Trainz Academy

I know a couple that are doing the Lionel course, so far so good.

Hey jon

thank you wasn’t sure how thorough they were with both the Lionel and the MTH

Kinda curious, what is the academy like? It is videos of how and info, or is it online classes where you must be on the computer for? Im interested in the academy but hesitant with a full time job and not being available all the time.

@Allan Loczy posted:

Kinda curious, what is the academy like? It is videos of how and info, or is it online classes where you must be on the computer for? Im interested in the academy but hesitant with a full time job and not being available all the time.

Trainz Academy FAQ

It’s videos that you have access too

but trying myself to find out how good they are and if they would be recognized by Lionel or mth

it is kind of expensive so I’d like to know how good the videos are before I invest time and money into it

@Choo-Choo Johnny posted:

It’s videos that you have access too

but trying myself to find out how good they are and if they would be recognized by Lionel or mth

it is kind of expensive so I’d like to know how good the videos are before I invest time and money into it

There is an existing thread on this topic here:
Back to School for Train Repairs !

Thank you

I had posted a question in the original thread regarding whether or not Lionel or MTH would recognize someone who takes the classes and passes the course as being an " Authorized Service Center" and could advertise their services as such. I have sent several emails directly to Trainz asking the same question but have not yet received a definitive answer, only that they " are working on it" ?? 

If Lionel and MTH no longer offer the training directly, which was previously free of charge....what is the advantage to now pay  approximately $ 500.00 per course for the same thing and not achieve the same outcome, as in becoming an "Official Service Center for either Lionel or MTH??

Please understand that I am very much appreciative that the courses are being offered by Trainz and applaud their efforts to make them available as there are no other options for any "formal training" at this time.

I would appreciate it if someone from Trainz, Lionel or MTH could respond so the OGR Forum Members have a better understanding of what is being gained by taking the classes. Respectfully, CNJ Rick.

Rick, these courses are for your own benefit. Watching some videos, downloading some manuals, and taking a few online quizzes doesn't make you a certified ASC in my opinion.  If you want to get in-depth details about repairs from experts with the same repair manuals then these are for you. Your understanding of the training and abilities will determine your level of compitency while conducting repairs.

In the MTH world, not much has changed since the introduction of PS3 back in 2010 so these courses will give you everything you need and bring you up to date with current technology being used in all MTH engines to the current day and foreseeable future. Does this make you ASC Certified? No, but you will have the best possible training & tools available anywhere to make you capable of doing the job.

The Lionel Courses are a bit more questionable, You do receive a lot of training and great repair materials but how close to the present day does it cover? The internal boards in Lionel engine have changed significantly in just the last 7 years.  If you take these courses and pass the quizzes with flying colors, do you now have the knowledge to repair the latest Vision Line Locomotive? Probable not but you'll at least have a much better understanding of how the tech work and how it has evolved over time to help with repairs on newer products that are not covered.

just the knowledge gained for doing my own repairs vrs. having to ship my engines off to get fixed is worth the $500 per course. at least to me anyway. I can already troubleshoot some things,but this should help me to fix my locos even more. so I am going to take the classes when I have the time.

as far as being asc certified most would like to be able to be that repair guy. I dont think they realize that even if they were certified after spending $500 per course.  you then have to spend thousands more to stock the parts to fix them.

I visited my mth tech once and he was replacing what we thought was a bad motor. he went to the storage room of his shop where he keeped his replacementparts. he pulled out a medium size plastic storage container full of different motors.

when he brought it to his work bench I all most fainted. I said how many dollars worth of mth motors is that.wow thats a lot of different motors!

that was just one medium size container. just think of all the other parts needed to run a repair business even part time. its a heck of a lot. btw he is mth only. so working on both lionel and mth would be crazy $$ in parts you would need on hand.

so for me just knowing how to properly fix my own engines is ok with me. plus if I screw up my engine working on it that ok. lesson learned. if I really screw up a customers engine let say. not intentionally,but by mistake now thats a real problem. how do you tell a customer sorry I thought I fixed it. send it back and I will try again. lol on that one. no thank you. I realy admire those who do though.

@H1000 posted:

In the MTH world, not much has changed since the introduction of PS3 back in 2010 so these courses will give you everything you need and bring you up to date with current technology being used in all MTH engines to the current day and foreseeable future.

I want to believe that, however, where are the PS3 steaming whistle diagrams?

If it (Trainz training material) contained that detail- not present in the current copy of MTH materials from MTH (CHAPT 11), then it might be useful even for someone like me who has access to the official MTH material. I still find it challenging to justify $500 in my specific case, but if I know there is valuable info beyond what I have current access to, then maybe.

As an example, where are the pinouts and wiring documentation and what engines used the AE10000E37?

vs the much more complicated wiring for the add-on style whistle steam PCB (AG1500002) to the standard AE1000E32 board?

+

@H1000 posted:

The Lionel Courses are a bit more questionable, You do receive a lot of training and great repair materials but how close to the present day does it cover? The internal boards in Lionel engine have changed significantly in just the last 7 years.  If you take these courses and pass the quizzes with flying colors, do you now have the knowledge to repair the latest Vision Line Locomotive? Probable not but you'll at least have a much better understanding of how the tech work and how it has evolved over time to help with repairs on newer products that are not covered.

As near as I can tell, from 2010 the first RCMC equipped locomotives appeared, and that board set dominated the Lionel product line for the next ten years.  A handful of locomotives were also equipped with the BEMC back-EMF Legacy board and the RCDR TMCC receiver.  Then the changeover to the LCP2 & LCP3 boards in the 2020 timeframe occurred, that's when the multiple whistles & bells came in as well as the programmable class lights.  The course appears to cover the RCMC, but I'll be surprised if there's anything about the LCP2 or LCP3 in the training, but I don't really know for sure.