Moving a quote over from the RMT Beef post, I thought to generate a bit of discussion (actually, I recently learned how move quotes around so thought I’d practice :-):
Back in the good ole days, when a motor went bad, you might take it apart, clean it, and perhaps even rewind it. But since the price of motors has dropped relative to disposable income, it’s just as easy to replace them with a new motor, most of the time.
Walter, at RMT, has been pushing down the price envelop of toy trains (hopefully others will follow) and it is now within reason to dispose of your Beep or future Beef, should the worst happen (assuming you are not in warranty).
By disposing, I don’t necessarily mean throwing it away, but disposing of the locomotive from the active roster and perhaps turning it into a dummy unit, placing it on the shelf, or perhaps designing a cool scrap yard cutting scene.
I’m just using RMT as an example, but for other locomotives under $100, perhaps it is not worth the time and effort to repair that broken shell or burned out motor.
I have “retired” locos to use as a source of parts, etc. for other units. I have never simply disposed (as in thrown away) a locomotive. I have several shelf queens that I consider “reserve” rather than retired. One or two locos need some major work to be ready for the rails (couplers, motors, etc.) but I don’t consider them disposable as such.
The purpose of my post was not to denigrate the quality of RMT’s product. On the contrary, they seem to provide great value for the money. However, if there was a problem with the unit, how much would it cost to get fixed? Both Lionel and MTH require the customer to pay for shipping the product back to their facility. If RMT is the same way, just the cost of that (plus shipping insurance) gets you a long way toward buying another new unit.
In addition, for such an attractive price, how long should one of these units last? 1,000 hours, 2,000, 10,000? Would you expect the unit to last as long as a Williams engine (at $300.00)? A Lionel or MTH engine ($400+)?
Not disposable, I’d say, but recyclable - inners, shell, trucks; or as a base for parts for a kit-bashing project like my infamous GP 4.5. I’ve chopped up, but never thrown one away. I’ve given them away though - working ones though.
Good question, John, I work under the assumption that my trollies and engines should last as long as I want to play with them nee forever. But I’m already musing on what’ll happens when some of the complicated circuitry within the sound-equipped trollies dies. I think I’ll try to find someone who could simply re-motorize it.
I have “junked” HO engines in the past: parted them out and so forth. I have also parted out a few Marx and MPC plastic engines, ones with plastic wheels or rotted windings. But I try my best to repair even them first.
A lot of times I’ll buy less than perfect locos, rolling stock or accesories for parts. I have several banker boxes that I refer to as the junk yard. This makes repair a lot simpler and with American Flyer some parts are not available repro. When a piece breaks down, I’ll go to the box get the parts or down grade the piece to the junk yard. Recycle yes, few parts get pitched.
Jim
I would consider most PS2 RailKing MTH locomotives as disposable. If the electronics goes in them they are generally not repairable and board replacement approaches the cost of a new unit.
I wouldn’t consider most trains as disposables. But you should make light what you paid for the item and then also that lingering shadow of “collectibility” that follows the hobby around. Nearly all trains wouldn’t be considered as collectible if original parts have been changed or if the item doesn’t operate as original.
Nearly all the trains, even the most electronic loaded, can be repaired. DC can motors by their nature, must be replaced. Circuit boards can eventually go, or be burned out due to malfunction, shorts or derailments. Fortunately, there seems to be a thriving cottage industry making alternate and/or replacement circuit and sound boards for many of the newer trains. In the case of the MTH PS2 boards as mentioned by Dale, these could be expensive to replace as was. But if you were willing to replace them with something totally different, I’m sure it could be done. You could even pull the extra electronics and run the locos as “traditional” operation.
Of course, this was one of the advantages of the older more simple train locomotives: they were easier to fix for someone without a degree or advanced knowledge of computer electronics. I recall not so long ago, that Lionel didn’t even want to show their service center techs how to fix their newer locos (mandating that they be sent back to the company for repair) for fear of someone stealing or figuring out how their new electronics systems operate. (Funny how that fear came true and not because of repair service centers!)
I run a lot of cheaper locomotives, most of which I did not pay much for (staying within my budget). I consider everyone of them repairable, again expecting the eventual task of replacing can motors.
In the case of the “Beep,” I consider it to be a well constructed loco for the price…certainly leagues better than the nearest item from Lionel: the cheapened plastic framed, single motored RS-3. Considering that nearly all locomotives today come with DC can motors, one should just expect tha
By disposable it is meant impracticle or not cost effective to fix. Actually I buy a lot of PS1 engines at half MSRP or less. If the electronics go you can always install a simple E unit or convert it to Railsounds. Digital Dynamics sells a basic sound unit for $89.
I wouldn’t consider anything that runs on three-rail track “disposable.” Now if it’s HO scale, and has the name “Tyco” on it - now that’s disposable! Although, there are some folks who even collect that stuff. [%-)]
every time a printer goes bad on me, I really anx over tossing out an otherwise good, and reasonably new piece of merchandise. I’ll blow thorugh an epson 8.5 x 11 printer about once a year, and teh most valaubvale salvagable part are the ink cartridges. Try and fix it, or send it off to be fixed at $50.00 or so an hour, or buy a new one for $79.00 minus the rebates.
Kind of an easy decision, but seems kind of wasteful.
There are a few post-war items that I would consider disposable like the Lionel Scout locomotives, the 235 for example because it is very difficult to repair & keep running. The brushes are hard to replace and the center roller wheels are extremely challenging to replace.
I repair what I can but like others salvage when it is no longer repairable or cost effective.
Lee Fritz
The absolute worst trains I’ve ever seen - and the gear I’d consider disposable - were the Husky trains by K-Line. Running on straight tubular track the locomotive would do a roll and flip itself.
The set’s plastic track broke trying to put it together.
The rolling stock was “okay.”
The diesel ran well on a linoleum floor - you could use the remote control to make it go forward and reverse. The sound chip was the same one in many of the hokey train clocks/watches/sound effect keychains.
Bob Grubba told me that the trains were being made for the Asian toy market and that K-Line was able to piggyback on the tooling (though even I’ll admit they made some improvements).
Total junk, guaranteed to break on Christmas day. It made Tyco HO (during the bad years) look grand by comparison.
Engines for $50 or less could be considered “disposable” or food for parts unless you’re inclined to fix them but then you could easily spend what a new one costs fixing it.