Lionel Customer Service

You should be able to bend the rods back - it happens sometimes with packaging and handling. No big deal as long as it runs fine. If you can bend them back, do so. I'll likely still run fine. No need to send it back. 

If everything else is satisfactory, I would sure try to fix it myself as well. Much better than risking even more damage from two way shipping a second time.

Yes just gently bend them back.

I would not risk sending it back for this issue, it could get worse. 

shipping is the cause of a lot of damage.

Joker,

I agree with the majority. You can save yourself a bunch of postage and probably more headaches. Spend 15-20 minutes and do the work yourself. At least you know that much more will be correct.

I just bent them back. I knew it was a easy fix. I really dont think that it happened in shipping. I really think that it happened at Lionel. I was going to send it back for the simple fact that, that is garbage QC work. I also did it may self because lionel has had it since May 18 or right around there and I just got it back today.

I would have fixed it myself also but then the problem is swept under the rug. They should see their shoddy workmanship.

   Bill T

Send them the photo and tell someone about it.

They are in a new area now, so just maybe, a new employee is there too. And just maybe they need to be told how to handle property belonging to others too.

 You cant avoid looking like crap if you don't even know about it. 

I suspect that happened during shipping.  Shipping locomotives is risky and to be avoided if possible.

I am not easy on any of the manufacturers when it comes to QC -- I think they all have more issues than they should but my experience with Lionel service is that they are very good and are careful with the product. 

Just curious, did you notice this immediately after taking it out of the box or after you tried to run it? I see this damage a lot and happens when the screw holding the eccentric is loose or it was loose and someone tightened it with the eccentric in the wrong position. As soon as you try to run it the rods bind and some get bent.

I try to discipline myself and check the eccentric for tightness every time I receive a steam engine, new or used. 

You should be able to get them straight again but you may have better results if you remove them first.

Pete

Looks to me that it was picked up improperly......whoever handled it, picked it up with one hand.....and his thumb and forefinger grasped the body of the locomotive at the rods causing them to bend inwards.  Its an easy fix, as everyone says but The Lionel handler should know better!

-Pete

Simple observational question to those stating it probably happened in shipping:

The bent rod looks to be riveted at both ends, and there is other material behind it (other rods/wheel set). 

What is the suspected method that something wedges behind that rod and pulls it outwards?  That's not immediately obvious to me what could cause that.

Is there enough lateral play at one end or the other of that rod (play in the direction of the main axis of the wheels) that dropping the box maybe 4 or 6 feet on one side could do this?  Was the corresponding piece on the other side also bent?

-Dave

The rods mus be pretty flimsy to bend like that, especially the one that is bent outward.

It looks to me as the eccentric rod quartering is is 90 degrees off and was bent when someone tried to run the engine. There are 4 notches in the drive wheel so if the crank was put in the wrong set of notches it will be in the wrong position and jam.

I'm guessing the repair tech. at Lionel missed that when reassembling. What Norton said.

Heres a pic of my  legacy k-4 drive rods in about the same postion for reference. It looks the same in your first 2 photos but the last almost looks as though the eccentric crank has moved.  The crank should be " locked " in the notch on the drive wheel as Chuck mentioned. It could just be the angle of the photo however.

Secondly  is the die cast hangar that Lionel lists as " valve gear" on its parts website.

There were a few posts when these locos were first delivered of the " valve gear" being bent inward towards the chassis. This caused binding, bending of rods and I believe there was one post where it sounded as though the binding was so severe it caused the gears to grind.

This valve gear protrudes out from the locomotive and is very suceptible to shipping damage.

The outside edge should be parallel to the running board.

Having said all that, with some recent postings it does seem Lionels service dept. possibly isn't "quite" what it was when Mike Reagan was "at the helm".