[Gary]

Have you ever caught out a seller who has given you bull?

I was advised that a Triang loco had been tested and was assured that it was a good runner. Ok it was a car boot and it was cheap so why not take a chance.

Got it home, put it on the track and guess what...

Ok. Check it out time.

Open up body, remove chassis, check motor, motor works.

OK, check wheels.

Huh!

How often have you found locos that have the insulated wheelsets the wrong way around causing a short. I have on more than one occasion and even so called "experts" cannot work out that one side of a wheelset needs to be insulated on a live chassis!

Replace wheelsets the correct way around and bingo, one very nice running loco.

Now how the seller could have tested the loco with the wheelsets the wrong way around I simply do not know!

Well he could have tested it but he would have discovered that it smoked and as it was a diesel he could not claim it was the synchrosmoke unit!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

A simple solution is to take a battery powered controller and a section of track with you to permit potential customers to try locos out if they want to. They more often than not don't but its mere presence does instill trust and encourages visitors to look a little harder for that bargain!

What does surprise me is that model railway clubs organise exhibitions and don't provide an obvious facility to allow locos to be tested. Thats one objection that clubs have to building DCC layouts. A DCC exhibition layout means the visitors loco cannot be run if a test is requested on the layout.

Happy modelling
Gary