here is the circuit diagram for your average decoder......
http://xkcd.com/730/

i don't know how many of y'all are members of the nmra, but their most recent magazine has an article on how to add led's to bachmann signals, and do a couple of other upgrades to them. the end result looks pretty good.

Thomas:

http://www.tcsdcc.com/public_html/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Bachmann/Thomas%20The%20Tank%20Limited%202002/Spectrum%20Thomas%20The%20Tank.html

Henry & Gordon:

http://www.tcsdcc.com/public_html/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Bachmann/Henrygordon/HenryGordon.htm

i am posting this as a sort of a fun topic.

who most inspired you with regards to model railroading, and what is it that caught your eye?

i have a friend who has a pair of bachmann 2-6-2 prairies he'd like to install decoders in. these are in the white boxes so they are older engines, but came equipped with knuckle couplers so i assume they are about 10 years old. the parts diagram for them shows a split frame chassis similar to some of the diesels. the boiler appears to be completely filled with the frame.

has anybody ever done a dcc conversion on these steamers? what decoder did you use? where did you put it? how similar was this conversion to the tutorial jim banner did on the h16-44 diesel?

http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/dcc/tmaster/tmaster.html

ever wonder just how fast your locomotives are actually moving, in scale speed? here is an easy way to calculate scale speed in HO.

1 scale mile in HO is approximately 60 feet. 1/10 of a mile is 6 feet, or two sections of flex track. time your locomotive, running full throttle, over two sections of flex track with a stop watch. the following are approximate speeds for various times over a 6 foot section:

10 mph, 36 seconds
20 mph, 18 seconds
30 mph, 12 seconds
40 mph,  9 seconds
50 mph, 7.2 seconds
60 mph,  6 seconds
70 mph,  5.14 seconds
80 mph, 4.5 seconds
90 mph, 4 seconds
100 mph, 3.6 seconds
110 mph, 3.27 seconds
120 mph, 3 seconds
130 mph, 2.77 seconds
140 mph, 2.57 seconds
150 mph, 2.4 seconds

anything faster than that, you should really consider taking up slot cars.....

my friend and i have run into a problem with several of our dcc locomotives running on dc but not dcc.

these locomotives won't respond to a factory default reset, on his nce system. they have a variety of decoders in them, my 2 are bachmann gp40s, his have digitrax (dh121) or nce decoders. all locomotives were last run in consists with other locomotives.

my 2 locomotives have the original factory installed secoders, the others mostly have decoders removed from other locomotives and transplanted into their current homes.

we have been unable to do any programming whatsoever on these locomotives.

is there a way to reset them, or to remove them from their programmed consists, without actually knowing what address they were consisted under? is there a way to lookup the consist number they are programmed to?

any help would be appreciated.....

i am in the process of setting up a permanent programming track. this will be a dead end spur that will double as a fuel station. the setup i am considering is to use a caboose industries hand throw, with a set of contacts, to energize a dpdt relay to switch from programming to track power when the switch is lined for the spur.

the hand throw has only one set of contacts, which i will also need to use to power the frog.

will the current drain of running a locomotive cause the relay coil to drop out? only one locomotive at a time will be using the spur so current draw should be minimal. i would like to wire the relay so that the coil is energized only when the switch is lined for the spur. and when the switch is lined the other way, the relay will drop out and connect the track to the programming outputs.

should i use a resistor to limit the current to the relay coil?

has anybody tried anything similar, and if so how did it work for you?

just wondering if  the dynamic brake verion is a seperate shell than the non dynamic version, or if the dynamic brake blister is a seperate part that snaps into the body? is the winterization hatch over the radiator fan also a seperate casting that snaps into place?

is there any plan to bring back the blinking bridge in HO scale? this was a nicely proportioned through truss bridge, of a reasonable size for small layouts. whether or not it has the light on top (i removed mine) it is a unique bridge, and greatly missed.....

http://www.nscorp.com/nscorphtml/holiday/index.html

i think i already know the answer to this but i wanted to be sure......

as many of you know i am handlaying my track, and this weekend i started laying out the yard. to this point, i have insulated the frogs on all my switches as is recommended practice for dcc. in the yard i would like to have some sort of power routing capability. what i am thinking of doing is to insulate the frog from the points, but not insulate the rails beyond the frog. the switches will have power routing switch stands (grond throws).....

in dc, this would kill the power to the track the switch is not lined for, by making both rails on that track the same polarity. will it do the same with dcc, or is there the possibility of a phase difference between the two rails that would cause problems. the only argumants i've heard against power routing switches in dcc cooncerns the close proximity of the points and stock rails, which are of different polarity on most power routing switches. metal wheels which momentarily contact both rails cause momentary shorts that can trip the breakers. i would not have this problem as i've insulated the points from the frog, near the frog......

i work for a flooring distributor and we use shipping pallets (skids) every day. i was wondering if anybody ever thought of using them as a base for a layout?

i can see several advantages. they often are extremely sturdy in construction. they are set up in a way where they could be connected end to end. legs could be easily attatched, and a plywood top added.....and best of all they are portable. you can get them into almost everywhere and they are designed to be moved.....

they come in many sizes, ranging from about 30x40 up to about 48x96. the most common sizes are 40x48 and 48x48. the 40x48 wound make an excellent base for an n scale layout, a 48x48 sheet of plywood would fit without objectionable overhang on the sides. two would give a standard 48x96 area which many published HO track plans are designed to fit.

modifications i'd make to the pallets would include replacing the nails that hold the slats in place with screws. i'd also screw the plywood down to the slats, it would tend to straighten out any warped slats, and the slats would in turn provide more than adequate support for the plywood. in fact, you'd be able to walk on a train table built from a pallet. i've seen them support over 2500 lbs without damage, i am sure none of us weigh that much....lol

when i was a kid we'd often take them and build tree houses with them. during deer season the hunters would be up in them all day, and for all i know some pallets may still be there 30 years later.

a few years back using metal polish on your track was popular. supposedly it cut down on the amount of track cleaning. is this still conventional wisdom, or has this been debunked? if this does work, will any brand of metal polish work, or are some no good? what would i look for when buying metal polish?

i am considering using some wall mounted fixtures to permanently light my layout. i have a question concerning their ratings.

the fixtures in question say do not use more than 40 watt bulbs. would this rating be for incandescent bulbs, or for all bulbs. a 40 watt spiral fluorescant bulb has the light output of a 150 watt incandescent, would these be safe to use?

i have had this problem with several of my dcc onboard locomotives....

my friend programs the addresses for me with his nce power cab. they run fine on his layout. sometimes they even run fine on mine using a digitrax zephyr for a day or two. then, they won't respond to either the address they were reprogrammed to, or the default address 3. what is going on here?

i was under the impression that an address, once programmed, would stay programmed unless you changed it. some of these locomotives have been sitting in their box for months, they worked fine last time i ran them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39963563@N05/3833654871/in/set-72157622076245310/
here is the plan for my layout, currently under construction.

i came across references to older model railroaders including the late great john allen, using linoleum for backdrops. i have acquired some scrap linoleum from a flooring dealer, and noticed the bottom side is smooth. i am assuming that is the side that you'd put the backdrop on.

has anybody on here used linoleum for backdrops? how did you mount it to the layout? what prep work, if any, would i have to do to the linoleum? did you paint on the linoleum, or laminate a photo or other surface to the linoleum?

looking forward to hearing others experiences.

just bought one of the nj international switchstands. the are all metal, with jewels for the lenses, and are beautiful.
they seem to have a l shaped handle to operate them and on the end of the short leg of the l is a small hole that i assume is for the linkage to the switch. has anybody used these before? do you have any tips for installing them?

here is the link to the switchstands i am referring to:
http://www.njinternational.com/hoswitch.htm

in another thread various people have mentioned switchstands aka hand throws. there are several manufacturers of these including caboose industries and now nj international. since the caboose industries switchsatands are way overscale, i was wondering if anybody had experience with those of other manufacturers? i am especially interested in the high level switchstands.

how well do other brands hold up comparesd to the caboose industries ones?