Okay, so, I have a number of coaches (they are Mantua Classics) that have RP-25 wheels with metal axles, that I wouldn't mind replacing with metal wheels (Maybe something from Bachmann) but I keep seeing measurements that I don't quite understand... Though I'm probably better off with the wheels I have, I have also been thinking of putting lights inside a few of the coaches (Easy Peasy's shortest lights are 5 ½ inches in length for the "N" scale, which, you would THINK are short enough for an HO scale carriage car, but, they are a little over an inch too long. Classic carriages in HO are 4 ¼ inches in length at the top) which will, of course, require metal wheels at some point, as plastic is a LOUSY conductor!

So, my question is, is what size should I be looking for?

What style is best suited for that Old West look?

I have six cars I want to upgrade... I really want these cars to wow me. (though I do enjoy "wowing" others, my biggest love of this hobby is "wowing" myself with a bit of detail that I may otherwise have ignored)

Also... unrelated (maybe) is there a lighting kit out there that is simple, but will fit a 4 ¼ inch car? (I know I asked in another thread, but never did get a positive yes or no answer)

So, I recently acquired the Bachmann Spectrum HO 4-4-0 Southern Green Loco #83406, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it... however, I have come across a TEENSY issue with it.

You see, if I hook more than two passenger cars to it (1860s passenger cars... so, the small ones) it has trouble pulling, and the wheels just spin.

They have ZERO traction. Adding weight seems like it's not going to solve the problem (the engine is heavy as it is) so while getting parts for my 4-4-0 Jupiter, I discovered traction tires...

The problem is, is they are all sold out in the Bachmann store.

So my question is, is whether there is an alternative? Is there a traction tire that isn't sold out that would work? How would one go about removing the side rod/coupling rod, so they can be slipped on?

Someone mentioned "Bullfrog Snot", but the traction tires are 30¢, while Bullfrog Snot is $25... and I'm only using it for a single engine, and don't own a cradle, so I can't flip it and spin the wheels for application!

Any serious advice would be greatly appreciated!



(that's me newest baby)

Okay, so, suppose I just bought six "Bachmann Coach (1860-80 era) - Painted Unlettered Green (HO Scale)" cars (I'm lying, I actually bought four... and two combines... and they are Mantua, but, I have to assume the process would be the same, and all of my engines are Bachmann... DON'T BE MAD BACH-MAN!)

Now, suppose, I want to light all six cars...

Also, we should imagine that I am a danger to myself and others with a solder gun...

Are we imagining that? (picture something from a Buster Keaton movie... it'll make it easier)

So the question is... what would be the easiest way to light these cars? (and since they are probably two different answers) also, what would be the best way?

The cars are pulled by a Bachmann DCC 4-4-0 Spectrum, however, I use DC track, and a DC controller (because I won't get a DCC controller until I have at LEAST two DCC equipped trains... it's coming, however)

Much thanks for any advice given...

I felt the desire to share here, as well as ask other folks, why they collect as well.

What got you into the hobby?

A bit about myself (this gets a bit personal, and long winded)

Back when I was a child, the holiday season was closely associated with trains for me. My only surviving grandfather, who was a Christian (I'm Jewish, but still love the Christmas season) would come visit every year around Christmas time, and he always brought along a train set to give to me. He knew I loved trains from an early age (The Mattel wooden "Putt Putt" trains, and a battery operated HO scale "Green Giant" train were my first ever train sets when I was 5... the Green Giant train, for those who may have seen it, housed batteries in the controller, made to look like a train station, and hooked into an HO track, that went together a bit like Lionel O track, but with a look that looks like our modern HO track)

So he would come over to visit, bringing a new train set, a 4x8 piece of plywood, some nails, and a jeweler's hammer, and he would nail down the track, and set up the train, and tell me "Happy Chrisnakkah", because he always had a joke to tell... and these trains, and nailed down track, became an ingrained fond memory for me.

Flash forward... to my 20s.

I was newly married, highly stressed, and kept running across these adverts for "Franklin Mint HO Pewter Trains"... they were hundreds of dollars each, they offered a new one each month, starting with the John Bull, and had a shelf to display them on, and worst of all, they were solid "fine pewter" (because if you put "fine" before a turd, it somehow polishes it) so they didn't run, nor would they ever.

I looked at those, appalled at the price, but FASCINATED with these small trains pictured, and remembering those holidays of my youth, when my grandfather was still around, and noticed a Bachmann John Bull at the toy store I was working at, and thought to myself "I can do better than that!"

My plan, collect the trains I thought were cool, or historically important, build a copy of the shelf from Franklin Mint, only with track on each shelf to display the trains on, and build a simple layout, so I could run them whenever I wanted!

So, the John Bull was out of my price range, however, I found a "Tyco Royal Blue" 2-8-0, with real smoke action as just the engine and tender. (the tender pushed the train, and well... poor design, but it still got me excited!) They I found a few cheap engines, and a Bachmann Gandy Dancer (I had to have that) and then, at a garage sell, I found a BIG box of trains for $10! Mostly Lionels from the 50s, about 20 of them, but a;so a bunch of HO, including a complete "Army" train from... COX? Maybe?

I started my layout (I bought a LOT of books, and paid attention to none of them, because I was 20, and already knew everything, and YOU'RE NOT MY MOM!)

*ahem*

But, tragedy hit... my ex and I had some issues, she would take anything not nailed down, and sell it at pawn shops while I was at work, and eventually, I simply lost interest, because I knew I would never have the collection I would want. I boxed up a few of the trains she didn't (or couldn't) sell, like the Royal Blue (which she busted the front off of) my Gandy Dancer, the military train, and a few small steam switchers, and I stored them, and have taken them with me for every move, never to be touched again...

That was it. The hobby was over for me.

So it was, and life continued... I went from retail, to aerospace, to gun smithing, to entertainment, to truck driving, to entertainment again, and eventually to photography... and from hobby to hobby, from firearms, to black powder restoration, to action figures of my youth, to Renaissance Faires, to SCA, to historical reenactments, to costuming, to sci-fi/fantasy conventions, to restoring old Victor Talking Machines to... well... wandering.

So, in 2004, I finally divorced... and took up a new hobby... brewing, distilling, and, of course drinking. Quite a bit of drinking, actually... we're talking, living in San Diego, and out-drinking Sailors, AND Marines, which... is nothing to be proud of, to be honest.

All the while, however... any time I saw a train set... of any scale, there was this... longing... remembering my childhood... remembering simpler times... remembering trying to get into this hobby in my 20s.

So a couple of months ago, I realized something... I was spending close to $300 a month on alcohol. I was drinking only on days that ended with a "y", and doing photo shoots that I had no memory of doing, singing songs I had no memory of writing (and we're talking FILTHY pirate songs) and waking up in strange places, not quite sure how I got there, but, feeling guilty every time (if not a bit hung over) I was even in the hospital, twice (unrelated to alcohol, probably... but... just told last week I'm diabetic... so... maybe related? That, or it runs in the family)

So a few months ago, I was listening to CW McCall's "The Silverton" (a fav of mine... I remember riding the Silverton when I was a child) and for wnatever reason, my Amazon showed me a Silverton train set by Bachmann!

Wow! They made that train? I put it in my wish list, and every month, I'd look at it, and say "maybe... someday..." and have a toast to the thought (to be fair, I wasn't drinking alone... there WAS a cat with me, staring at me with judgement)

So in December, I was watching some James May's Toy Story, and the great Hornby race, and was amused, before seeing a BBC show on the history of model railroads in UK. (The holidays are all about toy, and model trains on the BBC)

Well, those holiday shows were... inspiring. So, I looked up "John Bull" to see if it was still around... and it was! Right there on Amazon, on Bachmann's Amazon store page!

So, I saved it to my wish list, and kept thinking about it, and the Silverton... while nursing a hangover, and having roommates tell me all about the night before, when I was so drunk, I was running around in 1890s British Explorer's costuming, complete with a pith helmet, and a blunderbuss!

I realized... I had no memory of that... so I started looking at my budget, and seeing what I was spending on drink, and realizing that it wasn't even fun for me any more. Drinking became my Roger Murtaugh moment (Roger Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon... I was just getting too old for that s██t)

So I made a vow. My alcohol money is NOW train money, and I committed to it by starting my new collection... I bought that John Bull set. Then I hunted down the Pegasus, the Lafayette, The Prussia... all new sets (except The Prussia... it's from 1986) and finally the DeWitt Clinton.

I built a nice shelf to display them on, on one of my bookshelves... set up track every so often (no layout yet) to run them... and having touched a drop of alcohol in two months... and haven't even had a desire to. Trains are the new obsession now!

So, I started asking myself... why didn't I do this before? These engines are great! Ooh, what's that on eBay? I remember those engines from the 80s! Ooh, a Spectrum 4-4-0 "Southern" in a beautiful green, and some matching Mantua combines, and passenger cars? Bachmann has a Blacksmith car, that I don't have to put together??? IT'S LIKE A BEAUTIFUL DREAM!

So here I am. My first ever DCC equipped Spectrum train came in the mail yesterday. I just discovered EZ Mate couplers, and wondered why I was ever impressed with horn hooks as a child...

My health is improving.

My conversational skills tend to toss a rail reference or two somewhere...

I have brought back, a hobby I loved, and remembered why I loved it so much, and why leaving it all those years ago was such a big mistake.

So there you have it... my tale of woe, and redemption... My tale of a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets my hour upon the stage, but then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing... save to say...

This is why I collect. This is what got me into this hobby. I have Bachmann to thank... and the friendly, helpful people here on this board, willing to entertain my questions, and the folks at the local hobby shop, willing to lend an ear, give advice, and never judge my buying choices, just so long as the money is good!

We call it "The Greatest Hobby in the World", and that isn't far off at all.

Anyway, thank you for your time, and please... share your experiences! What got you started?

Okay, so, I recently bought a DeWitt Clinton set, factory sealed, but when i got it, I noticed two things... first, the post card for a catalogue was for the 2004 catalogue, and second (and most important) the engineer (I guess "pilot" in those days) was missing!

So, rather than be a bother, I decided to look for a replacement guy in Plasticville (I mean, it's all Bachmann, so why not?) but, I can't seem to find that figure ANYWHERE!

So, I'm wondering, if any of the folks here have a suggestion? Did they ever make those figures separate from the trains? (seems to be the same figure from the Pegasus, and Lafayette, just different colour) or mayhap there is that guy in a set, and I'm just not recognizing him? (I'm horrible with faces, and faces in 1:87 scale, even worse!)

I also have a John Bull, and a Prussia, and those never came with an engineer, so it would be worth my time if there WAS a set that had them...

If nothing else, I can always just modify a figure, but having the right one would be a bit cooler, in my not so humble opinion.

So... thoughts? Opinions?

So I just got these off eBay today, and the ONE engine has EZ Mates couplers, but the other engine, and the cars all have the horn hooks... so my question is (if anyone is familiar with these) is what EZ Mate Couples should I get to replace on the rolling stock, and the Jupiter?

(Unfortunately, the board won't let me put the photos up, it says my "upload folder" is full, whatever that is... but it is a Bachmann "Jupiter", and a Bachmann "Union Pacific #119", and some "old west" rolling stock, also Bachmann, like what was in the Civil War sets... I can e-mail the images, I guess?)

So... Newbie here (well, I was collecting back in the 80s, but ex wife sold, or destroyed all of my trains early on, but I'm getting back into the hobby once again)

But that's not what I'm here to ask. I just recently acquired a Bachmann Spectrum HO 4-4-0 Southern Green Loco 83406.

It says it is DCC equipped, and to be honest, I haven't a clue what any of that means. Do I need a special controller? Does that mean really cool sound effects and the like? WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!! <panic>

Anyway... so, I did like any normal person, and after the impulse buy, I decided to look up this beauty (it's "old/new" stock... still sealed) and to my surprise, I cannot seem to find any information at all about this engine 9discontinued, I should think, but when?)

Anyhoo... if anyone has any information they would like to share, about what the DCC entails, or any technical information on this engine, I would be much obliged.

Oh, and for those curious... I paid $100, and free shipping from a comic shop, and I ALMOST feel a bit guilty over that after looking them up on eBay.

Hello, I'm new here, and one of my train passions is the older styles of engines, like the John Bull, or the Lafayette, or Dewitt Clinton... so I have managed to track down, and purchase all of them (even the Pegasus, and the Prussia)

My only issue, is how much of a pain in the tuchus it is connecting cars. Now, I realize modern couplers would be a bit dumb on something like a Dewitt Clinton, but the rest of them... is it possible to replace the hooks with EZ couplers, and if so, how would I do it? What would I need? I figured I'd ask here, because I can't be the first with this idea... mayhap I can learn from others?