@Pingman posted:Are replacement parts (did someone mention plastic gears?) going to be an issue?
The gears are brass or bronze and not the problem. I know what happened.
I found the problem. That piece pulled off the bottom of the coal load. A new coal load is $12.50 from Lionel. I will try to order it. I will let you know how it turns out. Piece of what looks like a monofilament line winds around that shaft behind the large gear and pulls down against those two springs. It’s worth a try for a few dollars and time .
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@Chuck Sartor posted:And he charged you each and every time he replaced a RCMC board? It's people like that Lionel needs to weed out!
He didn't say it was a Lionel-authorized or even trained tech who did the work, though. The only thing the poster said with regard to the RCMC boards was that it was repaired by "someone else." If it was someone at an authorized Service Station (and it may have been), then that should be made known to Lionel.
You know, Alex probably doesn’t need the entire engine, I think he has a VL Big Boy that he could connect with if necessary. Just a thought. Also, I have nothing against USPS, I just recently received a K-Line Hudson, shipped by USPS Ground, not Priority, and it cost $44, and took almost 2-1/2 weeks to receive. I had issues with the tracking system. It did arrive, in great shape. I just feel UPS has a better tracking system. They all throw packages like footballs, this is why I say place a fragile sticker on the package. Alex M is a great repair man and has at one time shown the VL Big Boy inside and out. Good luck, Happy Railroading
Good to hear you found the problem Randy. Looking forward to your updated post once you get it resolved.
And WOW! Look at all the gears in there just to make the coal load go down. 
It looks like an automotive transmission LOL!
@RickO posted:Good to hear you found the problem Randy. Looking forward to your updated post once you get it resolved.
And WOW! Look at all the gears in there just to make the coal load go down.
Yes they are all metal gears and very well made but the molded rubber hole is the weak link. I don’t know how else they could have made it better. Thanks. I will give it a try.
More praise of Alex:
I have a semi-scale Lionel Hudson from the late 90s that died. Sent it to Alex.... he put in new boards and now it runs like one of my Legacy engines!
Peter
@Putnam Division posted:More praise of Alex:
I have a semi-scale Lionel Hudson from the late 90s that died. Sent it to Alex.... he put in new boards and now it runs like one of my Legacy engines!
Peter
I found the problem. I will attempt a repair myself. Thanks
mth locomotives are for the most part easy to work on. lionel is another story. I just fixed my lionel legacy mikado smoke unit and what a piece of junk that smoke unit design was. trouble with being a tech it seams is every time you get a new engine to repair they have changed the electronics package. legacy, lionchief, lc+, lc2.0 and so on. since mike gave those classes I bet the electronic pakages have changed a lot. especially now that blue tooth is invoved.
so just like cars now a days its becoming a more and more specialized job. not to mention some things are just poorly engineered by especially lionel which makes working on them even more frustrating at times. I am sure that working for say lionel as a hourly tech does not pay what its worth either. hope you get your coal load working again. I am sure you will.
@RandyC posted:They referred me to another company in New Jersey I know nothing about. I don’t like this at all. Poor customer service. It’s seems like you buy it, now it’s your problem.
@Fredstrains posted:
Try Mike Reagan!! It will be repaired & repaired RIGHT !!!
@Fredstrains posted:Try Mike Reagan!! It will be repaired & repaired RIGHT !!!
Is Mike Reagan doing repairs. I know he works for TW Trainworks.
@Lionelzwl2012 posted:mth locomotives are for the most part easy to work on. lionel is another story. I just fixed my lionel legacy mikado smoke unit and what a piece of junk that smoke unit design was. trouble with being a tech it seams is every time you get a new engine to repair they have changed the electronics package. legacy, lionchief, lc+, lc2.0 and so on. since mike gave those classes I bet the electronic pakages have changed a lot. especially now that blue tooth is invoved.
so just like cars now a days its becoming a more and more specialized job. not to mention some things are just poorly engineered by especially lionel which makes working on them even more frustrating at times. I am sure that working for say lionel as a hourly tech does not pay what its worth either. hope you get your coal load working again. I am sure you will.
I have three MTH locomotives that are DOA!
Yes, TW Trainworks advertises that they repair our trains, Mike Reagan is one of the best repairman ever and they are a forum Sponsor to. He was the best Lionel Service Manager they ever had, he knows these modern electronics. You might say, “You’ll be in good hands with TW Trainworks “. Great Question. Happy Railroading
Looks like every high tech toy that is made today, regardless if Made in the USofA, or over there, over there, they all come with built in factory defects. Having recently passed Milepost 74 in July, I wish upon a star, that I still had my Marx wind-up NYC freight and UP Streamliner. They ran and ran and ran and if I still had them today they'd still run and run and run......
Of course, I wish upon that same star it was 1951, and I had just celebrated my fifth birthday knowing what I now know!
@RandyC posted:Is Mike Reagan doing repairs. I know he works for TW Trainworks.
Yes , he is doing Train Repairs w/ TW Trainworks.
@RandyC posted:They referred me to another company in New Jersey I know nothing about. I don’t like this at all. Poor customer service. It’s seems like you buy it, now it’s your problem.
Good news. I called Alex and he was very helpful. He helped me with info and photos and I was able to repair the problem. Great guy to deal with.
Alex is definitely one of the good guys! 
@leapinlarry posted:They all throw packages like footballs, this is why I say place a fragile sticker on the package.
IMO, you NEVER label a package as fragile! It's not going to change their handling, and a disgruntled employee is likely to abuse it just for fun! If you haven't packed it to survive the roughest handling it's going to encounter, it'll probably arrive broken anyway. 
IMHO Alex M IS THE best Lionel repair tech I've seen him repair burnt up vision line engines that were toast ! Fried. and he restored them to perfect working order. he has repaired bad design problems that Lionel made on especially vision line engines and when finished they were better then new !
Highly recommend Alex M for any Lionel repairs !
Alan
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Alex is definitely one of the good guys!
IMO, you NEVER label a package as fragile!
I agree. Fragile just is another sticker on a box. My old job we used to send out NDA, 2DA and 3rd Days. You would be surprised how many times we had those not arrive when they were supposed to because they were just too busy and didn't put the right box on the right truck.
Whenever packaging, pack the living $#&* out of whatever you are shipping. If possible, double box. When I sent out my Challenger to Lionel, not only did I double box it, I used toolbox foam to extra line the top and bottom of the box with other packing material on the sides. That engine didn't move nowhere inside that box.
Further to this, most of the stuff I have received from stores, other vendors, ebay, or wherever have all been packed really good. I have had a few outside boxes with a dent in them(a knee or who knows what), but the stuff inside was okay. It may sound like a lot of extra work, but the bottom line is an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure. Better safe than sorry.
@RandyC posted:Good news. I called Alex and he was very helpful. He helped me with info and photos and I was able to repair the problem. Great guy to deal with.
Glad it worked out! Mine broke as well and I used Alex's on forum tutorial to make the repair. It's held up for about a year now.
For the outer packing of engine boxes I use Costco double wall heavy duty produce boxes. Very sturdy card board. Easily available. Easy to modify. Free. Did I say free?
I try to pick up boxes in pairs or quads. I use the bottom box as is. Wrap the loco box in big bubble wrap. The top box I slice the glued flaps to open the corners with a spackle knife, position it over the bottom box then use a hot glue gun to seal each top flap over the bottom tray.
There must have been at least 25 engines wrapped like that this spring with no damage.
For long stuff like lengths of flex track I use 4 of the same produce boxes. The bottom two I slice open the glue corner flaps then slide them together like a telescope with glued touching surfaces. For the lid I do it a little different. I place the bubble wrapped contents then position the top two same style boxes slid together with glue and let the dry. Once dry I install the top like a shoe box lid, glue in place, and ship it.
At least 6 cartons of track went out like this with no damage this spring.
All boxes go out with a secondary securing of 3" heavy duty package tape.
I still think triple packing on any of our pricy and delicate, feature rich locomotives is extremely important, and although some feel that the fragile stickers are not necessary, I feel that they are necessary. Many parts needed to repair our engines now are out of production and worse, Lionel has no parts in their inventory, so, when selling someone a beautiful locomotive, I try my best to do everything necessary to make sure it arrives in excellent condition. I’m glad that you were able to get your VL Big Boy working or fixed correct. Happy Railroading Everyone, and have a great Independence Day.
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@leapinlarry posted:I still think triple packing on any of our pricy and delicate, feature rich locomotives is extremely important, and although some feel that the fragile stickers are not necessary, I feel that they are necessary. Many parts needed to repair our engines now are out of production and worse, Lionel has no parts in their inventory, so, when selling someone a beautiful locomotive, I try my best to do everything necessary to make sure it arrives in excellent condition.
I agree with good packing, my point is the FRAGILE stickers are ignored or worse by the shipping people! It has nothing to do with the items arriving safely. 
@Tom Tee posted:For the outer packing of engine boxes I use Costco double wall heavy duty produce boxes. Very sturdy card board. Easily available. Easy to modify. Free. Did I say free?
I try to pick up boxes in pairs or quads. I use the bottom box as is. Wrap the loco box in big bubble wrap. The top box I slice the glued flaps to open the corners with a spackle knife, position it over the bottom box then use a hot glue gun to seal each top flap over the bottom tray.
There must have been at least 25 engines wrapped like that this spring with no damage.
For long stuff like lengths of flex track I use 4 of the same produce boxes. The bottom two I slice open the glue corner flaps then slide them together like a telescope with glued touching surfaces. For the lid I do it a little different. I place the bubble wrapped contents then position the top two same style boxes slid together with glue and let the dry. Once dry I install the top like a shoe box lid, glue in place, and ship it.
At least 6 cartons of track went out like this with no damage this spring.
All boxes go out with a secondary securing of 3" heavy duty package tape.
Hello Tom Tee,
Sounds like you have a good system.
Could you please provide a couple example photos as it would go a long way to help visualize your packaging description/suggestions.
Thanks!
I recall a posting on this forum where the person had the same issue with the coal load. In his posting he provided a video describing his workaround which involved tacking something to the grommet and using black latex to hold it in place on the coal load. It may be something to try should this fail again. I have the same engine and while I have not experienced this problem, it seems that it may only be a matter of time.
@ScottM posted:I recall a posting on this forum where the person had the same issue with the coal load. In his posting he provided a video describing his workaround which involved tacking something to the grommet and using black latex to hold it in place on the coal load. It may be something to try should this fail again. I have the same engine and while I have not experienced this problem, it seems that it may only be a matter of time.
That was Alex. He updated his "fix".
TO: OGR Forum-ites who praised JADA and Alex as a repair shop extraordinaire ...
So, what is the complete mailing address, e-mail address, and website of JADA? I want to place that info in my PC address book for reference if/when one of my Lionel engines may need repair. I already know and appreciate Hennings, GRJ, Mike Reagan, but one can't have too many qualitied repair guys on file.
Thanks in advance for sharing the info about JADA
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394
@Mike H Mottler posted:TO: OGR Forum-ites who praised JADA and Alex as a repair shop extraordinaire ...
So, what is the complete mailing address, e-mail address, and website of JADA? I want to place that info in my PC address book for reference if/when one of my Lionel engines may need repair. I already know and appreciate Hennings, GRJ, Mike Reagan, but one can't have too many qualitied repair guys on file.
Thanks in advance for sharing the info about JADA
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394
Mike,
Go to the forum advanced search, there is a selection called members. Type in Alex M. You will find his email address. Send him a email asking for his contact info.
JohnB
Kazar,
Will do on the next shipment.
BTW, I just sent a new SS engine and caboose 3000 miles by FedEx ground and this is the kind of response I get with my packing method:
Hi Tom,
just wanted to let you know I received the engine and caboose yesterday in excellent shape. Well, also I’ve got to say that after bouncing around the hobby for over 40 plus years and sending and receiving items via mail, ups and other carriers for that same time period, you have taken the award for the most ingeniously packed item ever in the history of my hobby tenure. I am pretty much speechless.
Thanks again for everything and I hope we can do it again.
Take care,
Jack
@leapinlarry posted:I still think triple packing on any of our pricy and delicate, feature rich locomotives is extremely important, and although some feel that the fragile stickers are not necessary, I feel that they are necessary. Many parts needed to repair our engines now are out of production and worse, Lionel has no parts in their inventory, so, when selling someone a beautiful locomotive, I try my best to do everything necessary to make sure it arrives in excellent condition. I’m glad that you were able to get your VL Big Boy working or fixed correct. Happy Railroading Everyone, and have a great Independence Day.
Larry, what does the black writing on the lower edge of your package say, I can not make it out??
Tom Tee - To me it looks like 'THIS END UP! PLEASE! and the Return Authorization number is also included.
@leapinlarry posted:I still think triple packing on any of our pricy and delicate, feature rich locomotives is extremely important, and although some feel that the fragile stickers are not necessary, I feel that they are necessary. Many parts needed to repair our engines now are out of production and worse, Lionel has no parts in their inventory, so, when selling someone a beautiful locomotive, I try my best to do everything necessary to make sure it arrives in excellent condition. I’m glad that you were able to get your VL Big Boy working or fixed correct. Happy Railroading Everyone, and have a great Independence Day.
Now that is a box to make the shipping guys tremble Larry. When they see this thing coming down the conveyor, they're sure to shake in their boots. All joking aside, that is one major packed up box.
Yes, Tom Tee, that’s exactly what is written, “this end up please”, as this box actually was the outer carton sent to me from Pat, Harmonyards, CEO of the Harmon Shops when he returned my re-build Kline J1e NYC Hudson, and there were absolutely no damages. The original Kline box/carton/packing were inside this larger carton full of styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap and more. Whether the fragile signs made any significant difference, I’m not sure, however, it gave me peace of mind.
I then used this box/outer carton to return two Lionel Legacy expansion sets for repair to Lionel which is the reason for the RA number on the box. Lionel returned it packed the exact same way as received. No damages. Happy Railroading Everyone
Larry, my post was a just a good natured rattle of your chain noting that the "This side up" was on the bottom as pictured.
I am not totally unskilled, but when looking inside my Lionel FEF (since gutted and 2-railed) I could see that trouble-shooting might be a difficult process. Assuming that one simply pulls the old circuitry and installs new, I could see three or four hours' labor plus parts and shipping. That is approaching the cost of a new model, unless the labor cost is way below what your employer charges for your efforts.
I can see why Lionel refuses to deal with out-of-warranty items: it would be so expensive as to drive up the cost of new production, and probably lead to the actual demise of your favorite model train source.
Whoever Jada is, they must be a cottage industry - willing to work for $25/hr with zero overhead expenses. Good for them - tell them thank you as often as possible, because they are doing you a giant favor.
@bob2 posted:I am not totally unskilled, but when looking inside my Lionel FEF (since gutted and 2-railed) I could see that trouble-shooting might be a difficult process. Assuming that one simply pulls the old circuitry and installs new, I could see three or four hours' labor plus parts and shipping. That is approaching the cost of a new model, unless the labor cost is way below what your employer charges for your efforts.
I can see why Lionel refuses to deal with out-of-warranty items: it would be so expensive as to drive up the cost of new production, and probably lead to the actual demise of your favorite model train source.
I think the bigger issue is they have too many warranty repairs that they'd never be able to keep up.
Whoever Jada is, they must be a cottage industry - willing to work for $25/hr with zero overhead expenses. Good for them - tell them thank you as often as possible, because they are doing you a giant favor.
Jada is a one man operation. Alex seems to enjoy fixing these engines and also has a curiosity streak in him.
@Allegheny posted:Hello Tom Tee,
Sounds like you have a good system.
Could you please provide a couple example photos as it would go a long way to help visualize your packaging description/suggestions.
Thanks!
Instead of using this Lionel thread I posted cardboad box instructions under the Atlas general information forum because it involves shipping 10 free standing Atlas switches.
