Eric did mention that he was a "newbie", therefore the term "pilot" might have been confusing to him. To lay persons, "pilot" usually acquaints with someone who flys a plane or "pilot light", whereas most people not "in the know" have heard the term "cow catcher" as relates to a locomotive. (movies, books, etc).

I noticed that Rusty was specific in writing "pilot braces", then used the lay term "cowcatcher" to associate the two terms.

Yes, those in the railroad industry do frown on the term "cowcatcher", but in this case I find no fault in Rusty's description. Those of us "in the know" need to gently explain the teminology to new modelers.   

Also check out the battery selection. Alkaline AA for 25 cents each in bulk. I buy all my batteries in bulk packs, keep in the fridge or cool place to extend shelf life.

I just received the following related news link from Rich:

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_5c29b200-ea08-5c84-922c-e62fb2bb6d28.html

No information about the on board camera, perhaps this is a standard procedure.  Luckily no one was injured and we get to see a remarkable view of a pile up.

Did you notice the tank car bouncing and sparks underneath? I watched the video about 20 times.

RichG sent me the link. I don't know if it was "staged" or what, but it's pretty awesome. 

"In your face" action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azV5bC2br-Q

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899

Hehe, I've got you all beat. Last Christmas I bought my Great Grandson a Bachmann Yuletide Special, he was less than 6 months old at the time. Only problem is, he lives 800 miles from here, so Great Grandpa can't play choo-choo with him.

Typical question:  "Honey, can we get Junior a DCC with sound locomotive for HIS birthday?"  Typical answer:  "Yeah, right". 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_tracks

I use Code 100, it's a bit more durable than 83, and similar to weight of rails used in this area.

Many prefer 83 for its more "scale like" appearance. Some feel 100 is "ugly", but as Forrest Gump says: "Ugly is as ugly does". 

Advocates of Code 83 use words like "professional", "serious", "dedicated", and "knowledgeable" to support their preference. Guess I lose on all counts. Just thought I'd toss those in before someone else does. 

As long as it complies with "Rule Number One", I'm happy.

Hi Abe,
Here is a partial schematic drawn by Jim Banner.

http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/EZcommand/index.html

Caution: If you remove the circuit board and happen to turn the unit over, all the buttons will fall out. 

You're welcome John.

Congratulations on getting your Connie running smooth again, that kind of good news is worth staying up for.   

Hey Ken, thank you so much for sharing your layout. At my age I'm not easily impressed, but your workmanship really got my attention. Fantastic.

I was surprised at the images from "Image Shack". I have a slooooow dialup, but the images loaded really fast. Good photography and thoughtful consideration for those wishing to view the images.

Bob

Hi John,
Complete disassembly is usually not required, in fact not recommended unless you are skilled at working on precision assemblies.

However, removing the shell will give you a little better access to the drive system.

First, remove the drawbar screw.  Up front, carefully pull out the pilot brace pins that fit into the boiler sides, just enough to clear the shell. The pins are directly under the walkway. Lift up the shell at rear until it clears the chassis, then slide shell forward to disengage it from the front chassis flange.

On the bottom of the chassis are 4 screws. You should not remove the two smaller ones, as they fasten on the delicate pickup assembly and cover plate.  You can remove the two larger screws and the entire drive assembly will come off, allowing access to the worm gear.  The front screw also secures the piston assembly and pilot, so be sure to watch for loose parts and how they are assembled.

Use only plastic compatible oil, such as LaBelle 108, very sparingly, with a bit of suitable grease on the worm gear.  I use a plastic compatible grease with TFE (teflon), purchased from the local John Deere dealership, but your LHS has similar grease.

TIP: After I lubricate a 2-8-0, I temporarily secure the drawbar with a bolt and nut, so I can run the loco without the shell for a bit.

Others may add additional comments about lubricants that are suitable, and those that are not.

Good luck

Jim
You have to upload your images to a hosting site, such as:

http://www.photobucket.com

Please compress images and reduce physical size to 500 pixels in width before uploading them to the site, otherwise those of us on  slooooow dialup can't see the images.

Once your image is in your album at the hosting site, mouseover the thumbnail and a drop down menu appears. Click on the bottom item "Img Code". When the code highlights, copy and paste the code into your post. Very easy, but a bit confusing at first.  If you have any problems, we will help you out.

Don,
I haven't forgotten, just sold out for the time being. With everyone here crafting with deer antlers for tourists, drops are becoming quite scarce. I pay neighbor kids to search when they have time, but they often come up empty handed.

I discovered that older horns (bleached white and cracked by the sun that nobody else wanted) produced more appealing handles by staining. I tried to keep it a secret, but in time others found out.  Now crafters are paying up to $20 per horn (one side) for the bleached ones.

Remember when old "barn wood" became popular for crafts?  I know one guy who tore down an old delapidated barn and made a bundle selling the weathered and cracked wood piece by piece.  What a racket! 

Hey Alex, I'm sure I can speak for others and say, we'll be looking forward to your accomplishments and lots of pictures. I've often wondered how teens, with so much going on in their lives, have any time for forums.

Heck, I'll miss you. I don't dare "yell" at my wife (unless I want TV dinners)  Believe me, there are times when I wonder why I spend so much time here, when there is still so much to do.  With no other modelers within 150 miles, it's my only contact with the outside world. 

Buena suerte! There's a chair with your name on it, so stop by when you can.