New Acela Set Beware!

Use a magnet to find the parts. They can't be very far off the ROW.

Using a magnet was the very first thing I tried, but no dice. I swept the track twice. It’s possible the screw and washer may be non-ferrous. Nonetheless I appreciate and thank you much for the tip.

@superwarp1 posted:

  Don't hold your breath for parts to be listed on the site.  They haven't been adding parts list of new engines for years.

Sad, but true.

Peter

I assume the same screw is on the other end of the car. Is it?

If so, pop it out and post some pictures. We should be able to figure out what that screw is. I doubt Lionel uses custom made fasteners. I've only encountered one of those in a tool from Germany.

Yes already did that. What I ended up doing was finding a “watch screw” which had the same micro thread. Problem was the screw needed a washer to keep it from pulling through which I had to make. Bottom line is I was able to return the coach to service and so far so good. I would still like to get the correct parts if Lionel ever bothers to answer me. Thanks.

thanks for the warning. I am ordering both the set and add on pack. I will check everything with a fine tooth comb when I get mine before it hits the rails.

@JoeVLongIsland posted:

Yes already did that.

Nice! Well done.

"...and the hits just keep coming..."

As an outside observer (when it comes to Lionel engines, I like the older Korean-built stuff) one has to wonder what it will take before the typical Lionel collector says "enough is enough"...it seems many highly touted (and expensive) newer releases has some kind of defect; be it gearing (K4); color (PRR Consol smoke box); or now this new model (nose cone, debris, loose screw...). 😐

I feel your pain, but when do you draw the line?

Mark in Oregon

When my Lionel Shay lost a micro-screw from its gearing, Lionel was uncooperative in finding and providing the replacement screw. My solution was ordering from Amazon an assorted collection of tiny metric screws, nuts and washers for about $11.

https://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-S...tacles/dp/B00ZF7AHF6

I kept trying each screw size until one exactly fit.

Joe, owning the Acela set I will take heed of your suggestion to tighten the coupling screws. Frankly I have been a bit concerned about their pin-and-slot coupling methodology as it seemed fragile, especially using thin, plastic components.

@Bruce Brown posted:

1. When my Lionel Shay lost a micro-screw from its gearing, Lionel was uncooperative in finding and providing the replacement screw.

2. Joe, owning the Acela set I will take heed of your suggestion to tighten the coupling screws. Frankly I have been a bit concerned about their pin-and-slot coupling methodology as it seemed fragile, especially using thin, plastic components.

1. So... not only are these products "suspect", the company selling them is not helpful. 😐

2. Hope your Acela set proves to be worth the expense...were your "nose cones" intact?

Mark in Oregon

Seems I made the right move by not ordering this thing and saving the headaches.

If you know what size the screw is (having found another that fits), just measure the diameter of the body of it and order a washer.  There's no need for a genuine circle L washer when any chinese washer will do.  Something from eyeglasses, a watch repair shop or a laptop/phone/ipad repair shop will probably fit the bill.  Tiny parts arent too hard to find anymore.

Thanks for the input. I will “shake out my Engines “ before running again.  A couple of observations. Getting the cover off of the control switches is very delicate and applying too much pressure is a problem. Fortunately I got them off and then did not head press them back on. The magnets would have been great as somebody else mentioned. I was also not impressed by the couplings. They are metal which is good. But I am not trusting the screw since I already experienced a failure. My nose cones were fine. But I did notice that the pantographs were somewhat high.  They barely cleared going under my upper level so I have them locked down for now until I can add some height in a couple of places. The other issue I had is it did register from the sensor track but the information did not register on my Cab2 controller. Not sure why this happened and asked Lionel if I was doing something wrong. Again no answer.

I thought long and hard before shelling out for this set. I have wanted an Acela for a long time but hesitated on the previous run due to all the bad press and quality issues it had. Somewhat disappointed in the new run not having power doors and power tilt. Please don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice looking set with great detail, sound and smooth running just light on the extra features.

As Strummer indicated Lionel needs to work on their customer service and quality control.  At these high prices I think we all deserve more from Lionel!

@Strummer posted:

"...and the hits just keep coming..."

... one has to wonder what it will take before the typical Lionel collector says "enough is enough"...it seems many highly touted (and expensive) newer releases has some kind of defect; be it gearing (K4); color (PRR Consol smoke box); or now this new model (nose cone, debris, loose screw...). 😐

I feel your pain, but when do you draw the line?

Mark in Oregon

Folks can throw a tantrum and stomp their feet 'til they're blue in the face but it's not going to happen.  Too many buyers are tinkerers and don't mind having to fix things when they're not quite right.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Folks can throw a tantrum and stomp their feet 'til they're blue in the face but it's not going to happen.  Too many buyers are tinkerers and don't mind having to fix things when they're not quite right.

Mike

Mark and Mike both make good points. Lionel has gotten away with poor quality control on its higher end stuff for years, because there are so many "tinkerers" and "adjusters' out there, who after buying these items, find some way to make them work. So as a result of this, we can probably expect that things will not change. Lionel gets away with it, because the "must havers" keep buying it.

🤔 just ordered my set plus the add on cars  from charlie. I have always wanted this set. just hope mine has no issues or at least major ones.

I read all the bad press about the new sets and still wanted one. the nose cone and the metal rattling inside though. hope these were isolated incidents.

flaws aside this is probably lionels last run of the acela. so I had to get the full set. issues and all sadly. since the 1995 original I always wanted this set. I think all issues aside this will be a good running set.

also can someone confirm for me. the passenger car couplings are metal are they not?

Good grief! Sorry you are experiencing such a headache and I hope you get it fixed so you can start enjoying the set. I’m always amazed at the lackluster customer service.

I truly agree. Customer service makes the difference between being a good company to being an outstanding company. I managed a company for 20 years using two simple rules:

1. The customer is always right.

2. See Rule #1.

I used the same rules when training our distributors’ customer service, technical support and sales teams both stateside and overseas. It always gives the best results.

Lionel could use some “training” (pun intended), it would definitely make everyone feel a tad better about paying the big bucks they are charging and feeling supported.

@Lionelzwl2012 posted:

flaws aside this is probably lionels last run of the acela.

Is something going on that would make this the last set? It seems pretty popular. I kind of assumed it would come back every decade or so.

@BillYo414 posted:

Is something going on that would make this the last set? It seems pretty popular. I kind of assumed it would come back every decade or so.

There's a new prototype Acela (1:1).  In the future that's probably the one that everyone will want, and no longer this one.'

Mike

As I recall strange unidentifiable parts fell off the original Lionel Acela.

Nice to know Lionel maintained its reliability with the newer ones..

Of course mine never has a problem sitting on its shelf!

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Folks can throw a tantrum and stomp their feet 'til they're blue in the face but it's not going to happen.  Too many buyers are tinkerers and don't mind having to fix things when they're not quite right.

Mike

How many " tinkerers " would you say there are?

Are there more tinkerers than folks who just want a brand new $1000-$2000+ toy to work out of the box?

Tinkering is one thing. Repainting a loco or fixing the gearbox are quite another.

I've tinkered with a few smoke fan motors, and Lionel has had a steady flow of noisy ones for more than a decade and still can't get it right.

Things that used to work reliably like the audio boards are being delivered defective. Not much tinkering can do to fix an improperly programmed or over powered audio board.

What kind of tinkering will remove an extra chuff from the 5 chuff j3a hudsons?

Tinkering should be the exception not the rule.

Is there any other $500,$1000,$2000+ item you buy in your life, you expect to have to "tinker" on, to get it to work right?

Meanwhile, line up for that Wizz bang base 3 that isn't doing anything different than what the current assortment of control systems already do.

I'll hold out for Lionchief 25.7

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Folks can throw a tantrum and stomp their feet 'til they're blue in the face but it's not going to happen.  Too many buyers are tinkerers and don't mind having to fix things when they're not quite right.

Mike

More like too many buyers never take them out of the box to run.    Bless the 3 railers of the future that buy these broken in the box items second hand.

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

There's a new prototype Acela (1:1).  In the future that's probably the one that everyone will want, and no longer this one.'

Mike

Ah, I didn't know that. I'm way out of touch with that sort of thing. Thanks!

I would think the hobby service repair shops have got to love this trend

@RickO posted:

How many " tinkerers " would you say there are?

Are there more tinkerers than folks who just want a brand new $1000-$2000+ toy to work out of the box?

I only want to tinker if the item is sold as a craftsman kit.

...

Tinkering should be the exception not the rule.  Amen

Is there any other $500,$1000,$2000+ item you buy in your life, you expect to have to "tinker" on, to get it to work right?

Yeah, a used car with 200k miles on it.

...

Well said.

@rplst8 posted:

More like too many buyers never take them out of the box to run.    Bless the 3 railers of the future that buy these broken in the box items second hand.

And pity the poor seller when the buyer returns it for a refund.  "...bbbbut I didn't break it; I never took it out of the box..."

@Bill Grafmiller posted:

I would think the hobby service repair shops have got to love this trend

Fewer of which exist each day, and you can't fix what you can't get parts for.

Update: after multiple emails and a phone call I finally received “2” sets screws, washers and a part I can’t identify. Set runs fine now but it’s hard to trust it for a high speed run.

These are very complicated TOYS. These are NOT rockets going into space or landing on Mars.

For $2000.00 which is a lot; but even at that the engineering design work and assembly cannot be expected to survive a Mars landing. I do agree that they should be capable of rounding some track. Maybe that's too much of an ask?

We ask Lionel, MTH, Sunset and Atlas to faithfully model an actual engine; we are "upset" when the accuracy is not exact and perfect down to the colors and lettering styles.

What surprises me is when these "exactness complaints" are raised that Lionel, MTH, Sunset or Atlas don't routinely tell us to go pound sand!!

@AlanRail posted:

These are very complicated TOYS. These are NOT rockets going into space or landing on Mars.

For $2000.00 which is a lot; but even at that the engineering design work and assembly cannot be expected to survive a Mars landing. I do agree that they should be capable of rounding some track. Maybe that's too much of an ask?

We ask Lionel, MTH, Sunset and Atlas to faithfully model an actual engine; we are "upset" when the accuracy is not exact and perfect down to the colors and lettering styles.

What surprises me is when these "exactness complaints" are raised that Lionel, MTH, Sunset or Atlas don't routinely tell us to go pound sand!!

You forgot one aspect of the problem!   You cant demand Scale sized equipment and have it run on toy track systems  Round Rail  Heads an too tight of Curves!  You can only do so much!   Also Poor track  work is a huge factor the  operation of these trains, no matter who makes them.

I would have thought the stops would come out for quality after the 1st run.  Honestly the doors, cat arms were easy to sort out on original.  Just better lubricants and updated cat board.

What they have released sounds like we will hear short comings for years.  Think of resale also.

Thanks  Lionel, you only had to block and tackle.  Sounds like ver. 1 was better.  Maybe next time.

Joevlongisland, did the couplings come in also? You said the screws and washers were in is why I ask. I am waiting on both parts myself as mine fell off the tail engine.

@JoeVLongIsland posted:

Just received my Acela set and add-on set and all ran well for 10 minutes! Then First Class coach coupling came apart and separated the coach’s  from the engine. I have a 12’ x 12’ layout and the Acela when fully loaded is over 12’ so at high speed it doesn’t take long for the ends to meet very very fast. Fortunately I was paying attention and halted operations before crashing. The tiny screw and washer which holds the coupling linkage came loose and was gone. Good luck trying to find it.

I have been waiting over a week for a response from Lionel for a replacement part which by the way hasn’t any part number. Lionel has not yet added this set to the parts site. As a precaution I tightened the screw on the other coaches and the engines. I suggest using a drop of thread locker to prevent a reoccurrence. Meanwhile I have a very expensive paperweight sitting on my workbench.

Next time please post photos of what you need, in clock repair we have many screws and washers. I m sure I could have come up with something. Also go to Home Depot and by a cheap MIC, this way you can give exact size as needed. We are all here to help.

My Acela set came in and on the first run at 3/4 speed it derailed, luckily no damage. I adjusted the fastrack and it runs fine. The trucks on the locos are crazy detailed and yeah those fine details will probably get broken or bent if you run these sets often. If you have fine details on a scale model chances are its going to be fragile. I’m happy Lionel was willing to go out on a limb and run another production on this model. I didnt think anyone else would ever make another Acela for 3 rail O scale. Complaints of defective models are very much valid, but I just wanted to add its not all bad!

thatguy,can a watch maker tap holes for scews this small? my couplers screw hole is striped out. taped out and re threaded for a slightly larger screw would fix my issue till lionel gets more replacement coupler parts in to send us.

With each thread that I read on this subject, I become increasingly inclined to cancel my pre-order of Lionel's Strasburg decapod. Regardless of the price, if you buy an item that is brand-new, it should work perfectly right out of the box. Anything less than that is unacceptable. As much as I would like to have a model of #90, I am not Joe McDoakes reincarnated, and I don't want the headaches associated with opening the box only to find a list of defects that should've been caught and corrected at the factory. One of the things I enjoy about this hobby is the "tinkering" involved, but not on brand-new trains. If you start "tinkering" with a brand-new train, you run the risk of Lionel voiding your warranty--that is, of course, assuming you ever get a response from them in the first place.

I'm considering buying one of the versions of this set and the add-on set.

Are there any issues being reported more recently in May and June?

@Pingman posted:

I'm considering buying one of the versions of this set and the add-on set.

Are there any issues being reported more recently in May and June?

Not trying to sound sarcastic here, but if you search on “Acela” you’ll find few more recent threads reporting issues.

@cta4391 posted:

Not trying to sound sarcastic here, but if you search on “Acela” you’ll find few more recent threads reporting issues.

Suggestion:  Do as you suggested and see how many pages of hits you receive.  I stopped scrolling after three pages.

The idea of a search term is to get back targeted responses.  In my case, i used "Acela problems" for the search terms, and picked this thread as a good vehicle to secure more useable and recent information.

Thanks for your reply.

@biscuitag97 posted:

The trucks on the locos are crazy detailed and yeah those fine details will probably get broken or bent if you run these sets often. If you have fine details on a scale model chances are its going to be fragile.

Hmm... these are nice looking to be sure, but I don't see a level of detail any higher than what's been available on HO scale diesels for some time now...and typically one doesn't hear many comments about fragile parts breaking on those. I dunno, maybe it's the difference in the overall mass (weight) that might cause breakage, but I've got some 30 year old Roco European diesels (in HO) that have a similar level of detail, and are still intact.  🤔

Mark in Oregon

PS: happy fathers day.  😁

@Pingman posted:

Suggestion:  Do as you suggested and see how many pages of hits you receive.  I stopped scrolling after three pages.

The idea of a search term is to get back targeted responses.  In my case, i used "Acela problems" for the search terms, and picked this thread as a good vehicle to secure more useable and recent information.

Thanks for your reply.

You can sort by date if you use the advanced search. The default search order is “relevance” which can be less than useful at times. You can also use the box that says “Contains all of these words” as the default is to do an “any” search where the post need only contain “acela” or “problems” not necessarily both.