My wife and I vendor at several smaller train shows in the Southeast. Before I offer anything for sale, I make sure it runs...or I label it as "parts only" or "as is ". With the price of fuel/lodging/food, and the condition of the economy, we are seriously considering abandoning the train show circuit (at least as vendors). Regarding prices: we deal mainly in O-gauge; but do sell some used HO stuff. None of our offerings are new so I can be very realistic with pricing. That isn't true with new trains. The profit margin is usually very slim (unless you are Walthers and can sell at MSRP) so there isn't a lot of room for negotiation. Yes, you can buy cheaper (sometimes) on the Internet...but look what you are paying for shipping!

I have found that train shows are so much more than buying a new engine or another car. To spend the day, rubbing elbows with folks afflicted with our common disease, makes me realize that I am not alone. I have met the most interesting people at train shows. Additionally I love to look through the "junk box" for orphan gems that only need a little TLC (OK...a lot of TLC sometimes). Train shows are great fun!

As an aside, one of the things that drive vendors crazy is the guy who wants to purchase ONE car (let's say it is offered a little over cost) and wants a better deal. Folks: when you come up to our booth and have purchased several (OK...a couple) cars - I will do what I can for you. ONE CAR??..try another booth for that "super" deal.

Ray

What a neat 0-6-0! I checked my collection of late 19th/early 20th century engines and, from the rectangular builder's plate, I would be inclined to say this was an ALCO product. This is not a definitive identification as there were numerous locomotive builders at this time: Baldwin, ALCO, Brooks, Rogers, Richmond, Danforth and Cooke...just to name a few. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a steam generator on the boiler (just ahead of the cab) which would mean that headlight was kerosene (or coal gas) fired. One didn't go too far into the 20th century when virtually all locomotive headlights were electric (the small chimney on the headlamp assembly also is a dead give-a-way). This means the picture was probably taken in the very late 1890s or very early 1900s. The 0-6-0 wheel configuration was somewhat rare; as American 4-4-0s handled almost all switching duties during this time period...although the 0-6-0 does put more tractive effort on the wheels.

It looks like a cold morning for the little goat to be working; and I am concerned that there doesn't seem to be any steam exhausting from the frost cocks to indicate that the injectors and piping were being heated. In frigid temperatures, our runners on the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut are careful to keep those vital parts warm on our 4-4-0s.

We really need to know a couple of facts: what DCC system are you using, and which Bachmann locomotive are you trying to program? I use the MRC Prodigy Advanced system and could NOT program my Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0s. On either this forum, or the Model Railroader forum, it was suggested that I purchase a Soundtraxx programing booster (PTB-100) and separate programing track (this is not needed with Atlas engines BTW). I followed that excellent advice and can report that I now am able to program both of my 4-4-0s without any problems. The programing booster is relatively inexpensive and really easy to wire. According to the 2008 Walthers catalog this unit costs $59.95...although you can get it much cheaper from a discounter. Get back to us when you get the chance with more information.

Ray

Mr. Bach Man is absolutely correct...attaching both rails to the bumper will result in a short (Can you tell I've been there?). I only use a rail joiner on one side of the bumper and glue a thin piece of styrene on the other. The styrene can be trimmed to match the rail profile and will disappear when you paint/weather the rails. I strongly suggest that you put either an insulated rail joiner or a piece of styrene on the side opposite the metal rail joiner (and not leave an air space) as thermal expansion may cause the bumper rail and the siding rail to touch - resulting in that short to which Bach Man (and I) were referring.

Happy modeling,
Ray

Many years ago I had a college summer job in a factory that produced envelopes. This was a very old building, in dire need of repair (the roof leaked like a sieve) which was inhabited by humans during the day and many members of the rodent community after dark. To this day I do NOT lick envelopes to seal them! Hmmm, I wonder how many times I've held a train part in my mouth whilst working on a car?

Cheers,
Ray

I bought a couple of really cheap multimeters at my favorite Chinese tool store (Harbor Freight) and got them for about what Yampa Bob paid for his (we keep one near my workbench and one on the motor home). Try www.harborfreight.com and see if they have what you want.

Happy Holidays,
Ray

My layout is of the folding variety and is housed on one wall of our two-car garage. The drawback to this arrangement is that operation suffers in the heart of the summer (we live in northeastern Alabama) and the middle of winter. As you probably already surmised, the garage is neither heated nor air-conditioned. Actually I mainly model a small NY branchline, the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut, in the fall of 1899. My motive power consists of two Bachmann Spectrum American 4-4-0s. Most of the rolling stock consists of Roundhouse box cars/reefers and several Bachmann gondolas (rebuilt, repainted/decorated and weathered)...I have far more cars than I could ever possibly run (but what difference does that make?).

Occasionally I get the uncontrollable urge to run some diesel power and more modern rolling stock. To accomplish this I replace the 19th century structures with more modern buildings. As we speak, the only modern locomotives I run is an Atlas MP15DC and a Bachmann GP40. These units are used with the rather large collection of 40' box cars and reefers I kept from a previous layout(s). Using two different eras allows me to "spice up" my operating sessions - even though the trackwork remains the same in each time period...operating procedures differ greatly from the 19th century to the 20th.

Over the winter, I use my time to build craftsman structure kits. I am currently scratchbuilding the Hopewell Junction, NY depot as it appeared in the 1890s. One of the enemies of model railroading is boredom. What does one do after the layout is completed? As I mentioned above, I combat this with continuous construction projects and difficult switching (shunting) puzzles.

I guess the major point I can make is that one can have a model railroad if one is creative. Yes, I would love to have an indoor, non-folding layout. Unfortunately I have to make do with the situation. After all I can still run trains!

Not to be a "goody two-shoes" but I have to agree with Bach Man. I have two of the new Spectrum 4-4-0s (one with DCC, and one with DCC/sound) - both of them run extremely well. I use Peco track and small radius turnouts (Electrofrog) which [possibly] enhances the good running qualities of these engines. One cannot compare these fine models with the Bachmann DCC Americans of yore...which ran poorly (if at all). Bachmann has come a long way from the older, cheapo trainset locomotives that were offered at a low price point.

The long and short of it is that you must either have a conductivity problem OR got one of the bad ones (the Chinese aren't infallible). If you can't straighten it out...send it back to Bachmann. I have found this to be a reputable company that hasn't been around for 175 years by not pleasing the customer. Let us know how you made out.

You can convert (or better yet - have someone who knows what they are doing convert) just about any locomotive to DCC. As was mentioned: if the box says "DCC ready" you are dealing with essentially a "plug and go" installation. If not, the process definitely gets more complicated because the motor may not be insulated from the locomotive's frame. Again, this isn't the end of the line as I had Tony's Train Exchange install a sound decoder in a brass 2-8-0 that was at least 30 years old. All it takes is talent and money. The problem is that your locomotive may not be worth it. How about considering one of the newer Bachmann, Proto 2000, Athearn or Atlas engines? Many of these engines are available in DCC-ready or DCC/Sound varients at attractive prices.

I don't know what specific model diesel you have; but I checked MR and found an ad that advertised an Athearn GP-35 that is DCC-ready and would be a snap to add the appropriate decoder. Check the model railroad discounters and see what they are offering...this is a dismal economy - so you may just luck out.

I'd love to answer your question regarding that particular item number...but I can't. I can say that every Bachmann car I have bought has had plastic wheels. Because I model 1899, I have to resort to "haunting" numerous model railroad shows to find Bachmann gondolas and flat cars. Upon returning home, I remove the Bachmann tago trucks, repaint/weather the car and install Kadee sprung arch bar trucks with 33" ribbed-back wheel sets. The result is a car that looks fairly good, rolls well and is stout enough for service (none of those shelf queens for me). To install the Kadee trucks, I glue a piece of dowel into the attachment hole in the car body and then secure with a small round-headed woodscrew.

Regarding metal wheels: Always convert your rolling stock to metal wheels! Yes, plastic wheels do pick up much more grunge - spreading it all along your tracks. The reason is simple physics. Simply put, plastic generates a considerable amount of static electricity which gives it an affinity to attrack oppositely charged particles (read: dust, etc.). While metal wheelsets do remain cleaner - longer; they are not the be all end all. I find I still have to clean all the wheels, on my rolling stock, about once every couple of years. Metal wheels makes this job much, much easier. I hope this helps. BTW: you don't necessarily have to replace the entire truck (although I can't imagine why not) as Kadee wheels will slip right into the Bachmann bolsters. I hope this helps...Happy Holidays!

Ray

A quick check on whether or not your locomotive is sound equipped is to put the locomotive on the rails with the DCC unit turned off (you do know that you should never rail a DCC-equipped engine with the power on don't you?..good!). After making sure all wheels are on the rails - turn on the DCC unit. You should hear either the sound of steam/air escaping. No sound? Your locomotive probably doesn't have a sound decoder. You might want to try this on several spots, on your layout, as there may be track problems. This method isn't foolproof but it is quick and easy. Good luck.

Ray

Never liked uncoupling magnets and never will...however: the December 2008 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman had an interesting article on uncoupling magnets using small button units. I like to use the never-fail skewer method so I didn't really read the article all that closely. Try to get a copy of the magazine and see if it fits your needs. I hope this helps.

I have been using skewers for years and have found that is the only [reliable] way to go. You don't need to sand or reshape. Follow EBTBOB's suggestion as to rotation. I have "neutered" all my couplers by snipping off those ridiculous looking trip pins...with skewers you don't need them. A bag of skewers from Big Lots or Wally World will last you a lifetime and are cheap. Regarding Kadee magnetic uncoupling ramps: I recently made the claim that those uncoupling ramps/magnets (or whatever they are called) do not work reliably. Whilst at a large club operating session I personally observed several operators complaining about those magnets. I am not a big fan of Kadee couplers and I gave up on delayed uncoupling years ago. I understand MTH has a process by which one can uncouple cars, anywhere on the layout, remotely via their DCS system...now that would be cool...too bad that doesn't work with DCC.

You would think that having a cat in the house would send the mice packing...that isn't necessarily so. Some years ago we used to live in upstate NY and played host to every field mouse (or deer mouse) in the county - when the weather turned cold. Our uninvited guests would invade the cellar; but rarely got into our living space. At the time we had 4 cats - all good mousers. Either the cats couldn't catch a significant number of mice OR they were simply overwhelmed by the onslaught. We covered the usual bases by putting mouse/rat poison in inaccessable (for the cats) places which helped - but did not end our troubles. Finally I resorted to spreading moth balls around the cellar and, voila, the mice found other winter quarters. Unfortunately you do not want your house/train room stinking of moth balls...but they do work. Fortunately we have not had a mouse problem in Alabama.

Cats rule while dogs drool.

Wow, interesting shots...almost surreal. The pictures have almost an ethereal quality about them...spooky! I like. Thanks for sharing.
###Ray