Greenwich Time reports that MTA has been searching Ebay for critical electrical parts for its M4 trains as part of a rehabilitation program similar to the one which boosted reliability of the aging M2 trains, which will begin to be replaced by the new M8 trains late next year.

The parts in question are massive AC/DC converters which sit atop the trains and convert the power coming from the overhead catenary wires. According to MTA spokesman Dan Bruker, these are some of the most significant points of failure on the M4’s, and their repair was something that “(MTA) knew had to be done”.

The good news is that the program is expected to be quite successful, as the M2 train overhaul increased their reliability over the newer M4’s.

So, it would be a big help if you could check your garage for any spare M4 Traintop AC/DC Power Converters you might have laying around, and put them up on Ebay.

Unfortunately, by announcing this publicly, MTA has just invited bidders far more capable them themselves to hoard these parts and hold them for a high ransom. I am also certain that MTA will purchase several thousand dollars worth of ‘photographs’ of said part (probably atop one of their own trains), before this is done. But heck thats what fare hikes are for.

Update: As far as I can tell, there are absolutely zero (non-toy) train parts being sold on Ebay or Ebay Motors, so I dont expect they are going to have any luck finding an M-4 TrainTop Power Converter anytime soon.