Fix, Repair, or Toss it out!!

That was very nice of you. That's what model railroading is all about.

Outstanding Popi!  What a great example of helping out a fellow enthusiast!  

Countless kids enjoyed the PE because of your quick thinking.  

Two birds, one stone!!

I helped get a follow exhibitor back up and running

AND

made a sale for a friend that sells at the shows.

Popi,

That's a great story!  Yes, the solution to pricey replacement parts can be combining parts from two to make one loco.  Who knows, maybe he can help someone who will want his Yankees loco body too.

Nice job and quick thinking to broker the deal on the Berks. 

I do the same thing pretty often, cannibalize a cheap engine to fix something I value. Right now I'm sitting on a PS-3 starter set steamer that I picked up cheap - when the time is right it will become a (nonexistent) PS-3 upgrade kit. It's usually easier to cannibalize a command installation than to install a kit anyway. 

Well Popi, did you research the parts or just give a ball park?  The motor is $24.50 and the board is either $16.50 or $25 depending on which circuit board is in the engine.  So the parts are $49.50 plus shipping $9 worst case. If it was still running the board was fine.  It would not need to be replaced.  So a motor and shipping is $33.50.   G

I don't believe I've ever thrown anything train related away. If I don't have a use for something, I'll sell it or give it away. I it's something I like, I'll try to fix it and keep it. Someone always has use for trains in any condition. I've stuck by this philosophy since I was young. I remember my dad telling me he threw away a post war whistle tender because the whistle didn't work, and he was in maintenance!

Don

the last two boards I had replaced for a friend loco cost Him $280 for the two boards, shipping and labor. Had to take it to a hobby shop to get it assessed and fixed.

I think some of the electronics for the '90s era stuff is pretty pricey and hard to get. I think G's prices reflect what it would have cost to fix this more modern engine.

Pete

Popi, Command engine are a different cost.  Lionel's part site will give you the cost of the parts.

For a conventional engine, even the older MPC stuff the cost is pretty reasonable.

Also, when an engine is still running and the motor is going bad, you only need to replace the motor.  On the other hand when the board burns up, it usually means the motor is bad so that is when both get replace.

I only commented incase some one new to the hobby saw this about their train and thought it would be that expensive to fix.  Usually it isn't.  G

Way to go Popi!  Wish you could come to our shows, another good guy is always welcome and appreciated.

Art

great way to help him out!

we thought about comingto the monthly Chicago show, But the guy I was emailing back and forth with said they only building he could get us into was building #5. And the last time we we to that show as spectators, Building #5 was out of the way of most spectator traffic, and the dealers said that very few people walk down to building #5 because its out of the way. So we decided against it. Not worth the 14 hr drive to run trains for nobody.