I am curiouse....Last year a lot of the toy train manufactures where promoting our hobby/businesses as the Great American Hobby, I could be wrong on the promoting name.
Looking over some of the post regarding mergers and just the general cost of items of the hobby along with some of the quality of them. It is just my opinion but how are we to get new generations into our hobby.
Recently I took in for repair a Penn 2-4-2 and tender for repair. The gentleman bought it as a new set from a dealer for his boy and labeled it to him from Santa. His boy went off to play with ours and so the story started. I was told by him that this set was purchased new for Christmas 09. Him and his son set it up shortly after opening it. He then told me it ran very nicely for the next few days. Then it started to run intermittently. Then not at all. Needless to say a 6 year old was not happy and wanted dad to get on the phone to Santa to complain. I became Santa's helper.
Upon taking the engine and tender apart those neet little wire nuts they now use to tie the wires together fell out thus letting the wires lose contact with the others. I took the wires soldered them together then applied heat shrink to them. It now runs as it should. Had another item where an extra screw was left lose to where it kept causing a short ing the power truck of a GP unit.
I have had others like this but if you combine things like this along with the ever so increasing cost of them it is no wounder a lot of persons have not gotten into the hobby. Yes I would love to buy some of the newer items but given these economic time we are in,And with me having to take a $10,000 a year pay cut. I just can not do it. I am sure that there are others like myself in the same boat.
Given the cost of the new items and with some of the quality issues that pop up from time to time is the big reason for me pushing the older trains from the pre/post war era. I can generally make up a set for someone based on what it is they would like for half the cost of new sets and have it be more dependable in the hands on newbies. I tell people who come to me and who are just starting out to keep it simple and not to over complicate things. The older ones have the K.I.S.S. deal down. (Keep it simple stupid). With our boys I find that they are just as happy to run trains with out all the high tech stuff in them as those with them. But even they prefer the older trains as they are less likely to lock them out or have an incident that causes the shorting out of things. Give them smoke and whistle and you have made their day.
When I told my dad I wanted to open my own service shop as an off shoot of his, I was told these to things.
1, Don't do it if I was looking to make a mint off it .
2, Do it because you truly enjoy playing with toy trains. He was very Stern on this one.
3, Do it to bring new persons into the hobby and to keep those in it .
4, Do not over charge. Another one he was very Stern on.
5, Do not get crazy with the pricing on services. Another stern one.
He has others but these are the ones I here about the most. I guess they work as dad has been in this line of work for 45+ years. It amazes me that he can pick up a part and tell you exactly what it goes to. I can only hope to have his vast knowledge. And yes I do fallow his rules in my own shop!!!!!
Thank you for your time.
I've been saying this for so long... these toys, like all other toys, are not made by hand, they are made by automated systems (for the most part). They are packaged by hand, and a few items get tested prior to shipping to batch check for QC. They are then packaged in containers and shipped over the ocean by huge ships. There are bound to be some that have their wire nuts work loose. They don't solder ALL the connections because they KNOW some of the electrical boards (made by machine) may have issues and it is FAR EASIER to unscrew a wire nut than it is to heat up a soldier iron, remove shrink wrap and then unsolder the joint.I have had issues with Postwar engines and opperating cars as frequently as I have had with NIB items, actually I have to take ALL my Postwar engines and opperating cars in for service FAR more frequently than I do my modern stuff. So be careful when making general comments.
Lionroar I totally agree ....and it's just not trains ... ask the many millions over the years who have had recalls and even life threatening accidents from automobile technical blunders and no one gives up driving . Should we all only shop for and buy modet t's ? If funds are limited or anyone wants to stay away from high tech electronic trains .... buy conventional engines such as super dependable Williams engines .... the difference in detailing from those old style pre war and the newer versions are light years .
ED WHITFORD With our boys I find that they are just as happy to run trains with out all the high tech stuff in them as those with them. But even they prefer the older trains as they are less likely to lock them out or have an incident that causes the shorting out of things. Give them smoke and whistle and you have made their day.
I, too, like the PostWar (that's what I got as a kid & still run). However, when I was a kid, the toys didn't even have to compete with television, let alone ipods, gameboys, etc. I applaud the manufacturers for improving the toy trains to compete with all the other electronic gadgets kids have today.
BTW, best of luck on opening a repair shop; all of the trains are going to need work sooner or later & most of us, well, at least I, am not qualified to do a lot of the needed work. Thanks to those of you who can, and do.
Charlie
I don't buy a lot of the new stuff because of the price. Some of the newer trains break down more often than the post war stuff I have. Post war trains were made when electrical motors needed to be maintained(brushes and armature plates cleaned) on a regular basis. The new trains use can motors and circuit boards and are more sensitive to over voltage than the post war trains.
Far as repair under warrenty I have found that Williams is very good, MTH is prettyy good and Lionel over the years is sometimes good about acknowledging a problem; example-Lionel O gauge tubular track switches, 1995 to present. K-Line used to be great about repairs under warrenty, when it was just K-Line(pre Lionel buyout).
Don't know about Atlas or other brands under warrenty.
Lee F.
"Should we all only shop for and buy modet t's ?" I wouldn't go that far; but the newest car I have ever owned was a 1971. The highest-tech electronics in the 1966 that I'm now driving is the turn-signal flasher.
Bob Nelson
It's post war for me because I can work on the stuff and it's what I got started with and still have. I get a lot of pleasure out of getting an old clunker running again. A lot of the modern is way out of my price range right now but there is a BUNCH of it out there and a lot of the rolling stock really looks good. I was drooling over some of the Atlas stuff the other day.
Mike
I have received some off line E-mails on this posting of mine, I must clear some things up. This might be a bit long.
It is not that any of the new items out there work any better than the older it is just based on the stand point of a father and a service tech that I worded the posting the way that I did. For in our personal collection includes items from all eras and scales from many manufactures. I am not saying all pre/post war items work with no problems as some of them do have some issues no matter how many time up try a different set up or fix them. That might be why some of those items never sold very well or you can see a lot of those items under the tables at shows or on auction sites in pieces and parts. Every one has their own definition as to what items they are. As some might work better for others than any one else.
How ever you can usually get the parts for the pre/post war items more regularly than those of the new. With those items you do not have to send in your broken part for a new like some of the manufactures are requiring on certain parts of the newer items. While the new items are fun to operate when you get the bugs worked out of them. Some people just do not have the patients to do that. Couple of examples: Our sons have run the poo out of our pre/post war American Flyer and Lionel items with the only time to stop for Smoke or the occasional move of the E-unit lever.
But on some of our newer items they stop due to the accidental pushing of the wrong button thus some times locking the item out. Not a good thing when this comes to a 3 and 9 year olds. The same can go for those just starting out in the hobby as well. It is my belief that when it comes to the newer items with all they offer it is a must on some of those items to have the patients to work with those. Most kids and some adults do not have.The fact of the matter is I think that some of the newer items you have to grow in to, You have to crawl before you run.
Not to mention that some of the newer items are built so they appear to be a throw away item, Not worth fixing. I do not think this was intentional it just looks like it. I think we all who are actively involved with this hobby just like any others that have to compete with the T.V, Video games and Computer. Need to do our part in trying to keep this alive and well. Again this is my opinion but it is what I do. our boys are limited on the amount of the couch potato items and are made to play with us and our old toys.
I think that just like all other things that are made at manufacturing jobs you do not have people who truly enjoy what it is they are making nor do they take pride in it. It is just that a job. They do not think about the kid who might be getting the item or the elderly person who is trying to relive his past. I think that is the reasoning for the rules that have been placed on me and my shop from my dad.
ED......my VCR is still flashing 12:00 and it doesn't bother me a bit. The simplicity you mention works for me too. The beautiful part of all of this is choice. I watch some of the videos guys provide and truly like some of the latest features my stuff doesn't have......then wait until the urge passes.
Jack.
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
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