The Shay Fixer ~ Tune-ups

We do tune-ups on your brass locomotives...

What makes up the cost of a brass locomotive Tune-up?

• 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 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 6.5% 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...

• 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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Watch the 'You Tube' video below to see:

Roy's HO PFM/United B-2 Shay going through her paces before going home...a great example of what a Tune-up looks like...

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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...

• 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./$40 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 $10 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 $10 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... We use ultrasonic cleaning units to help clean an engine's parts and sometimes superstructures, we try to always protect from damage any paint work or original finishes that we work around. However, due to a number of factors 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, $40 for one hour of 'time' for the cleaning and set-up and breakdown of the painting process. I will not charge for the painting process itself, which could in certain situations become complicated and costly.

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Watch the 'You Tube' video below to see:

Sim's new HO PSC 42 Ton Shay with newly installed Tsunami go through her paces...The video is a little long but if you want to see why a good "Tune-up" is vital to your engine's performance...check it out…lots to drool over...

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