MTH premier train.

What’s it worth for you to enjoy it?…must it equal a dollar value for that to happen??……either fix it and enjoy using it, or sell it off for parts or what have you,…..the fellas that only concern themselves with  what a piece of equipment is worth rather than being able to enjoy it seem silly to me unless they are a dealer and then it matters,……you’ve gotten a gift and you’re still concerned about what’s it worth,….

Pat

The first thing you need to answer is do you want to run this engine conventionally or Command Control (DCS)?

That will help you decide to repair as a PS1 or PS3.

From my layman's perspective $200 for conventional seems too high but $300 for PS3 (Installed) seems right.

A brand new PS3 MTH SD45 "should" cost you $450-$500.     I say should because some people are really jacking the price up on MTH stuff for various reasons.  The new engine will have more lights and more details and overall look and run much better than a 20 year old upgrade.

I don't know how much you paid on ebay, but I'd guess at least $150 - $200?  With that money back in your pocket, plus a potential $300 you are willing to pay for an upgrade, it might be better just to take those funds and buy a new engine.  You could use your ebay engine as a dummy unit or just sell it to further reduce your costs.

Best of luck with your decision.

Ron

Have you tried replacing the battery?

A cheap(er) option would be to just wire it up directly to the motors and run it on DC power.  You would lose lights and smoke probably but could control direction.

Another would be to install some rectifiers, and run it on AC power.  You lose direction control, but lights and smoke should continue to work if wired to track power as well.

Or find a cheap reversing unit and wire that with a rectifier (if needed) and then you get lights, smoke, and direction.

If you are comfortable doing the work yourself, you could get a ERR Cruise Commander and a RailSounds board.  That would be a little less than $200.

@Merlin posted:

He tested the train and said it needs a new board. He said with parts and labor would be 200 Hundred or he can turn it into a ps3 for 300. Is this train worth the 300 to upgrade to ps3 or should I go with the 200 ps1 Repair? Also are these the current prices for replacing the boards?

You can get a PS/1 board set for far less than $200, and it's pretty easy to install that yourself.  Lots of folks here have PS/1 boards from upgrades to command, post in the WTB forum.  I don't think I'd spend $300 upgrading a PS/1 locomotive, but maybe that's just me.

As previously asked, the determining factor is whether you want to run conventional or command.

I have bought several MTH trolleys and doodle bugs, put a regular 9 volt battery inside, set them on the rails and powered them up for about five minutes in neutral at about 10 volts. They all came to life.  Then I installed a red type $30 battery inside and that fixed them permanently. Will only cost a few dollars to install the 9 volt battery.

Another option.    
Your $s are refunded. Gut the model and make it a unpowered unit / dummy. Take your $ and find another powered unit - proto of your choice. You then would have a nice two unit consist !!!!!  
Just sayin …..
Cheers

@TrainBub posted:

Another option.    
Your $s are refunded. Gut the model and make it a unpowered unit / dummy. Take your $ and find another powered unit - proto of your choice. You then would have a nice two unit consist !!!!!  
Just sayin …..
Cheers

You beat me to the same suggestion! 

I would do exactly that.

-Greg

@Bill Makel posted:

Then I installed a red type $30 battery inside and that fixed them permanently.

You mean a BCR? That’s not a battery, as its name suggests (battery component replacement). It’s a capacitor circuit.

@Merlin posted:

I purchased a MTH MT-2100LP O Scale Premier Pennsylvania EMD SD-45 Diesel Locomotive on eBay and when I received the train It was dead on arrival. The white battery was cracked but lights and smoked worked. I contacted the seller after sending him pictures and he responded and said keep the train and refunded my money. I went to the Greensberg train show today in NJ and bought the train with me. There was a stand there called the train doctor. He tested the train and said it needs a new board. He said with parts and labor would be 200 Hundred or he can turn it into a ps3 for 300. Is this train worth the 300 to upgrade to ps3 or should I go with the 200 ps1 Repair? Also are these the current prices for replacing the boards?

Assuming you're not wanting to do the repair yourself, I would consider the differences between PS1 and PS3 feature-wise and whether or not that's worth the extra $100. I think that's the question I'd be asking myself. If it were me personally, I'd probably just do it because I'm lazy and wouldn't mind paying to have it upgraded, especially if it's something I really liked. I think I'd prefer to have newer electronics. With that being said, you could also shop around for a better deal or attempt to do it yourself.

I also like the idea others have suggested that you could turn it into a dummy unit, and use your funds to buy a powered unit.

Anyway, I'm curious to know what you end up doing, so please update us there. Would also love to see some pictures, if you ever take any. Thanks.

@Jim R. posted:

You mean a BCR? That’s not a battery, as its name suggests (battery component replacement). It’s a capacitor circuit.

Correect but most train gus refer to it as a battry.

I am going to go with the ps3 board for the 300 bucks. I got the train free from ebay so I saved some money there. I think by just replacing the board for 200 I would still have to change the battery every couple years if in storage but with the PS3 there is no battery to worry about. So for the 300 bucks I am getting a MTH premier loco for 300 bucks. I just called him and left a message to upgrade to the ps3 that will work with my remote. Thanks for all the inputs guys I really appreciate it.

@Bill Makel posted:

Correect but most train gus refer to it as a battry.

No. They don’t. This is the first time I’ve seen anyone on this forum do so.

@Jim R. posted:

No. They don’t. This is the first time I’ve seen anyone on this forum do so.

That's because there aren't any gus on the forum.