Hey man I feel you. Just about every model myself and my grandfather have ordered from Lionel since about 2018 has had problems that force us to send them back within months of owning them. Whether it’s mechanical errors or the guys at the factory just being complete dopes. Don’t want to trouble you anymore with my own problems but I feel your frustration. But great video as always! ❤
Yeah I'm not sure what's going on with their quality control but it's been an issue for years. It's really a shame because I much prefer running Lionel models over MTH but when you spend the amount of money that these engines cost we expect better. I appreciate you watching!
@ absolutely man! Love the content! Always been a closeted N&W fan even though I live in SoCal lol. I do have one of the Vision Class A’s though and that’s been the only model to not break. Knock on wood. I feel like Lionel’s quality control is definitely lacking in many areas though.
Well that's a stand-up thing to do for Mr muffin's trains... I am an old gauge collector operator for 30 years I will make it a point to visit Mr muffins thank you for the video.
New subscriber here from Maine. Back in '69 I drove a SS 396...Black Chevelle with orange and red pinstriping. I had a Lionel Legacy Berkshire #765 on pre order through Charles Ro for a damn good price. Due to an unexoected medical circumstance, I had to cancel it. Broke my heart ! With all the recent Lionel problems I've seen, mabey the cancellation was a blessing in disguise. Your Gp from the auction I'm sure was a passed on problem from the previous owner. Steve Nelson is great and he'll have that back rolling on your tracks perfectly. Good luck and please keep us posted. 👍
Thank you for subscribing and that sounds like it was a beautiful car! I pray that your medical situation gets better and it seems buying any lionel engine is luck of the draw at this point. Steve is definitely a good guy! Thanks for watching!
Video's like this re-enforce why I like old trains. I don't get these giant steam engines everyone is obsessed with, including my Dad, ha! All the tech is annoying, sure it makes fun sounds, but you can't hear them when multiple trains are running. I just picked up a box for $10 at a church rummage sale down the street from my house, I didn't even know they were having a sale, it looked like a box full of old Lionel track, I bought it because some of it was T track and ten bucks was a steal for the track I used for display... in the bottom of the box there was a Torpedo and a Commodore Blue Streak... oiled, slapped them on some new Fastrack thinking "These things have to be broke or not running"... nope, they both took off like rockets. Can you imagine these new trains with all these electronics still working in 90 years? I feel for you guy, but I can't seem to get into the newer trains, I think my love of Lionel ends in the 80s, maybe early 90s.. when there was no electronics and almost all the trains would fly around a standard Lionel corner no problem... now you have to have 8 foot wide, maybe more table for some of these new trains to even turn.
How true! The classic Lionel is easy to fix on your own, if there ever is a problem. No need to send them out. It's cool that you got those engines in a box of track. You never know what you'll find, when you buy one of those boxes. I have mostly post-war Lionel. My oldest Lionel is a 1931 Winner set and it runs like it is brand new. It's just basically a motor with a lithographed body. My newest Lionel is the 1983 Twentieth Century set, which runs great and I also have an MTH Rail King Southern Ps-4, conventional. I collect AMT passenger cars and they look great, behind my post-war Santa Fe, NYC and Southern F's. A little cleaning and lube and they will run forever. Great trains, for sure.
I think these new modern engines have their place in the hobby for sure and is definitely not for everybody but I can actually respect the quality and the reliability are the Old Post War engines! I agree that one of these engines that we have now would not work after sitting for that amount of time.
@@Highrollers_Roads_N_Rails I hate to sound like a crotchy old man, because I am 48, lol, but nothing we make today will last. We have a 1932 Singer model 201, sews like a beast, it helped me reupholster several things over the years. My Mother is a quilter, she had a 5 yo $8500 Brother sewing machine, it up and died on her, $1800 and three months later she finally got it back. She says it still isn't sewing right, ugh! I realized I have turned into my Dad, who won't trade in his 26 yo truck because he can no longer get roll up windows, lol, say he says he will drive it until it falls apart, all that electric shit is just another thing to go wrong, ha! But he does buy all those big fancy trains that won't go around corners, but they never touch a track and I know there is at least 30 of them that have never seen the light of day outside their box and the ones that do get out of the box just go into a display case. There is something to be said for simplicity.
My TMCC engines from 25 years ago still run. My 2020 legacy Reading T-1 does not run anymore, and is about 70% of the weight as the TMCC engines of similar sizes. Lionel seems to be going in the same direction that they did in the 90s- relying on their name and lacking quality. It’s unfortunate that customers continue to buy Lionel thinking they are getting the same quality they got 10-20 years ago. MTH is looking mighty fine these days in comparison.
One thing I love about tmcc engines is they are about as reliable as you can get! All of my tmcc engines run flawlessly but they definitely don't have the technology that's legacy engines have in them. I have had issues with both brands so I will say at this point it's luck of thr draw honestly.
@ I don’t disagree about the tech, but what good is all of that if the locomotive is made poorly or doesn’t run? I’d say the biggest flaw is the two chuffs per revolution but some of the newer TMCC locomotives have four. I’m not necessarily advocating for TMCC, it’s just disappointing that Lionel has completely bypassed their once most notable features: durability and reliability.
Sorry you have to deal with all the crummy quality of many of todays engines. I would be very frustrated with these situations. Good thing you are a calm guy!👍🙏🔥🇺🇸❤️💪
Sorry to hear about your engine. As for Lionel, I hope your engine comes back repaired and in the condition that you sent in. Everyone time I have sent in an engine for Lionel warranty, it has come back worse than when I sent it in. One engine I had was an SD40 that had a sagging rear coupler. Well, it came back to me with the pilot completely detached, rear couple detached, side truck frame off, front windshield wipers broken off. People had said that it could have been from shipping, however no damage to the boxes, or packaging at all. I have 11 years' experience of shipping/receiving and I knew right away it was not from shipping. With that all said, I hope Lionel takes care of your engine, because I am at the point I will not use the warranty if I can help it and would pay to get my engine fixed by a reputable technician.
Yeah I completely understand that and yes I would much prefer to have it fixed by a local technician I wish Lionel had a program that was certified local techs to do their warranty work
Steven is a model railroader like us.He is a pleasure to deal with I had a Lionel SD 70 ace come out of the box with a bad smoke unit . I have to get a DCS system too.I only run my MTH conventionally as well. Did you order the custom run n&w c30-7 from Mr Muffins? My grandson is a big n&w fan
He definitely has a great business. I didn't order the c30 due to have so much other stuff on pre-order but that's gonna be a cool engine. I really want the custom run sw-8 switcher he did in N&W.
My new 765 does exactly the same thing... for $1500 bucks they should run forever. Lionel quality control is garbage. so I probably will end up sending mine back as well after the holidays. Hope yours comes back quickly,. I have had pretty good luck with Lionel. repairs. I've sent about 3 engines back In the past year and haven't waited over 2 weeks for any case.
Your so right. I bought the blue 777 berk & the orange berk fromMETCA. So far-so good. But Iv'e had plenty of problems with engines just like you & everyone else. It's just like our pal from the movie said--It's like a box of chocolats(did i spell that right?) you never know what your gonner get. See ya later.
This is one reason I'm really hesitant about buying anything Expensive from Lionel. Their QC Dept is horrible anymore. Their Communication is horrible. When you pay that much money for something then it better be GOOD. I would rather spend way less for the same Model with TMCC. And this just another Reason I still Perfer buying New MTH PS 3.0 over New Lionel Legacy every Day of the Week. Buying in Auctions and Used is always taking a Chance. I've really had alot of trouble with Trainz lately.
We will see how Lionel treats me through this process but after listening to other people's stories I'm not very optimistic I just hope that I get my locomotive back fixed where I won't have to worry about it anymore.
This type complaint is so common. Why expect a Chinese made product just because it has a cover up name brand be expected to be a quality engine? Chinese can’t even make an LED light bulb to last more than a month. Know ahead of time Chinese electronics is a crap shoot. The odds of obtaining a good one are not in your favor especially for the high price paid.
But the costs are all ready too high. Assume if profit margins were reasonable the cost would be close to the same but it would function as it should. Certainly the quality is worth something vs a shelf ornament. Also consider the greater possibility of parts availability if manufactured in USA.
It's a shame but these modern high-tech locomotives are just not worth it. Give me the postwar and prewar trains anytime over these modern (beautiful as they are) locomotives. The only way I would purchase one of these now is if ALL of the electronics are gutted (including the smoke unit) and replacing it with a simple reverse unit - no sounds, nothing, just a highly detailed model running is reward enough.
I'm not going to necessarily say that because you can't beat the sound set that Lionel is putting in their new engines but there's definitely a lapse in quality control
Hey man I feel you. Just about every model myself and my grandfather have ordered from Lionel since about 2018 has had problems that force us to send them back within months of owning them. Whether it’s mechanical errors or the guys at the factory just being complete dopes. Don’t want to trouble you anymore with my own problems but I feel your frustration. But great video as always! ❤
Yeah I'm not sure what's going on with their quality control but it's been an issue for years. It's really a shame because I much prefer running Lionel models over MTH but when you spend the amount of money that these engines cost we expect better. I appreciate you watching!
@ absolutely man! Love the content! Always been a closeted N&W fan even though I live in SoCal lol. I do have one of the Vision Class A’s though and that’s been the only model to not break. Knock on wood. I feel like Lionel’s quality control is definitely lacking in many areas though.
Well that's a stand-up thing to do for Mr muffin's trains... I am an old gauge collector operator for 30 years I will make it a point to visit Mr muffins thank you for the video.
Good deal! I recommend you do so!
New subscriber here from Maine. Back in '69 I drove a SS 396...Black Chevelle with orange and red pinstriping. I had a Lionel Legacy Berkshire #765 on pre order through Charles Ro for a damn good price. Due to an unexoected medical circumstance, I had to cancel it. Broke my heart ! With all the recent Lionel problems I've seen, mabey the cancellation was a blessing in disguise. Your Gp from the auction I'm sure was a passed on problem from the previous owner. Steve Nelson is great and he'll have that back rolling on your tracks perfectly. Good luck and please keep us posted. 👍
Thank you for subscribing and that sounds like it was a beautiful car! I pray that your medical situation gets better and it seems buying any lionel engine is luck of the draw at this point. Steve is definitely a good guy! Thanks for watching!
Video's like this re-enforce why I like old trains. I don't get these giant steam engines everyone is obsessed with, including my Dad, ha! All the tech is annoying, sure it makes fun sounds, but you can't hear them when multiple trains are running. I just picked up a box for $10 at a church rummage sale down the street from my house, I didn't even know they were having a sale, it looked like a box full of old Lionel track, I bought it because some of it was T track and ten bucks was a steal for the track I used for display... in the bottom of the box there was a Torpedo and a Commodore Blue Streak... oiled, slapped them on some new Fastrack thinking "These things have to be broke or not running"... nope, they both took off like rockets. Can you imagine these new trains with all these electronics still working in 90 years? I feel for you guy, but I can't seem to get into the newer trains, I think my love of Lionel ends in the 80s, maybe early 90s.. when there was no electronics and almost all the trains would fly around a standard Lionel corner no problem... now you have to have 8 foot wide, maybe more table for some of these new trains to even turn.
How true! The classic Lionel is easy to fix on your own, if there ever is a problem. No need to send them out. It's cool that you got those engines in a box of track. You never know what you'll find, when you buy one of those boxes. I have mostly post-war Lionel. My oldest Lionel is a 1931 Winner set and it runs like it is brand new. It's just basically a motor with a lithographed body. My newest Lionel is the 1983 Twentieth Century set, which runs great and I also have an MTH Rail King Southern Ps-4, conventional. I collect AMT passenger cars and they look great, behind my post-war Santa Fe, NYC and Southern F's. A little cleaning and lube and they will run forever. Great trains, for sure.
I think these new modern engines have their place in the hobby for sure and is definitely not for everybody but I can actually respect the quality and the reliability are the Old Post War engines! I agree that one of these engines that we have now would not work after sitting for that amount of time.
@@Highrollers_Roads_N_Rails I hate to sound like a crotchy old man, because I am 48, lol, but nothing we make today will last. We have a 1932 Singer model 201, sews like a beast, it helped me reupholster several things over the years. My Mother is a quilter, she had a 5 yo $8500 Brother sewing machine, it up and died on her, $1800 and three months later she finally got it back. She says it still isn't sewing right, ugh! I realized I have turned into my Dad, who won't trade in his 26 yo truck because he can no longer get roll up windows, lol, say he says he will drive it until it falls apart, all that electric shit is just another thing to go wrong, ha! But he does buy all those big fancy trains that won't go around corners, but they never touch a track and I know there is at least 30 of them that have never seen the light of day outside their box and the ones that do get out of the box just go into a display case. There is something to be said for simplicity.
My TMCC engines from 25 years ago still run. My 2020 legacy Reading T-1 does not run anymore, and is about 70% of the weight as the TMCC engines of similar sizes. Lionel seems to be going in the same direction that they did in the 90s- relying on their name and lacking quality. It’s unfortunate that customers continue to buy Lionel thinking they are getting the same quality they got 10-20 years ago. MTH is looking mighty fine these days in comparison.
One thing I love about tmcc engines is they are about as reliable as you can get! All of my tmcc engines run flawlessly but they definitely don't have the technology that's legacy engines have in them. I have had issues with both brands so I will say at this point it's luck of thr draw honestly.
@ I don’t disagree about the tech, but what good is all of that if the locomotive is made poorly or doesn’t run? I’d say the biggest flaw is the two chuffs per revolution but some of the newer TMCC locomotives have four. I’m not necessarily advocating for TMCC, it’s just disappointing that Lionel has completely bypassed their once most notable features: durability and reliability.
Sorry you have to deal with all the crummy quality of many of todays engines. I would be very frustrated with these situations. Good thing you are a calm guy!👍🙏🔥🇺🇸❤️💪
Yeah, it definitely sucks but gotta stay positive!
Sorry to hear about your engine. As for Lionel, I hope your engine comes back repaired and in the condition that you sent in. Everyone time I have sent in an engine for Lionel warranty, it has come back worse than when I sent it in. One engine I had was an SD40 that had a sagging rear coupler. Well, it came back to me with the pilot completely detached, rear couple detached, side truck frame off, front windshield wipers broken off. People had said that it could have been from shipping, however no damage to the boxes, or packaging at all. I have 11 years' experience of shipping/receiving and I knew right away it was not from shipping. With that all said, I hope Lionel takes care of your engine, because I am at the point I will not use the warranty if I can help it and would pay to get my engine fixed by a reputable technician.
Yeah I completely understand that and yes I would much prefer to have it fixed by a local technician I wish Lionel had a program that was certified local techs to do their warranty work
NICE VIDEO BROTHERMAN !👍👍👍👍😍 H. M.
Thanks for watching!
BROTHERMAN, MRMUFFINS IS ONE GREAT PERSON !!🚂🚂😊🙃😉👍👍👍👍 Howard M.
This explains why I have a hard time dropping anything over $500.00 thats including sales taxes, shipping cost for any new engine steam, or
Diesel.
I'm starting to have a hard time with it myself LOL
Steven is a model railroader like us.He is a pleasure to deal with I had a Lionel SD 70 ace come out of the box with a bad smoke unit . I have to get a DCS system too.I only run my MTH conventionally as well.
Did you order the custom run n&w c30-7 from Mr Muffins?
My grandson is a big n&w fan
He definitely has a great business. I didn't order the c30 due to have so much other stuff on pre-order but that's gonna be a cool engine. I really want the custom run sw-8 switcher he did in N&W.
@@Highrollers_Roads_N_Rails we need to get the lottery.I am not rich.
So much beautiful engines out there.
@@williamkolina3988 for sure!
Unfortunately when you buy something "new" that is 2 years old it's not covered by a warrantee. Mr Muffin a a stand up guy for sure!
Oh I absolutely agree, but he definitely is and im excited to get this model back soon
Oh no I hope it’s not going to happen on my Berkshire because I didn’t run it yet.
Hope not my friend
@ got my fingers crossed!
@@Highrollers_Roads_N_Rails good news my N&W Berkshire is okay and has no problems on the rails.
@tylertroknya9780 good deal! Enjoy your engine!
I know the feeling, me Hornby been busted for mouths.
Hopefully it's fixed soon!
My new 765 does exactly the same thing... for $1500 bucks they should run forever. Lionel quality control is garbage. so I probably will end up sending mine back as well after the holidays. Hope yours comes back quickly,. I have had pretty good luck with Lionel. repairs. I've sent about 3 engines back In the past year and haven't waited over 2 weeks for any case.
Dang im sorry to hear you're having the same troubles as me but yeah hopefully it's something simple and a quick fix
Your so right. I bought the blue 777 berk & the orange berk fromMETCA. So far-so good. But Iv'e had plenty of problems with engines just like you & everyone else. It's just like our pal from the movie said--It's like a box of chocolats(did i spell that right?) you never know what your gonner get. See ya later.
I really like the blue 777, it a beautiful locomotive but you are indeed right. Buying new lionel is basically a gamble at this point.
This is one reason I'm really hesitant about buying anything Expensive from Lionel. Their QC Dept is horrible anymore. Their Communication is horrible. When you pay that much money for something then it better be GOOD. I would rather spend way less for the same Model with TMCC. And this just another Reason I still Perfer buying New MTH PS 3.0 over New Lionel Legacy every Day of the Week.
Buying in Auctions and Used is always taking a Chance. I've really had alot of trouble with Trainz lately.
We will see how Lionel treats me through this process but after listening to other people's stories I'm not very optimistic I just hope that I get my locomotive back fixed where I won't have to worry about it anymore.
@@Highrollers_Roads_N_Rails Me too. I'm rooting for you.
This type complaint is so common. Why expect a Chinese made product just because it has a cover up name brand be expected to be a quality engine? Chinese can’t even make an LED light bulb to last more than a month. Know ahead of time Chinese electronics is a crap shoot. The odds of obtaining a good one are not in your favor especially for the high price paid.
Definitely would be a different story with the quality if they were manufactured here but then again the cost would double im sure.
But the costs are all ready too high. Assume if profit margins were reasonable the cost would be close to the same but it would function as it should. Certainly the quality is worth something vs a shelf ornament. Also consider the greater possibility of parts availability if manufactured in USA.
It's a shame but these modern high-tech locomotives are just not worth it. Give me the postwar and prewar trains anytime over these modern (beautiful as they are) locomotives. The only way I would purchase one of these now is if ALL of the electronics are gutted (including the smoke unit) and replacing it with a simple reverse unit - no sounds, nothing, just a highly detailed model running is reward enough.
I don't think I could ever go back to Conventional operation but yes these command control engines can be quite a headache
Stop buying Lionel. Buy MTH instead.
As you can see in the video both have their issues
Watch the video THEN comment?
Lionel sucks
I'm not going to necessarily say that because you can't beat the sound set that Lionel is putting in their new engines but there's definitely a lapse in quality control