I came across this editoral from September 2000 issue from then Editor Neil Besougloff, and it made me smile. It still rings true 25 years later. What do you think?
Dear Editor: The old trains in my collection have held up remarkably well over the decades. Other than flaking insulation, my trains are as ready to roll as when they were new. And when my old trains need to be repaired, I can still buy parts.
But what about my new trains, full of green-and-silver circuit boards? Will I be able to repair them and buy parts for them 20 or 30 years from now?
Dear reader: We don’t know. No one on the CIT staff can predict the future. But while cleaning my basement last week, I came upon something that does predict the future: my old Magic 8 Ball. So I posed your question to my aged ebony ball.
Shake once.
“Oh, Magic 8 Ball, with new trains full of electronics, will they be as repairable as those of the prewar and postwar eras?
“It’s like this, Magic 8 Ball. Diodes, capacitors, and resistors are the components of today’s u-ains. The stamped metal, field coils, and spur gears of prewar trains have held up surprisingly well ( uh, except Dorfan castings), and postwar plastics remain remarkably stable despite decades of heat, cold, and basement humidity.”
Shake twice.
“But wise old Magic 8 Ball, what about today’s electronics? It’s a doubleedged challenge: parts and knowledge.
“Metal and plastic parts are relatively easy to come by. But I know someone today who had to turn to a merchant in the far-off Czech Republic for a replacement radio tube for a postwar Lionel Electronic Control Set. So, where will we get parts tomorrow when today’s electronic trains go bad?
“Yes, I can foresee years from now a hobbyist swapping out a fried control board on a forgotten 1990s diesel. But what about diagnosing and repairing a CA.Bl, or a QS3000 sound system, or a Z-4000 digital display? Magic 8 Ball, I don’t see most of us having a clue.
“Long ago I recall Dad tuning up the Chrysler Newport in the driveway on a sunny Saturday morning, timing light in hand. Does anyone know how to use a timing light today? Can you even buy a timing light? Oops, sorry Magic 8 Ball, I’m getting off track.”
Shake three times
“So, plastic prognosticator from my youth, back to the future: Will new trains be as repairable as their elders, and will parts be available?”
It was time for an answer. I peered into the 8 Ball’s murky window, awaiting the magic words.
“Cannot Predict Now.”
“Cannot Predict!?!?@#$$%! Magic 8 Ball, is that your final answer? Well, back to the far reaches of the basement for you, my misfortunetelling friend. Your prediction on the repairability of new toy trains is no better than ours.”
