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I am new to three-rail trains, but I have started collecting some SCALE pieces for a future layout. Future means probably 5-10 years away. I plan to mostly run in conventional mode, and I don't care if my locomotives have all the bells and whistles.

I have read lots of forum posts here about engines that required new control boards because something bad happened. Either they had to upgrade their engine's chip for a new control system, or the control board was fried or died on its own, whatever) and it concerned me. I was thinking of buying some engines that I like now and storing them for my future layout, but I am concerned that when the time comes to actually run them I won't be able to because the chips will be dead and I won't be able to get repair parts.

As someone planning on primarily running in conventional mode, can locomotives still operate that way even if their chips or control boards die? Am I just being paranoid because all I see are lots of forum posts about this but in reality it is a small percentage of the engines?

Thanks.

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If you plan on conventional operation, and you truly don’t care about bells & whistles, then you’re in a good position even if you do have board failures,….the last 20 some odd years has seen some of the smoothest running equipment manufactured to date, and if you do pop or lose a board, you can be back running for pennies with a bridge rectifier ( one direction only ) or simple reversing boards can be had on the cheap,……I have dozens of my own scale equipment that do not have electronics in them yet, but for .39 cents ( bridge rectifier )  and light bulb, I surely enjoy running them till I get around to putting an electronics package in them……you’re in that group pretty much where you can’t get hurt as long as the mechanics are good,….😉

Pat

Last edited by harmonyards

This forum has a tendency to exaggerate the failures and under report the successes in nearly every possible way one can in this hobby. 

In my music hobby, I have a 1975 Oberheim synthesizer that has never had any repairs and it still works.  I'm more concerned about the mechanical aspects of my locomotive wearing out over time from use over the flavor of the day electronics inside. 

Unfortunately, this post brings up a bigger picture. The author actually asked about his concern. I wonder how many have not and just decided to not proceed in O Scale or model railroading at all after reading some negative entries. I certainly hope that this is an isolated event.

Dave

I tend not to be an official member of the doomsday squad,….I’m having way too much fun to contemplate the above “thought” …….as many problems have arrived,  there’s been twice the amount of remedies,……if all one does is worry, worry, worry,…maybe this hobby ain’t for them out the get go,….I thought the sole purpose of this hobby was to escape worry,…….more than one way to skin a cat with a broken or inoperative piece of equipment, …..and they’re all not doomed to failure,…..run trains, have fun, repeat,….If one breaks down, so be it,…it can be fixed,…

Pat

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