I saw this on E-bay and the picture shows the motor brush very recessed which means that this is at end of life. Always look for this on the older LGB motors.
Also, if there is no picture of the bottom of engines or rolling stock, I will not bid on it as wheel wear tells me a lot about value to me.
Completely agree about wheels and skates.
Thanks for the tip on the brushes, but I cannot make out the brush exactly… it appears to me that there is a thin flat brush in a “U” shaped holder which had the iridite plating (slightly gold colored), but not sure.
Greg
Yes, the wheels do tell a story.
David Maynard said:
Yes, the wheels do tell a story.
So do fingernails and your mother would be pissed if she knew they were that long and dirty!
Thanks for the tips! I am weighing a repower project as my first foray into kitbashing, so this was very timely!
Aloha,
Eric
Good info Dan! I hadn’t thought of using that as a wear gauge but it is a good idea. I once had a LGB loco in for repairs that had brass powder coating the underside of it. It was from a restaurant and I tried to get the owner to retire it but I ended up rebuilding it for them per their request.
I have seen flanges wear down to a razor sharp edge but never worn that way.Wow!
Steve
Steve, I knew that car was run out when I bought it, but for $20, how could I go wrong? I did a thread on how I repaired that $20 LGB car, and its been earning its keep on the P&CS.
I was very skeptical, but I bought an Aristo RS-3 D&H from China for $23 with free shipping. Yeah, it sounds too good to be true, but I have lost more than that on a roll of the dice. The pictures looked pretty good, with some broken details on one end. Delivery is late November, early December.
I will certainly let youse guys know how this one turns out!
Dang Lou …are you kidding me ? If you paid with a credit card cancel it now!
Went through Paypal on ebay, so I can get my money back, but to me, $20 is a cheap lesson.
I am remaining positive on this. Something good has to happen sometimes!
So, the picture you showed is not what you bought right? It has not appeared yet, but you are hoping it is an Aristo?
Greg
Yes. That is one of the pictures they posted. Delivery is late November or early December.
I may have a steal here, or look like a fool. Had lots of practice looking like a fool, so I’m due.
Hey, you got paypal, so you are covered. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I see the picture includes the Aristo “mu connector” so you can make a case if you just get a plastic model… but even the Aristo shell alone is worth $23 !!
Greg
UPDATE:
Got this email from ebay today:
We’re writing to let you know that we’ve removed an item you recently won:
253222161226 - ARISTO-CRAFT 22234C ALCO RS-3 LOCOMOTIVE, G-Scale, Delaware Hudson
Since you’ve already paid for the item, you don’t need to do anything else. If your item hasn’t arrived yet, it should arrive soon. If it doesn’t, then you’ll want to open a case in our Resolution Center. You can learn how to do this, plus find timelines for opening cases, at:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/item-not-received.html
So I may or may not get this.
I just don’t understand why someone would go to all of the trouble to do this with no intent on selling? As often happens I am confused.
Some people put things on Ebay expecting them to sell for alot, but they put it up at a really low starting price to entice bidders. Then when its to their great surprise gets close to the end of the bid time is way below what they were expecting, pull it from auction right before closing time. Seen this happen with car auctions all the time. Then two weeks later its reposted, often exactly the same listing, eventually when enough bidders complain to Ebay these jerks get yanked.
Lou
Did you get a tracking number? It should be hot-linked to the shipper. If you click on it you will get some kind of message as to the packages status and a blue line showing it is in transit. It should say something to effect of, “CN Post Accepted”. A lot of stuff is sent by ship so it can take 30-40 days. It will eventually show up in LA at the customs port. From there it will enter the USPS postal service and you will get updates from them.
I have bought a lot from China, HK and Japan. Unless it is air ship then 30-60 days is normal.
A little advice for everyone.
Here is what to watch out for:
If there is no blue line the item has not been mailed. If the message says; “The seller has created a shipping label. We will update the status as soon as it reaches the carrier.” That also means they have not mailed it. Printing labels to make it look like the seller is shipping goods is part of the scam. It delays buyers from opening complaint cases for up to two weeks.
It is unfortunate that people are dishonest. One of the oldest scams on E-bay is to sell lots of items in a short amount of time (usually at greatly reduced prices) then take the money and disappear. If you have used Pay-pal then you are covered and will get your money back although it can take 60-90 days. This is part of the buyers protection plan and you are safe. E-bay/Pay-pal take the hit. It is one of the few scams that defrauds E-bay as they protect themselves pretty well.
Ten years ago scams were mostly against buyers. Mailing an empty box to get a delivery record to the buyers home address. This then became mail a box of rocks so it had weight. E-bay now accepts responsibility for these things if the selling account is proven fraudulent. Meaning they get multiple complaints. This also helps with fighting fraud against sellers. A claim of sending an empty box or an inferior item has little effect unless there is a pattern of this in the sellers account.
Then there is the one that screws everyone. Persons unknown hack an account and order goods until the money is cut off. These are sent to a mail service center (NON-USPS) where the hacker has rented a delivery box under an assumed name. They pick up the goods and hock or resale them for whatever they can get, abandoning the delivery box once the fraud is discovered. E-bay/Pay-pal do nothing for you unless it is proven to be the act of one of their employees or breech of their security. IE. you used a computer at work and forgot to sign out of your account so somebody found the open site and hijacked your info. They are now on a spending spree on your dime. It is probably Jeff in Accounting as there is no way he makes enough money to afford all of those expensive Madam Alexander collectible dolls.
Best way to prevent being the victim:
Always check feedback for negatives, a few battle scars are normal but their feedback should not look like a blood bath.
Never link your E-bay and Pay-pal accounts for automatic sign in. E-bay/Pay-pal is promoting this now with a pop-up ad every-time you log in. Don’t use the same password for both.
Always check your items immediately on delivery to make sure you got what you bought. You have a time limit for returns and complaints.
Always leave feedback, AFTER ANY ISSUES ARE SETTLED!!! Uncommitted feedback is your best leverage for issues of detail, quality, damage.
If something is wrong contact your seller. Be polite, it is easy to make an honest mistake. A serious seller will want to make things right and most do.
Don’t make an ass of yourself. If you start out with “I am trying to hold my temper or What the F are you trying to pull!!!” You are not going to get much help and in fact you may not get any at all. If it goes to dispute the seller can claim intimidation on your part…which weighs against you in arbitration.
Just my thoughts…been buying and selling on E-bay since it began.
Here’s what there is on the purchase page:
Estimated delivery Mon, Nov 13 - Mon, Dec 18
We had to remove this listing from the site and you’re not required to complete the transaction. If you’ve already sent payment, the sale should process as normal and you don’t have anything to worry about. If you have any questions about delivery, please check tracking or contact your seller. If you run into any trouble along the way eBay is here to help. Please visit the Resolution Center to help resolve any problems you may encounter.
This user is no longer registered on eBay.
I still don’t understand why anyone would expend the effort to end, when I will get my money back.
This user is no longer registered on Ebay. Oh, that has a ominous sound to it.
I had issue with a seller on an auction site. I contacted the seller through the site, and heard nothing. 2 weeks later I contacted the site, and they assured me they would work to solve the issue. A week later my stuff arrived, including some small parts I had ordered the month before, and thought I had just misplaced. So it was an honest mistake on the seller’s part. However, I will not deal with that seller again. I should not have to go that far to get what I paid for, and reading the reviews of that seller, he has a history of “delayed shipments”.
The old adage is proved once again!
If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-frown.gif)
Hey! I might still get it!
I might hit the lottery, too. Or become good lookin’ and thin. Scratch that last one.
