Help with Disney Monorail Accessories (Resort signs)?

[eblackwell]

I recently bought this set on eBay, used but in good condition. Only the box showed wear; problem is, I didn't put 2 and 2 together when the person said the set was given to her and she never took it out of the box.

The arch and the Grand Floridian sign don't light up. I put 2 fresh AA batteries into each and push the plastic button above the battery compartment. Nothing. Am I missing a step? The front of the box says 4 AA batteries, but I'm guessing it means 4 all together for the arch and GF sign, not 4 in each sign.

The buttons seem loose, meaning it's not a firm push and they don't click when you push them in. Is that how they should be?

Thanks!

 

[Monorailoholic]

Hello. When you took it out of the box were there batteries in it? Sounds like an Acid leak. Come check out my monorail forum.

 

[eblackwell]

Hello. When you took it out of the box were there batteries in it? Sounds like an Acid leak. Come check out my monorail forum.

They did have batteries; I replaced them with new ones. I checked for corrosion and didn't see any; of course, it could be where I can see it.

Do you have this set? Are the buttons meant to be that loose?

 

[Monorailoholic]

you may not visually see corrosion but leaving batteries in especially if it was stored in a hot spot like the attic for a long period can do some damage. These pieces are so cool yet made like garbage. very fragile. internally you may have some damage. in this case possible the solder joint at the battery tray. acid leaks start there. Opening the piece to inspect the guts is not difficult. theres no science to it. a local electronic or hobbyist could fix it. As for the buttons being loose, never noticed that. start by opening the back. see where the push button makes contact. install fresh batteries and use like an eraser head or something plastic to push in it and see if lights up. if it DOES light up you may have corrosion or dirt build up on the contact point of the push button. very small piece of metal., easily cleaned gently with a piece of steel wool. same goes for grand Floridian sign.
may I ask what you got it for on ebay ?
I have a post I started for monorail chat if youd like to join that forum just look at my posts.
Yes, I have the set. I started about 3 years ago and I almost have ALL of it. All are currently boxed up in my basement waiting for the big build. I have so many ideas. My wife just shakes her head at me and laughs. lol

 

[eblackwell]

I really appreciate all your help! I'm going to try what you said; if I can't get that to work, I have an engineering friend who said he'll fix it, but I'd like to see if I can do it first.
I pay $90 for it; the seller didn't know it didn't work because someone gave it to her & she never took it from the box. I snatched it since they regularly go $250 and up. If it doesn't take much to fix, then I'll still be ahead, although I'd rather it worked out of the box of course.
I should have done what you did: pick up the pieces right away and wait until I found room for it. Now to get something like the Floridian is insanely expensive.
I use mine for a different reason. It's part of my Christmas Village. Yes, things are out of scale because they're not meant to go together; I built a Disney's Fort Wilderness campground, as an example, because that's "home". It's made of ornaments, Dept 56 pieces, and 2 Disney pieces: Wilderness castle (something like that) and Frozen trading post. Then one side of Disney has a suburb (including a couple Simpsons pieces and 2 Bumbles) and the standard Village on the other side.
Your wife should see that.
If you would like to see it, pictures are here. I'm already figuring out new things for this year; obviously this monorail sign set, a way for the people staying in FW to decorate their sites (which they do big time), and purple street signs. I have to be careful; I don't want to clutter with signs.
I'm going to check out your monorail posts; thanks again!

 

[Monorailoholic]

Very nice layout. Mine will be year round. That's definitely a lot of work to put up and take down every Christmas. Where did you get those turnstiles in front of main street train station entrance under monorail track. I think I need those

 

[eblackwell]

Labor of love. And I don't have the space to leave it up year round or I would. As it is, I push my husband's patience with it being up 3 months.

Saw your video on that guy's miniature Disney; that's a layout!

 

[Monorailoholic]

That guy does it for Christmas to raise money for kids. I've tried emailing him but never heard back. About an hour from me. I'd love to see that in person.

Can you tell me where you got the entrance turnstiles from? Are they Disney ?

 

[eblackwell]

They are Disney. Olszewski, part of his Main Street set that plugs into a base to set up lighting. Since I didn't have that full setup, I took out the wires from mine so they could free stand. (I did save the wires, just in case.) I then use spots at "night", but I'm going to get some globe lamp posts for that area. I found a set I like. The real Magic Kingdom has their globe lamps built into the security stations, but that's okay.

I got my turnstiles through disneystore.com a couple years ago, but I'm sure other people sell them.