new trains new electronics so what happens when they fail??

The simple truth is they won't be working years from now like our old Lionel's.I have had several high ticket items both MTH and Lionel in for repair...the repair was almost as much as the item,the more stuff you cram in the more it can go bad....don't misunderstand, i love all the bells and whistles just wish they were more durable....my 2 cents...all the best...joe

I understand joe krasko.

 

This electronics problem is only going to get worse as things age and manufacturers and suppliers go out of business.  I recently sold all my trains to downsize.  I am already thinking of restarting a small layout (everyone told me I would) and I think I am only going to have engines with simple mechanicals. Maybe a DCRU  for forward and reverse.

I see a lot of postwar engines for sale at quite reasonable prices.

 

I know there are lots of repair people available to help me fix a 50 yrs old engine.

And, a lot cheaper to repair.  When I was a kid and got my 1947 Lionel Berkshire set I could repair everything on it, and probably did.

That to me is my future in Toy and model trains.

From only a personal view and what I have encountered. I still have some HO and N items with electronics, sound, smoke, etc. Have never had a failure, and they still run. On my "O" scale items, its a 50/50 thing with almost every engine having a problem, or need to replace something.

I enjoy my "O" items, but with boards being bigger, same for the smoke units, and now seeing many features of steam whistles and depleting coal in tenders in HO. You would think larger would also increase better and reliable running??  I bet the HO will have a better reliability factor then "O" scale items.

Its seriously were I will be looking at what I have and re-considering my path into possible going back to HO.

 

Just install a different operating system like people do now. or a simple reverse board. These trains mechanically will last fifty or more years. 

99.999% of the younger generation is going to/doesn't care about toy trains much less parts to repair them.

 

There are plenty of folks that have early Lionel command stuff that still runs as good as it did out of the box.

 

At this point in time, there are more parts available than most folks think. There is an assumption that there is zero parts availability for newer stuff and thats just plain false.

 

I think its better to enjoy your trains now, than to worry about 50 years from now. There are dozens of items you probably currently own ( some far more expensive than trains), TV's appliances, automobiles etc that will likely not be operating 50 years from now or have parts.

 

As far as those who may "inherit" ones trains, in most cases I'd bet most family members do not share the interest. Theres a reasonable chance many items would be sold off with no regard to value, operation or parts.

 

IMO there are "better" things one can worry about, toy trains are supposed to be an escape from the worrys of daily life.

 

Not every 50 year old locomotive made still runs, as Lee Willis once stated " what you are seeing are the survivors".

 

 

I have purchased four nonfunctional Legacy locomotives over the past several years and had them converted to conventional runners. Each was bought for less than $100, and I invested ~$50 ea. for parts and labor.  While boards and electronics will inevitably fail, properly maintained motors will probably be fine for a very long time.  I see the coming years as a goldmine for "recycling" toasted locomotives.

This is an interesting question on a much talked about subject. If you're asking if someone is going to make exact reproduction boards for these trains I would say the answer is most likely "No" as there really isn't much collector value in new trains because the manufacturers keep increasing details and features.

 

"new trains new electronics so what happens when they fail??"

 

IMHO, one has 3 options when a board fails: #1) sell item as is and let someone else worry about the repair/part out the locomotive #2) repair it, or #3) use it for display purposes only as Lee Willis did.

 

I believe some type of board will always be available to repair these trains but unfortunately they don't come cheap.

 

Posted by josef:

"From only a personal view and what I have encountered. I still have some HO and N items with electronics, sound, smoke, etc. Have never had a failure, and they still run. On my "O" scale items, its a 50/50 thing with almost every engine having a problem, or need to replace something."

 

That's something I always suspected which is that the boards used in HO and N are of a better quality than O gauge. I am not saying it's true just something I suspect because there seems to be a lot more failures in O gauge. Again I don't have any concrete evidence just a perception. And what feeds my perception is that the HO and N guys wouldn't stand for it but here in O gauge if Lionel or MTH makes a enthusiast upset after the other company there really isn't anywhere they can go. 

 

Or maybe it is just the lower amperage rating in HO and N makes it easier for the boards to work longer than the same boards in O.

 

Knock on wood, I have yet to have a O Gauge board fail. Motors yes and wiring problems but not a total failure of the board. Maybe they are not as unreliable as we think they are?

Every HO site I've been on includes cooked decoder boards, and setting up issues too.

 They really don't use much in the way of proprietary systems in other scales anymore.

Our use of ac in O brings bugs to the table they don't really deal with. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

DCC being a common factor among more scales of trains has helped it catch up.

But I think TMCC helped everyone the most.

 

 I think you will have both "save & repair", and "replace with newer electronics" in the future for repairs.

 A "re-pop" of a simple board? Maybe, but more likely someone would make their own. 

 

Just like any other part, if you can use it to build another, maybe its worth saving.

 My Box O' Boards, only has a train Sound of Steam board in, but I keep many other boards for parts, repair, and later reuse.

 

 

Personally, I'm not worried about replacement parts for the electronics portion of my trains. I think there will always be something available to replace any bad parts with, just as there is now. It may be a new and improved version, but I there will be something. If there is a demand there will be options. If the hobby is still around, we will have something to make repairs with.

I know one thing.At least here in Cleveland,It's not parts that is the problem.It is finding someone to work on them.You take a Legacy or JLC engine to any of the local hobby shops for repair,they look at you like you are crazy!Even Lionel does not want to work on them anymore.When they die,throw them out and get a new one just like your TV or refrigerator.Nick

This sounds about right...

 

Jeff Davis

I run conventional so I don't have that problem. I can add a simple E unit or a bridge rectifier for forward only. For sound I use RS4,mounted in the engine or a dummy. If something interests me I will buy up the dysfunctional engine,modify it cheaply and run it. 

 

Dale H

Enjoy your trains for the present time. I simply cannot worry about their ability to run in the future. I'm sure there will be something out there to make them work when current electronics are obsolete.

Train prices today are no different than they were for our parents when the got us our first sets and  I don't think they worried about the trains lasting long into the future.

Enjoy

romiller

Everything electronic these days is built to be disposable. The only thing that displeases me is that compared to my toaster, coffee machine, radios, DVD player cell phone, and TV set, trains are more expensive items to throw in the garbage. I guess to save them you can just buy an eUnit , electronic horn/sound board and run conventional. I have always run conventional. You put in the smoke fluid, set the transformer, watch the trains run, and occasionally blow the horn or whistle. What could be easier?  Simple operation, easy to repair and rock solid reliability.

I repair those too

1995 TMCC 2380 GP9

1995 TMCC  SD-50

1996 TMCC F3 A-B

2000 TMCC Century Club 773 Hudson

etc..etc.. like a Phantom set, a couple more GPs....   then current day stuff:

 

Legacy Hudson

Legacy Daylight Cab Forward

 

My TMCC base and handheld are my originals from 1995.

 

Everything works, whether 21 years old or 2 years old.

 

Sure, I throw traction tires now and then, and need to do some smoke tube (blow down the stack) maintenance now and then.

 

One thing I do yearly is open them up and make sure the pc boards and traces are not oxidized, wires not pinched, and all boards seated well.

 

My experience has been similar with my three MTH rail-king PS2 that I started buying in 2004.

 

 

Besides all that:  I am not worried if my trains will run 50 years from now.   I most likely won't be here.

 

 

 I run all DCS ps2 and ps3. Some of my engines needed pre- duty service but nothing serious and never a board failure but i know it can happen. But between the DCS pundits on this forum ( i am estimating a 95 or better percent success rate if you have a problem) and MTH repair an update kits my response to"new trains new electronics so what happens when they fail" is "i ain't scared".

 

You can easily predict support for fancy electronics by checkng out things that are mass produced, like TV sets.  We found that when the TV craps out, it is cheaper to buy a new one.

 

The aviation industry is a slightly larger market than model trains.  We all have these neat little hand-held GPS units.  When one breaks (and they do break) we ship it to the factory, and they pretend to fix it, sending us a brand new unit for the repair charge.

 

My favorite GPS is the 295.  When they go dead there is no hope.  You drop it in the electronics recycling and get a newer model.  Parts are not available.

 

Likewise radios.  The very best radio out there is a portable Icom, and they do not make them anymore.  They will not fix them either.

 

The model train market is so much smaller than any of these - when your electronics break, it is time to upgrade.