Response time for MTH Parts Dept

Rudy, The motor I have is exactly like your Pix. I think we have a winner.

Alan,

Are these the buggers?

Mike

Chuck,

Thats great I'll take it..................

Thanks

Rudy

Rudy,

I looked up and down and don't have that particular engine, but I see Chuck does. I'm glad that he has found one for you.  Good luck..

Mike

Guys...just got in from the office so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

Mike...those ARE the buggers!!!  What is the next step???

Chuck...I think you may be correct, perhaps I have the 2000 version.  The cab number is 5019.

Thanks,

Alan

I must have been lucky because I e mailed MTH parts dept about a broken shell and Midge replied requesting the number on the side and replied with the exchange price and RA number the same day. She told me about 2 weeks to process the damaged shell and send a replacement all in 2 days so I cant complain.

Shoot me an email with your shipping info:

Mike

THANKS MIKE!!...e-mail is on the way...

Alan

Just in case....Chuck, any luck????

Thanks,

Alan

FWIW the motor itself pictured above is very common. Its used by Lionel, MTH, and Williams among others and I have seen them on the bay for under 5 bucks. If someone had an existing motor that was burned out but had the gear and flywheel attached they could in a pinch, get a motor from Lionel or Williams and swap gears and flywheels. The gear may actually be the same as well as the flywheel diameter so only a new tach tape would have to be applied. Below on the right is a motor I bought from Lionel. It came with a gear similar to the one on the MTH motor. I had to remove it and install the gear that was on the small motor on the left to repower a starter set 0-8-0. The flywheel was cylindrical but had to be tapered to fit in the engine.

As Ron pointed out there are people out there who could swap motors for you in a pinch.

Finding the exact replacement is obviously the best solution.

Pete

I don’t mean to draw attention away from the parts issues, but what about engines sent to MTH for repair?

I had an ES44AC (BNSF) 20-20090-1 that stopped running after a few weeks. I sent it to Jason (Jason’s Trains) as he suggested, and he in turn forwarded the engine to MTH. That was in March, four months ago.

The status as of a month ago, per Jason after talking with MTH, was that “. . . they had replaced a motor, but were waiting for the speed control board from China. It should be completed shortly.” I hope to get it ‘soon’, but who knows.

I have 21 MTH engines and 7 Lionel, as MTH is what I started buying four years ago when I got into O-Gauge trains. I started buying Lionel less than a year ago.

I have had to send two MTH engines back. The first, an ABA F3, almost four years ago, which I got back from MTH in a couple of weeks; and now, the ES44AC, which is going on four months. A totally different service experience with MTH in each case.

On the other hand, I have had to send engines to Lionel for repair three times, and have needed spare parts once. All of these instances were taken care by Lionel within a week!

Alex

I've never in over 15 years had any problem getting parts from MTH. Infact Midge just recently sent me a new drive block for a 5 year old one-gauge steam engine

My dealer usually takes care of all my parts orders and they get filled very quickly.

Midge is the best and if she's reading this.. 

I am confused by the fact that some of you have NEVER had problems with getting parts and service while others can't seem to get MTH to respond...including Midge.  I am not bashing Midge but I can tell you that I have not experienced the level of service to which CRH relays.  Seems like the level of service and parts from MTH is a hit or miss proposition....???

Alan

Leaving.. MTH said the correct motor for the U-50-C front with the striped flywheel is BE-0000112, which they said is in stock. If Hotmugs motors don't work and MTH can't come through, You can send me a close-up picture and I'll see if I can find a match. I Don't have that specific motor at the time.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck....Mike and I have been in contact and he is sending a couple of motors to me to see if they work...By the way, Eric ordered the motor for me months ago and still doesn't have it..... 

I will let you know.

Thanks,

Alan

Thanks Chuck!

I received the electric motor for my engine today and it did the trick,

 I'm back on track again!

Rudy

P.S. to all the other members for your input you help to make this hobby enjoyable !

THANKS…………………………………………

I have dealt with MTH parts dept and Midge and she has always responded to my e mails usually the same or following day. There is probably only one or two people working the department and consider all the service stations as well as individuals

inquiring or ordering parts it will take time. I was told by the gentleman running a local service center that there backed up 6 to 9 months on repairs. But I needed to replace a cracked RDC Shell and from when they received it it took 1 week to process the returned shell and Midge e mailed me today that the new one was shipped today.

I received a parts order from MTH on Friday, July 20. During the weekend I installed the parts I ordered, I had a standard gauge loco that I ordered a Pittman motor and a driven gear for, and when I disassembled the loco, I saw that the wrong gear was on the motor, too wide, and the driven gear was wrong, it was too big. Emailed MTH parts, asked for an RA, to return the wrong parts, and on Monday received a Return Authorization from Jeff Strank, and a request for pictures of the needed parts so that I could receive the parts to complete the repair. Can't ask for better service than that, IMHO! Thanks, Jeff!

Well..like I said before, kudos to those of you that seem to get quick and timely responses on your parts and service needs....but many of us don't get the same service.  My question is why???  Is it the luck of the draw or someone just happens to answer the phone....or...???  My question would be why one would have to take pictures of the parts they need and then have to send those pictures to the service department???  Seems to me that if one identifies the particular locomotive, etc., the service folks should have a parts list and engineering view so that they would know the correct part.  So another question in my mind is....Is this a common occurrence in our hobby...in other scales??

Alan

I just wanted to let everyone know who was following this thread that Mike (Hotpressmugs) sent me the motors for the cost of shipping only!!  The motors cost me nothing!!  Generosity like this is what makes this hobby the best on the planet and get this....I sent Mike more than he ask and he issued a refund to my account!!  Thank you so much Mike....you are the best!!

Now...I have already let Mike know that his efforts to help me unfortunately didn't result in solving my problem.  While the motors looked to be the correct ones, they were not.  Both the shaft's diameter and length differ from the originals...even the flywheels are about half the thickness of the originals....

SO.....my quest is still going on....and if any of you service people think you can get MTH to send you the correct part as referenced above, I will be more than happy to do my part to compensate you....just let me know.

Thanks again...

Alan

I can't believe that MTH hasn't responded back to you yet.

Actually Marty....I kind of gave up quite a while ago when I couldn't get parts and / or didn't get responses which all started when I needed a number board.   It was Eric (above) that volunteered to order the motor since he is a MTH service person.  From what I understand the motor is available so I don't know why they haven't sent it to him after months and months...  He is frustrated too along with lots of other folks.  I don't know what or who is to blame...if there is anyone to actually blame.  As you can see, some folks are able to get a response and others don't.  Many times even the service folks don't get parts they have ordered that are supposed to be in stock....  All I know is that my favorite U.P. diesel locomotive is a dummy unit right now...pretty expensive dummy unit!!

Alan

Leaving.....I still think I can help you, could post a picture of the motor you need from your engine without the die cast motor retainer so I can clearly see the worm gear.

Chuck

Chuck...I will e-mail you...

Thanks,

Alan

I beleive I have the correct motor you need Alan. Email sent.

Chuck..I replied to your e-mail....there is no taper on the flywheel.....

Thanks,

Alan

That's good. Now I am 99% sure I have found a motor that will work. It is the rear motor without the tach tape and reader.

Alan,

Can you give me some measurements from the motor? Inches or mm. either is fine.

1 the diameter of the worm gear

2 the length of the worm gear

3 the length of the threads

There are a bunch of different sizes of worm drives on these motors. If I have what you have we can discuss what to do next.

Sorry your having so much trouble. I usually get my orders in a decent amount of time. If it's taking long I get intouch with Jeff Strank and he helps the process a long. Plus I think I read that some one was trying to call Mike direct. Why even consider that when the guy you want to talk to is the head of service. I don't get it.

Anyway, Alan if you can get me those measurements I just might also have a motor for you.

Ralph

Thanks Ralph...

It is certainly comforting that several of you MTH service folks are trying to help....I am very impressed!  Anyway, I think Chuck has solved the problem....I hope.  He and I have been PMing and I am waiting for payment info.

On another note....doesn't MTH have an exploded view of the motor as referenced by Chuck in his post above stating the part number??  I would think that the measurements you are requesting would be readily provided to a service tech.  I am probably wrong on this since it may be a throw away situation otherwise you wouldn't have asked but it seems logical to me.  Frankly I don't know what you mean by "length of the threads".....is that the distance between the thread ridges?  I can send you a picture(s) if that helps.

Thanks,

Alan

Hi Alan,

The reason I asked for those measurements was because I have a few different motors that have different size worm gears on them. When you order a motor from MTH with the item # they know what size gear you need on it and also what size flywheel you need for that particular engine.  The motor I have I don't have in it's original bag that had the part # on it. The other #'s you listed are generic #'s from the factory.

With the length of the threads I mean how much of the gear is threaded. And the overall langth I have noticed that the gears get set at a certian distance from the motor. Like if you had a new SD70 the gears in those are shorter and bigger in diameter. But like I said MTH knows all this when the motor gets ordered. I just don't have the bag it came in to confirm the # you providie and this will help me make sure it's the right one you need. The numbers may vary just a smidge because I know I moved when I took the pic.

Hope this helps and you find the motor you need.

Ralph

Ralph....perfect explanation and helps all of us understand how the process works!  Your pictures of how to measure the gear are above and beyond what you needed to do and I know those that are following this thread appreciate you.  I will send you the measurements as a back up to Chuck's motor he is sending me.  Heck...perhaps before this is over, I will have extra motors with which I can help other folks that may be in need!!

Thanks,

Alan

I noticed on Ralph's motor the neck of the worm gear is a bit longer.