Lou1985 posted:O Gauge Jim posted:Thank God for pre-and post war Lionel that still runs like jack rabbits and can be serviced and repaired by anyone with a reasonable knowledge of electricity and how motors work.
Jim
My modern stuff runs fine. In fact I've got 25 year old TMCC and Railsounds equipment that runs like new, at that's first generation stuff. Modern stuff is just as reliable and requires less maintenance (I'm not changing brushes and cleaning commutators on my Pittman powered steam locomotives). Follow a few simple rules:
1. When running modern stuff have proper circuit protection. Fast blow fuses or magnetic/electronic breakers and TVS diodes. Keeps from melting a board in a derailment.
2. When working on your trains make sure to not pinch any wires when reassembling things. Make sure all insulation and mounting surfaces are exactly as you found them when reassembling them. Only touch circuit boards if the item you are working on is on and antistatic mat and you're grounded.
3. Read the instructions that come with your model/control system before you operate something.
Lest you think I'm an electrical whiz I have no formal training in electrical engineering. I read instructions, research, and ask questions before doing something I'm unaware of. There is no need to fear technology or think it's fragile. Learn about it and understand it. The fear is of the unknown. Once you know how something works there is no reason to be afraid of it.
Without this modern stuff I wouldn't be in the hobby. Command control, modern sound, and smoke blow away postwar air whistles/battery horns and smoke pills in the fun department. I was born 16 years after the postwar era ended and grew up running my dads postwar stuff. Learned how to fix it then moved on to learning about the new stuff. New stuff is just more fun. Without it I doubt I'd have come back to the hobby after grad school. Don't short electronics and they'll live a long, long time.
