Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Richie

Richie

Rio Grande Railroad , Mountain biking , Gardening
Why do i bother with G scale every thing i seem to buy is always damaged :brokeheart: Had a thred a few months back about USA Trains locos with bits falling off . This is my first USA Trains Loco that i have brought from new a SD70 Mac Rio Grande Heritage have been after one for several years and when i finally saved up the cash i placed an order with one :love: After a almost 6 week wait the loco arrives :bigsmile: but sadly the smile on my face wasn't there for long as when i went to remove the loco from it's box following the instruction and watching the LSOL web site of tilting the loco out the rear motor block just dropped off and was hanging by it's wires :crying: The bolts that hold the block to the loco were missing (could be inside the loco ) and the plastic support holding the front pivot drive block had broken off looks as if it has only just been screwed in less than a MM. :wits: So after taking some photo's of the damage the loco went straight back in it's box with no testing of the electrics , didn't even check over the rest of the loco as i was that disappointed . Have e mailed the shop and awaiting a reponse . A very big box the send back to the States .
So even when you buy new from USA Trains they still come damaged :brokeheart: just don't know why i bother won't be buying any more of there products from now just seems that you can go from a high and excitement one minute :bigsmile:to a very low and disapointment the next :crying:
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Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Hi Richie
Really sorry to hear of your plight. I know how much you wanted one of the heritage units.
It looks like that it has had a very heavy jolt as the plastic has just sheared off.This can happen as the package is slung into the container ready for airfreight.

The polystyrene support is not the best shock absorber at all, in fact it can amplify the effect of jarring.
I can only say that I have not had a bad one from USA Trains...yet (except for a couple of small details getting dislodged by some heavy handling)... but you have experienced more than your fair share of problems and I totally commiserate with you.

I hope that the exporter will pay for your postage both ways to get you a pristine one in return. Did you get it from the same US supplier that I did?

Don't give up mate, there are many good USAT locos around, I promise.......I have a few of them.

To keep you going......

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Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Happens to European models, too - I bought a Brawa RhB 2-8-0 (cost £1000...) , only to find that the cab must have damaged at some stage because - the packing being very tight - it came apart/sheared as soon as removed from the box. Fortunately, Gaugemaster replaced it without cost.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

A pity, it always upsetting when this happens. I find the USAT 3 axel bogies quite a week design, one of the sides frames of my PB-1 arrived broken when sent from the US a few years ago, luckily I could make a repair not visible fro the outside.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

I feel for you Richie. I have had four loco's from the U.S.A. Three USAT's and one Aristo. Plus numerous Box Cars. Not a shred of damage on any of them.
The worse damage that I have had was from a UK postal address.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Many thanks for all your support , have had a long face all day have been so looking forward to receiving this loco for a long time USA TRAINS have only just released the new batch of Heritage loco's was looking forward to double head it with your 1989 Mike as this one is the 1870 . The loco has come from the States via a U.K shop (don't want to say who until it's sorted) and payed using pay pal so hopefully I should be covered . The loco does look very nice but as I was so upset it was put straight back into all it's boxes only had it out for 5 minutes . The box that it came in all looks intact and the loco didn't look as if it had been removed .
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

It's absolutely gut wrenching when a model you are so looking forward to receiving arrives broken, you would think that manufactures would have got this very basic part of their business sorted . My sympathies:thumbdown::thumbdown: :thumbdown:
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Sorry to hear that, Richie. All of my USAT have arrived in perfect condition (doesn't help, I know}, but my MTH Challenger arrived with a broken smoke box door, broken marker lights and a cracked cab floor, so I know how you're feeling. USAT have a very good spares department and if you phone them up, they're very friendly and helpful with a very quick delivery.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

I'm surprised that retailers in the UK end seem to not give a cursory check before dispatch to customers on "high value" prchases. But then I suppose that might cause accusation of a prduct of "not being new" if the packing is disturbed one iota. I'm sure you are covered by PayPal. However, I always use a credit card on purchases over £100 if I can, especially from overseas.

Pity the poor guy (not me) who bought an Accucraft live steam "Cab Forward" (about $7,00) over from the US, , only to find the loco had come loose from its moorings and had a bent frame. No recourse to supplier or insurance apparently. Saw it at the repair shop, fixable but a lot of money.

Max.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

I can see from your posts i'm not alone with damaged loco's really feel for the bloke with the live steam cab forward Max .
I'm not too sure if the loco had been checked before it was sent out to me the damage could of happen in the U.K or coming from the States , the plastic bag that the loco box came in was open one end is this normal ? as the box was sealed with tape but i did find it odd that the tissu paper wrapped round the loco was all ripped so may have been taken out of the box only the retailer can anwser this qusition which i have asked .
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

What a pity. I know how it feels to be in anticipation of something you've longed for, then to have it not right when you finally get it. I hope all gets sorted out in your favor.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

I can commiserate with you on this. My first K27 was faulty and had to be returned it has BIG BIG box, to a UK address. The replacement arrived with the uncoupling bar snapped off (and no plough). It is a v frail white metal casting and pretty much impossible to repair. However, I fitted a plough which covered-up the missing part!

My only USAT loco the, 40 tonner, suffered damage when a shelf collapsed and it fell 5' onto a laminate floor. The front coupling boss sheared but I was lucky it was repairable invisibly and the mount is now stronger than the original!
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Richie your question, " Is it normal for boxes to be opened"? Yes it is. Think of the box from a security point of view. In X-ray the loco shows up as two solid cores connected by wires and circuit boards! In my day in the Forces, that would have been enough to clear the area to a radius of 150yds. Then call in EOD...Bomb disposal.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Many thanks for all the replys i do rememeber the troubles you had with your K-27 Keith and the fitting of it's plow .
Thanks for that Rod have just watched the LSOL video again of the loco and it shows the plastic sleeve over the box open one end but the tissu paper looked intact on the video .
Have had the loco back out of the box tonight for a full inspection have notice that the window thats on the front door of the hood has dropped out but this is a easy fix , to fix the rear truck i need a whole new drive unit due to the plastic thread being broken off . Haven't tried any of the electrics yet so don't even know if the lights motor smoke etc work yet .
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Any reply from the retailer yet Richie?
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Just caught this thread.

I'm so sorry to hear about that Richie, it must be soul destroying! Best of luck getting it sorted, I hope it all works out.
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Hi Mike & Gavin
Retailer has been in touch with USA Trains and forwarded the photo's of the damage all being well I should get some replacement parts , I can then look at getting the sound unit .
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

Good news Richie!
 
Re:Yet Another Damaged USA Trains Loco

More times than not, I would be happy just to get the replacement parts you mentioned. However, since you must do the repairing, were you offered any sort of incentive or compensation?
 
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