I use Kadees.  It's a holdover from my HO days.

A good friend of mine recommends just painting the Bachmann couplers to keep them from accidentally uncoupling.

Jerry

Back in the day, TV viewers would have associated toy train track with Lionel.  Getting hit with that could really do some damage!

Definitely Ringo.

Hey Mr. B. How about bringing back the large scale Thomas?

Hey Brian, nice cordwood load, but what's that pile of coal doing on the tender deck?

Jerry

Bart, another source of help is local hobby shops and train shows.  The travelling train shows often feature "train docs" who are experts at trouble shooting and fixing problems.  I see that the Great Train Expo is coming to Denver on November 10 & 11 at the National Western Complex.

http://www.greattrainexpo.com/

Denver.com lists 143 hobby shops (not all train related).  One of those might be able to help you, too.

http://www.denver.com/hobby-shops/business-directory

Jerry from Virginia

You know, sometimes the short can be in the locomotive or other rolling stock.  If you are still having problems, check your cars and engines for direct shorts.  Yes, I know engines and some cars are supposed to "short" the power, but it is a short through a resistance, not a direct short.  You should check your equipmenbt for direct shorts that bypass the motors and/or lights in the cars.

Jerry

Brad mentioned Sam Posey, former race car driver and sports commentator.  Not only did he have an extensive layout, but he also wrote a book about it.  It is called "Playing with Trains" (Random House 2004).  The book is very well written but it only has two pictures in it, and that is including the dust jacket!  For those of us who need pictures, his railroad was featured in the February 1995 issue of Model Railroader. 

Jerry

Hey there HO lover (Didn't Don Imus get fired for saying something like that?)  Anyway...

Try: WEST INDIA FRUIT & STEAMSHIP CO.  They had a fleet of boxcars and reefers and they ran a ferry operation from Florida to Cuba. 
http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/wif56.htm
http://www.flarr.com/wifsc1.htm
http://www.flarr.com/wifsc2.htm

Or how about the: NARRAGANSEDTT PIER RAILROAD
http://www.trainweb.org/kin/narrRR.html

Also the: NEW YORK CROSS HARBOR RAILROAD
http://www.oldnyc.com/crossharbor_rr/contents/crossharbor_rr.html

And the afore mentioned: INDIANA HARBOR BELT

Jerry

Mr. B, I saw on the anouncement list (from February) that Bachmann was going to produce On30 ventilated boxcars lettered for the Big Sandy & Cumberland and for the Atlantic & Danville.  Have these ever been produced?  They are listed on the products page but there is no link provided for ordering them.

Jerry

Quote from: Romark on July 27, 2007, 06:50:14 PM
I have been trying to verify whether the White Pass & Yukon Railway actually ran some of the steam engines that are offered by Bachman. 

I found this in about two minutes on the web: 
http://narrowmind.railfan.net/WPYR/late-steam/late-steam.html

Don't add a second power supply!

You are suffering from voltage loss over the distance of your loop because the rail is not effecient at carring the current.  You need to run feeder wires from your power supply to the far end of your loop.  Make sure you don't cross the wires or you casuse a direct short.

Edna St. Vincent Millay said it this way: "there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going." That's exactly the way I feel about trains.  I love to watch them, I love to hear them, I love to ride them., I even love to smell them!  Since I can't watch, ride, smell and listen to them all of the time (oh ye lucky railroaders, whose vocation and advocation are the same!) and I certainly cannot afford to buy a full size train, I must settle for having models of my favorite prototypes.  This way I can at least dream of all of the trips that I can't take.  As my byline says "I love the smell of coal smoke in the morning!"

Jerry

Quote from: lrparks on July 16, 2007, 06:16:41 PM
I had the same question not long ago and have discovered many things.

1. Bachmann track is not UV protected so it will deteriate over time outside.

The problem is not UV.  The problem is rust!  Bachmann track is steel and will rust away to nothing in a year if it is left outside.

On the other hand, I have read a report that the plastic ties in Bachmann track will hold up better than LGB ties.  Go figure.

Jerry

Hi TOC, Which shipyard?  I have seen the same thing frequently done at the Norfolk yard.

Wow, a 1:20.3 cog engine.  Now that's an interesting idea. But from what I can see, neither the Pikes Peak not the Mt. Washington Cog Railways are narrow gauge.  That would mean that Bachmann would have to "create" a prototype.  Of course, I could overlook the gauge problem for such an interesting loco as the the Pikes Peak engines.

Mr. Bachmann knows that I would still like to see a T boiler Shay or Climax.  Mayby I'll try building one.  Garden Railways magazine's PDF download this month is a small climax.  Here's my chance to have the engine I want

Jerry