My L-shaped home layout is filled with Lionel, MTH, and K-line operating accessories. Since my track plan is rather simple, the action accessories - not the trains - become "the stars of the show" to visitors, especially to youngsters who are eager to press every control button and watch what happens.
After twice replacing the PCB inside a used, modern Lionel Culvert Unloader (the conventional one with the sensor beam), I still couldn't get it to work. Perhaps that was why its former owner loader sold this "problem child." A repair at an Authorized Service Center would probably cost more than I invested in it, but I didn't have the heart to throw it away. So I offered it for sale through eBay with a grimly accurate description of its condition and a very low asking price. I hoped that another hobbyist with "better-than-mine" repair skills would be able to resurrect it from the dead.
Then I bought a new replacement unit which worked perfectly out of the box! Curiously, the companion accessory (Culvert Loader) always worked perfectly. IMHO, this duo accessory is one of the best products ever made by Lionel. Although my layout is wired with TMCC and I run TMCC-equipped and LionChief locos, I haven't ventured into Command Control accessories because my two young great-grandsons like to push all the #90 control buttons.
I'm now struggling and tweaking the operation of a used Lionel/AF Oil Drum Loader accessory. Its moving forklift won't consistently "catch" an oil barrel dropped onto it. I believe the problem is related to the arc pathway of the forklift, which doesn't move far enough forward to press the metal dump tray toward a near-vertical position and let an oil barrel fall onto the forklift. I'm toying with making modifications to the angle of the leading edge of metal dump tray; so far, without success. Maybe the solution is buy a brand new one.
Mike Mottler
mottlerm@gmail.com
