I am looking at buying a couple of h-l-w engines, from what i can see they look pretty heavy duty and should hold up better, any out there have any of these, these are strictly to be us ed inside. Advise?
Hartland stuff is rugged and pulls well -- but is occasionally hard to find because they are a really small outfit.
The ONLY complaint I have EVER heard about HLW quality is that their couplers and a few trim bits are sometimes a little brittle and can break if the car is dropped...... that's it. I think that pretty much speaks for itself.
I've been real pleased with mine, mostly Macks and a couple locos. They are rugged quiet and durable, as good as anything LGB made.
Have fun with your trains
I have three of their items, the Doozie Rail Bus, Big John, and Forney. The Doozie and Big John run very well, but the Forney has a set of warped drive wheels and the gears bind up -- not happy with it at all. It binds so badly that the AirWire G2 decoder keeps shutting down. I've been unable to figure out how to disassemble the Forney to see if the axles can be straightened or something can be done about the binding gears.
I know the stock answer is to contact HLW about the Forney, but it is so heavy that shipping charges to them would probably exceed its value.
I sent three items to Aristo for repair using the USPS, Flat Rate Medium boxes. Two items in one box and one item in the other; each shipped for $10.??. Aristo literature stated their shipping is $20.00. We put a $20.00 check in each box and we got the three items back in the same two boxes in like new condition and no repair or additional costs. Works for me.
Have fun, Rob
Im a hudge fan of Hartland. I have the Big John that I kitbashed by re painting and adding details (see "what happened to spring" post) I also have the Mack, woodey and a bunch of rolling stock. Their engines can be used outside. Not sure where you heard they were for indoors. Not true at all. I run mine in the snow and rain with no problems. They are comparable to G quality at half the cost.
As for sending the Forney back they will send youa box prepaid to ship back as long as it is a defect. Call them they are very good to their customers.
FOLLOWUP to my problem with the 2-4-4 Forney:
I sent an e-mail to Hartland explaining the problems with it, and received a prompt reply from Becky at Customer Service, who provided the name and phone number of their repair technician in Nebraska.
I phoned him Tuesday (March 22) and he had a copy of the e-mail I had sent to their home office. He's going to send me replacement wheels and axles with gears at no charge, and talked me through the disassembly instructions.
Top notch customer service and support! Much better than what I had expected to hear. This makes me more than glad that I purchased a Hartland product instead of a different brand.
I live very close to H_L_Ws. I purchased a Little John from H_L_W. it seamed to run ok until I slowed it down for couppling. then I seen one set of drivers was running twice as fast as the other set.
I took to H_L_W. The receptionist told me that they can not guarantee something that only cost $350.00 to be perfect.
spikejones52002 I live very close to H_L_Ws. I purchased a Little John from H_L_W. it seamed to run ok until I slowed it down for couppling. then I seen one set of drivers was running twice as fast as the other set. I took to H_L_W. The receptionist told me that they can not guarantee something that only cost $350.00 to be perfect.
Mine does the same but it does not effect its performance. If thats the worst thing you can report thats nothing. Its still a rugged engine and a lot less money then other engines with the same quality. Its a model and its about having fun. I have LGB engines that I love and they also have there issues but not enough to effect performance. Really what is perfect today, nothing. Just read the reviews for all the products out their. Everyone will always fine a problem.
I have found that there is always someone with a negative review even when all the othjers were positive.
If Spike's description of the problem is even close to being right, then there is a serious problem. How can you release something to production and sale with such badly mismatched gear ratios? And if the receptionist actually did make that comment, it's time to find someone else for the front desk who has an understanding of customer service.
From your description of the problem, it sounds like the loco had not been run in properly. Most locos when new will run slightly roughly at slow speeds, owing to binding of the new mechanism. This will be displayed through a jerky movement, or if there are two separately powered bogies, one will move better than another at low speed. At full speed this is not noticeable as the motor power will overcome the stiffness. Most manufacturers specify that a new loco should be 'run in' for a period of time with low load at a moderate to high speed.
Another possibility is that the wheels are cleaner on one bogie than the other. If they are not wired together, this can affect smooth slow speed operation.
Mick
Chief Operating Officer
Northern Timber Company - Mt Beenak
It is 100% Gospel.
When I returned it to ther dealer in Chicago Ridge, Il. who moved from his Garage store to Worth Il.
He charged me a 20% restocking fee.
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