My railroad is complete with this acquisition.....I think......(UA Turbo Train)

Hope you enjoy the Turbo and resist buying any more trains...

MELGAR

If anyone has any info / experience with the Turbo Train I'd like to hear the good and the bad. Thanks

AMCDave posted:

I have wanted a United Aircraft Turbo Train since Bachmann made one in the 1970's when I was in HO scale. The model was awful....rode high like a 4 X 4 truck, power unit and coaches were different heights and from what the magazines said did not run or track well. All this and the high price of $29.99 meant I never got one. 

Jump to 2010 and MTH announces a 3 rail O scale UA Turbo Train. Again I wanted one. The $1000 for a 5 unit train was more than I had paid for a model train and just not something I could do at the time. So again no Turbo Train for me. For the past 3 years I have not made any big purchases in the train hobby. I have been reworking my 1946 Ford hot rod and 66 Mustang......and felt I had more than enough trains. 

But I was always on the lookout for a used Turbo Train. A hobby shop I went to had a 25% off sale going and had a Turbo Train in the display case. 'That is the only thing not on sale' was what the owner said when I said I'd take it. Oh well......

A Five unit Turbo Train in the preferred late Amtrak paint  came to my attention. I talked to the owner and we made a deal that worked for both of us. It arrived today. I am VERY happy with it. I unpacked it and went to the layout room. I had heard horror stories about the TT, it was a very pretty shelf model and was difficult to assemble to say the least. So I set it up. It is more difficult to assemble than a 'normal' train....but no more than the other articulated passenger sets MTH has made and I have them all so that was OK. I hit the power and it started up with the turbine start up sounds.....good...hit direction and she started.....the train went around my entire lower loop a number times without any issues. I will add I have yet to install the diaphragms yet as I wanted to see it run w/o them not to add to issues. Now that it's on the layout it may stay forever.....which will be hard to explain in a place set in the 1950's! 

This about completes my list of trains I've always wanted in model form. The only thing that will open my wallet again is a lower priced John Henry....and I do not see that happening.....so I am done.       I think!!!

 

LoL! I hope that wasn't forumite "Vistadome Scott's" turbo "failure"

No RR is ever complete, give it time and you'll see.

Hate to break it to you, BUT your indication that you are through acquiring is like a drug addict saying it is their last hit or an alkie saying it is their last drink.  Face it dude - this hobby is an addiction - an a good one - so keep on acquiring and enjoy! 

Very nice train Dave. Always nice to acquire a set that you've wanted for so long. To say that you (or any of us) are ever done? That's a whole other discussion on another thread.

Bob

Nice - I saw this train in the blue colors blasting through Bridgeport CT in 1970, pre Amtrak paint.

One of those 'really great' train watching days with my dad. Also seen: a PC painted EP5 'Jet', an Alco S-1 switcher and an ex-NYC Budd Car, which originated it's run right on the platform at that station. Have very rough B&W photos of each.

Jim Waterman

I hope yours is a good one! My VIA Rail set is dead still, after many reworkings by MTH and MTH techs.  The Amtrak set was a better one but was repaired multiple times.  The 10 pin tethers are the problem.  Some sets seem to have these crimped down hard causing problems.  Operatung on only 072 curves as directed, the wires still seem to break or short out after some operating time.  Mine arrived new with bent connecting forks, pulled tethers, and a too tight connection for which Marty Fitzhenry had a fix.

Current status of my sets:

VIA Rail base set and 5 added cars, all parked and not working.

Amtrak set, base set was working after the most recent repair by MTH, but I have parked it before it fails again.  Several of the added Amtrak coaches have shorts in them and boxed awaiting some redesign idea.  

Had these worked out better, I was going to buy a New Haven which resembles current Amtrak blue and silver scheme on locos, and apply a fantasy modern Amtrak scheme.

As far as my Turbos go, approximately a total of $2,500 now between purchase, multiple repairs under warranty and out of warranty, shipping costs, etc. Lousy support from MTH.  They prefer to sweep this under the rug.  As Ive stated from the beginning. I have a lot of great MTH and from P1 to P3 99% of its awesome, reliable. The Turbotrain for me has been a huge disappointment.  

Thanks Scott......

Sorry for your issues but thanks for the heads up. Time will tell I guess.....If mine shorts or other wire issues....I'll have to gut her and rewire much like the cars I restore!! 

VistaDomeScott posted:

As far as my Turbos go, approximately a total of $2,500 now between purchase, multiple repairs under warranty and out of warranty, shipping costs, etc. Lousy support from MTH.  They prefer to sweep this under the rug.  As Ive stated from the beginning. I have a lot of great MTH and from P1 to P3 99% of its awesome, reliable. The Turbotrain for me has been a huge disappointment. 

I'll offer a ridiculous low-ball offer for these sets.

These things are weird - and what is weirder is that I like them. I couldn't care less about Amtrak, the Turbo Train is completely out of my modeling time zone, the thing is funny-looking (like it's lying on it's side, from the front - either front)...it is double-ended, though, and I like trains and locos with 2 heads...

It's really cool. I have noticed them and, like you, found them too pricey for my level of Want-It. I shouldn't want it at all, but there it is.

Amtrak? Nah - but I can see the entire thing in Lightning Stripes or Daylight Yellow/Orange or, better yet, GM&O red/maroon...yeah, that's the ticket. 

I don't like them enough to pay nearly the going price.  They're certainly cool, but I know I'd have to put a lot of work into the set to get it running properly.  I had an eBay search for one for several years, but the prices were absurd, so I figure to forget that quest.

Dave

It's a weird cool looking train to me. And red white blue.

That certainly makes me understand why you chased it so long. Hope it runs and stays in perfect health.

Larry

PS  ..so I am done.       I think!!!             lol, boy how many times I've said that.

Dave;

Like you, the Turbo Train was on my wish list. Other than it’s cool looks, I actually rode on it a couple of times back in the early 70’s between NYC and New London Ct. Once, I was lucky enough to sit in the first row of the dome where you looked down on the engineer. Since I am strictly a Legacy/TMCC runner (no DCS and don’t do conventional), I bought it when it came out as a shelf queen, so I have no idea if it is a problematic runner. I do know it was difficult to put the pieces together for display (this was from a few years ago):

The Metro North McGinnis Genesis diesel is another of my “bought as a shelf queen” purchases since I road behind it dummy latter commuter days.

AMCDave posted:

If anyone has any info / experience with the Turbo Train I'd like to hear the good and the bad. Thanks

I have two of them -- the original DOT/Amtrak and the later Amtrak. They're nice, but there are a couple of quirks.

First, keep the gears well greased as some of them would crack idler gears in the powered units. This was a casting material issue. I don't know how widespread the issue was.

The second quirk is more subtle. The units are really designed to run with just one extra car. The wiring is a bit on the thin side and sometimes the trailing unit doesn't respond properly with the second extra car in the line. I'm going to re-wire the units with heavier wire when I get the chance and that should remedy the problem. The units actually do run nicely, smoke well, and have good sound coming from BOTH powered units. The lighting is also right on the money on the powered units, plus the interior has the look of modern fluorescent lighting.

I like the units as they are a well done example of an unusual prototype (which caught my attention). Don't even think about running them on something smaller than O-72 as even on O-96 they overhang quite a bit.

Matt

that’s a nice show and tell. Nice layout to.

Larry

AMCDave posted:

If anyone has any info / experience with the Turbo Train I'd like to hear the good and the bad. Thanks

Good Evening Dave,

I wish you nothing but the best with your new purchase,  as the Turbotrain is a unique set when observed operating.   I purchased one of the VIA Turbotrains from the second run that MTH produced.   Unfortunately for me,  like Vistadome Scott and AGHR Matt above,   I had numerous problems with mine from the start.   Blown/fried slave board to the rear powered unit(2 times),   wiring/connector issues(connectors had to be rewired by MTH,  and gear problem.   The set would operate fine for between 20 minutes to 1 hour and then a problem would develop and the train would slow down(due to the lead engine dragging the train w/extra car and the dead rear engine) or stop from wiring problems.   In fairness to MTH,   the train was sent back to MTH on 3 different occasions and they repaired it under warranty.   During the last repair,  the factory warranty time period expired,  so the repair was only good for another 90 days and after that,  I would be paying for future repairs.   I decided that was enough and sold the set for half of what I paid for it,  with full disclosure of the ongoing repairs.  A few years ago Marty Fitzhenry posted a thread for fixing/bending the metal forked connections,   as occasionally the rubber diaphragms would get squeezed between the cars and cause an occasional derailment.   I did that fix on my set and never had a derailment problem but I was running on our club setup which has O120 min curves.   Others apparently have operated their sets with no problems-they're great sets if you have a good one.

Nick

Thanks guys!! 

Everything stated about the absolute need for 072 or greater is spot on.  I probably have less than 3 hours on a VIA set and so far no issues, other than initially on some poorly laid super elevated curves.  The purchase was 95% nostalgia driven, having witnessed them and the earlier CN colours plying the Toronto to Montreal rails.  The other 5% is that they are grand examples of curious space age '60's design.

Bruce

A few videos of my Turbos when they were beiefly operational:

https://youtu.be/IQaIAlg12e0

https://youtu.be/M2dubXTu7AI

Congrats on your find! I found the other Amtrak scheme at York in April, still can't get enough of it. I ended up tracking down an extra car for the set too. It's kinda a pain to put together but is totally worth the pain, I love running mine. You can see it running at the timestamp 14:50 in this video.

Looks good Max!!!