If you are asking for help fixing locomotives, please do this.

You tried this before Marty, too bad this can't be a sticky!

 

John, how many times have we observed someone state his engine does not work.  Nothing else to go with.  We first need to figure who made it and when.  This is common.  You know what my thoughts are on this.

 

I remember a few years ago a guy who purchased many pieces of crap off fleabay and haunted OGR Forum members to help him put things together.  He would never buy on the forum.  Like many fleabay buyers he just followed the price.   Many of the tech guys know who I am talking about.

Well said Marty. Hopes that it will stick this time, unfortunately this may not be read by people who could and should read and follow this information. But there is absolutely no harm in suggesting this protocol. I sure hope it works.

Very good suggestions Marty. It's just like going to the doctor the more info, the better.

Don

It's certainly a good idea, sometimes it's like pulling teeth to find out what model engine they have!  God forbid that you'd want some actual symptoms of what the failure is, or any info about the configuration.

 

I agree with Marty, he addressed operating issues with engines, this can be expanded to many different topics. I worked in engineering many years and had to remedy warranty or performance issues, the basic questions that I asked were the factual history of what occurred in a sequential order with a product performance issues or failure of a product. I had to explain to the customer or internally to engineering/manufacturing/quality control that these questions did not point guilt at any party we needed facts. This was especially true when a forensic study was done on a part, fabrication or assembly had performance issues or a failure occurred, no finger pointing, just an independent unbiased objective investigation.  

......and another well deserved bump.

 

As with anything diagnostic, administering help without knowing all the pertinent info could very well kill the patient.  It's so easy to eagerly help another member armed with inadequate facts ( guilty as charged ).  Frustration for the repairman is only the half of it.

Marty, you are absolutely right. I don't know how many times I've looked at a request for help with a locomotive and I can't make head or tail out of it. I would add one more - write in coherent English sentences. Some of what I read on this forum seems to have a lot of English words in it, but they are strung together in a way that doesn't actually communicate information. 

Number 9 is particularly important. Telling everyone what fixed the problem adds to the collective knowledge base.

May I add:

Your title should be more specific than "Need Help".

Marty,

 

I will agree with everything but number 5. New or Used yes but I don’t care where someone that needs help got their engine from. If I were doing it as a business it would not matter to me either. I would be getting paid for the repair. Not to criticize where it came from. It’s not my concern whether or not it was a yard sale, flea market, train show or hobby shop. The person is asking for help.

 

From me Help is given freely it is my small amount of payback for help and ideas I have received on the forum.

 

I can understand the distain by brick and mortar stores for the Bay. But it’s hard to find a better place to acquire K-line scale engines. Most of my command engines have come from fleabay…   

Nelson, first off so we can be on the same page.  I am retired and do not need train work to get by.  I do not fix trains for a LIVING.  I am currently doing work for my friend Charles Ro until he can get someone to the many schools I have attended.  I am a school fan and all my life have attended many.  

 

BTW, I fix several hundred locomotives each year.   Two years ago, the number was much higher.  The new Lionel RCMC boards have decreased the Lionel number of needed repairs.  I have gone into the store to pick up locomotives and sometimes only have 5 or 6.  I have gone in other times and had 24 to fix.  I have seen locomotives from several locations.  I know what ones are good and what ones are not.  

 

I can be choosy and refuse to work on fleabay locomotives.  Yes some people get great deals and I am very happy for them.  I have seen the other side of the coin and it is not always good.  I am in the position to make that choice.  If I was doing this for a living, I would not be able to be choosy.  I have many friends who do this for a living call me for assistance and I sometimes feel sorry for them when they get a very bad rat's nest.

 

I am a big K-Line fan.  All the big stores usually have a good selection of the command engines.  York had many of them last week.  A friend of mine picked up a NIB command NYC hudson for short money.  At York you know who you are buying from.  I sell any K-Line engines I have on the forum.  I just sold two recently.  People like to buy engines that I sell as I go through them and stand behind them.  Not so on most online auctions.  

 

I believe in helping when I can.  I am not at the level of Gunrunner or George (GGG) but have been able to help any Forum member who is in need of help.  If I do not have an answer, I do have every support document and repair manual that Lionel or MTH has made.  

 

 

 

 

Well said, Marty.  I'm grateful for all the help I've received over the years from you, John and others.   Following a few simple requests is a small price to pay.

-Greg

Greg,

 

I learn every day.  I love to learn.  Guys that get good help here in general appreciate it.  Item number 9 should be completed by anyone who has been helped as it may help others.  Any information given out is free.  I have seen a big drop in the 2 centers who like to throw something in they heard from some guy somewhere.  These people tend to contaminate a post.  Many of the people who respond for call for help can contribute well.

I believe this will 'help'....

 

 

 

Then, again, maybe not....

 

Your clarity of logic, simplicity of request, and persistent perseverance is spot on, Marty!

 

Your target audience, however,......well,.....

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

 

KD

 

 

Marty,

You are so right,just looked at fleabay an hour ago specifically MTH and some of these guys selling proto locos wont tell you if they function correctly,they give you the we ran it in conventional.

Mikey

Point well made,

I seek advice from time to time and have had an engine repaired by a forum member with better than great results. Also have received help from members on things just not learned yet such as, CLEAN THE TRACK!.

 

Brent

Marty,

I agree with everything said about train repairs.. after all most of it is just common sense...

and I also agree that there is no substitute for training and you can never have too much..

Hope you had a good York.. from what I saw and read it sure looked like it..

A photograph of the Locomotive could be posted if the person has a digital camera or cell phone with a camera.

 

Andrew

NICE try, but...

 

"You can't fix stupid!" 

just need to bump this thread back to the top every now and then.... although I think that is a felony around here sometimes 

I agree 100% with you another one I love is I have a engine its Lionel whats it worth? 

My normal response is first I tell them the info needed and that we need pics 2nd tell them that's like me asking you how much my car is worth without telling you anything other than its a chevy or ford or dodge etc. 

Marty,

Now that York is over, I think you might want to mention this issue to Rich.

Dave G.

Rich and Allan . . . . 

 

Marty's request is not only valuable, it is essential !

Let's make this a sticky at the top of all pages !!

 

Scrapiron Scher

Marty,

Amen!!

jackson

EXCELLENT advice from Marty Fitzhenry, and well worth repeating:

 

Some members request help from time-to-time with an operating issue. Here are a few things I would always like to see noted in a request for assistance or repairs.

 

1. Make/model of engine, and is it under warranty?

 

2. Item number of engine.

 

3. Command or conventional operation?

 

4. Transformer used.

 

5. New engine or used? If used, is it a fleabay queen?  Fleabay has lots of junk for bargain hunters.  Remember, you only get what you pay for.

 

6. Did it run when you received it?

 

7. What have you or someone done to fix it or what parts have been replaced?

 

8. Do not look for help, have people spend their time, and then state you are sending it out for repair. Don't waste people's time if that was your plan from the start.

 

9. If forum members spend time helping you out and you get your issue solved, let other members know as the situation could help others. Many members looking for help pull the anchor up and never let anyone know the outcome.

 

Hey Marty  I have this blue engine that doesn't work when I turn the handle  Is it supposed to light up?

hey ben.....

a blue engine.....? 

what happened to all black or GMY with L A C K A W A N N A.....

Ah yes,,,,,,,,the key MISSING ingredient, i.e. "common sense"!

Ben, is that the engine you always spill beer on?  Guys, I know number 5 will get all the fleabay buyers upset.  That can be taken out if need be.  I know guys do this for a living.  I stand tall and will not work on any of that.

No, leave 5 in. Some people need to figure out that a "good deal" in price can, a lot of times, end up being a bad deal in the end.

 

I have wondered if there's a need for a "Repairs" forum section

 

Like Nelson, I agree with everything but #5, and for the same reason.  As for Marty, you are totally in line to be choosy on the repair work you do since you don't do it for a living and I stand by you in that choice, but I don't think you should post that same prejudice on the forum.  The vast majority of my rolling stock came from eBay, and only one was bad.  The seller made an offer to me in an attempt to sweep it under the rug, but I turned him down as I did get a deal on it and it's a model I wanted, and I knew I could come here for help to not only fix it, but make it better then anything I could buy elsewhere.  Now someone going and buying known junk for cheap on eBay for the purpose of coming to the forum to get free help fixing it so they can flip it is rather poor form IMHO, but who am I to judge?  One thing I have learned is that karma will get you in the end.

Great post, Marty!

 

• As has been mentioned above, No. 9 is very important. Not only for those who may benefit from the success of the steps taken to resolve the issue, but to thank those who contributed in the solution.

 

• I have just a different variation or ‘note’ regarding No. 8.

Occasionally, a forum member may post a problem, well described, with an engine or accessory, to see if there is anything obvious that he/she may have missed. If that is not the case, then the item is sent out for repairs, as planned. I don’t see anything wrong with this.

 

I have done this myself with an engine that did not perform well, suspected that it may need to be sent out for repair, but wanted to make sure that the problem was not due to something I was overlooking. After three or four replies (posts), it became obvious that the repair may involve more than I wanted to do myself, so I sent the engine out.

 

Thank you for the thread!

 

Alex

Modelers have had good/bad deals on ebay, internet, authorized dealers, private sellers and so on. I should think that people on this forum want to help others no matter where the item came from if it is for personal use, yes?

Well said, Marty!  I have tried to include most that information on requests, but there were a couple concerning used engines I hadn't thought of.

Thanks!

Marty:

 

Go with the original list you posted.  Source is important.  We all have or have heard of or personally experienced Ebay deals not operating once received.  More apt to occur from that source.  So leave list as-is.

#10 If advice you get here solves your problem, come back and give the members a hearty THANK YOU

Hi Marty

Sent a email to you.  Hope I touched all the 9 bases?

Best regards

Tommy

Guys, I am not a fleabay hater.  I have purchased trains from that site when they were advertised as having a problem.  Those posters are honest.  I am just stating I have seen the other side of the coin where guys get screwed badly and the seller will tell them "it ran when I sent it"  I purchased my current Corvette on that site.  I have sold cars and trains on that site.  I just get to see many more of these situations than most people do.  I am only trying to help people who need advice on train repairs and I am NOT looking for any work.  I have enough.  I get emails often asking me to do repairs and I send them to the right guy for each job.  All forum posters.  

 

Over the last two years some serious help can be had from Forum guys.  The people who have nothing constructive to offer but like to sound off are slowly starting to fade away.  Nothing would bother me more than someone throwing out wrong information to a forum member looking for help.  One thing I learned early in life was to always listen to the guy who has "been there and done that"  

 

This OGR Forum is the standard in the hobby in my opinion and the people at OGR who run the Forum are the best in the hobby.

 

To all the fleabay lovers, I hope all things go good for you.  I understand most of the reasons guys buy there.  I also stand tall on what I have posted.