Just received my brand new out of the box MTH LIRR H-10. Looks nice! Very massive! Put it on the track. Set up the engine in DCS. Worked fine going forward, then put it in reverse and it started hesitating and stopped. The tender was hot, but the rear coupler was extremely hot! It seems a shame that I have to spend money to ship it to MTH for repair.
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Just received my brand new out of the box MTH LIRR H-10. Looks nice! Very massive! Put it on the track. Set up the engine in DCS. Worked fine going forward, then put it in reverse and it started hesitating and stopped. The tender was hot, but the rear coupler was extremely hot! It seems a shame that I have to spend money to ship it to MTH for repair.
Contact your dealer and tell him you want an exchange.
Bill T.
I have Dave @ Mercer Junction test run & lube every engine I buy. If your hobby shop offers this I would use this service. Saves a lot of aggravation.
Hi I would contact GGG on this web forum he repairs MTh engine and can recommend what he thinks the problem might be and give a good suggestion as to what he thinks, he repairs all engines and knows the most common problems.
Alan
sounds like the couplers stays energized all the time, the coupler should never be hot!
Alan
check with GGG
What a heart breaker.There is just to much of this going on.The mfg is always good on it but it still sucks.Nick
Unfortunately, I had already pre-ordered this, plus a LIRR 44 tonner, before I knew who Dave was. I recently ordered a Pennsy K-4 from Dave and I couldn't have been happier. He tested the engine before he sent it. It works great! He is probably one of the best, if not the best, dealers out there. He will get all my business in the future.
What a heart breaker.There is just to much of this going on.The mfg is always good on it but it still sucks.Nick
Exactly!
I don't make nearly as many purchases but I've probably had about a 20 percent failure rate on new Lionel item purchases (locos, Legacy system and operating accessories) over the past 4 years. Not terrible but still annoying when you have to pay to ship a brand new item back for repair that wasn't your fault.
Surprisingly, the many pre-owned items that I've purchased on this board or e-Bay have all been flawless.
Maybe not appropriate but I've had pretty rotten luck with too many locomotives!
Don't have any Lionel though. Do have two MTH locos. Both ran, and continue to run, well out of the box. In fact, they are my best runners!
My problems have been with scale brass from readily recognized importers.
The "crab grass" of MR'g for me has been the poor dependability of these electronicised, computerized monsters. They are so much fun . . . when they work. But WAY too, often . . . . .
It's not just a Lionel, or an MTH problem IMO.
Not 37 in row LOL! I did get a few that worked & this was over about a 6 year time frame. TRAIN NERD AL
Shack and Spence, Thank you!!!!!
I would give the dealer a chance to make it right.
Dave
Bill T.
I don't have near as many engines, but my experience has been very similar to yours. All the engines I have were purchased new with only a couple of minor issues out of the box, everything was easily fixed in just a few minutes.
However, I now have one that's 2 years old that has developed a ditch light problem. This is really the only problem I have had with an engine that I haven't been able to easily fix. This one has me stumped so far, nothing I have tried has worked. It may be going in for service soon?
The only thing I have ever had to send back was my Legacy 990 base, it wouldn't take an upgrade. Remote upgraded just fine with the same update.
Don't want to "put my mouth on it", but I have bought what I consider a fair number of modern locomotives over the last 25 years, and have had to send back to MTH: 1.
Back to Lionel/dealer: 1, I think...
3rd rail: 1. Atlas: 1.
My Weaver brass Little Joe was replaced twice by Just Trains (bless 'em), but #3 has been fine.
Granted, I may have forgotten some issues with some pieces, but the point is, there have been few, and even if my memory is off - it's not off by a lot.
Also, some "little things" I fix myself, even on a new loco: bad solder (Williams diesels, occasionally), loose parts and such. (My 3rd Rail ATSF 2-10-4 came out of the box - new - some years ago - and the pilot fell off completely on the table, and one of the side rods was dangling. I fixed those - and the TMCC antenna problem, after the tender had been back to California for "fixing". Still no go - so I fixed.)
Can't explain it. And I'm not complaining. Maybe I haven't bought as much stuff as I thought. But I have a very different "quality" perspective on these things.
(Although, one of my ERR upgraded steamers just ate its radio board - no Command, must fix; does that count?)
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