Choose your Repair Center Carefully!

The idea is to train the tech that is connected to a hobby shop.   For years many older hobby shops would state they are an authorized service station and were not.  When Mike Reagan took over, his goal was to bring hobby shops up to speed to be able to repair modern locomotives.    I have conversed with Mike and Dean about the next school.   Nobody can teach the subject any better than Mike Reagan.  

When I went, months before the school we were send information on every Lionel board and the pin outs had to be learned before the school or you would not pass.  Lots of boards and it was learned.

Thanks for the info and time on this subject Marty .

GGG certainly needs to be commended, as sounding like one very honorable guy you would want working on conventional, much less, electronic trains.  Fixing that bird's nest indicates that he likes a challenge, and the desire to practice his skills, even if money-losing.  That "repair"  he received sounds like a deliberate rip-off.

Matt,

  Did not mean to leave you out, I was just naming a few here on the OGR, sorry!  There are probably others like Alex I missed also!

PCRR/Dave

COLORADO HIRAILER, if you fix enough of this stuff, most of us get to see some REALLY ugly hack jobs!  Hence the sign over the workbench.

Our hobby has many people who will take on any job and be qualified to do none.    This OGR forum has many great tech guys.  I learn from them constantly.   I plan on attending the next school Lionel has.  It will be my second Lionel school.  I have been to 5 MTH schools.

Marty,

I don't think I will go to the Lionel class.  The MTH stuff keeps me busy enough.  I have only been doing repairs for stuff purchased at my shop and VERY good customers.  No train show or ebay purchases.  I have been referring people to you, John and George.

George,

I have been using O rings for speaker gaskets.  It saves me the heartache of dealing with MTH parts.

Dave

If there is another Lionel class, I'll be there.  I'd like to get Lionel certified as well.

How does one get certified for mth ?

You need to be sponsored by a dealer, and then you attend their train class.  The class is free, you are responsible for travel and lodging.  You also have to pay for any test sets, etc. that you want to obtain.

So choose your repair facility and tech carefully.

In any field, not just trains, that's often easier said than done.  I've had auto repairs that were less than well-done, and then there was the outstanding surgeon of great repute who did my cardiac bypass..............

gunrunnerjohn posted:

You need to be sponsored by a dealer, and then you attend their train class.  The class is free, you are responsible for travel and lodging.  You also have to pay for any test sets, etc. that you want to obtain.

Thanks for the info ..

I'm curious in these classes, MTH, or pervious lionel classes, what the level of training and/or prior knowledge would be.  The mechanical stuff seems straight forward enough, perhaps complex in some cases, but I don't expect it to be particularly intense.  On the electronic side, however, do they teach component level repair, or go for diagnosis of failure and board replacement?  Also what level of skill would be the 'starting point' one should have before they went to such a class?  

Well, for component level repairs at the MTH class, they had you demonstrate that you could remove and solder SMT components onto a old board, they were using dead TIU boards in our class.  Then the instructor would check out the work and decide if you'd do more damage than good trying to do component repairs.

Obviously, a lot of the repairs are module level diagnosis and repair.  A lot of repairs, as you obviously know, are simple wiring issues, loose connections, broken connections, pinched wires, etc.

Dave, I will not touch any of the junk people get screwed with from fleabay.   Yes, some good stories exist.  I am busy enough with one Dealer I do work for and do not look for any other work.  He is a good friend.  Sometimes I will help a Forum member who has run out of options.  Anytime I can help any member with information I do my best.  Aside from my dealer friend, I have several local friends I try to keep running.

Oh ya, I still have a large fleet of my own engines that I need to keep running.

I learn from everyone here who I can get good information from.

Roman posted:

...and I thought my installs were bad!

 

 

At least they tried to extend the antenna! 

JohnGaltLine posted:

I'm curious in these classes, MTH, or pervious lionel classes, what the level of training and/or prior knowledge would be.  The mechanical stuff seems straight forward enough, perhaps complex in some cases, but I don't expect it to be particularly intense.  On the electronic side, however, do they teach component level repair, or go for diagnosis of failure and board replacement?  Also what level of skill would be the 'starting point' one should have before they went to such a class?  

MTH identifies some standard components that can fail, but they do not go through detailed component level repairs, or deal with circuit board diagrams.  All proprietary.  From what I have heard same with Lionel.  You diagnose down to which board, and if something obvious, you can repair, otherwise replace.

The level of detail I have gone too especially with the PS-1 and PS-2 boards comes from detailed backward engineering, tracing out systems, even removing a component to see it's effect.  Plus a ton of circuit board repairs with symptoms I have figured out what failed and how to fix it.

I had basic electronic education decades ago, but no practical experience.  Always good at logic problems, tinkering and repaired stuff since a kid.  Stayed at a Holiday Inn while at MTH training, and now I am an expert.    G

GGG posted:

Stayed at a Holiday Inn while at MTH training, and now I am an expert.    G

George, I wish I had known that it was that easy, I just picked the wrong motel when I took the course!

John,

it is true about Holiday Inn Express.  My wife stayed there once in the spring of 1992 and now she is an expert at EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.  Go figure.

Obviously, for the next MTH school, my lodging has been selected!