I was cleaning ttrack with one loco as motive power for the cleaning car when a second loco took off.  It was not on my throttle and the only thing that kept it from crashing into another loco was the fact that it ran a turnout at about 50 MPH and the front engine derailed.  I went ahead and punched its number into the throttle and it went back to where it had been. 
Any idea as to what might have been the cause?
The loco I was using is an older BLI and the runaway is a Spectrum with either an MDC or a Tsunami powered by Digittraxx. 
Gene

I was using a Bachmann C&O K4 with an MRC Shear Brilliance (old model, I think) to push a track cleaning car.  It suddenly stopped - motor, sound, light.  However, when I turned track power off and then back on, I can hear a "click" as track power comes back on. 
Any suggestions? 
Gene

Over the past few months several people have mentioned that somebody or other should google something.  I've mentioned this before, but that was more than a year ago and there are quite a few new members.   If you have a favorite charity you can possibly raise money for it by using Good Search, not Google.  The search engine, actually Yahoo, pays a registered charity, non-profit, school, or church for each search made in its name through Good Search.  There are quite a few railroad or railway non-profits enrolled, including the B&O Museum.  Obviously a lot of folks here use eBay and you can also earn money by going to eBay through Good Shop.  It's unfortunate that Standard Hobby Supply, Train World, and several others aren't also enrolled.
Try it - I've been using it for over a year and have only had to revert to another search engine to find something two times.  The only way the system works is to have more people using it. 
Gene

VT&P #354, Class T-3 (USRA heavy 2-10-2) successfully rode the turntable this afternoon.
Gene

I have two locomotives doing some really strange things.  One is a Spectrum light Santa Fe and the other a Standard Kanawha.  The Santa Fe is currently address 3, while the Kanawha has the cab number.  Right now on address three, the Santa Fe's sound system works, but the motor doesn't, while the Kanawha respnds to address three with motor but not sound.
To complicate things the programing track is acting up.  It claims the locos will not respond and when I try to program the Power Pax red light begins to blink. 
In addition, a Mike just back from Tony's made noise, but didn't answer the throttle, and now does nothing.   Other locomotives work fine. 
Gene

Today at approximately 4:30 EST the VT&P mainline east division met the west division close to the South River engine facility.  The locations of coaling tower, sand storage tower, and water tower are now occupied by those structures.  Of course I'll need to build up the support for the track going to the coal dump.  Service track does not yet extend to the turntable. 
Tomorrow I will see if a locomotive will go through and then drop the leads to the buss.
Gene

I've been working on the west ladder yard for South River Yard.  Atlas, code 100, #6 left hand turnouts.  The first four tracks went down fine - parallel, two inch centers, no problem.  The the last turnout went in and I began to lay the track (Atlas code 100 flex) and darned if there isn't about four inches between track #4 and track #5.  Anybody have an idea as to what I might have done wrong?
Gene

If you use diluted white glue for scenery work - grass, brush, ballast, etc, what dilution do you like?  Who adds detergent to the diluted glue?
Gene

Is it possible to assemble the roundhouse, service, and garden tracks and then place the turntable, or must the turntable be in place first? 
I just discovered that I can work on the engine facility through the hole the turntable fits in, making it suddenly easy to do the area by myself - if I can install the turntable last. 
The turntable is the Walther's 130 foot and the round houses are Walthers. 
Gene

I want to construct a cliff - close to vertical, carved by a small river.  In actual height the cliff is close to one foot and will be visible for about three feet. I've already put down support for plaster cloth, but what I want to construct is essentially a sandstone/limestone cliff.  It will curve with the river and is close to the edge of the layout. 
Any suggestions as to what to use?  How to do?  I think it's much too large for Woodland Scenic rock castings.  I'd like to cast in place and carve - or something like that.  The major problem is that I will have to work over a curved bridge and tracks. 
Sometimes scenery should go in place first - and then tracks.   
Gene

Is there any shorting problem with putting Kadees on Proto 2000 GP7s with DCC?
Gene

I've wired my eastern engine storage area and have come up with a problem.  It has four tracks, each of which is isolated by an insulating rail joiner on both rails.  I soldered leads from the rails which go back to two Atlas #305 connectors.  Tracks #1 and 4 work fine.  Tracks #2 and 3 don't work at all.  Track 1,2&3 are attached to one #305 and #4 to a second one.  The original #305 was old and bought on eBay, so I replaced it with a new one.  Same deal.  All the wire came from the same roll.  I have checked the soldered wires - they seem to be solid to the rails. 
Any suggestions?
Gene

The Atlas #205 connector is the three on/off switch set, able to be daisy chained, used for turning power on and off to spurs, blocks, etc.  I'm using them for my loco storage tracks and probably the visible yard tracks which will also often have locos on them, and the engine facility, to avoid a power surge when I turn power on.  
The question is - can they go bad?  I bought some on eBay and one seems to not work at all.  
Gene

Has anybody put a sound decoder in the "medium" Vanderbilt?  If so, what did you use? 
Gene

Last week I called Bachmann service to try to get a nut to fit the bolt holding a tender truck.  The nut managed to get lost while I removed the curcuit board.  The first thing I got was "we don't have any spare parts like that."  I suggested that perhaps they could cannabalize one ofx the returns and was told that most people return only the locomotive and not the tender.  (I find that hard to believe.)  Then I got an "Oh, wait,"  and then "One of the service men is taking apart a tender now.  We'll send you one."  What I received on Monday was a glassine envelope with three nuts and three front tender screws to hold shell and floor together.
I'm glad that service could help me out.  I'm totally shocked that PARTS has so few parts.  The small, easily lost pieces should be stocked and available.  I've been told that my partner in crime also dropped the same nut, but managed to find his before shipment.  These small screws, bolts, and nuts are NOT available at Lowe's or Home Depot.   
Gene

Anybody else hear/see a rumor that the East Broad Top is possibly for sale?
Gene

Anybody have any experience mounting the Atlas undertable swtich machine?  If so, what tricks did you find for easy installation?  
What about the new, twice as expensive, undertable switch machine?  Know anything about it?
Gene

What is the best way to power the track that is in a roundhouse?  Solder the wire to the track between the house and the turntable?  Or drill holes in the roundhouse floor and put the leads inside the roundhouse?
Gene

My wife gave me two track cleaning cars for Father's Day/Anniversary - the brass tanker with cleaning fluid and a new four pad car to wipe up the cleaner.  The instructions for the brass car recomends PAINT THINNER for the solvent.  Anybody try that?
Gene

I know a decoder should work with just about anything, but will a Bachmann decoder, removed from a Bachmann DCC On Board locomotive work satisfactorily with another brand locomotive?  For instance, could I install one removed form a USRA light 2-10-2 and put it in a Proto 2000 SW-7/9?
Gene