I just started a thread for my broken machine treasure -- my daughter and I found one of the "curbside specials", and while the table was a little scratched up (I can fix that!), the machine was in phenomenally clean condition! Had all the stitch wheel attachments and tools with it, too! (plus a couple vintage sewing tools that I will treasure forever).
It started stitching backward (the feeddogs are running backward we surmise) but the reverse mode is not engaged. Not sure what happened? 12-y.o. daughter and I cleaned the dustbunnies off it, and literally carried it a few blocks home... what a find for her to have a personal machine.
What on earth would make a machine start "running backward"? It's an Elgin Model #2468, and I'd so love to get it running for her, I don't trust her with my good Husq's.