Quote from: trainmommy on November 28, 2011, 06:19:04 PM
Thank  you for this information!! What train would you recommend? Do you think the Thoroughbred Set is a good one to start? Can I add to it easily?

The thoroughbred set is okay.  With some shopping around, I'm sure you can find it at a very reasonable price.

I always considered Bachmann a good brand for the money.  Other brands to consider are Lifelike by Walthers and trainman by Atlas.  The trainman by atlas move up the scale slightly in quality, but it is also more costly.

Temptation is a mighty strong thing when it comes to "toys" for a 4 year old.  If you insist on letting him play with it, I would get a Lionel tin plate which is designed to be more sturdy in young hands.  You will not be able to put a O scale tin-plate train high above the room mwithout large corners.  The HO train will also have to be close to the shelf edge to see it.  (As others have brought up)

some video's for inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BQCDh61GBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcoTLsWOGbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwKqF-ubGZ0&feature=related

I was planning something similar for my son.

You'll get about 80 hours of use out of a train before it needs remotoring.  This number varies based on the quality of the train and how it's used.  New engines can be picked up for as little as $40 if you look around.

You'll need a "captains shelf" with a small lip.  The lip is essential.  If the train derails for ANY reason, the lip is there to keep the train from falling on your kids head!  A clear plastic lip of about 1.75" wide tacked on the end of the shelf board would surfice in most cases.

You can use 1x6 boards with these supporting the board:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&productId=202531877&R=202531877

I suggest you use a brace board between brackets.  This is to keep the shelf board from bending under weight.  A common technique is to put a 1x1 underneath the shelf.  The 1x1 screws into the wall studs, and the shelf screws into the top of the 1x1.


Most doors are 6'8".  That gives you a clearance of 1' or so before you hit the ceiling.  You can place a number of small buildings around the exterior over time, and backlight them to give the room a soft glow upwards at night.   A 6" shelf depth can accomodate 1 track + a background building right behind it.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Structure&scale=H&manu=walthers&item=&keywords=background&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search

If you want to get really creative, you could make sections of the shelf lower than the others and have the train pass over a bridge.   

Quote from: Trainz222 on November 26, 2011, 11:48:50 PM

"Do note that DCC turnouts can be operated by track or power buss and switched with your DCC controller. This can make wiring much, much less complicated and expensive"

By using the DCC turnouts does it take up one of the 9 addresses, Although I heard it uses a function channel, and How do youconnect the DCC turnouts to the controller

Correct me if im wrong with DC turnouts, They are powered by the AC accessory ports on the analog controller and have separate switches, and the switches can be wired together so that only one needs to be plugged in.

There are many many types of switches and ways to throw them.  From ordinary manual switches (thrown by hand), panel controlled switches (twin coil, snap, rotor relay, stall motor, and more), to dcc thrown switches (thrown by your throttle cab command).  The last is a combination of DCC accessory decoders and switches.  Some decoders are designed for stall motors (tortoises), and others for snap, or twin coil relays.  So it's important that you match the proper decoder up with the proper switch motor if you wish to throw turnouts from your cab.

  Its generally not wise to throw the turnout with DCC power.  The reason being if a train approaches the turnout, and the points (the rails the move) are in the wrong position, it will generate a short, and shut down power to that block.  If that's the case, then you can't throw the switch because the power is off to the block.  So you'll have to manually push the train back beyond the offending rail gap that caused the short.

Most expert modelers use a separate power bus for powering turnouts.

Quote from: Trainz222
1. I notice on the analog controller that there are accessorize ports, What type of accessories go there? (switches, lights, Animated accessories)

The accessories on power packs are typically ~12 VAC.  They are used to light buildings/street lights etc.

Quote from: Trainz222
2. When the analog controller is wired to the DCC command control center, Is that the only way for accessory use. Ive seen in another post that you should use other means to power accessories ( remember, I'm planing a layout, with hopefully many lighted buildings and animated things) so what are said "other means"

You do NOT hook an analog power pack into a DCC system.  They are incompatible.  DCC is way different from O scale AC or old school HO/N scale DC.  You will have to have a dedicated power supply for the DCC track/trains, and another for the accessories (building lights, street lights etc)

Quote from: Trainz222
3. Whats Are DCC switches how are they connected? Are they controlled right from the command center or by their own switch.

DCC layouts are a lot more sensitive to momentary electrical shorts than DC layouts are.  When they encounter the shorts, they shut down to protect the electronics.  DCC switches are really "DCC friendly" What that means is they are designed to be less likely of shorting when a train crosses over them.

Quote from: Trainz222
4. I've seen layouts where they have more then one main tracks ( the ones that the controller plugs into. I think its called the terminal/ Re -railer)

For a first layout, you should only need one pair of wires (one for each rail x 2 rails)  The general rule of thumb is to put a feeder wire every 3 to 6 feet.

Quote from: Trainz222
5. Is there a way to convert analog trains to DCC.

Yes.  The easiest ones to convert are labeled DCC ready.  Some like Bachmann, already have the DCC chip inside them and will work on both DC and DCC.

Quote from: Trainz222
6. How Does the Analog controller work in conjunction with the command control center. What are the hazard of doing that as mentioned in the command controll center video on YouTube.

It doesn't.

Quote from: Trainz222
7.Is there a Difference between the black and gray tracks?

one has steel rails, the other nickle silver.  Nickle silver is more expensive, but typically run trains better than steel which can rust over time.  I think it's the grey that's nickle silver.

Quote from: jettrainfan on November 25, 2011, 01:46:10 PM
Great video! Nice to see some bachmann steamers working. What were the make of the reefers you were hauling? I got 2 anthern ones and want to expand my collection on them.

Some are Branchline blueprint 40ft reefers.  They are an EXCELLENT detailed kit for the money.  They are designed for the mid-skill modeler.  You should have no problem picking them up for $12-$16/car.  The other cars are mostly Atlas reefers.  They are fully assembled and the details is second to none.  All the doors open, even the icing hatches, which you can prop open.  These are quite costly however.  It's been a while since I bought my last one, but they were $32.00 four years ago.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1014161670001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAGaC5v4~,9uhnnmkkI-YaHjrfC7JRUxmt87j-id2g&bclid=3720556001&bctid=1290845444001

It's a news story piece, but about 1:52 and 3:25 you can see a my triple head of h-4's and h-5's pulling 75 cars.

Thanks Bachmann for supporting the C&O and your good customer service.

(I have your Berk, J-2, a small fleet of 2-8-0's as well)

Happy Holidays
Don

I can't wait to get one.  Hopefully I can show it off for the annual show.  There's a lot of B&O people around here.

I can't wait till they get in.  I'm hoping to snag one for our Christmas open house this year in York.

10:1 one has sound, and the other doesn't.  That's about $90 in price difference.

For all intents purposes the H4 & H5 are close the same length with a similar boiler.  The H-6 was similar to the H-5 except used the 12VC tender.  So it's an easy mod if you want H-4, H-5, and H-6 in your fleet

Too bad no one made simple simons (H-7).  Then I could have gone from H-4->H-8 on my layout

I still think this would be a good choice for Bachmann as the used H-7's were sold to the UP.  And how many rabid UP modelers are there out there?

The last run did have sound.  It was by Loksound.

The whistle was off.  And the chuff was nothing short of Wimpy.

The running gear is inconsistant.  On my first run without sound, the steam cuttoff rocker (at the end of the Johnson Bar) actually swung back and forth with the wheel movement.  My second and third run didn't.

Other than that, it's an excellent loco if you can still find them.  RR/Horny hasn't made them in two years.

It's entirely possible I made a mistake.  If that is the case I owe Bachmann a big apology.

Has anybody ever taken the shell off a factory installed Shay with Tsunami?  Do we have any pics of how it's setup on the inside?

I had problems with the cow-catch on the 4-8-2 Mountain picking the points causing derailment.

My only solution was to grind down the nose

Sorry if this isn't an appropriate place but I wasn't sure where to post it.

I read several people were having issues with their HO Shay Tsunami's overheating and in some cases, burning out.  (Especially when pulling a decent load)  Not a lot mind you.  But enough to warrant concern.

If I may be so bold, for your next revision Bachmann, I would recommend you guys use this stuff to secure the decoder to the metal shell.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100013&cm_re=artic_silver_thermal-_-35-100-013-_-Product

It's the same stuff used to secure ram sinks to memory chips on video cards and is non conductive.  It has the same thermal transfer rate of thermal grease but will hold the decoder in place.

It takes about 3 minutes to apply and set, useable in 30 minutes, and is fully cured over 100 hours.

You want  TSU-750 Tsunami -Light Logging (Model: 826020)

Be sure to secure it very well to the roof of the water bunker, as the metal will act as a heat sink to help keep the decoder cool.

This stuff should work nicely:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100013&cm_re=artic_silver_thermal-_-35-100-013-_-Product

Follow the directions here:
http://www.mrdccu.com/install/hoss/Bachmann-Shay-826020.htm

The C&O had 2 RS-1, 2 RS-2, and 2 RS-3

I love Bachmann because they are my best source for RS-3.  Bring on the RS-3 C&O paintscheme please!