Today I picked up my third MTH diesel engine. It it a very nice Candian National GP-40. I took the time to unpack it and gave it a proper lube. It only made it to the first curve and the sparks flew between the truck and the body. Of course I try to react fast to turn it off but as luck would have it the second curve gave even a loud static noice with even more sparks.
My luck is that I have MTH experience since the last two diesel engines did the same thing. This means tonight I will have to take off the shell and do some work on the wiring. My only wish is that some day I get a MTH engine that I don't have to perform first aid on. I knew when I bought this one I should of had the dealer make a few loops with it.
At least I didn't blow the electronics and after a quick repair job it will be back on the track. I'm not knocking MTH after all I still buy their stuff. I just can't figure out why I get the ones that need rewired every time.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Is that a Railking or Premeir Line loco?
I have a Premeir Line Reading T1 4-8-4 steam loco that runs just great with only adding some more smoke fluid to it every two weeks. Never had a problem from day one so I can't say what the problem is other than to test run the loco before you bring it home. One other possibility is you have too small a curved section of track, maybe you need to run it on 042 curves or larger.
Lee F.
Problem with your MTH locomotive? Answer: Lionel locomotives.
Grayson
"Lionel trains are the standard of the world" - Jousha Lionel Cowen
magicman710 wrote: Problem with your MTH locomotive? Answer: Lionel locomotives. Grayson
Grayson,
The real solution to problem free locomotives is to buy Williams!
I have had it with my share of Lionel failures in recent years.
I wished it was just the wrong size curve. It is my first Premier. I run them all and even have a K-Line PRR Hammerhead TMCC engine come this summer. No brand loyality on this railroad.
It is just a simple wire problem that results in a short, something common with MTH engines so I'm told. I'm starting to get to be an expert on fixing out of the box engines.
I wasn't looking for a Premier but it was the Candian National engine I was looking for. I think I'm about done after the K-Line comes in, at least for now.
I thought I would give you a view of the new engine along with the Williams pulling up the rear.
DaylightFan wrote:I totally agree about problem prone MTH engines. My dad bought a RailKing UP Diesel Turbine engine which we ran a few times before it died! Yep, Protosound 1 scrambled. Then I bought a used railking Daylight with Protosound 2 that is pictured in my avitar. It has run great for a year, then all of the sudden it just stopped! Dead computer board which will cost more to replace than I even spent on the engine! I have a nice set of Premier Daylight F3's with Protosound 1 which I am very afraid to even run given my history with this brand! I agree, buy Lionel and Willams. I'm beginning to realize what a terrific deal Williams engines are.
Don't give up on them 100%. I bought a RK K4 pacific with a scrambled board for a song. I threw a Lionel Eunit in it and it runs. You don't get all the fancy sounds but at least you get an engine that runs.
I have yet to buy a new MTH that has worked correctly.Why do I keep buying them ? The shells and drive train are great.If you rip out the electronics and install a Williams board you have a great locomotive.So now I buy used and if it don'e work....oh well.
Ed
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
I have one MTH Premeir line engine and so far everything is fine but I have had it just over a year, and am using MTH transformer with it and the MTH charging device for the battery in the tender. Boughtt the DCS system after two months of having the engine. Not wanting to ruin my new engine I not using a Lionel or other brand of transformer with it.
From what I have been hearing you must use all MTH products with your MTH engines! Not to even use a Lionel transformer with them. This is all hear-say from people I have talked to in the south Florida area.
Wow that is a whopper; I wouldn’t take too much help from them. No you don’t have to worry about the transformers from Lionel or anything else for that matter. However one exception is the Lionel CW 80, which will not work properly for a MTH PS 2.0 engine.
Just check any MTH operators manual and you will see there are far more Lionel compatible transformers than MTH even has. I personal use both MTH and Lionel, I have two MTH Z-1000 and Lionel TMCC with two 180 Watt power Bricks.
Right from the MTH BOOK.
Proto Sound 2.0 is designed to work with most standard AC transformers.
ChiefEagles wrote:As most know, I have become a "do not like MTH" person [this was from "I love MTH"]. Have had problems with their Reatrax switches and track, their rolling stock uncoupling and their sounds are not too good. I will tell you, you are going to find problems with Lionel engines and Williams engines [my first one had to be shipped back after a month's use]. The problem is China and quality control. I work part time for a charger company [as some know] and we are suddenly having problems. Quality control and hardheaded Chinese who seem not to listen when told your have a problem. If you like MTH, keep buying it. They will make it good.
Chief,
Lots of good points there. I appreciate the fact that you explained why you don't care for their products, instaed of just jumping on the " I hate Brand X" bandwagon. I agree with what you said.
LOL, ChiefEagles!!! This may explain part of the problem!!!!!
BEIJING - Villagers in central China spent decades digging up bones they believed belonged to flying dragons and using them in traditional medicines. Turns out the bones belonged to dinosaurs, and now scientists are doing the digging.
It's China!!!
BUT the quality of the end product is up to MTH, or Lionel, or Williams. If the contract with China does not provide penalties for bad products the whole system fails.
Here's how it's done, Inspect and test each locomotive, after a set time with no defects you now check each tenth locomotive, after a set time with no defects start checking each 100th locomotive. Each item found with a defect becomes a no charge (free) locomotive and the inspections start over. A fast way to "no defects" from a Contract Vender.
As for MTH "G" gauge, all "G" have ProtoSound II, I have 6 of there Dash-8s, all are perfect runners and defect free. I have 2 Hudsons, the design of the sliding pickups (screwed into a small plastic add-on part held with 1 small screw) and the mounting of the front pilot (cow catcher) is poor and weak. The Challenger is an overall good locomotive. The Southern Pacific GS-2 is a poorly designed, pure trouble locomotive. Broken sliding pickups as on the Hudson, peeling chrome plating on the drivers that rip off the driver pickups, driver pickups on the drivers with Traction Tires, Chrome plating peeling from the plastic driver side rods, a broken plastic frame hindge between the forward 4 drivers and rear 4 drivers, missing wiring for the advertised "Remonte Coulper Ready" feature. Spare parts? When it runs it's beautiful, but, as you can see its the "shop queen".
I collect "O", mostly Lionel, some MTH (NEW HAVEN), Williams, Lima
TCA 73-5735
Don U. TCA 73-5735
I don’t think the problem is China. As a matter of fact I’m sure I would have the same problem if they were manufactured here. My problems have been electrical and I firmly believe it is the result of poor design, packing and shipping.
Lets face it there is a tone of electrical components stuffed inside the shells. For some reason the three diesel engines of mine all had electrical problems. All three had shorts in the trucks where the wires connect. In addition one had loose connections inside a wire nut.
The end result was trains that did not run or trains that had several sparks between the trucks and body. One was so sever that it did melt wires. My gut tells me this happens during packaging or even shipping. It is possible that even the end user can contribute to the problem while unpacking. It is hard enough unpacking a Premier MTH engine without damaging some detail parts.
I wonder how many of these engines have went back to the dealer or MTH to be repaired. In my case I explored the problem and made the repairs even replacing wires that had melted.
I own far too much rolling stock from every company and to be honest I have not had a problem with any of them. Now the small things may be off such as couplers that are not the exactly the same height but in my case they never uncoupled. The only other problems I ever had were two Lionel CW-80 transformers that failed and one Fast Track switch dead out of the box.
In any event I’m lucky because I could troubleshoot the problems and make the repairs in the MTH engines. I’m just unlucky because I never had a new MTH engine make one full lap trouble free. However I’m hooked on the great detail of their Premier line.
You are right, it's up to MTH to control the quality of a product that they have others build for them, China or USA.
I have not had any problems with packing from Lionel, MTH and LGB (LGB seems best). Aristo-Craft has. Loose wires and plugs is a design problem.
You can not "scale" up a 2 pound locomotive to a 20 pound "G" gauge unit and use the same packing system. Nor should inadequate body and frame construction be used for a heaver locomotive. PC Boards should not be effected by shipping impact.
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