Quote from: BillD53A on February 11, 2010, 07:32:09 AM
Thanks for the pics.  While all the transit agencies in the images use bi-level cars, the model is not a match for any of them.  It does appear closest to the MBTA car.  I believe the models are models of Chinese cars.  I wouldn't let that stop me.  If you like them, use them. 

Me? I wanna take a Walthers Gallery Car, (More headroom, I think, for what I want) and drop a motor into the lower level, instant powered cab car. More seating, when you replace the loco with a coach.

And yeah, I dunnow hat I was on, the Long Island doesn;'t look right at all after re-looking. Doofy me. Puts some ideas out there though.

Quote from: D.Harrison on February 04, 2010, 08:33:12 PM
Why are some of you avoiding BillD53A's response.  They ARE models of Chinese commuter cars run in China.

David Harrison

*Ahem* These are also almost a dead-ringer for the Kawasaki coaches. (The roof-mounted unit is is flush with the ends on the model, not the prototype) Now, it's entirely possible that their imported by both China and the US, since Kawasaki is Japanese, but try this: http://www.ble272.org/Bilevelcars.htm (Of note, that page listed the design as being by Bombardier, similar car though)

I believe NJTransit is running these cars.

So is MBTA
http://www.khi.co.jp/sharyo/pro_final/train/mbta1700.jpg
Marc as a corrugated varient:
http://www.trainweb.org/marcrailfan/marc7849.jpg
As is Long Island:
http://www.khi.co.jp/sharyo/pro_final/train/lirr.jpg

The other problem with them, is that you can't get into another car from one. and in most excursions, one wants assengers o walk into the cncession car and buy stuff.

Oh, and falling out the side is a problem too.

Loggging trains might be able to make use of them as tourist excursions off season.

At trainfest, I found (and purchased) a Bachmann Daylight painted in Chessie Steam Special. (Still working on pictures of it) In looking it up, I heard mention online of a Daylight in Amtrak, I'm intrigued. Mostly, because I just did an old Lionel up in AMTK Phase 5 with no prior awareness that Bchmann beat me to it.

Quote from: Jhanecker2 on August 04, 2009, 08:10:40 AM
Aesthetically I prefer the open carriers myself , and I must admit that it normally doesn't rain on your model railroad layouts , with the possible exception of some garden railroads.
I also doubt model enclosed carriers can be loaded with vehicles.  You are correct in your view that it is your railroad and you will do as you please.  Closed carriers also prevent weather damage such as hail and wind damage.  John II.

DId you know of the Accurail open cars? They make nice cars too, and don't come loaded. I liked the Bachmann I had, but it didn't age well either.

The indirect approach, but yes, that helps alot. Thank You, it's apart

I'm looking to get inside a Bachmann John Bull fo rmy Dad. Unfortunately, I have the engine, not the paperwork. But I can't ficure out how to pull the tender off the chassis. (Motor's in the tender) It needs to be cleaned, and if there's room, wire and stash a Z decoder somewhere, or maybe stick it under the boiler of the Bull or in a coach. I've tried flexing the sides, and the screw is out of the drawbar. it don't want to budge

Quote from: Jhanecker2 on September 23, 2008, 10:44:08 AM
I believe modern long freight cars come with 33" diameter and smaller wheels to allow for taller cars to have more vertical clearance . They would be more probably be found on triple stack auto carrriers and double stack container carriers as well as the high cube box cars.

Generally, 36s or slightly bigger are for passenger, 33s stay for freight.

Quote from: Jim Banner on September 22, 2008, 06:27:26 PM
No theories but some thoughts on the subject:

(1) bad decoder.  It is best to test a decoder before installing it.  Does your club have a decoder test stand?

(2) motor draw too high.  Always test motor draw at 12 volts with the motor stalled by holding a flywheel or drive shaft (NOT the locomotive's wheels!)  A motor may draw more than what your decoder is rated for but still work on dc.

(3) motor not isolated from pickups.  It should be in a Plug-And-Play DCC ready locomotive, but sometimes shorts occur.  Often these shorts have no effect on dc operation because the motor is supposed to be connected to the wheels (through the dummy plug) for dc operation anyway.  But if there is a short that leaves the motor, even just one side of the motor, connected to a wheel when the dummy plug is taken out, then the decoder is most unhappy.

(4) failure to remove the bypass capacitors.  Unless you use a special decoder like the Bachmann decoders or adjust your non-Bachmann decoder to turn off the silent motor feature then you should remove the bypass capacitors from the adapter board.  Failure to do so may cause a problem, particularly if the decoder is being asked to work at or near its maximum current rating.

Can you provide some more information?  Where was the diode that almost melted - on the adapter board or in the decoder?  How sure are you that it was a diode and not a resistor, transistor, choke coil or capacitor?  What DCC system do you use at home and what system at your club?  Answers to these questions should help us come up with a theory.

Not really, only beacuse I don't know the lingo. The fire was in the upper Right "quadrant, if you call the socket on the green board roughly center. (this will be my current reference point) It melted the lower of the two diodes, and charred the headlight wires heading for the steam loco itself. These were covered,a nd most likely cooked by proximity. As the tender shell was on the chassis, I never saw exactly what happened. Only following the trail of carnage. It took about a third of the decoder in the 4 seconds it was on the track. I don't (yet) have a DCC system at home, the club uses a Digitraxx I believe it's a Zephyr,  specifically for the test track. I'm reasonably sure their Diodes. They;re the big dark blue things top left of the board. The Soundtraxx unit we plugged in  looks to be alright. I don't know of a test stand, there could be one. If not, I know where I can get accsess to one.

1)No. It was a brand new decoder though, I trust Soundtraxx and don;t have a home test stand either.

2) Dunno about that, I'll see what they can do.

3) That idea was pitched out at the club. We inspected the board, but did not open up the steam locomtive. Could not find a short on the board. Shecked ALL solder points, there was no contact that we could see.

4) Bypass? I remmber vaguely reading about these need to be removed once, but I have no idea what your talking about.  I'm gonna hazarda "guess" that we didn't remove these. But UI haven;t had so much as a sneeze from my Daylight, Spectrum Doodlebug, or the Spectrum Shay. I don;t think these ghad bypasses taken out either.

Quote from: BaltoOhioRRfan on September 22, 2008, 07:56:24 PM
If worse comes to worse, just replace by a new tender and swap the shells. That would fix the problem of not losing your George Washington. then you have to find out what went wrong.

Actually, for the extra 15, that might not be a bad idea. I think the Tender is still alright. Just stinks to high heaven.

Quote from: SteamGene on September 21, 2008, 09:14:07 PM
The George Washington Mountain was a special run.  Figure from that.
Gene

I am. I don't like the results I'm getting.

But yet, the DCCboard in the tender did a wonderful rendition of the cylinder cocks being open. I dunno what happened, Dad and I installed a Soundtraxx decoder, an 8-pin plug n play using the socket on my 4-8-2 C&O George Washignton. I couldbn't get it to work, we put it omn the test track at the club, track was god to every other loco, but now I have a partially melted Diode, and a steamer that reeks. Yes, I'll call Customer Service tomorrow, but in the meantime, I'm open to theories as to what happened. Also, am I guarenteed that I'll get a GW Mountain back? Cause I don't want a standard C&O pulling a crack train like this one.

Quote from: murfling on April 06, 2008, 05:34:02 PM
I may be way out in left field here, but does anybody know how many different road numbers Bachmann made for the Acela Bussiness Class cars? I am trying to make two complete train sets, but can only find 4 of the bussiness class cars with unique numbers, and I need 6. (3 for each train)

Is there any way to order specific numbers (or even different numbers) from Bachmann?

Thanx

Murfling

I fear that if it's not on  the webstie, they didn't make them. In which you may need to get to dupes and renumber them.

Quote from: brad on March 06, 2008, 08:33:45 PM
The "shorting plug is a 6 pin plug that plugs into the DCC socket so that the engine will run on DC systems. It effectively makes a dirrect contact from the pickups on the wheels to the motor and lights. If it runs fine on dc layouts but not a DCC layout I would be more inclined to faul the layout rather than the loco. If you are hearing a humming coming from the engine on a DCC layout it isn't shorting, thats just what they do because of the AC track power of the DCC. Set a thottle to "0" and try it ,most systems will support one non-DCC loco, but I know the new MRC Prodigy systems won't.

Happy Rails.

brad

Okay. I did know about that plug. Didn't know the name. Sure it;s not the layout, no hum from the motor, just a click. It;s a Digitrax. And the layout will run other DC engines. Just not Shays.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread Wayne

Quote from: kevin2083 on March 05, 2008, 04:29:46 PM
First, check to make sure the little orange plugs between the water tank and coal(or oil) bunker are in all the way. Then check the dcc shorting plug in the water tank if that doesn't work. The dcc plug thing is unlikely, but still worth a try (BTW, make sure to carefully take off the rear ladder before removing the water tank)

Does the firebox light come on too?
Any wierd noises it made before it quit?

I hope you get it working soon, it's a fun little loco. looks great too.

Please elaborate on this "Shorting plug" in the tender? My Shay shorts out on DCC layouts.

I saw at the Great Train Expo yesterday a diesal in Spectrum. Undec,I coulda swore it was a Centenial, but they were closing and I didn't check. So what Might I have seen?