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Messages - jbsmith

#361
HO / Re: Restoring Old Auto Carriers
May 23, 2009, 11:14:32 PM
Chuck is right! It is Testors!  That is where I saw it!
Link below

http://www.testors.com/search?q=decal+&x=35&y=21
#362
HO / Re: Restoring Old Auto Carriers
May 22, 2009, 11:15:12 PM
Just off the top of me head,,I thought i saw somewheres,,,,Decal Printer paper,,just load it into to a compter printer and print up you own decals!,,may be worth further investigation.
Good luck!
#363
HO / Still run your Old rolling stock?
April 23, 2009, 10:13:52 PM
Does anyone still run or even still have,,rolling stock  that you have had since you were a kid?

I still do!
For me my old rolling stock dates back to the mid to late 1970s.
Sill got some of my original AHM and Tyco cars.
I even still have an NW coupola caboose, HO scale, made by Lionel!
I was going to scavenge it for parts,,but then i turned it over and
saw the word "Lionel" on the bottom it became a Keeper.
I was surprised by that,,did a bit of research and rediscovered that yes,
for a brief time Lionel did produce HO scale trains

Sometimes I still run these,,get out the Tyco cars,,a Sara Lee box/reefr,Star Kist box/reefer, Borax hopper, Ajax hopper,Jell-O hopper,Kellogg's hopper, Berkshire Ham and Bacon reefer,,AHM? Dairymans League reefer and a AHM Oscar Meyer reefer that i still got the AHM box for it!
Used to have the Tyco Morton Salt hopper,,but that one vanished,,no idea when it vanished.

Still got the Tyco,,I think it is about a 60 footer Hi-Cube Union Pacific boxcar,
a very prototypical car for Tyco at the time.

Still have the Michigan Alkyline tanker,PennRR Gondola and SF caboose and
FM C-Liner from my very first set, AHM. The C-liner still works! It is not in mint
condition, took parts from a beyond fixing it twin C-liner such as removing
the traction tire wheels and replacing them with wheels that do not need
tires,,the loco can't pull more than 3 or 4 cars now,,but it Works!
Kind of thrill to hear that loco growl again after being in storage for about
24 years. The C-liner is Santa Fe War bonnet, classic red and silver.

Got some other rolling stock units too, but thats enough for now.
Your Turn!
#364
HO / Re: Big Engines, small curves
April 23, 2009, 09:39:51 PM
hey hey thanks for the input!
Well,,for many people it is a matter of space.
Not all of us can dedicate the Entire basement to a layout like we see in MR magazine. And some of those layouts,,WOW! Outstanding job!
I wish i had the space and $$$ for a layout like some of those!
I mean in some of those photos you really have to LOOK to determine
if it is the real thing or a model. 8)

So,,some of us have to make do and do our best with what we got.
In my case,,space available limits me to 22 inch curves on the outer loop
and 18inchers on the inner loop with switches connecting the two.
Got it set up so two trains can run in opposite directions, and
all in all it looks good enough to my eye.
Almost all of my rolling stock is 40 and 50 footers. A few 50+ foot hoppers
thrown in.
An addition of a second 4x8 is the plan, and that will max out the space available. Might even get a 3rd 4x8 and rip it length wise to widen things
by a foot,use the rest for whatever, but that is in the theoretical stage.
Time to get the tape measure out.

It has been driving me Nuts as to HOW the 4-8-4 Niagara can go through
those curved turn outs in those switches without any problems whatsoever
and the smaller 2-8-4 Berkshires derail everytime!
My Diesels don't even seem to notice the switches when they use them.

The only solution I've found so far is to Not take the Berks through the
switch,,just keep them on the outer or inner loops.

Maybe if I some how splice in/ replace the switches with #6 turnouts?
The #6 do not appear to have as sharp a turnout angle as the
"basic" model turnouts that i currently have. Would have to use cork roadbed,to keep things reasonably even,but that can be disguised without to much of a problem. Just might get a couple of #6s' and test this.


#365
HO / Re: Got my first steam engine
April 22, 2009, 11:59:35 PM
Welcome aboard!
  We got us another new steamer amongst us!
The Pere Marquette,,,nice locos,,great detail and the price is right!
I got the 1218 too. And the 1225,,I could not resist it, had to have both,
the plus the fact the PM actually had a line into the town where I live..
Kinda cool to have a steamer or two that may have actually Been in my city!

Runs Great.
One thing i learned is that this loco does NOT like atlas true track
switches.  It can go through the straight way part just fine, no problems,
BUT, going through the turn out curve,,forget it, derails everytime.
What baffles me is that my Overland Union Pacific 4-8-4 Niagra, which is
a larger loco can go through the same switches just fine. Go figure.
I can confirm that the Berk can navigate 18inch curves just fine.

Here BE a website link that is all about the Pere Marquette RR!

http://www.pmhistsoc.org/

from the same site as above,,a map of the PM routes

http://www.pmhistsoc.org/maxpmmap.shtml
#366
HO / Re: Who makes these?
January 22, 2009, 10:27:18 PM
Quote from: Dr EMD on January 22, 2009, 10:05:59 PM
They are Bachmann's.

(Will not grow in value)

yep,,i agree

the value part,,,maybe,,maybe not,,it is subjective,, what one might not give
a nickel for, another might shell out $100 for. 'Tis all  in the eye of the beholder!

Still i thought these were interesting and different. Worth sharing with those whom were not aware that these even existed.


#367
HO / Re: Who makes these?
January 22, 2009, 10:07:15 PM
aha!,after a bit of research,,so far the track looks likeBachman track,,
these Might be Bachman made sets,,

This appears to be the main page,,lots of different themed sets,
football, baseball,,U.S. Armed forces,,police,,all sorts of stuff.
worth a Look anyways.

http://hawthornevillage.collectiblestoday.com/ct/store/hw


#369
HO / Who makes these?
January 22, 2009, 09:42:41 PM
Stumbled across this,

http://www.collectiblestoday.com/ct/product/prdid-49082.jsp?cm_ven=Shopping&cm_cat=NexTag&cm_pla=Direct&cm_ite=49082-Collectible%20NFL%20Football%20Chicago%20Bears%20Express%20Electric%20Train%20Set%20Collection

But nowhere does it say WHO makes this.

I can still recall TYCO used to do this sort of thing,,make promotional train
sets that is.


#370
HO / Smokestack on Praire
January 22, 2009, 09:12:03 PM
A True Tale I tells ye.
The other night I was running my Bachman 2-6-2 Praire.
I use a MRC 260 power pack.
I ran that Praire at 100% full throtle for a few minutes.
It is a suprisingly fast  loco for a little guy. It will outrun
my Berkshire and Overland Niagra.

Anyways I brought the loco to a stop.
It Looked Different somehow.
The Smokestack was LEANING against the headlight!
Apparently the smoke unit got so hot it heated up the plastic body
enough to do this!
SO,,,,a few more laps at 100% throttle then stop and VERY quickly bent
the smoke stack back to its proper posistion before the plastic cooled off
back to its normal state.

Lesson Learned: DO NOT run this loco at full throttle for very long,
55% on this power pack is fast enough.

Has anyone else done this?
#371
HO / Re: Locomotive Suggestions!
January 22, 2009, 08:27:32 PM
Steam
How about the  Mikado/McArthur?
One that does not cost $400+.

Diesel
Why not the classic that many got in their very first set,way back when,well for me it was anyways. Yes I'm talking about:

The  F.M. C-Liner!

In ATSF Warbonnet colors of course, and any other roadnames.
not to many out there.
#372
I got the same set.
At first the performance was bad enough that i thought of returning the product!
First Clean the Tracks with alcohol or Goo-Gone. Just use an old T-shirt
for a cleaning rag. Clean the Locos wheels too.
You should notice a difference right away.
You will have to do this a number of times while breaking the set in.
You will be suprised,,just because those steel tracks LOOK clean does
not mean they are.

As far as the powerpack goes,,it has just enough power out put to make
the loco go and that's about it,,it is an entry level starter power pack at best
so don't expect much,,it serves its purpose. 
To answer your question,had to turn the dial to about 45-50% before anything would happen after cleaning,mine did the same thing you described.

I bought an MRC Tech4 Model260 power pack,,,and man What a Difference!
Train runs much better with the MRC,,you just need to do some minor
wire modification at the power pack end of the wires to connect it.

Once you get past the break in stage and have a more powerfull controller,
the train runs really sweet!

One more tip,,,DO NOT use the smoke during break in, I learned that the
hard way. Had to constantly clean the tracks.  Once the breaking in is done,
then smoke is ok to use if you choose to do so.
#373
HO / Re: Low power / Low speed- New set
December 21, 2008, 01:36:29 PM
This is worth a shot,,my new set behaved like that too at first,,
you will need the following

1,medicinal/isopropol/ rubbing Alcohol or Goo-Gone, both are easy to find.
2, an old t-shirt.

fold up or wad up the t-shirt so it is easy to handle.
soak part of it with alcohol or goo-gone.
Clean the Tracks,,and the wheels of the loco.

You will need to do this frequently during the locos break in time.
#374
HO / Re: Layout planning software/programs?
December 21, 2008, 01:05:00 PM
Try this one,,,,seems like a good one has a bit of a learning curve

http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm