This past weekend I acguired a large collection of G gage trains. On close inspection when I got it home it looks like 75% of the loco’s and rolling stock has a part broken or missing. What I don’t understand is after you spend all this money to build up your collection why do these people not take care of there trains? Tomorrow I’m going back to get the track about 205’, that’s in good shape and some more boxs of stuff. I’m hoping some of the missing parts are in them. So I guess my guestion is has anybody run in to this in the past and is this normal?
Stuff happens… Kids, grandkids, clumsy fingers can all wreak havoc on the details.
I think garden Railroad guys can be put into 3 categories.
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buy the train and put it on a shelf still in box to admire from afar.
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buy it, burn the box and run it until the sun fades the paint.
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buy it, put it on the shelf to admire but don’t be afraid to use it and enjoy it. I’m like that and I think most of us are.
Trains are trains and they are meant to be played with and some get roughed up.
You could always sell the ones you don’t want.
Todd, I don’t think I fit any category listed. I keep the boxes, and I run the heck out of my trains. When parts get broken, I try and repair them.
Louis, I am sure that many parts can be had to fix what you have thats broken. USA and LGB do have parts available. Some replica Aristo parts are available through GLX.
http://glxscalemodels.com/g-scale/
Or you could sell them to someone who is industrious enough to fix them themselves.
Only my shelf Queens have all their parts; I’m clumsy, critters are voracious and I imagine my summer heat loosens hot glue… that doesn’t even begin to account for the Cosmic Hole or parts in the dirt and wind covered.
The Chinese don’t make parts …
I tried to be careful, but it seemed like something got broken or lost each trip from house to layout.
A collector will have the condition you want, but not the price…
John
I think there is another category that I will likely fit into as I develop into a fully developed large scaler. I doubt there will be many if any boxes. I plan to build most everything I own in large scale. I plan to build to a high level of detail (read lots of little parts to break off) and I plan on running every piece. If it breaks I will fix it, when I wear it out I will use the parts to build a new one. Point is I see little to know point in making an oeprational model if one doesn’t run it. Now that doesn’t mean I will intentional neglect them but I am not going to cry if a piece gets broken off in an operating session (yes Steve I said operations session). Now my cat knocking my new fire fighting car of the shelf and breaking it before it ever made it to a track well lets just say I had to rub my ears and say a few woossssaaaas.
As you work through this collection and decide some stuff is destine for the scrap heap don’t forget us scratch builders.
I fall into category 2, all my stuff is kitbashed and heavily modified so there’s no point treating anything special. So I’ll be running it till it drops.
I’ll second the Motion to offer any cast offs here first before tossing them into the recycling bin 
I think it’s damn near impossible to run trains actively and keep all the parts attached to our trains intact at the same time; too many parts in too many unfortunate places.
I made a critical decision when I started my first layout that I would happily accept incidentally broken parts, especially at my children’s hands, as part of the cost of all of us having fun. I don’t think it’s much fun to be constantly chiding my kids, or myself, to try to be extremely careful enough to keep everything in perfect shape. I want to enjoy myself and want my children to enjoy themselves…that’s why I went battery by the way: I wanted to run trains, not spend most of my time screwing around with track and wiring!
I take care of the trains as best I can, but I accept the inevitable without getting upset. I guess that puts me in the second or third category.
John Passaro said:
I take care of the trains as best I can, but I accept the inevitable without getting upset.
Well, I got the first 2 out of three on that 
Some parts end up with those missing socks!
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Some parts end up with those missing socks!
That’s quite likely here as the RR passes right next to the dryer on the way to the outdoor layout!
Daktah John said:
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Some parts end up with those missing socks!
That’s quite likely here as the RR passes right next to the dryer on the way to the outdoor layout!
Hey John, I think you just hit on a good point. There may be a 4th category. There are those lucky enough to be able to run their trains indoors after a session. I think this offers a big cushion to breaking things, since they don’t get picked up and put down every time they get run. This just leaves derailments and crashes to break the details.
Not that I get to run my equipment that much, but when I do I try very hard not to bash them with my own hands. If something gets broke, it will get repaired. When I grew up, my family didn’t have any extra cash and my mother could make anything last seemingly for ever. She taught us to take care of the things we had and make them last. I guess that still sticks with me.
When you run equipment out in the winter removing snow…
You some times find parts … how did that get there etc.
Then again I’m on a first name bases with the parts man @ USA trains!
You’re suppose to be having fun!
You are so right Sean “You’re suppose to be having fun!”
I do keep my boxes but the trains are on display on shelves and get brought out to run.
I also have a dozen cheaper (Bachmanns) “sacrificial” pieces of rolling stock that are left out year round. I like to see something sitting on a siding and imagine that a train might come around the corner at any moment to pick them up.
To protect my more delicate engines like the geared locos I always run a diesel first with the wedge plow to push leaves and junk that has fallen on the track off. Once the twigs and pine cones are off and the derailments have occured I will then bring out the heisler and shays.
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Then again I’m on a first name bases with the parts man @ USA trains!
I guess a lot of us know Mike! If Mike falters talk to Butch in customer Service. He will prod Mike into action. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Joe Zullo said:
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Then again I’m on a first name bases with the parts man @ USA trains!
I guess a lot of us know Mike! If Mike falters talk to Butch in customer Service. He will prod Mike into action. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I still miss the old guy in Philadelphia at Bachmann. I think his name was Irving? I got lectured more than once on making sure I never let THAT happen again!!
Todd Haskins said:
You are so right Sean “You’re suppose to be having fun!”
I do keep my boxes but the trains are on display on shelves and get brought out to run.
I also have a dozen cheaper (Bachmanns) “sacrificial” pieces of rolling stock that are left out year round. I like to see something sitting on a siding and imagine that a train might come around the corner at any moment to pick them up.
To protect my more delicate engines like the geared locos I always run a diesel first with the wedge plow to push leaves and junk that has fallen on the track off. Once the twigs and pine cones are off and the derailments have occured I will then bring out the heisler and shays.
Me too! It lets me feel like trains are running even when I don’t have the time to run.
John Passaro said: I still miss the old guy in Philadelphia at Bachmann. I think his name was Irving? I got lectured more than once on making sure I never let THAT happen again!!
So true!
Joe Zullo said:
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Then again I’m on a first name bases with the parts man @ USA trains!
I guess a lot of us know Mike! If Mike falters talk to Butch in customer Service. He will prod Mike into action. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
The thing I don’t understand is why they no longer have the stirrup steps listed on their parts page. Those things are fragile, and I have replaced a few over the years. Every time my stash runs out, I have call to order them. It would be easier to just point and click and have them show up.
As for the other parts. I am pretty good at identifying what it is I found laying alongside the track, and returning it to the equipment it belongs to. The swing hangers off my USA F3 just seam to be designed to fall off, I am forever putting them back on my F3
Indecently, I have a pad of Bad Order Forms sitting on my power supply. When a part gets broken, or turns up missing, I fill out a form and place it on my workbench. Then on rainy days, I can look at the forms, and I know what needs fixed. It works better then trying to remember what I need to fix when I am not running trains.
Well I guess am the oddball here. I take of my trains to insure nothing brakes or is lost. A Lot of the missing parts I can get from Bachmann. The part I can’t find is the pilot for a Delton Mack rail bus. It looks like the previous owner cut it off.
Louis, I don’t abuse my stuff. I do try and take good care of my stuff. I even have carry trays and hand made wooden cabinets, to move my stuff in, so its protected. But running it around the backyard, stuff happens. I just fix what happens and move on.
Its almost like I am running a railroad here.