Several years back I bought one of the MTH Operating Street Clocks because I liked the styling and thought it would look good on my layout. Well this clock has frustrated me for years! The clock would run for awhile and stop for no apparent reason. It basically has a cheap chinese battery operated watch for the time piece. I tried several new batterys without much luck. I even returned the clock and got another one. Guess what, I had the same problem. I got frustrated and put it away. A few weeks ago I figured I would get it back out and try again. I put another new battery in it and had the same old problem. The clock would run great for days with the back off the clock (or watch) but when I put the back on the watch and put it back in the die cast street clock housing it would run for awhile and stop. For some reason it seemed to be related to clearance on the stem of the watch to the watch back (cover) or a tolerance that was being affected when the back was pressed back on. I think I have finally determined it is the back pushing on the watch mechanism. It appears the tolerance is such that it must be pushing on the back of the watch mechanism when it is pressed back in place. If I don't press it back on all the way the clock works fine. I think this is yet another example of some fine merchandise coming from China!
Sometimes we blame China .. but remember it was american engineers who deigned the items and sent the specs to them .... if they were produced by the specs they were sent with strict control of tolerances it may not be their fault . The manufacturers over there always send prototypes of finished items back for their inspection before release and if they fall short on inspection and trial useage here ... who's to blame ?
I understand what you are saying. I'm sure both sides can share some blame. I just know that many companys these days require suppliers to self certify. The prototypes may have meet the specifications but over time quality may have suffered and the customer is the one that always suffers.
Mike
Paid about $15 for one at York a couple of years ago.
Figured it was the right price then.
Figure the price was still right today.
(afterall, aren't O Gauge layouts timeless?)
If it works for $15 then that's a good deal. If it doesn't work and you are happy with a static model great. When I buy something I expect it to work!
I am sympathetic to the sentiment, having been similarly disappointed by more than a number of 3 figure items. Reliability and repairability is a problem that continues to plague the hobby and it cuts across the various manufacturer/importers.
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