Ouch, I had forgotten that situation with Lionel service and the focus on warranty work. I will start the first step today and disassemble, inspect, and order the bluetooth board if that appears appropriate. Assuming that does not solve the issue, like you suggest, plan B will entail contacting one of our forum experts and shipping to them. GGG is not too far away for example.
Thanks for the link on the service locations -it is a bit depressing to check the authorized service stations and find they are generally sales stations.
