No more repairs for Dale M.

This is precisely the same challenge we as consumers face in the electronics industry at large.  For example, a few years ago one of my Sony Blu-ray single disc players was on the blink.  The replacement player now costs $79 at Best Buy.  So who's gonna spend that or more to have an earlier model repaired?    The technology treadmill can be a scary place at times.

David

Your advice on this forum has been great,so all I ask is don't quit on that.

Thanks Bryan

diddos on that Dale!

Your rationale is why exactly why I quit my repair on MTH a few years back. Even though mine was mostly running around hobby shops in Florida.

I appreciate all your advice and input over the years. I can't blame you for stopping. Your knowledge and expertise has taught me a lot. Hope to see you at Cal-Stewart this year.

Thanks,

Bob

Dale i understand you are one the nicest people on this forum and have certainly benefitted from your advice and help stick around if for no other reason than to say hello,

Thank you for all your help.

THANKS, for all your HELP and expertise regarding the TMCC Line.

Regards,

FREDSTRAINS

Thanks Dale for all your help and the signal booster.

I remember the fist time I met you at York. You had your lab coat on running your trains upside down.  LOL I knew you were someone special right there.

Keep having fun and as others have said, don't stop posting.

Dale, I certainly hope you won't disappear from the forum, you have offered many valuable and insightful posts here.  It would be a shame to see that cease.  In my limited little endeavors in the last few months, I can see exactly where you're coming from.  I don't see getting rich doing train stuff, that's for sure.

I am not leaving the Forum.  I learn too much here.

I was using my earnings from repairs to buy stuff at TTOS, but I found I didn't have time to enjoy what I bought!  I would be surprised if my total net from repairs would be enough to buy a new Legacy engine.

To me, the repairs are like a puzzle.  I have generated a lot of documentation on the internals of many of the Lionel TMCC controllers.  Once I understand how a device works, I am ready to tear something new apart to see inside it.

Glad you are staying around and as the others have said, thank you for all you have done here. I hope you continue posting your electronic findings also.  I like reading all the electronics posts around here from all the knowledgeable forum members, many are over my head, but I enjoy them none the less. Some of it may even sink in eventually. I find the electronics part as enjoyable as the trains, maybe even more so at times.

I can identify with this, as can, I think, many folks, certainly many who are self-employed. It can be a real issue. Many customers don't understand or appreciate the time and effort that is required to fix things or resolve certain problems. Because they don't understand or appreciate it, they don't want to pay a proper amount for it.

I suppose Gunrunnerjohn's little saying he puts with his posts is appropriate to an aspect of this: "Nothing is so easy as the job you imagine someone else doing."

Dale

You have been an exceptionally valuable source and aid on the many characteristics and black boxes of TMCC and train control in general since first posting on the Forum. I really appreciate the professional capability and responsive,helpful attitude you have offered.

Great, you had me worried for a minute!   I learn a lot from you, and I value your postings here.

Sounds good Dale.

I have never charged for consumer electronics, train, Ham radio, or BMW motorcycles repairs and as a result I have always been comfortable to reject any repair that I have not found interesting. It doesn't seem nice when I write it out, but it has served me well over the years...especially with the "can you repair my vcr?" questions.

Dale...while I know many folks will miss your expert repairs, we are ALL glad that you are going to remain on the forum.  You have so much to offer to our membership!!

Thanks,

Alan

Dale,

But you have to come to York again with your upside down train running on the loop of track!

The cab-1 you repaired for me years ago is still running fine. As for the other one I sent you last year, it is a present for you to break apart and use for your findings.

Catch you on the forum and hopefully you will come east again for a York meet in the future.

I am beginning to think about another trip.  My ladyfriend (one year and counting) and I spent 2 weeks at Lake Tahoe recently.  She was apprehensive about traveling with someone for that length of time (something new for her), but we had a great time and got along well.  She is originally from Paris, France, and she wants to see the USA.

She is also enjoying my trains.  She won a trophy at last year's Cal Stewart train races.  She has train layouts at her house for her 5 year old great grandson.  The O-gauge postwar layout is on wheels under the bed where he sleeps when he visits, and his Thomas set is out on the floor.  They are talking Polar Express for this Christmas...

Sounds like a keeper there Dale, she likes trains and you don't get on each others nerves!

I'd love to meet you some time, perhaps one of these York weeks you'll be back?

Dale,

   Sorry to hear you are no longer going to due repairs, always knew where I could go for quality work, glad you are still going to be on the OGR forum, like Guns and a few others I learn a lot from your posts, thanks much for participating!

PCRR/Dave

Rats.  I have a PowerMaster that needs to be repaired I was going to email you about.  It's the one I posted about here a while ago with the blown caps on the power input.  Too slow on my part.  But thanks to you and your knowledge, I did fix a TMCC base unit.  Thanks.

Thank you Dale for all the help you have provided. You need to have a life of your own and time to enjoy your own hobby. So happy that you will still be here and happy for you and your companion.

Ray