Is the remake 497 coaling station as quality as the original?

The postwar and repro 497 loaders are essentially the same with the exception of the motor.  The frame and base are metal on both and the bin and roof are both plastic.  The repro units are much quieter but both units operate very smoothly when adjusted correctly.

Rolland

Many of the reissues came off the assembly line wired wrong.  Lionel has an addendum to the original directions on how to rewire it.  Requires soldering.  Very little room too work and not much slack in the wires to work with, but it is fixable..

No remake will ever match the quality of the originals.

LionelTin posted:

No remake will ever match the quality of the originals.

Kinda what I thought. I think I know what to do. Thanks to everyone 

I've got one of the 497 repros and it works fine. However, when I bought it (from a forum member in fact) it had been sitting unused in the box for quite some time. As a result the rubber-like band from motor to drive assembly was essentially dry rotted. Had to replace it and all works great. 

Regarding what LIONELTIN said "No remake will ever match the quality of the originals" I agree. Not only in Lionel accessories but American Flyer as well.

Keep in mind however, that the use of DC can motors in many of the repros provides a much smoother action which usually means better operation (eg. the icing platform). Lionel had to devise a lot of "buffers" to take as much of the jolt out of the action as they could when using solenoids or AC motors.

As stated above, if buying one of the recent repros:

The wiring may need to be adjusted as per the addendum provided by Lionel depending on the dump car you're using with it.

The rubber band (I think it was a rubber gasket available at the hardware store) may need replaced.

The grease in the worm gear may have hardened over time and should probably be cleaned out and fresh applied.

In my experience the recently issued magnetic cranes, (both prewar by MTH and post war by Lionel as well as the #97 coal loader, the #164 log loader, and both the culvert loader and unloader work much better than their prehistoric ancestors. Comparing a smooth running can motor to the earlier vibrator motor and open frame motors is no contest in my opinion. The structures are just as sturdy and colorful as the earlier models. If you want the past be my guest, but if you want smooth reliable operation go with the reissues.

I'm also in the camp than in general prefers  re-issues. 

In terms of looks, there are a few design oddities like the modern culvert set with the large grey motor housings, but for the most part the newer ones will be obtainable in much better cosmetic condition than a post war example.  Mint Post War is still extremely expensive, if you can even find it.  Something that "only" has a few scratches and maybe even a dent or 2 is a non-starter for me, so most Post War is not going to be acceptable to me.

I'm also not a huge fan of using vibrotors when not necessary.  A few examples like the sawmill above may be good with it, but I always prefer finding out something has been upgraded with a can (example: I love the modern control towers, but can't believe they still have never made a radar antenna with the can motor).

-Dave

Some folks prefer postwar, even with a couple of scratches because they are serviceable, with most parts being fairly easy to obtain.
Getting parts for many modern era items can be a challenge.
Example: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...42#68722173748098642

I like the repro very much.  The ramp too.  And while they replaced the Universal with a Can, it still sprinkles coal every which way!  ��

Jon  

C W Burfle posted:

Some folks prefer postwar, even with a couple of scratches because they are serviceable, with most parts being fairly easy to obtain.
Getting parts for many modern era items can be a challenge.
Example: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...42#68722173748098642

Absolutely true, and I will not dispute it's obviously much more likely to get PW parts.  But there is no way I would ever be able to put together a significant collection of PW items that would look OK to my eyes.

-Dave