter gave me a broken train item I would definitely fix it up. Obviously she would think that I am capable of such a feat and I would have to live up to that.

If possible, I would also involve her in the fixing up process. It would be an excellent learning experience for both of us.  

Most of the Marx engines I have required repairs which are not difficult and parts are easy to find.Others as well and I find this enjoyable to have projects on the workbench which I suppose is against the grain of what most do. Theres a great deal of satisfaction in returning this stuff to life. I bought one of the first cabinet radios made and its so good looking I dont care if it works or not.

Someone was selling a couple Southern Daylight's, one didn't smoke. I wanted the non smoker but someone beat me to it. I figured with all the smoke units I've had apart, what's one more!!

No risk, no reward! 

Yes, I purchased some passenger cars with lighting problems figuring I could get them fixed. Now they are as good as new.

Over the years, I can't count the number of broken cars and accessories that I've bought, restored to like-new and run.  The only "broken" purchase I've regretted was a 681 that I intended to restore.  But as it turned out, it was so far gone that, short of replacing absolutely everything (including the shell, wheels and frame), there was no way I was going to get it back in useful running order.

It wasn't a total loss, since I'm still using it for parts.  But it was a lesson in hubris, and how no one should get overconfident.

When I was about 14 years old I found an 2333 with no shell in the train/bicycle shop in my home town that had steel wool all over the drive side. I cleaned it up and got it running, but then a lack of a shell was a real problem.

Later on I added a second motor, painted the frame flat black, added an LCRU, dummy unit,  two Illinois Central shells, and it sitting on the floor layout right now.

All the time.....often on the cheap! These are both salvage.....total investment around $15.....and I had fun!!!

The B&O box car body was used as a mailing container for some O scale parts I bought from a ebay seller!!! I made a chassis and added step and trucks!! Talk cheap!!

I bought a Lionel Flying Yankee in the condition seen below...

And refurbished it to look like this.

Broken Collectibles - I think that describes my trains.

Any time I can get something for free or a very good price I buy when it comes to trains. Sometimes for extra parts, sometimes to rebuild and other times because I like to hoard.

Oh, gosh, yes. "Parts is parts", as someone said, and I'm not sure what a "collectible"

is, anyway.

My all time "worst" was a complete set of AMT extruded aluminum passenger cars -

you know, the ones with the beautiful trucks; the cars that "forced" Lionel

to come out with their aluminum cars in the 1950's - that had spent several days

under Gulf of Mexico salt water, after hurricane Katrina. Cheap. Crusty. Funky. But, they all roll, now. Collectible? Har. They look...OK. Weathered, and how.

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Same train show: Eight "gold" MTH heavyweight NYC passenger cars. Gold-plated

NYC Hudson. Katrina stuff, as we call it around here. Loco frozen up - but shiny,

as gold isn't afraid of salt water. Cars OK, but dull. I didn't buy the set - and it went for $200.00. Scale Hudson and 8 scale cars.

The new owner freed up the gearbox, lubed it - and the darn thing ran. Really.

No sound though. Aw, poor baby. $200.00.

I do all the time . Sadly I wish I didn't buy my last engine that was broke .. I can't buy the fregin legacy rs6 board for it...

Lionel's policy in the past was to repair Railsounds boards. Have you contacted them?

They will exchange boards. They just won't sell you one outright.

Pete

Yes, this has been a most enjoyable part of the hobby for me.  I've bought many "end of collection" lots from Charles Siegal's Train City auctions.  They've contained all manner of broken treasures in the rough.

I bought a basket case Lionel 2056 from a parts box under a dealer's table. It obviously had a hard life, and I felt sorry for it. Parts were missing. Someone had slapped dismal black paint all over it. After I cleaned and lubed the motor and drive train, it ran smoothly and quietly. After I tracked down original rods, a smoke unit, and other parts, I asked a friend to repaint her as Reading T-1 No. 2124, the 4-8-4 that inaugurated the Reading's renowned Iron Horse Rambles (1959-1964). He spliced two 1666T tenders to represent a long, elegant T-1 tender (19,000 G / 26 T). I installed a Lionel postwar air whistle witha Dallee relay. This beauty won a blue ribbon in the first Restoration contest by the TCA Standards Committee during the York Meet a few years ago. She still runs like a Hamilton watch

That's the problem I didn't know it didn't have the board .. Can't exchange what I don't have 

jojofry - Perhaps you could sell it for whatever the market will bear to someone who can install just an aftermarket reversing unit in it.  There seem to be plenty of operators who aren't that enamored of remote control systems.

No it's a cp rail es44 I will hold on to it till I get the board.  

If it's already broke when you buy it, I have found that you can break it even more if you try hard enough.

Good way to learn before messing inside the good stuff. 

All the time. Love the cheap price but love the satisfaction of a job well done. Some of the nicest things I own are restored.

When I run out of things to fix, I buy something like this.

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/BlogShowThread?id=829

Back in the late 1980's, I bought a beat-up 736 minus tender for $75 bucks.  However, it ran well and was a prolific smoker.

Another $50 bucks later, I had this:

New handrails, the tender was an MPC shell with a postwar frame modified for the MPC 6 wheel trucks and the then state of the art electronic mighty sound of steam.

Rusty

absolutely

Once at york I purchased a full 12 car set of Weaver coal hoppers. some and broken or missing trucks and lots of dust. After a bit of negotiating I got the set for $90 and BTW the seller said you also get these with the cars, 12 Blue mountain coal loads. I got home Saturday and by that evening all the cars were repaired and fully functional. 

 The real irony of the story was my York shopping list had a Weaver 12 car coal drag atop the list

All the time, to kitbash, and am looking for some right now, to use the chasses for

an inspection engine and a steam coach.  The Marx Mikado I have previously posted

pictures of on here was kitbashed from a #1829 "Hudson" with a cracked boiler shell.