On the brink of giving up

[Nick]

I'm on the verge of giving up.

It's not the modelling, painting, trackwork, electrics, decoder programming, rolling stock, lighting, signalling, scenery, etc., etc. I can cope with all of those, and even enjoy them!

It's the abysmal quality of modern locomotives. I don't have a large loco stud. About 15 locos. Currently 3 of them, 20% of my little fleet, are hors de combat in one way or another. A Class 04 that's shed a conrod pin, a Hall that's shed a traction tyre and seems to have a drive issue of some sort as well, and a 153 that initially wouldn't go round curves, and now has a broken bogie because there was no way to disassemble it for contact cleaning without risking breaking clips.... (When I did so, the pickup mechanism seemed to have been designed using wishful thinking and blind hope, not a sound grip of the mechanical, material and electrical properties of matter.)  :'(

I don't mistreat my locomotives, I am not especially ham-fisted in handling them, quite the reverse by many people's standards, and they are not run intensively. I have insufficient time for railway modelling in general, still less for running.

But the sole goal of model loco design now seems to be to produce a pretty model that reproduces tiny detail at the expense of the basic functions of reliable running and longevity. It's notable that my reliable runners are my 30+ year old, Poole-era, locos, even having being chipped, which they were obviously never designed for. They even look better, IMHO, because they aren't cluttered with a level of detail that ends up making a mainline steam loco look like a delicate filigree artwork, the exact opposite of the over-riding real-life impression of a solid workhorse. Modern locos are often good miniatures but poor models. The two concepts aren't the same. I don't want to run jewellery on my railway.

Perhaps I can pay someone to fix them, but then I'll probably be another £100+ out of pocket between them, on >£300's worth of locos probably not much more than 2 or 3 years old on average. And that's assuming that their manufacturers have bothered to make spares available...

I could replace them, but it sticks in my craw to put more money into the hands of companies that can't, or at least don't, build reliable product to start with. 

This isn't the first time. I've been through the usual panoply of split gears, etc. I don't seem to be able ever to get everything working at once.

Right now, it feels like it's time to call it a day. A hobby is supposed to for relaxation and enjoyment, not aggravation and frustration. I wanted to enjoy my layout over Easter. I was looking forward to it.

[Drakken]

I think the best thing to do is just sit back for a while and give it a week or two and go back to it. Repair one at a time. The good thing about your post is no mention of any layout issues so for now run the locomotive's you know run well and are reliable and enjoy your layout 

I understand it can be very frustrating and have only got past this myself but with my layout itself. You'll get there in the end 

[ntpntpntp]

Go continental N!  I moved away from British N in the early 80s because I got fed up with poor quality and iffy running.   I've got models from the 70s and 80s that are still going perfectly well and do their full turn at exhibitions.

I'll admit that British models have come on a lot in the last decade, but I agree I've also seen fragility creeping in with the pursuit of finer detail.  I love my Farish Tornado, but sorry to say the handful of Dapol locos I have look lovely but just don't really fill me with confidence.

[broadsword]

When I saw this heading for a minute I thought Arsene Wenger had posted.....!

However as you say  a hobby should be for relaxation and enjoyment in your
leisure time and this in not your current experience. There are a few options, downsize
your operations using only your reliable runners and replace faulty locos over a lengthy
period. Or get Union Mills locos which are simple and reliable. Other options could
be moving up a gauge or getting European models, though both would mean
large expenditure and having to sell off your current stuff.

As Drakken posted take a break for a while and then see if any of the faulty stuff can be
repaired at reasonable cost, hope things work out.

[daffy]

Don't give up Nick. Looking beyond the reliability issues its clear you love the hobby - 15 locos and all the invested time and effort in the layout tells that - and those repairs will not be as costly as you currently perceive. There's plenty of help available from the folks here, so detail the issues in full and you never know what will transpire.

The love of my life - beside my wonderful wife - has been mountains. For years I walked them, scrambled up them, and loved them. Then health issues got in the way. Now it is me that is worn out and/or needs the expensive repairs and me that isn't built like I used to be! But I will not give them up - they are an intrinsic part of me. I might need to park myself in the siding every now and then, and maybe bits of me won't quite work as they should, but a life without them will be a life diminished.

My point is that I now concentrate upon the aspects of mountains that I can enjoy, so park that 20% of your fleet for a while and run the other 80% for the Easter break. Then when you've got your mojo back in gear, reassess your love.

[ntpntpntp]

Agree with the above, go play with the reliable ones for a while and get back into a good frame of mind about the hobby, then maybe tackle one of the dodgy ones one evening and see what you can do to sort it out.

For me, I get as much satisfaction restoring an old crock to good health as I do when a brand new loco arrives running like a swiss watch!

[Newportnobby]

I find this very sad as this is not the first instance I've read this month about people, for whatever reason, contemplating giving up. I'm tempted to just say 'go American' and sell your UK stuff but now you've told us about them you might not get a sale!
As others have said, choose your good runners and have some fun for a while.

[PLD]

When I see these threads, I always think what is it I'm doing wrong??? I don't seem to suffer one tenth of the issues some modellers apparently do so what am I doing different...   

If forum postings are an accurate guide, 95% of problems are suffered by just 5% of modellers so what causes that uneven distribution of issues??

It can only be either the users themselves (handling, usage, storage, maintenance) - or retailers (alleged cases of reselling returns, postage/couriers used).

If we could work together to determine what the common themes are, we could all learn what to do/not do...

[sparky]

"Never give up never surrender"......Galaxy Quest....Great film great quote and sums up n gauge frustrations......

[austinbob]

When I see these threads, I always think what is it I'm doing wrong??? I don't seem to suffer one tenth of the issues some modellers apparently do so what am I doing different...   

If forum postings are an accurate guide, 95% of problems are suffered by just 5% of modellers so what causes that uneven distribution of issues??

It can only be either the users themselves (handling, usage, storage, maintenance) - or retailers (alleged cases of reselling returns, postage/couriers used).

If we could work together to determine what the common themes are, we could all learn what to do/not do...

The main reasons involve poor quality control IMHO. As reiterated in many threads in this and many other forums.
Not helped by many punters being willing to accept second rate product and try and fix it themselves. Something they would never do for any other consumer product. This topic has been discussed endlessly and I see no resolution in sight.

[keithfre]

Don't give up. Look on the bright side: you've got 12 working locos, only 3 with problems. If it were me I'd just sell off those three to someone who enjoys fiddling withrepairing and move on 

[bluedepot]

I have 2x 58s, a hall and a 108 out of service

I have about 45 locos though so that's not too bad really

I have no idea why they broke down as I am careful with them and they don't get a lot of use either

reliability of some fleets of real life trains is pretty bad though so I guess given the tiny mechanisms in n gauge it's inevitable some will go wrong

manufacturers should be trying to make them more robust though. rightly or wrongly reliability and performance puts people off n. oo trains go wrong too though people forget, but they do seem to have smoother and quieter mechanisms.

anyway good luck fixing your engines and never give up!!

[37214]

I am encouraged to hear that your best runners are your 30+ year old Farish locos as I have just posted about re-discovering my old locos that have been in the loft for the last 20 years. All of them were bought 2nd hand at toy fairs or model shows and I was wondering if they would be of any use. Looks like I need to get on YT and find out how to service my locos.

[Pengi]

I think the best thing to do is just sit back for a while and give it a week or two and go back to it. Repair one at a time. The good thing about your post is no mention of any layout issues so for now run the locomotive's you know run well and are reliable and enjoy your layout 

I understand it can be very frustrating and have only got past this myself but with my layout itself. You'll get there in the end 

This is good advice. I am getting my mojo back after a long time away from the layout. Have had reliability issues with Dapol but Kato/Farish/Arnold/Fleischmann have been great - even when buy-in second had from abroad

[Chris Morris]

You have to accept that motive power, be it real railways, real cars or model railways will need maintenance and the odd repair. All of my fleet are running well and are worked hard. I accept that they will require repairs from time to time. Rather like the real thing my diesel fleet don't require very much maintenance at all but the Dapol steam locos do. I find the electrical connection between loco and tender often needs work. I also have a problem with traction tyres being lost; I wonder if traction tyres and track magic are not a good combination. Having run out of traction tyres for my 28xxs I'm thinking of trying bullfrog snot. Changing traction tyres is no big deal but getting hold of them is not so easy. Locos run fine without traction tyres but they don't have the pulling power for my gradients.
Overall I remain impressed with the belting my locos (which are mostly Dapol) receive and cope with.