I took my Porter and put all of the parts in a small plastic bag! I am going to write it off! At my age I just don't have the eyes any longer to mess around with those small springs. That is why I went to "O" gauge! If any body wants to tackle fixing this thing let me know!

The tiny little springs that are supposed to hold the contactors out against the wheel are crushed. I don't suppose Bachman sells those springs

I need to get the motor block on the Porter apart to repair the small wheel contactors. They are frozen on one side so they don't touch the drivers. I can't figure out how to get the motor block apart!

Make sure the tires are not coming off and jamming the wheels! My weaver unit does that! I had a Williams unit that used to slow down and stop. I sent it back to them and they fixed it!

What can I say My FM, PA, and SF GP-9 all start in neutral!

How much are the correct circuit boards for the GP-9.? My friend tried to "fix" the circuit board as suggested in your diagram and he said it was completely different than the board in my engine! Since the locomotive he has starts in forward, I guess I will have to change the board in the one that starts in neutral! How much?

I have two Williams GP-9's purchased sometime ago. My SP GP-9 always starts in the forward direction when power is applied. The SF GP-9 always starts in neutral when power is applied and then forward on the second power apllication. As a result-these units are always out of sync!

My Big Hauler freight cars are mostly over 10 years old--hard to believe are starting to show their age. I use some of then outdoor. I find the foot stirrups are starting to break and I cannot seem to find replacements. Hopefully (I hate that word) Bachman will make those kind of parts available soon!

Wouldn't mind seeing some oil tenders-ala Santa fe

I have bought extra straight sections of auto reversing track for a window sill layout! You can run regular trains on the track as long as they are short. I run my On30 Gas mechanical and ore cars!

Thank you for your reply--Merry Christmas!!!

I have a Christmas set with the Train and Trolley. I can't find my papers and forgot which Power Pack is for the train and which is for the the trolley!

I run my F-7's with the powered unit in the rear in the old Lionel tradition! Therefore, in my case, it would be better if my F-unit actually started in reverse! I was told that the easiest way to do that was to reverse the motor leads.What is your thinking on this?

Roundhouse made a "G" scale caboose in "Bumblebee" several years ago. I twas molded in color so you could remove the lettering with Solvaset and reletter it for your own road. The problem is finding on of these cabooses. Check with ebay!

I purchased a small 12volt burglar alarm battery to power my G scale outdoor but it also works on my mezzanine Garage layout. No matter how poor you power pickup is---once you wire in one of these batteries to your loco motive via plugs, it will run steady.
You can even wire in an DPDT toggle and rheostat into a following boxcar so you can reverse the unit. I do not use a remote! I just flip the switch and the locomotive will run for about two hours before it has to be recharged!