Available Items
September 2, 2011 - M.T.H. Electric Trains has received word that some customers have received the Premier Line S 3/6 Steam Locomotive with bent tender handrail posts located on the back of the tender.
In analyzing the bent posts, M.T.H. believes the damage occurred in transit, most likely from the tender being inserted into the styrofoam packing tray in the wrong direction.
Fortunately, the handrail post is constructed from metal and is somewhat pliable allowing it to be bent back into its proper vertical orientation. M.T.H. retailers and customers can conduct the fix on their own using needle-nose and duckbill pliers as detailed in the video linked to this news story (click on the video icon to the left of the article's lead paragraph to see the video).
INSTRUCTIONS
You will need maksing tape, a pair of needle-nose pliers and a pair of duckbill pliers to conduct this repair. Both pairs of pliers should have smooth jaws.
Wrap the ends of both pairs of pliers in masking tape to prevent the pliers from scarring the handrail post.
Using the needle-nose pliers first, gently bend the handrail post back up to a vertical position by carefully twisting the post upward.
Once the post is repositioned vertically, use the duckbill pliers to remove any subtle kinks in the post by gently squeezing the pliers in different positions up and down the post.
PREVENTING BENT HANDRAIL POSTS
You can prevent the post(s) from being bent again by insuring that the tender is correctly oriented prior to inserting it into the styrofoam tray when repacking the locomotive and tender in the original box.
When the styrofoam tray is sitting in front of you with the tender opening closest to you, the tender should sit straight up in the opening with the tender coupler pointing toward the right side of the tray.