The Shay Fixer ~ Decoder Installs

We do decoder installs on your brass locomotives...

What makes up the cost of remotoring a brass locomotive?

• Parts including shipping to me unless you provide...

• Labor @ $45/hr./1 hour minimum...

• Complications of ageing brass models which are charged in real time at $45/hr. plus parts...

• Shipping back to you including handling charge $15.00 and insurance for the value of your engine and the total value of parts and labor put into it by me...

 ***please note***

• There is a minimum 1 hr./$45 charge for opening up and putting back together your prize locomotive even if no work is done on it...

• Payment is by United States Postal Money Order Only...unless I have ok'd an alternate payment method...seldom happens!

• There is a $20 fee for setting up the customs paperwork for overseas shipments...sorry, my time is valuable too!

• If you are paying through PayPal, there is a 6% fee attached to the final bill to cover their charge to me to access your payment...

• A $15 handling charge is added to each package...

What is a Tune-up?

• Your engine is first operated on a "Testtraxx" test track to see how it is running. It is then carefully disassembled and any problem areas are photographed. I e-mail you the results including pictures of this engine strip down. Virtually all moving parts and gearboxes are ultrasonically cleaned and dried. If no other work is to be performed, your engine is carefully lubed and oiled using premium lubricants such as "Nano-Oil" and "Nano-Grease". It is reassembled and test run to optimize it's operating characteristics given it's motor and gearing. All locomotives which come to me for "Remotoring", "Regearing" and/or "Decoder Installs" get a complete "Tune-up" as part of that job...

Are there any hidden costs? 

• none!!!

What are your standards?

• Every locomotive gets test run before any work is done on it...

• You are then notified by phone, e-mail and pictures as to what recommendations or concerns I may have about the work you wish to have done...

• No decoder will be installed until locomotive mechanism is operating freely...a new decoder will not fix mechanical problems and voids my warranty...

• All regearing will be tested and adjusted then lapped with a lapping compound which breaks down into finer and finer particles eventually just polishing gears. It does not need to be removed and will not affect the gear lubricants I apply...

• Your engine will have a minimum of 1/2 hour or more of trouble free operation on a "Testtraxx" in each direction...

• All joints are soldered with lead free solder...

• All joints are covered by heat shrink tubing or liquid electrical tape for added strength, joint insulation and to prevent any chance of shorts occurring...

• I use only the finest quality lubricants such as "Neolube", "Nano-Oil" and "Nano-Grease" on your engines...all of my engines get the exact same treatment...

• For absolute quality, Kapton Tape and 3M brand Mil Spec CPU double sided heat transfer tapes are the only tapes used throughout all installs...

• Any gluing required for holding wiring, wiring harnesses or whatever necessary uses a water based flexible acrylic canopy glue, 100% Silicon glue or high  quality ACC's...

• Headlight lenses are an acrylic matte medium covered with high gloss lacquer for protection or Lexan 'glass' lenses made here in my shop. One can argue that the only thing which looks like glass is real glass...but this product will make a believer of you...

• I provide you with a JMRI 'Decoder Pro" printout of your decoder and all of its programmed CV values for your records...

• Most Importantly...I stay in contact with you throughout the process by phone calls, e-mail, pictures and at any time in the work process where you need to make a decision or choice...

• Every locomotive will be test run after work completion to make final sure that you get what you paid for...

• Your locomotive will be carefully packaged for shipping back to you...

Shipping and Insurance Charges

• There is a minimum 1 hr./$45 charge for opening up and putting back together your prize locomotive even if no work is done on it...

• Payment is by United States Postal Money Order Only...unless I have ok'd an alternate payment method...seldom happens!

• There is a $20 fee for setting up the customs paperwork for overseas shipments...sorry, my time is valuable too!

• If you are paying through PayPal, there is a 6.5% fee attached to the final bill to cover their charge to me to access your payment...

• A $15 handling charge is added to each package...

Return Policy

• I am confident that you will be fully satisfied...even jazzed...with the quality of the work you get back from The Shay Fixer. I will work with you on any problem you may have...both of us with the same goal...your 100% satisfaction!

What about a Warranty?

• I guarantee my work 100%. A thirty day limit is imposed on any particular job. If you have questions on or problems with any work I do e-mail dawglife4me@frontiernet.net or call (530) 253-3060 PST in that 30 day period and we will make it right. Obviously, if it is over thirty days or if you have removed the engine superstructure or done anything which modifies my work in any way, then...I will be happy to work on your engine...normal rates and shipping apply...

• I can not be expected to be responsible for anything outside my immediate control...for example: shipping damage, any complications arising from work done on your engine prior to my work or any complications arising from work done to your engine by someone other than myself, etc...again...I will be happy to work on your engine...normal rates and shipping apply...

• PLEASE NOTE... Because they save time, money and do a superior job of cleaning, we use ultrasonic cleaning units to help clean an engine's parts and sometimes superstructures. We try always to protect from damage, any paint work or original finishes that we work around. However, due to a number of factors, most involving your locomotives history, how a particular model's finish reacts to this type of cleaning can be very difficult to assess. Since I cannot control what has happened to your locomotive in any way prior to its receipt by me for any work which you may want me to do, I cannot guarantee that there will not be in some way, some finish damage. This means, that any paint or finish on the locomotive has the inherent risk of being damaged in some way by the work you are requesting to be done. I always do any touchup painting required as long as it is minor as part of your job. If there is more substantial damage done to the finish (extremely rare) and you want it repaired AND that repair requires use of a spray gun, paint booth, masking, color matching or what have you, I will charge at minimum, $45 for one hour of 'time' for the cleaning, set-up and breakdown of the airbrush painting process. I will not charge for the painting process itself.

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How about satisfied customers? Here is a sampling...

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Bob from Elverta, California...

”Boy Phil what a big change, it's nothing like the engine I sent you for repairs.  It will be the highlight of my set...”

”Phil, I want to thank you for the wonderful job that you did on my HOn3 Shay. The sound unit you put into the engine is perfect, fact is how in the world did you get all that stuff in such a small engine?  Its a real joy to watch it run.  It's the best running engine I have, and I have about 37 brass engines. Again I can't thank you enough...”

  Watch the 'You Tube' video below to see:

The finished HOn3 KTM Alishan Shay go through her paces...Bob wanted to decal and weather the little HOn3 KTM Alishan Shay himself so this is where I stopped... 

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Dave T. from Vienna, Virginia...

”...Shay arrived today...  Runs great.  Only problem is every flaw in my track is now exposed.  Have to really clean every scale foot.
 
Nice job, I'm happy!
 
Thanks...”
 

Watch the 'You Tube' video below to see:

Dave's finished HO Hillcrest Shay going through her paces...enjoy!

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What about "creative decoder placement" options?

• Regular decoders can be placed virtually anywhere...Sound decoders, because of their size and speaker space requirements, are a whole different ballgame...creativity is the lead player here!

How can I put a Tsunami sound decoder in my small HOn3 12 Ton to 25 Ton Shays for example?

• Creativity or "thinking outside the box" is what drives this install. In most all of these small Shays with backhead detail, can motors and exquisite detail there is absolutely no room for a speaker let alone a sound decoder...

Which brings us to creativity...how "might" one do this?

• Since we can agree that there is not any room in these Shays for a Tsunami...the Tsunami must be put into a car close to the engine such as a caboose, a boxcar or something else. Prototypically, it should be something which would be pulled on a regular basis behind a Shay...

• This leads into my creative solution...a Rio Grande Models Short Water car made into a fire/water car that can be hooked to the Shay by a drawbar with an electrical harness for all the wiring. The solid cast resin tank of the kit was rebuilt with scale wood and details were added. The now hollow interior is roomy enough for a 1 amp Tsunami and speaker...

• Voila...problem solved!

Check out the pictures below to get a feel for this type of "outside the box" problem solving...

Hopefully, these pictures give you some feel as far as "the creative leeway" you have in this hobby. Can you not just imagine a line of log, box and/or flat cars being pulled through tall trees, over immense trestles and beneath towering mountains still white with winters snows by one of these Shays...I sure can!

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Jon from Durango, Colorado...

”Phil,

Still can't get over how GREAT my engine sounded OVER THE PHONE!!!!  Can't wait for it to be finished so I can see (hear) for myself.

Talk to you when I get back.

Jon”

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