About a week ago I spoke to Brasseur and he said it would be at least another month.

Yep, it was supposed to be July 1st, but I never believed that date.

Bump!   Any new info on when the MTH parts website will reopen?  Thanks!

Jim T.

Still waiting to hear, I'm hoping soon.

Mike once said at York..... Im here to sell trains not parts.

They have tens-of-thousands of parts--literally--to identify, sort, photograph, catalog, list, etc. Do people not realize the complexity of dealing with that sort of thing? Yes, they had hoped to have everything up and running by now, but the more they found, the more there was to be found. The philosophy of the individual handling the process is "do it once and do it right." If it takes more time, well . . . so be it. The result WILL be worth the wait.

I'm hoping when they do open, that they won't be running out of things like circuit boards the first week because of pent up demand and there is a 6 month wait period to restock. I have needed a steam PS3 board for many months!

  Yeah ! you tell em Chuck !

Gee anyone gotta guess on who that "individual" is?  The worst kept "what's my line" contestant ever.

From what Allan describes.....It sounds like our old buddy.

In the words of "Men at Work", who could it be now...

3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

@MartyE posted:

Spoiler alert!!!

Marty,

This has been the worst kept secret in the hobby over the last few months. But lets give them another hint. The person in Marty E's photo has the same last name as the president of the United States between 1981-1989.

Erol  

I, being a MTH Tech, have had no communication from MTH as to what our role will be and what the parts will cost us. Very disappointed

@JTD posted:

I, being a MTH Tech, have had no communication from MTH as to what our role will be and what the parts will cost us. Very disappointed

I think we're all eager to see what the new structure will be.

@JTD posted:

I, being a MTH Tech, have had no communication from MTH as to what our role will be and what the parts will cost us. Very disappointed

Ditto - MTH has had no communication with MTH techs.  I did get some thumbwheel assemblies that just showed up, outside of that crickets. 

Jim

That's funny Jim, a few weeks ago a bunch of thumbwheels did show up, I was surprised.

@MartyE posted:

In the words of "Men at Work", who could it be now...

3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

He's gonna need a whole new wardrobe - can't wear stuff with the logo of his former employers!

And if anyone can fix it, it's him.  Whoever he is...

The mystery man is not a full time parts employee going forward. He will not be answering the phone taking parts orders. He won't even be located in the same state the parts are in. He has another job. He is one of the three M partners.

Scott Smith

@JTD posted:

I, being a MTH Tech, have had no communication from MTH as to what our role will be and what the parts will cost us. Very disappointed

They were working on a letter to go out within the next week or so.

Scott Smith

@Chuck Sartor posted:

I'm hoping when they do open, that they won't be running out of things like circuit boards the first week because of pent up demand and there is a 6 month wait period to restock. I have needed a steam PS3 board for many months!

MTH, like the rest of the world is waiting on the microchips. The chip manufacturer won't even tell them when they can expect chips until October. We have a long wait. I have a Proto3 board I blew on a 400E last year. It maybe 2022 before I see one.

Scott Smith

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

That's funny Jim, a few weeks ago a bunch of thumbwheels did show up, I was surprised.

GRJ,

Now if only Proto 3 tender boards would magically appear.  Those have been MIA for a while.

Jim

PS/3 Tender boards WOULD be a welcome sight!

@Chuck Sartor posted:

I'm hoping when they do open, that they won't be running out of things like circuit boards the first week because of pent up demand and there is a 6 month wait period to restock. I have needed a steam PS3 board for many months!

Depends upon the hoarders.

@locolawyer posted:

Marty,

This has been the worst kept secret in the hobby over the last few months. But lets give them another hint. The person in Marty E's photo has the same last name as the president of the United States between 1981-1989.

Erol 

Also has the same last name as the Girl in the original exorcist....LMAO

A bit of practical wisdom ...

Many anxious parts-hungry hobbyists would recall these maxims from grade school:
* haste makes waste
* patience is a virtue
* do it right or do it over
* a watched pot never boils
* Rome wasn't built in a day.

And so it goes ...

Diplomatic tip ... when the MTH part(s) you ordered ultimately flow to you from the newly re-organized department, send a THANK YOU note via e-mail or snail mail. It's better to BLESS than B****.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

Maybe its time to put out the help wanted sign.

Well, it would appear the proverbial "cat" is out of the bag?

So, as a bit of a teaser, here is a document we put together to help everyone understand the MTH part numbering system. As always, there are exceptions to these rules, but for the most part it holds true.

So, as everyone waits in anticipation for the launch of the site understand that we are entering our testing phase at the end of this week.  We need to ensure the auto-generated emails are working, the shipping label integration and subsequent emails with tracking numbers are working, etc. This site has been in the works for almost a year now, another couple days to a week to ensure the site is fully operational without any hiccups is not a lot to ask. (and if it is, our apologies!)

Hope you find this document of interest.

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Interesting list…I didn’t expect to see a Tinplate category.

I'm glad to see this!

@David Minarik posted:

I'm glad to see this!

If you can't have Midge, Get Mike!

Marty,
I have to say, one of the biggest tag lines of this entire endeavor is this message;

My name is spelled M-I-K-E, not M-I-D-G-E!

Midge did a great job and is enjoying retirement now.

We have designed this site to be very intuitive. You should not have to call to find the parts you want! The ENTIRE parts database is open to every user. It includes a very powerful search engine that allows you to search every part we have in the database. Our primary form of communication will be email, as there just aren't enough of us to be on the phone, pull orders, ship them and continue adding to the inventory. We are really excited to get the site up and running, but make no mistake, all of my "Midge" efforts are being put into the site to help EVERYONE, not just one person!

We have some videos to create to show you how to use the site to your advantage, very streamlined, very easy to use. It's been over a year in the making!

Please be patient for a little while longer!

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Thanks Midge... I mean Mike...

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Thanks Midge... I mean Mike...

That’s just wrong man,….why it gotta go down like that?…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Pat

Is Mike still working for Trainworx?

@romiller49 posted:

Is Mike still working for Trainworx?

Based on his forum signature and Avatar I would say yes.

It was great chatting with you early this morning, Mike. Always great to hear from you. Obviously the "parts numbering system" document works just fine. I printed a version for use here at home and all six pages looked good. Keep in touch, my friend! Hope to see you next month.

. . .and, yes folks, Mike is still with TW TrainWorx as well. These days a guy needs all the careers he can get.

Thanks for posting the parts information Mike Reagan!  I'm most grateful for your vast expertise and I have utmost confidence in your abilities in that this job is being done right.      You are the perfect person to be heading/handling this HUGE task.  Thank you for sharing as to where the MTH parts website process stands at the moment.  I'm sure many of us are breathing a sigh of relief.  

"Mike once said at York..... Im here to sell trains not parts."  Yes, but, if you can't support what you sell and consider the whole product a throw away item when broken, not a real good business model.  A parts inventory is also a monster to create and to keep track of, even with a computer, so hats off to MTH and anybody that can do that.  If you do it right, you know the failure trend and what to keep on hand in quantity, and it may take a while for a trend to develop and you have to play catchup.

Another thing for all to remember too, just how big is the train market?  How many O Gauge folks in this country who buy and maintain MTH or any other brand?  Trains of all scales are a niche industry,  this is a H-O-B-B-Y, some of it priced out of the real world market and hidden from the public arena unlike the days of Lionel, American Flyer, the Sears 'Big Book', and store displays, when a 100 bucks or less outlay was all it took to get started.  I know, somebody will say that 100 bucks in 1950 is like 500 today, in my world it is not, but when was the last time you saw an ad for trains anywhere but in a train related publication?  Plus a train of any kind except full scale does not look like a smart phone which seems to have removed all incentive to do anything hobby related requiring study or use of hands from the mindset of youth, and appears to have also affected adults since so many things used to only be found in kit form, come already assembled now.  The market keeps getting smaller.

There is only one thing that is cheaper now when you factor in inflation, that is a TV.  In 1970 a 25" RCA color set cost you $1K bucks, that is a bunch in 2021 dollars.  But a 40" TV can be had now for 200, factor that backwards to 1970, and it would cost you something like 35 bucks.

Wow!  Only on OGR do we get this kind of "Breaking News" and we get the man himself doing the parts system upgrade to fill us in!  Much appreciated Mike!

Thanks!

@CALNNC posted:

"Mike once said at York..... Im here to sell trains not parts."

CALNNC,

Could it be that he meant he wasn't interested in selling parts at York, not that he wasn't interested in selling parts at all.

Are you basically saying that this new parts effort is being undertaken because he's admitting that he was wrong?

By the way, I'm with you on the size of the market.  This is a lot of effort to be expending in order to support a market that's not huge.  Compounding things is the fact that the process of instituting order where there was once disorder can be quite difficult -- just ask Sir Isaac Newton.

In spite of this I'm looking forward to a good outcome from all the effort.  Good luck to the organizers!

Mike

I meant to reply to this topic, but mistakenly posted a new topic entitled "Will part numbers be different?"  The following is what I just posted:

I have been waiting to order some screws (part #lA-0000069) from MTH.  After reading the two posts from Mike, is that part number no longer good when the soon to be new parts website is up and running?

I hope Midge is enjoying her retirement.  Midge always went above and beyond in helping me with ordering parts . . . she is missed.

Janet Mattern (TCA, LCCA, P&P, and GCMR member)

This is great news.  Glad to hear this update.

@Janet Mattern posted:

I meant to reply to this topic, but mistakenly posted a new topic entitled "Will part numbers be different?"  The following is what I just posted:

I have been waiting to order some screws (part #lA-0000069) from MTH.  After reading the two posts from Mike, is that part number no longer good when the soon to be new parts website is up and running?

I hope Midge is enjoying her retirement.  Midge always went above and beyond in helping me with ordering parts . . . she is missed.

Janet Mattern (TCA, LCCA, P&P, and GCMR member)

So what if they are, if you’ve been following, Mike has been busting his behind designing a parts site that’ll allow you to bring up your locomotive, view the exploded view, and pick out the parts you need,….

Pat

That is fabulous news. Thank you, Mike!!!!!

Peter

Glad to see this and expected it. Best of luck Mike. I wish you well.

Gerry

Best of luck Mike.  Is Graham going to help you with inventory control?

So, For what its worth, we have tried our best to keep the integrity of the part numbers that existed prior to starting this endeavor. That said, in the event a part number became obsolete (or was superceded by another number) we left a trail (meaning the old number still exists, but the part name points to the current/active part number). Trust me when I say I never want to be “that guy” who erases the trail when it comes to parts!

For instance, instead of having 28 unique part numbers for a 1.5V grain of wheat lamp, we now have 1 number; CA0000075. All the other 28 part numbers now point to CA0000075. The 28 old numbers are still in the parts database (and shown as out of stock) but we have “oodles and oodles of CA000075’s on hand.

so, to answer your question about old/original part numbers, yes, they still exist (with much better descriptions I might add!) and photos of each part too.

thank you,

Mike

Inquiring minds want to know if there will be exploded views of steam and diesel engines?

@Mikado posted:

So, For what its worth, we have tried our best to keep the integrity of the part numbers that existed prior to starting this endeavor. That said, in the event a part number became obsolete (or was superceded by another number) we left a trail (meaning the old number still exists, but the part name points to the current/active part number). Trust me when I say I never want to be “that guy” who erases the trail when it comes to parts!

For instance, instead of having 28 unique part numbers for a 1.5V grain of wheat lamp, we now have 1 number; CA0000075. All the other 28 part numbers now point to CA0000075. The 28 old numbers are still in the parts database (and shown as out of stock) but we have “oodles and oodles of CA000075’s on hand.

so, to answer your question about old/original part numbers, yes, they still exist (with much better descriptions I might add!) and photos of each part too.

thank you,

Mike

Your system makes good sense Mike,….well done,….it took all of 5 minutes to read through what you posted earlier to figure out what you’re cooking up,….I like the prefix system to keep in line steam or diesel Railking or Premier ….etc., etc.,….that allows the consumer to double check their own orders to make double sure they’re in the right category,……it’s gonna work well,…

Pat

Mike, Thank you for the information!!  Excellent work!  I'm sure we can be patient a little longer.  This kind of thing takes a massive amount of work and testing the system.

It is very exciting to see Trainworx taking on the MTH Parts Department.  A great match and there are several parts I am looking for that I will patiently wait on.

28 part numbers for the same lamp? I think I have a better understanding of the past MTH parts problems!

One of the reasons for so many part numbers for one lamp is at the dawn of MTH, they used to sell them with the connector plug attached to the bulb. Sort of a custom fit for each diesel locomotive. So each different length of wire needed, the same bulb acquired several part numbers. Now add if it was a double bulb set for twin headlights, same senario different lengths of wire created a new part number. But all-in-all, it is the same bulb. Just splice onto the existing plug. In most cases it is easier too, not having to re-route the entire bulb and wire.

Mr. Sartor would be correct, in his assumption. While it would be nice if you could just "plug in" your replacement lamp the feasibility of that reality is not to be. Allow me to give you another example. A single 6V grain of wheat lamp. There were 205 individual part numbers in the old system for this part (yes 205 different part numbers for the same lamp! because one may have had leads that were 75mm L with a 2-pos plug while the next one had leads that were 75.9mm L and so on). In the spirit of keeping the original numbers in tact all of these 205 different part numbers for single 6V grain of wheat lamps now point to CA0000074. One part number for "CA0000074          LAMP / 6V / 60mA / 3mm D x 6.3mm L / ASSORTED LENGTH WIRES / SINGLE LAMP / GRAIN OF WHEAT".

The reality of it is this; we just do not have the bandwidth to manage 206 different part numbers for the same part, just does not make sense, especially given the fact that we have essentially started this endeavor 30 years late!

One thing I would like everyone to know and repeat as gospel is this;

When you are searching the parts database please keep this in mind; If the part name is in all CAPS (like the lamp example above) then we have actually laid hands on the part, have renamed it appropriately and photographed it (or have it in the que to be photographed). If the part name has a capital letter and all smaller case letters, such as "Shell" then it is technically an invalid part number (we have not seen it, have not touched it and do not have it in inventory). Here are some examples;

GA1100108B   SHELL / TENDER / COMPLETE / PS 2 & 3 / SOUTHERN PACIFIC DAYLIGHT #4438 / PREMIER GS-4 4-8-4
This would be a part we have in stock.

FB1200342      Shell (boiler)
This would be a part we have not seen and have not renamed. (Do we have it? "Maybe"? We have over 30 skids stacked 5' high that have boxes of parts that have never been cataloged to date (yes, read job security or (job insanity)).

There is a long road ahead of us to get everything into the system and available for the end users, but it is an endeavor worth finishing.     

Janet Mattern, The screw you want to order used to be called; IA-0000069   Screw. After our revamp the part is now: IA0000069 SCREW / WSHRHD / SELF-CUTTING / 3mm x 8mm. (Much easier to know at a glance what you are buying (there used to be 800+ parts named "screw". Yes, we literally determined the thread size/pitch of all 800+ screws and whittled it down to far less than 800+ parts named "screw"!

I am sure you can all see the chaos we have diligently been organizing over the last 15 months. It's a lot of tedious work, but my hope is that you will be satisfied with the outcome (and come buy some parts as a result!)

Also, TW Trainworx has not undertaken this endeavor, its just me with a couple other folks doing this work. The team at TW Trainworx have all been diligently engaged in creating custom layouts for clients, I just furloughed myself to partake in this adventure for a little over a year. Please don't call TW looking for MTH parts! They have enough on their plate as it is, unless of course you need someone to build you your dream layout!

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Mike - thanks so much for the insight.  Your work is invaluable and will be met with much excitement.

Thanks again to you and everyone involved.

That is a mind-boggling amount of work to actually catalog all that stuff!

Mike, now that you're truly an expert at doing such a database, can I get you to drop by and do the same thing for my train collection?  It's much smaller than the parts inventory, less than 1,000 pieces total I expect.  Having it all cataloged and having pictures would be truly great!

John,

No problem, all I ask is that you hold your breath, starting NOW and don't take another one until I get there. I'm putting on my shoes to start walking to PA now! (I might even jog a bit too, but keep holding your breath until I get there!)

Hurry, I'm getting red!

I like the ALL CAPS way of marking the parts list.

I don't know if/when Mike will get back to York, but when he does, he should not be allowed to pay for his own drinks or meals.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

...It's much smaller than the parts inventory, less than 1,000 pieces total I expect.  Having it all cataloged and having pictures would be truly great!

Under 1000 pieces?  I'll bet not.  Are you sure you want your wife to know the actual count and value? 

I have what I consider to be a medium-sized collection (maybe smaller, considering what I've seen in pictures on this forum), and my spreadsheet contains over 1300 entries.

In the spirit of dropping tid-bits of useful information put together in this endeavor here is a revised list of Traction Tires. In a format that will hopefully prevent ALL of us from having to put on our bi-focals, grab a magnifying glass, or wear the Opti-Visor to read it ! Of course, all of this info will be free to download from the site when it launches, but most of you know how I like to stir things up!

Hope this helps you out down the road!

Thank you,
Mike
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Gunrunner John, you still out there? I just passed the Charlotte Motor Speedway, should I turn around yet and head back home?

@Mikado posted:

Gunrunner John, you still out there? I just passed the Charlotte Motor Speedway, should I turn around yet and head back home?

On the way why don't you swing by Pittsburgh and chat a while.  I'm sure John will be OK.

I'm... gasp...FINE!

@Mikado posted:

In the spirit of dropping tid-bits of useful information put together in this endeavor here is a revised list of Traction Tires. In a format that will hopefully prevent ALL of us from having to put on our bi-focals, grab a magnifying glass, or wear the Opti-Visor to read it ! Of course, all of this info will be free to download from the site when it launches, but most of you know how I like to stir things up!

Hope this helps you out down the road!

Thank you,
Mike
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

I for one must say this is just awful you are taking the fun out ordering MTH parts and the surprise finding out if you actually got the right one when it arrives. Great job and thanks for all the hard work the traction tire chart is super nice.

P.S. I am not sure if you will handle PS3 upgrade kits but it sure would be super nice to keep that inventory readily available it usually all sold when it arrives with people still waiting for them.

Love the traction tire chart, nice touch separating it into various locomotive types and sizes.

John, I am going to head back home, no way you've held your breath this long (and you can respond on your computer)! Glad you like the tire chart!

Tomorrow I will post a couple documents pertaining to Premier Diesel / Electric, RailKing Diesel / Electric & RailKing Steam motors that show dimensions or worm gears (and more specifically factory worm gear numbers) to help everyone easily identify what motors go to what products. Unfortunately the Premier steam list won't be done for some time to come.....

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

WOW, being able to find the motors based on the worms would be a HUGE help!  That will be a very useful document!!!

I confess, I already stopped holding my breath.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

WOW, being able to find the motors based on the worms would be a HUGE help!  That will be a very useful document!!!

I confess, I already stopped holding my breath.

Don’t let em’ fool you Mike, the man is so full of hot air, you could inventory every part you got and he wouldn’t even turn blue,….🤣🤣🤣🤣

Pat

@breezinup posted:

It's not necessarily true, but from that description it almost sounds like the MTH parts department was in shambles, meaning someone hadn't been minding the store for a long time.

I think that they just slowly evolved into the mess they had.

@breezinup posted:

Trainworx has been pretty much devoted to Lionel, so it's curious that Mike is now also doing work for Mth.

I don't think TrainWorx has anything against MTH trains, they will build you a layout for any maker's trains.

@breezinup posted:

It's not necessarily true, but from that description it almost sounds like the MTH parts department was in shambles, meaning someone hadn't been minding the store for a long time.

Trainworx has been pretty much devoted to Lionel, so it's curious that Mike is now also doing work for Mth.

I personally think Midge probably did the best she could with limited resources.

As far as Mike working with MTH, why not?  Work is work and Mike is good at what he does.

They were getting pretty sloppy at the end. I didn't receive any confermation of parts orders placed or sent from their website since January.

Looking back at a few MTH threads I didn’t see this mentioned so will there be anyone from the new MTH parts crew at York selling MTH parts as they have done in past years?

Pete

Good question, but I wonder if they're going to want to dilute their efforts of getting the site on-line by dragging a bunch of parts to York?

It'll be interesting to see how Atlas O benefits from this parts department renovation for the items they bought from MTH, including Proto equipped engines. Will they use the same parts numbers as MTH uses, and just refer customers to the MTH site if they need parts? And how about Lionel for parts for the items they bought from MTH? Are they going to channel MTH parts through their own parts department, or refer customers to the MTH parts department?

@Norton posted:

Looking back at a few MTH threads I didn’t see this mentioned so will there be anyone from the new MTH parts crew at York selling MTH parts as they have done in past years?

This is just an educated guess on my part:

NO, they will NOT be selling parts at this or any future York Meet.

I've never ordered a single train part, but I've had plenty experience in my career dealing with part numbers. I don't know how good this new part number system will be, but has to be significantly better than a system where all part numbers started with multiple leading zeroes.

Mike, any chance on getting a better handle on the parts shipping cost?  Some things like a few traction tires could be sent with a stamp.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Good question, but I wonder if they're going to want to dilute their efforts of getting the site on-line by dragging a bunch of parts to York?

I'm confident Mike knows what he's doing.  If they have a presence at York, it wouldn't affect what they are working on now.  Alan seems to have the inside track so I suspect they won't be there though.

@Dave Zucal posted:

Mike, any chance on getting a better handle on the parts shipping cost?  Some things like a few traction tires could be sent with a stamp.

This seems to come up from time to time, be it MTH, or Lionel,…..but you need to look at the bigger picture,….shipping costs don’t just encompass the actual stamp….somebody has to pack it up, and that costs money. ……so if you order just one tire, …well, that’s just silly,…make an order worth the while to cover the shipping cost…….

Pat

We have implemented a flat rate shipping cost system, based on the order total. Please keep in mind that this chart is for the United States only, International shipping rates are based on actual shipping costs via an International shipper other than USPS.

$0.01 to $100.00 =     $10.00 shipping
$100.01 to $200.00 = $15.00 shipping
$200.01 and up =       $20.00 shipping

Our primary means of shipping parts will be USPS Priority Mail, its affordable and it comes with a tracking number. There are hidden costs that most folks never think about like packing peanuts (have you ever ordered a huge bag of packing peanuts? the peanuts are cheap, but the shipping to get them to you is like 4 times the cost of the peanuts themselves!), plastic baggies to put the parts in (and heat seal), label costs, etc. Plus, please keep in mind our goal was to create as much automated work as possible (using automated processes within the website to our advantage). Again, there are 3 of us doing all this work, so the less hands on we can manage, the better.  (I really don't want to bore you with the gory details, but everything has a cost associated with it). The shipping is not outrageous.

To be honest, a $10.00 shipping charge standing between your train working and being broken is not that big of an expense!

But, as always, someone will disagree, which is okay too. I've been in this business long enough to know that no one will EVER satisfy everyone no matter hard they try. That's just the gory reality of life (and business too for that matter)!

Thank You,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Ok on the shipping. I’ve noticed that getting something to your front door from the other side of the country for 10 or 15 dollars in a few days is an incredible bargain. We really should be amazed!

As promised, Below are the motor charts we have put together to help everyone identify what motor goes with what product in each product line.

A couple things to bear in mind when looking at these documents;
1.) Take particular note to dimensions of the worm gears. Each mechanical drawing shows the diameter of the worm as well as the length of the worm gear itself (remember, this is just the worm I am talking about). To the left of each mechanical drawing is the factory part number for the "worm gear". This number is very important, as it is included in the part description of every motor we have in stock. (Additionally, each truck we have renamed has the appropriate worm gear that mates to that particular truck (example below)).

2.) The second thing to take note of is the "worm depth". This is shown on the first page of each document. It is the length from the bottom of the motor (the face of the motor that sits on the motor mount) to the bottom flat face of the worm gear. My single biggest fear was dumping motors with the same worm gear into a pile and not paying attention to its overall worm depth, thus having a motor bottom out inside a gearbox. So please pay particular attention to the "worm depth" when researching your motors.

3.) Finally, if you review the document carefully you will find a couple worm gears have the same dimensions. But look at the document closer, as they are typically installed on two different sized motors. For instance two worm gears may measure 7.86mm D X 20mm L. One will be pressed onto an RS385PH and the other pressed onto a RS365SH, so just because you measured the worm gear itself, please ensure you have identified the motor it is married to as well, for each application.

You have to bear in mind that any truck block can work on any number of different locomotives, as well as the motors. But mating the correct motor (think worm gear) and the correct helical gear (think truck block) is the most important first step. Then comes motor size, flywheel dimension, tach bracket, etc.

When the site launches you will see how we renamed the truck blocks as well. Below is an example of the changes implemented;

DA2000008       4-WHEEL TRUCK / POWERED / LONG FRONT / TOP MOUNT FRAMES / 1 HOLE PILOT MOUNT / USE BI-0000009 MOUNT / USE MOTOR                                 W/MD001-M8 WORM

(Understand that the old part name was "truck", all 682 different part numbers were named "truck".........)

As you can see above, the truck block description includes what motor mount to use (very important!) as well as what worm gear to use with this truck block. We have tried to construct a bi-directional relationship between truck blocks, motor mounts and motors, as best that we can. I would imagine someone will find a fly in the soup, but at least it will prove we are human, I suppose?

I would love to tell you that we have every motor you could ever want in stock, but that is not the case. We have made every effort to reduce the number of individual part numbers for a given motor down to one or two or three (based on worm depth) (and yes, we kept the integrity of old numbers by pointing them to the most current part number, motors included).

In some instances you may have to pull a flywheel and worm gear and build a new motor, we have all the motors in stock without flywheels and worm gears, so it is feasible to do this, along with tach brackets, flywheel stripe tape, etc. If it needs to be done, it can be, that's all I'm saying.

Understand our goal is to provide you with the parts you need and organize it in a way that's as easy to understand as possible, so YOU can find what you need (read YOU (not me) LOL).

Sorry for the doldrum, just trying to get the "correct" information distributed.

Before anyone asks; We do not currently have one of these charts for the following product lines, yet:
Tinplate
RailKing One Gauge
HO
S Gauge

They will be developed in the future, but we do not have the information required to get them done at this time.

Hope you can use these documents to your advantage!

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

The documents posted above speak volumes as to what the site will be like and why it's taking the time to be done right.

Mike has done nearly all of this work from the work shop behind his house. Every week he would get boxes and boxes of parts and trains to photograph, measure and catalog. There were many parts with no indication of what they were and what they went to. For instance I saw him with a box full of handcar trucks. It was amazing to see how many different variations there were just for handcar trucks. "They look the same to me". Mike would look and say "no, see this one has a notch on this end. and this one has..."  Each was measured and the variations were noted.
     So while we have been waiting all these months Mike has spent long days and evenings cataloging parts for us. It's a job I wouldn't have wanted.

I want to say thank you Mike for your hard work creating a parts catalog almost out of thin air.

Scott Smith

Scott, your testimonial coupled with Mike's comments and documents should open the eyes of even those of us who have worked on cataloging parts, equipment, etc in our own vocations.  It is a very tedious and time consuming job. 

Mike and everyone who has assisted, great work!!

Mike, I'm totally blown away!  Love these charts!  I will certainly buy you a beer at York (or even two)!

@Chuck Sartor posted:

One of the reasons for so many part numbers for one lamp is at the dawn of MTH, they used to sell them with the connector plug attached to the bulb. Sort of a custom fit for each diesel locomotive. So each different length of wire needed, the same bulb acquired several part numbers. Now add if it was a double bulb set for twin headlights, same senario different lengths of wire created a new part number. But all-in-all, it is the same bulb. Just splice onto the existing plug. In most cases it is easier too, not having to re-route the entire bulb and wire.

If you don't have the connector ( or found one of your wires squished under the body mounting post of an RS-27 )

search "5264 battery connector" or "5264 connector" on ebay for connectors with or without attached wires.

This is a herculean undertaking, and I am glad that it is being done right . Having done store inventory as a teenager, I am glad they didn't go that route...*lol*.  As far as the "mess" that was MTH parts, that doesn't surprise me one bit.  To you the person with a broken part, need a new board, etc, parts are critical, to a company that is producing something they see it as a cost center, not as a profit producer, so it tends to get short shrift (yes, I know, there are exceptions, the markups on parts at an auto dealership makes it quite lucrative to them.........you can get the OEM parts online for half what a dealer charges). Inventory control is one of the biggest PITAs out there, even with modern systems like rfid that in theory allows knowing exactly what you have, automated shipping systems that actually update inventory quickly, it still isn't easy.

What happens is not like what happens in our houses when we live someplace a long time, we forget what we have, things are tucked away in boxes, and then when you go to clear the house out you find you have like 10 boxes of the same type of screw and wonder why......(my hardware drawer in my tool chest has all the organization of a pack rats nest). I am sure they had fun when they started cleaning out the old warehouse, and found boxes unlabeled, things in envelopes with no info, and realized they had a 'situation'. Then cataloguing parts that can look alike but aren't the same thing, or the really fun stuff when the vendor that made the parts changes and uses a different id code for the part, so you can have 500 with one id, 500 with another, the exact same part. Imagine a small company doing this manually, even if they had a computerized inventory control.

Friend of mine was involved with a project involving inventory switchover from one company to another (buyout), he is a whiz with automated inventory control systems and the like, and someone told him it must be a snap, that it must of all been an automated switchover, that they simply needed to transfer data from one computer to another, what's the big deal? All he could do was laugh, that the existing system (if they had one) likely had about as much real knowledge of physical inventory as a manual system would. Among other things, their vaunted "Just in Time" system said they had parts in stock that didn't exist because it turns out that the person running the parts inventory area, decided to be clever and save money, got rid of any manual checking in of parts and assumed that vendor notification of parts being finished on their end meant the part would be in stock in x days, and the company had no scanning of bar codes or rfid or the like. It sort of worked, assuming shipping worked the way it should and the vendor actually shipped the parts. Likewise, due to whatever errors, they had something that JIT inventory should avoid, they had more of some parts then they thought they had.

Hopefully Mike had a good magnifying glass handy, a coffee pot and a good bottle of something to put in it, music designed to soothe the soul, and hopefully soundproofed, so family and neighbors couldn't hear the blue streak coming out of his workshop over the last year. I don't envy the task, outside what I do for a living ,it is probably one of the most thankless things in the world to do inventory and then help run a parts operation, those that are happy you never hear from, those who are angry , well......

@bigkid posted:

I don't envy the task, outside what I do for a living ,it is probably one of the most thankless things in the world to do inventory and then help run a parts operation, those that are happy you never hear from, those who are angry , well......

Time to change jobs if what you do for a living is worst than doing inventory!   The secret is to pick something you like to do for a profession.

Are upgrade kits going to be available from your department Mike?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Time to change jobs if what you do for a living is worst than doing inventory!   The secret is to pick something you like to do for a profession.

Didn't say I don't like what I do for a living (software QA/QC in the financial industry,been doing it a long time ), just said it is a thankless task. If things go well, you get stuff into production, no problems, it is assumed that the whole thing was the work of brilliant programmers who just wrote the code, flipped a switch and it worked great......if something goes wrong "why did you guys foul up?"...just like parts, if you order a part, gets to you okay, you shrug your shoulders...if it doesn't go smooth, well, whoever is on the other end is an idiot *lol*.

Thanks Mike, You are the best!

@bigkid posted:

Didn't say I don't like what I do for a living (software QA/QC in the financial industry,been doing it a long time ), just said it is a thankless task. If things go well, you get stuff into production, no problems, it is assumed that the whole thing was the work of brilliant programmers who just wrote the code, flipped a switch and it worked great......if something goes wrong "why did you guys foul up?"...just like parts, if you order a part, gets to you okay, you shrug your shoulders...if it doesn't go smooth, well, whoever is on the other end is an idiot *lol*.

Sounds like you work for Fiserv... 😉

@bigkid posted:

Didn't say I don't like what I do for a living (software QA/QC in the financial industry,been doing it a long time ), just said it is a thankless task. If things go well, you get stuff into production, no problems, it is assumed that the whole thing was the work of brilliant programmers who just wrote the code, flipped a switch and it worked great......if something goes wrong "why did you guys foul up?"...just like parts, if you order a part, gets to you okay, you shrug your shoulders...if it doesn't go smooth, well, whoever is on the other end is an idiot *lol*.

That pretty much sums up field service. The only satisfaction coming from that job was knowing that I repaired something that very few others could have repaired.

Mike, Referencing the traction tire list list.  I believe that the 44-ton GE and the GE/Alco/Ingersol-Rand boxcab use smaller tires than the other diesels.  What are numbers & are they available?

@H1000 posted:

Sounds like you work for Fiserv... 😉

I actually interviewed with them a number of years ago (the office was literally walking distance of my house), but didn't pan out, in part because they didn't pay well. Similar, though, though I worked with securities trading systems at 2 different exchanges and for a number of years one of the pioneering off exchange electronic matching platforms.

@RoyBoy posted:

That pretty much sums up field service. The only satisfaction coming from that job was knowing that I repaired something that very few others could have repaired.

Yeah, pretty much. Got to know the field service team for the systems we used at my first job with a major stock exchange, they were on site, they never got much recognition for keeping those beasts going

Mr. Sartor,

To be honest, yes, but to be even more honest not for a good bit of time. The worldwide shortage of electronics parts is not helping us in any way. Please take into account the much larger fish in the pond; Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler (and literally just about every other manufacturer who is not making model trains!). Everyone is feeling the results of the 2020 / 2021 pandemic and factories being shut down for long periods (world wide). There is a backlog of orders for components that need to be fulfilled before we (MTH) start seeing the IC's needed to produce PS3 boards. Then add to that demand (internally). Production is clamoring for PCB's to make trains, warranty related orders that need to be fulfilled and us service parts guys are pretty much on the bottom of the list, in terms of any type of priority! (anyone who works in any type of parts business knows what I'm talking about). So, to answer your question, yes, we will be selling upgrade kits, but I honestly cannot give you any type of date as to when at this point. Once the global shortage of IC's is relieved (and it will relief itself over time (just think about 17/32" OSB selling for $75.00 for a 4 x 8 sheet a couple months ago) low supply coupled with high demand = even higher costs!) Obviously it makes no sense to pay way too much for IC's and sell them at a loss just to say "we did it"? (I also trust that everyone out there has enough "backup" trains to fuel your train addictions! If you don't, it would be a great time to build one of those cool TW Trainworx kits!

I know this is not what anyone wants to hear, but as everyone in this industry who knows me, I rarely hold any punches and I always tell you like it is (refer back to my not making EVERYONE happy comment).

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Thanks for the updated information, Mike. I'm seeing a lot of Rail King offerings being announced and it looks like the building line has been picked up. Any word on what was/is being done with the track products?

All I can say is, ****! Mike has done a great job!

Hi Matt,

To be quite honest I am only involved in organizing the parts, I have zero involvement in the train production side of the business, so I really cannot answer your question. My apologies.

Thank you,

Mike

A question about billing for service centers? The owner would always get billed through his credit card whenever I ordered parts and I don’t know his card number. Which is ok with me. Will this still be the same? I don’t want anything to do with his card or any other numbers.

thanks for any info

Its finally Friday! which means two more days to work until we start all over again! LOL

I also wanted to drop another tid-bit about the new parts site. We have implemented a "wish list" in the site. What does this mean? It means that if you come across a part you want, but it is marked as "out of stock" you can enter the quantity that you want and click ADD (the add to cart button). A pop-up window will appear where you can enter your email address to be notified when that part returns to stock. So, for instance you are interested in a 4-wheel truck block that is showing as out of stock, you sign up to be notified. When that truck block is entered into the system as "in stock" you will get an email from us telling you its available and invite you back to the site to order it (it is designed to save you the agony of having to come back to the site repeatedly to check its availability).

Okay, I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Ralph,

Great question! Glad you brought it up;

When the site launches all orders (Customer, Dealer, ASC) will be pay as you go. Meaning a valid credit card or Paypal will be required to purchase your parts. We simply do not have the resources to do line of credit / invoicing. When you get to the check out screen you can enter whatever credit card number you like (personal, business, store owner, Gunrunner John's, etc.) as it is illegal (maybe not illegal but certainly highly uncouth) to store any credit card numbers in today's day and age.  So, to answer your question, yes some form of payment (credit card or paypal) will be required to purchase parts. There will be no billing, invoicing or line of credit to anyone.

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

@bigkid posted:

Didn't say I don't like what I do for a living (software QA/QC in the financial industry,been doing it a long time ), just said it is a thankless task. If things go well, you get stuff into production, no problems, it is assumed that the whole thing was the work of brilliant programmers who just wrote the code, flipped a switch and it worked great......if something goes wrong "why did you guys foul up?"...just like parts, if you order a part, gets to you okay, you shrug your shoulders...if it doesn't go smooth, well, whoever is on the other end is an idiot *lol*.

So true... and the people who do it (analysts, programmers, and testers) are disposable, interchangeable parts, and experience is not valued.  Don't ask me how I know this.   

Given the pent-up demand, I hope that people will play fair - order what they need without hoarding.

And if someone is observed trying to resell parts on an auction site to turn a quick buck, suspend their ordering privileges!  (I certainly don't expect Mike to police this, but maybe we could all work together?)

@RoyBoy posted:

That pretty much sums up field service. The only satisfaction coming from that job was knowing that I repaired something that very few others could have repaired.

You are right about that, Roy!

@Mallard4468 posted:

So true... and the people who do it (analysts, programmers, and testers) are disposable, interchangeable parts, and experience is not valued.  Don't ask me how I know this. 

I know this all too well myself.  Ah well, I retired before I thought I would.  I can’t gripe about that!  😄

@Mikado posted:

When you get to the check out screen you can enter whatever credit card number you like (personal, business, store owner, Gunrunner John's, etc.) as it is illegal (maybe not illegal but certainly highly uncouth) to store any credit card numbers in today's day and age.

I'm guarding my credit card, I don't think I can support the whole parts business on my credit limit!

Got my first look at the site today, and I can certainly say WOW!  Certainly a lot of work has already gone into this, and Mike assures me that more is to come!  It is way easier to find a part as there are numerous ways to search.  Not live yet, so you can't really buy anything, but it's looking promising.  As with any project of this magnitude, there are little things that don't appear logical, I'm writing them all down to hopefully aid in the tweaking of the site.

One tip when you do gain access, here's something that I've been doing for years on many sites.  When you're navigating off a page to a specific list or part, and you intend to come back to the previous page, hold Ctrl and click the link.  This opens a new tab and when you're done there, you can just close that tab and be back at the previous page.

I can't imagine how tired Mike's fingers are already, this really is a huge undertaking!  I only hope his fingers don't fall off before he catalogs the remaining sea of parts pallets!

Got my first look at the site today, and I can certainly say WOW!  Certainly a lot of work has already gone into this, and Mike assures me that more is to come!  It is way easier to find a part as there are numerous ways to search.  Not live yet, so you can't really buy anything, but it's looking promising.  As with any project of this magnitude, there are little things that don't appear logical, I'm writing them all down to hopefully aid in the tweaking of the site.

John why not share the link with the rest of us so we can also get a peak?

@RJT posted:

Got my first look at the site today, and I can certainly say WOW!  Certainly a lot of work has already gone into this, and Mike assures me that more is to come!  It is way easier to find a part as there are numerous ways to search.  Not live yet, so you can't really buy anything, but it's looking promising.  As with any project of this magnitude, there are little things that don't appear logical, I'm writing them all down to hopefully aid in the tweaking of the site.

John why not share the link with the rest of us so we can also get a peak?

Because it's obviously not finished. By giving everyone access it slows the website down so making updates and changes can also be hindered and why would they want to have people ask about things not yet implemented. I am also sure Mr Reagan has all the people he needs testing functionality and security on the site and when its ready it will be shared with everyone.

Shawn is correct, it's totally up to Mike how access to the site is granted.  I'm sure it'll be on-line soon enough, the object of the exercise now is to have a few "beta testers" exercise the site and see what pops out, or doesn't pop out.   Having dozens, or even hundreds, accessing the site would probably be counterproductive.  My mission, should I decide to accept it, is to try out various scenarios and see how they work, obviously before the tape burns up. (Mission Impossible reference )

Thanks Mike.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm guarding my credit card, I don't think I can support the whole parts business on my credit limit!

Gunrunnerjohn,  Thanks in advance. You will be more help than you ever thought possible.  Pat B.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm guarding my credit card, I don't think I can support the whole parts business on my credit limit!

Got my first look at the site today, and I can certainly say WOW!  Certainly a lot of work has already gone into this, and Mike assures me that more is to come!  It is way easier to find a part as there are numerous ways to search.  Not live yet, so you can't really buy anything, but it's looking promising.  As with any project of this magnitude, there are little things that don't appear logical, I'm writing them all down to hopefully aid in the tweaking of the site.

One tip when you do gain access, here's something that I've been doing for years on many sites.  When you're navigating off a page to a specific list or part, and you intend to come back to the previous page, hold Ctrl and click the link.  This opens a new tab and when you're done there, you can just close that tab and be back at the previous page.

I can't imagine how tired Mike's fingers are already, this really is a huge undertaking!  I only hope his fingers don't fall off before he catalogs the remaining sea of parts pallets!

Could help yourself to let the cat out of the bag huh G

Who, me?

I just received from one of the three arms of MTH the announcement of the new parts site.  Over the past 20 years, I have had little trouble with, uh-oh, over 60 MTH engines.  But this news of the parts site is most welcome.  What is more, the motor charts are a bonus!  Three cheers to Mike Reagan for being a parts and patience champion!

Some of us were asked by Mike to test run the new parts site, and then Mike asked us to report our findings back to him if we found any issues,….I can tell you from my perspective, I’m not a computer guy, never have been ….I found the site very easy to use, and I was able to buzz around the site like a pro,…..things you’ll like are the foot notes at the top of categories giving hints how to search for your parts,….take the time to read them ( for novices ) and you’ll be able to hunt down parts easily,….I like the way it’s set up,…..you’ve got to fathom the sheer amount of parts that had to be identified, cataloged, and numbered to appreciate the monumental task Mike took on,……at Lionel, Mike had a staff,…..here, it’s just Mike, him, and himself,…….bravo Mike!….well done…

Pat

For Mike. I've been searching around for the parts on my wish list from the old site and during one search ( it might have been Scale Truck ) the engine hung up and timed out, returning a very colorful page with the attached text.

Hi JET,

You are like the only person to catch that screen! We implemented a "oopsy" page not available message yesterday to prevent that page from returning. G=Sad to hear someone (you) saw it. This occurs when there is a disconnect between pages. It likely occurred while we were pushing code to the site. My apologies you were able to return a page like that (slightly embarrassed!)

Thanks,
Mike

@Mikado posted:

You are like the only person to catch that screen! We implemented a "oopsy" page not available message yesterday to prevent that page from returning. G=Sad to hear someone (you) saw it. This occurs when there is a disconnect between pages. It likely occurred while we were pushing code to the site. My apologies you were able to return a page like that (slightly embarrassed!)

Actually Mike, I mentioned I got that error page, I just didn't capture the page as we assumed that the site was being updated when I asked you about it.

yesterday I went to the page to check it out. It asked me to create a password and I did. Today, it won't let me even look at the page. It asks for username and password. I don't remember creating a user name? I thought it was my email?

The user name/password prompt right at entry is to restrict the site to the beta testers.  That will be gone when they go live, apparently tonight.

Received an email from MTH this morning that Parts Site was live, went to www.mthpartsandsales.com/shop as indicated in email, would not let me see anything. Got a request to sign in.

Can I assume site is broken or am I doing something wrong?

Apparently a small glitch, it'll be live this evening from what I hear.

@Trainmstr posted:

Received an email from MTH this morning that Parts Site was live, went to www.mthpartsandsales.com/shop as indicated in email, would not let me see anything. Got a request to sign in.

Can I assume site is broken or am I doing something wrong?

Same here, I can only assume they are not live yet or one final bug to be worked out

It is a security layer Mike implemented while testing. I'm sure he will have it worked out soon.

READ THIS!

Okay guys,

Don't get your traction tires in a twist! Encountering some technical issues this morning. The site will be active as of 8pm this evening. There is a lot of anticipation out there, just please exercise a little more patience. I know parts, I have no clue about computer programming, so I am at the mercy of our web developer........

Thank you,
Mike

Okay folks,

The site is live, let the fun begin! (fortunately it occurred 3 hours BEFORE 8pm. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

It won't come up at all now, think it crashed.

@Mikado posted:

Okay folks,

The site is live, let the fun begin! (fortunately it occurred 3 hours BEFORE 8pm. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Annnd it's flooded with so many requests that the site is effectively down. Kind of predictable!!

Yeah, saw that coming...........just restarted the server

@Mikado posted:

Yeah, saw that coming...........just restarted the server

we're getting closer but Tomcat needs to get started:

Looks like it's running normally now, they're just out of stock for the stuff I need!

John,

Did you add the items you want to the wish list? To be notified when the items return to stock....

Curious if you are using this feature, it works quite well.

Thank you,
Mike Reagan
MTH Parts & Sales LLC

Yep, I added it to the wish list.

I have been looking it over and searching but seem to keep coming up with Lionel Parts??? LMAO

We implemented a significant server update overnight, basically tripled the cpu size and RAM of the server we were on yesterday. This should correct the crashing issue we fought with on the 23rd.

sorry for the drama, what can I say, I’m a train guy, not so much a computer guy.

Thank you,

Mike

@Mikado posted:

We implemented a significant server update overnight, basically tripled the cpu size and RAM of the server we were on yesterday. This should correct the crashing issue we fought with on the 23rd.

I think someone mentioned that possibility in a phone conversation some time back.

I placed an order this morning and everything worked perfectly.

Thanks Mike.  The site really looks great. 

Todd

Can someone explain how to search for a 70-2017-1 one gauge dash 8 part?

No matter what I type, I get no results. PS2, Dash 8, C8-40W, etc.. etc.

This is a great ! new service. I just used the web site to locate and order parts that I have been trying to get literally for several years. No doubt this has been a major effort for those who created and organized it, and it should do a lot to extend the service lives of all the MTH product out there.

- Mike

@Engineer-Joe posted:

Can someone explain how to search for a 70-2017-1 one gauge dash 8 part?

No matter what I type, I get no results. PS2, Dash 8, C8-40W, etc.. etc.

What type of part are you looking for?  You can search on descriptions.

@Engineer-Joe posted:

Can someone explain how to search for a 70-2017-1 one gauge dash 8 part?

No matter what I type, I get no results. PS2, Dash 8, C8-40W, etc.. etc.

Go to the

Search Exploded View Part Lists

Then type One Gauge    in the search box

It will then give you results.   Scroll down the list until you see your loco

It looks like right now they are still working on getting One Gauge stuff listed.

it has stripped idler gears. Something I've never seen in so poor condition. In the past, I believe you had to swap out the whole trucks. I'm just hoping for a miracle here, or I have another powered dummy with sound!

There's at least a list now with no links yet.

I tried typing one gauge dash 8 along with several other ideas. Nothing came up. It looks like I did not try just one gauge in the box.

I also tried idler gears and nothing showed up. Looks like I will have to wait. just praying here.

Mike,

Search results for DD0000001 have top view photos of the PS1 and PS2/3  couplers that look almost exactly the same, wouldn't bottom view photos be better ( show the bottom plate on PS2/3 )  ?

Jim T.

If you read the description of the FOUR different couplers two say PS 2 & 3 the other two say PS-1. Buy one of each and you could see the bottom of all 4. Up close & personal!

does it really matter if you can see the underside of the coupler, when the electronic version (PS1 or PS 2 & 3) is included in the part name?

Escape Rocks,

go to service parts search page. Type in “railking one gauge” after the results load use the filter field and just enter “dash”, everything I have come across will return.

i have not touched a single 1 gauge loco yet. I have started with Premier articulated locos. I only have 3000 more exploded view diagrams and part lists to go. Just check back from time to time. I am 30 YEARS late to the party and I am one person…..

Mike

@Mikado posted:

If you read the description of the FOUR different couplers two say PS 2 & 3 the other two say PS-1. Buy one of each and you could see the bottom of all 4. Up close & personal!

does it really matter if you can see the underside of the coupler, when the electronic version (PS1 or PS 2 & 3) is included in the part name?

Mike, as I recall the PS vs. PS2 couplers are different I think based on operating voltage>. Do not call were the PS3 couplers fit in.

Ron

@Mikado posted:

I only have 3000 more exploded view diagrams and part lists to go.

So by Monday or Tuesday then, right?

🤣🤣

Thanks for all of your hard work Mike, I'm sure everyone appreciates it!

@Mikado posted:

If you read the description of the FOUR different couplers two say PS 2 & 3 the other two say PS-1. Buy one of each and you could see the bottom of all 4. Up close & personal!

does it really matter if you can see the underside of the coupler, when the electronic version (PS1 or PS 2 & 3) is included in the part name?

Yes it does since that is the only visual difference, and the only way to confirm that MTH Parts actually sent you the proper coupler.  You obviously know that giving someone a PS1 coupler instead of the PS 2/3 they need creates a big problem.

(  Not to mention when you want to look at an installed coupler, you turn the engine over and you're looking at the bottom of the coupler anyway, not the top. )

@H1000 posted:

So by Monday or Tuesday then, right?

🤣🤣

Thanks for all of your hard work Mike, I'm sure everyone appreciates it!

He needs at least until Tuesday.

@JET posted:

Yes it does since that is the only visual difference, and the only way to confirm that MTH Parts actually sent you the proper coupler.  You obviously know that giving someone a PS1 coupler instead of the PS 2/3 they need creates a big problem.

(  Not to mention when you want to look at an installed coupler, you turn the engine over and you're looking at the bottom of the coupler anyway, not the top. )

Where are you going with this??….the description in the listing AND the picture clearly denote which one is which,….it’s up to you to pick the correct one you need based on what’s called the description ,……no??….

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Where are you going with this??….the description in the listing AND the picture clearly denote which one is which,….it’s up to you to pick the correct one you need based on what’s called the description ,……no??….

Pat

Maybe the search results you're seeing are not what I'm seeing.

I'm saying it's easier to tell the difference between the PS1 and PS2-3 couplers from the bottom

than the top, so you should use that view to identify them.

Here's my search results for DD0000001

DD4000001

DD0000032

And of course DA1250004

So I'm the only person who thinks the identifying photos of DD40000001 and DD00000032 make them look almost identical?

@JET  if they weren’t clearly labeled, then I’d say you’d have a legitimate concern…..but if the description denotes the difference, and then again the picture denotes the difference, then what are you worried about?……Also, I can clearly see the difference between the two even from the top view,…..plus the part numbers are polar opposites,…..again, I’m not seeing where you’re going with this??….Mike’s been in this business long enough, I’m sure the PS 1 and the 2/3’s are separated in their correct bins,…..even somebody just pulling the parts that has no clue what a coupler looks like is just going to the appropriate bin with the part number on it,…..I think you’ll be ok,…just order the correct part number based on the 51mm coupler….

Pat

@PRRronbh posted:

Mike, as I recall the PS vs. PS2 couplers are different I think based on operating voltage>. Do not call were the PS3 couplers fit in.

Ron

PS/2 and PS/3 couplers are identical in form and function, they didn't change between the versions.

FWIW, the thought about having the couplers pictured from the bottom has some merit.  See which view you think makes them easier to differentiate.  Note that all PS/2 & PS/3 couplers have the patent on them.

PS/1 and PS/2 couplers, top view

PS/1 and PS/2 couplers, bottom view

@Engineer-Joe posted:

yesterday I went to the page to check it out. It asked me to create a password and I did. Today, it won't let me even look at the page. It asks for username and password. I don't remember creating a user name? I thought it was my email?