Nice work. If I can make one suggestion, use a flexible steel ruler to shape the ballast to get those nice even edges we see on the prototype. But definitely, keep on scenecin'! :-)

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

Mark

Might not apply in your case, being a steamer, but most of the "get goings" I have to deal with for others is to make sure CV19 is zero, where the loco was previously part of a consist.

And to all others who run steam trains - not one steam loco I have ever seen has MU receptacles on it. Do not consist. The real ones, if need to double head, have a separate crew for each loco. Use two throttles and drive 'em.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

For what its worth, the 4-6-0 fits (JUST!) onto a Peco On30 turntable. It has a longer wheelbase than the 2-6-6-2 which has a little more wriggle room.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

Hi Ken

Welcome from a fellow Aussie. No kits available but if you do electrics then its a relatively easy job.

For a non-sound install, choose an appropriate decoder. DCC customs normally reserve the same coloured wires for the same task regardless of manufacture, even if you have to hard wire - red and black to track pickups, orange and grey to motor, white and blue to front light, yellow and blue to rear light. If there is no plug in the loco or tender (don't think there is in the American) then track the various wires in the loco with the multimeter to see what is what, the let the soldering iron and heat shrink be your friend. You might have to put the decoder in the tender, but decoders today are pretty tiny and you would be amazed at where they can fit, but if a tender is to be its home, you might have to look for miniature connectors to get from tender to loco.

Sound is a little more work, you have to find space for a speaker and have some holes somewhere for the sound to come out, but a small sound decoder like the Zimo MX648 and a sugar cube speaker make this possible too. Good luck with whatever you try.

PS - don't know what state you live in, but Model Railroad Craftsman in Blacktown NSW is very helpful.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust
DCC since 1994

Doneldon, OO scale is 1:76, not 1:72 which is the domain of Airfix plastic plane kits.

Steve

How come nobody has mentioned the obvious solution - buy another one and double head! As if an excuse is needed to buy another loco!

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

Hi Ralph

The 2-8-0 has a lovely tender for adding sound, big enough to fit the QSI 1.57" HiBass which repays the little bit of extra work installing it - cut out the tender speaker grill completely, shape some scale timber (2" scale thickness in O scale) around the face of the speaker to allow the diaphragm to move, glue some stocking material across the tender floor to keep stuff out).

I did have a Tsunami light steam installed, but was unsatisfied with its running qualities and the whistle selection - chuff was so-so to ok. Replaced it with a WOW 101 decoder. Chalk and cheese. Much prefer the WOW. WOW decoders, apart from sound, program readily on Decoder Pro. For sound, use Audio Assist or preferably the programming tool on the TCS website:

http://www.tcsdcc.com/public_html/Customer_Content/Technical_Info/WOWSound/guided_programming_vers2.php

Program the values shown on the 4 CV panels directly into the loco using POM (Program On Main).

Regards

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

There is also the Veissmann catenary available:

http://www.reynaulds.com/catalog/dept_374.aspx

and also Sommerfeldt:

http://www.eurorailhobbies.com/erh_list.asp?mn=24&ca=32&sc=HO

Depends how accurate (and expensive) you want it to be, and if it is to be operational or not.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

The only problem with a 4' x 8', especially for a child's layout, is that for some reason the actual table top area is often regarded as sacrosanct, so we run the loop around the outside and then put all loops, spurs etc on the inside. Blow that for a joke. Cut a space about 4' x 2' out of the middle and set it up to be controlled from there. The child clambers under the layout (they can still do that sort of stuff :-) ) and pops up in the middle into their own little world, surrounded by trains, and everything is in easy reach. The cutout bit can be then cut in half and used to make the layout 10' x 4', yet still reachable from the "operating pit". Oh and that way it can also be put up against a wall and still everything is in reach.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW  Aust

Also you might check to see that CV29 has been enabled to run on DC. This feature can be switched off to only run DCC if that is what you have.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Australia

Thank you for the L-1 link. Gives me furiously to think :-)

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

Very nice indeed! But I wonder what could be used as a donor mechanism for the Erie L-1? So ugly I just have to have one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelback_locomotive

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/326054/

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

If its an older Connie, just watch out how the tender body is mounted. On one I had (it was my first sound install using a Soundtraxx DSD150) there was a post from the top of the tender body that reached to the floor where it was secured by a screw through the floor. I ended up cutting it off and using little blocks of quarter inch plastruct glued to the side of the tender body that rested on the floor, then drilled and tapped for a small screw, to secure it.

Also, for floor mounting of speakers, watch out that the diaphragm is NOT in contact with the floor. Use scrap scale lumber or similar cut to shape to allow diaphragm movement. Seal the tender with whatever (I used BluTac), then turn the sound down. The old DSD had 15 step volume control and I had to turn it down to 3 to live with it. Had to install a Lenz Gold for motor control as the DSDs control left a bit to be desired.

I'm in On30 now, and there my Connie has a TCS WOW101 with a 1.57" Hi-Bass speaker, mounted as above. If I was doing the HO Connie I think I would use the same basic combo, just substituting a 1.22" or 1.1" Hi-Bass speaker. Good as the Tsunami is, it doesn't compare with the TCS.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

If it is the peel off/stick on Banta wood decking, then peel off/stick on. Just notch it to clear the handbrake pawl.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust.

Take it to a nearby friend/hobby shop/club that has a more complete DCC system than the basic Bachmann one. Ask them to read CV1 to check the address, and check CV29 to see that it is the short address that is enabled. If neither of these conditions are met, ask them to program it with the short address of your choice.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust