@gunrunnerjohn, I don't want to derail the topic here too much, though it does happen frequently on the various train forums... 
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You ought to be on the Lionel payroll (though that probably won't happen!) for all the assistance you provide on the forum to help people get their trains running. No one currently at Lionel or MTH provides the advice and service you provide for people. Though in all fairness, there are others who chime in and help folks with other problems - which is one of the positives with these train forums.
And given the point I made above, well it's not like the old days. The mythology that Lionel trains will run 50 years from now, is probably a thing of the past. Yep, the technology in trains today is amazing, but like with many other high tech products, parts become obsolete rather quickly with all the feature changes.
I just have no interest in the high end products, but you come along and can provide information on individual components on circuit boards... it blows me away sometimes how much you know about this stuff. Or can recommend replacement boards... of course, it helps that you have some of them made yourself. Still it's a service, and you are helping in your own way, to fill a large void in the hobby these days.
Newspapers used to have the "roving reporter." Well, you are the "roving repair guy," just incase you were ever considering a new screen name.
