Labor of Love

[azflyer]

 

I myself have no problem with the idea of taking a broken model train and using there parts to repair another model train. However, I have a problem with destroying a working model train who's individual parts are in “good to excellent condition" I feel 50-60 year old model trains deserve to be preserved for the next generation or maybe even my grand kids. Yes, fixing American Flyer model trains is a labor of love, which know amount of money can replace.

Case in point:

A friend of my wife, her husband had a train set that belong to him when he was very young. His dad gave it back to him if he wanted it. He had taken it some place and they said the armature was bad. He new that I restored my American Flyer model trains to run on my layout, so he asked me if I would look at it for him.

It was a great looking American Flyer 332AC 4-8-4. At looking at it seemed to be in very good condition. It may just needed some TLC? Up on bench testing it, it did not run. At further inspection someone had install jumper wires on the remote control unit (e-unit), which in time burned out the armature. Mechanically it was a mess.

After many hours of labor of love, at which I replaced the armature, field, top and bottom finger units, four conductor cable, brushes, springs, jack panel, lamp, cleaned and oiled.  

It has been two months now, and he has been to busy to pick the 4-8-4 up. He said he was going to bring the rest of the set over to my house so we can run it on my layout. I still enjoying seeing this great train choo-choo and smoke as it comes back to life. Its the best running 4-8-4 of the four on my layout. Do you think he may leave it for me to enjoy my labor of love?

My Charges.....fifty dollar for parts. Labor of love, no charge. 

AZ-Flyer

[Major]

I agree completely with you.  I do some repair work for a local hobby shop all I charge is for the parts. I enjoy repairing and preserving toy trains. 

[Timboy]

Hi Guys,

I also agree, but would "up" the condition to the range of very good and above.  I do make modifications on my excellent locos to enhance electrical conductivity, but that can be undone.  Disconnecting a reverse unit can also be undone.  Even swapping out trucks can be undone, but a disclosure should follow upon resale that that had been done.  Repainting isn't necessary for a loco in the very good and above range.  I'm not generally in favor of doing a touch-up to the paint job in most cases.  I would favor just finding a piece in better condition instead.  If I need to harvest parts, I harvest them from the good and below range, preferably below.  If I want to do a rehab, I pick a piece that is distressed.  But I must confess that I follow that standard for purely selfish reasons.  If I want to resale the train pieces someday, I'll get much more for them in original condition.  Others may follow that standard for more altruistic reasons and that is commendable, IMHO.

Regards,

Timboy, The American Flyer Nerd

[richhotrain]

azflyer

 

I myself have no problem with the idea of taking a broken model train and using there parts to repair another model train. However, I have a problem with destroying a working model train who's individual parts are in “good to excellent condition" I feel 50-60 year old model trains deserve to be preserved for the next generation or maybe even my grand kids. Yes, fixing American Flyer model trains is a labor of love, which know amount of money can replace.

Well, then, I guess that I am a bad guy.

I have an American Flyer 355 Baldwin Diesel that I got as a kid from my parents in the late 1940s.  After I left home for college, my younger brother "inherited" my toy train sets, and he was pretty rough on the equipment.  When I pulled the Baldwin diesel out of long term storage last winter, the motor and reversing unit were virtually unrepairable.  One of the front steps and the entire rear staircase were missing from the engine shell.

So, I bought a duplicate on eBay which was intact and had a working motor and reverse unit.  I took parts from the motor and reverse unit to use on my own engine.  I used a jeweler's saw to cut out the steps and staircases from the eBay purchase and glued them onto my damaged engine shell. 

Today, I have a beautiful working engine that is my own with some transplanted parts, but the eBay engine is sitting in my AF graveyard.  I have no regrets.

Rich

[richhotrain]

azflyer

 After many hours of labor of love, at which I replaced the armature, field, top and bottom finger units, four conductor cable, brushes, springs, jack panel, lamp, cleaned and oiled.  

It has been two months now, and he has been to busy to pick the 4-8-4 up. He said he was going to bring the rest of the set over to my house so we can run it on my layout. I still enjoying seeing this great train choo-choo and smoke as it comes back to life. Its the best running 4-8-4 of the four on my layout. Do you think he may leave it for me to enjoy my labor of love?

AZ-Flyer

AZ, possession is nine-tenths of the law !

But, seriously, I would try to work out a deal with the guy.  Offer to keep the engine at your house and in return, he can come over and run the engine on your layout.  Hold the $50 repair charge in abeyance as a form of quid pro quo.

Rich

[rtraincollector]

richhotrain

azflyer:

 

I myself have no problem with the idea of taking a broken model train and using there parts to repair another model train. However, I have a problem with destroying a working model train who's individual parts are in “good to excellent condition" I feel 50-60 year old model trains deserve to be preserved for the next generation or maybe even my grand kids. Yes, fixing American Flyer model trains is a labor of love, which know amount of money can replace.

 

Well, then, I guess that I am a bad guy.

I have an American Flyer 355 Baldwin Diesel that I got as a kid from my parents in the late 1940s.  After I left home for college, my younger brother "inherited" my toy train sets, and he was pretty rough on the equipment.  When I pulled the Baldwin diesel out of long term storage last winter, the motor and reversing unit were virtually unrepairable.  One of the front steps and the entire rear staircase were missing from the engine shell.

So, I bought a duplicate on eBay which was intact and had a working motor and reverse unit.  I took parts from the motor and reverse unit to use on my own engine.  I used a jeweler's saw to cut out the steps and staircases from the eBay purchase and glued them onto my damaged engine shell. 

Today, I have a beautiful working engine that is my own with some transplanted parts, but the eBay engine is sitting in my AF graveyard.  I have no regrets.

Rich

Rich I see no problem with what you did as you still have a good engine just now you brought life back to your engine from your childhood not a copy of it you have the actual train. I had to sell my trains at one time because of lack of room and fiancés I have since bought 2 or 3 engines that was identical of my original it just not the same I don't have any of them now may some day do it again but it just doesn't hold the same memories for me like I wish it would as I know its not the one I owned as a kid.

So to me if you were able to bring that back and still end up with a decent engine more power to you.

what i don't like is folks that take a good working engine/car and dissect it just to get the parts to resell. There has to be ones out there that are in fair condition you can do that to. I have seen part by part listed on ebay for a whole engine and you can see the engine was in VG condition befor they dissect it

[richhotrain]

rtraincollector

richhotrain:

azflyer:

 

I myself have no problem with the idea of taking a broken model train and using there parts to repair another model train. However, I have a problem with destroying a working model train who's individual parts are in “good to excellent condition" I feel 50-60 year old model trains deserve to be preserved for the next generation or maybe even my grand kids. Yes, fixing American Flyer model trains is a labor of love, which know amount of money can replace.

 

Well, then, I guess that I am a bad guy.

I have an American Flyer 355 Baldwin Diesel that I got as a kid from my parents in the late 1940s.  After I left home for college, my younger brother "inherited" my toy train sets, and he was pretty rough on the equipment.  When I pulled the Baldwin diesel out of long term storage last winter, the motor and reversing unit were virtually unrepairable.  One of the front steps and the entire rear staircase were missing from the engine shell.

So, I bought a duplicate on eBay which was intact and had a working motor and reverse unit.  I took parts from the motor and reverse unit to use on my own engine.  I used a jeweler's saw to cut out the steps and staircases from the eBay purchase and glued them onto my damaged engine shell. 

Today, I have a beautiful working engine that is my own with some transplanted parts, but the eBay engine is sitting in my AF graveyard.  I have no regrets.

Rich

 

Rich I see no problem with what you did as you still have a good engine just now you brought life back to your engine from your childhood not a copy of it you have the actual train. I had to sell my trains at one time because of lack of room and fiancés I have since bought 2 or 3 engines that was identical of my original it just not the same I don't have any of them now may some day do it again but it just doesn't hold the same memories for me like I wish it would as I know its not the one I owned as a kid.

So to me if you were able to bring that back and still end up with a decent engine more power to you.

what i don't like is folks that take a good working engine/car and dissect it just to get the parts to resell. There has to be ones out there that are in fair condition you can do that to. I have seen part by part listed on ebay for a whole engine and you can see the engine was in VG condition befor they dissect it

Thanks for your supportive comments.

As far as your trains go, I feel bad for you having to sell your trains, but look at it this way.  Maybe the items you bought back are your originals.  You never know.

Rich

[Anonymous]

I won't buy from people who list every part of an item that they strip and sell on ebay.  I only strip items that are too far gone to do anything else with them.  I recently stripped a 481 Silver Flash that had a cracked nose and extensive paint loss among other things, and I needed the roar generator and speaker.

This doesn't apply to just trains with me.  I can't go to salvage yards because it bothers me too much.  The last time I went, I pulled a set of sunvisors out of a 94-97 base model Probe.  It only takes a few seconds to remove both sunvisors, but it took me the better part of an hour sitting in there before I could bring myself to do it.  If I would have had the money and a way to get it home,  I would have bough the car and given it what it needed.  Hate to see them end sitting in a yard waiting to be crushed.