You can power the switch motors with a spare power pack or a "wall wart" power supply (looks like a fat plug.)  Something around 12 to 18 volts ac or dc at 1.0 amp or more will do the job.  Look around - you may already have one that came with a piece of electronics that you no longer use.

Normally, these non-DCC remote control turnouts come with a little control box, a red cord and a green cord.  If memory serves, the red cord plugs into the end of the control box (two pins.)  Its other end connects to the power supply.  With a wall wart, this normally means cutting the plug off the end of the cord and splicing the wires to the red cord (don't forget to insulate them with tape or shrink tubing!)  The green cord connects the turnout motor to the bottom of the control box (three pins.)  Once the first control box is connected to the power source, you can plug another control box into the first one.  You can extend this "daisy chain" of control boxes as far as you want, or you can start another chain at a different location, for example at a remote yard.

Just remember when you throw the switches to slide the handle on the control box one way or the other, then press it down only for a short time.  Holding it down can easily burn out the switch motors.

Track power on non-DCC turnouts is through the rails and has NO connection to the switch motor wiring outlined above.

Jim

Yes, that works.  If adding the second connection causes a short, just unplug ONE end of the jumper between tracks, turn it over, and plug it back in.

Jim

Is the broken item a straight gear or is it a pinion that works with a worm?  Many steam locomotive models have only a worm and pinion, no other gears.  If this is the case, definitely talk to NorhtWest ShortLine.  They may not have the exact pinion but there is a good chance they can sell you a worm and pinion set with a similar ratio.  Even better, they may be able to sell you a gearbox that is an exact fit or a near fit.  A gear box will often turn a poor runner into a good one by eliminating binding and downhill surging.  Installed in a good runner, a gear box will usually turn it into a great runner.

If the gear is not a pinion from a worm and pinion set, you can have one custom made.  I believe NWSL charges about $50 for this, but check with them.

Often, but not always, gears are made to standard sizes.  This includes pitch (the spacing of the teeth,) pressure angle (tooth shape) and of course the number of teeth.  So even though a model manufacturer may be out of gears (or out of business) it may still be possible to find a replacement that is used in a completely different application.

Finally, there are companies and make and stock gears of standard sizes.  One that comes to mind is Boston Gear.
http://www.bostongear.com/
Their catalogue includes an excellent section of gear theory which will help you understand which gears you might need.

Jim

I pack and unpack my trains a lot, between giving model railroad demonstrations and participating at train shows.  I find the foam padded boxes take up a lot of room so I simply wrap each piece of equipment in 1/8" foam normally used as underlay for laminate flooring.  The stuff is dirt cheap, non-stick, oil and solvent resistant, non-scratching and easy to cut.  Once wrapped, I pack them in an attache case or an old, hard sided suitcase depending on how many pieces I am taking with me.

Jim

Quote from: Jerrys HO on February 11, 2012, 03:10:01 PM

... A note on Top Speed I have never understood, if the prototype of the model you have went at 100 MPH, why you would want the model to go at 100 scale MPH...

... I have reduced the Top Speed of all of my locos to 30 MPH ...

Jerry

I agree with your measurements but am having trouble with some of your conclusions.  If I regularly see trains running through the countryside at 80 mph, why wouldn't I want to see them running at a scale 80 mph on my layout?  If the real thing takes 11 seconds to cover 1/4 real mile of scenery, why wouldn't I want to see my 1/87 model cover 15 feet of scenery in 11 seconds?

I don't know of any fans of the Acela or the ICE who would be happy watching their models of same putzing along at 30 mph.

In spite of that, there is much to be said for running our trains slowly when a group of us is operating our trains.  As you pointed out, we rarely have anything approaching scale distances on our layouts.  One solution is distance compression, calling every ten feet along our tracks a mile.  This means that if we limit our trains to say 60 compressed miles per hour, we cover only 600 real feet of track in one real hour at a scale speed of only 10 mph.  Most people do not like running that slowly.  The common alternative is to use time compression, calling every 10 real seconds a compressed minute.  Now we can cover that 600 real feet of track in 10 real minutes or 60 compressed minutes running at a scale 60 mph.  But that creates a problem for operators switching trains - their time is difficult to compress.  A work around is to run the trains slower, say at 30 scale miles per hour, which helps stretch the distance without requiring as much time compression.

Bottom line, running extra slow can be a good solution when operating trains but operating them at scale speeds can make them look more like the real thing.

Jim

Quote from: phillyreading on February 07, 2012, 08:13:01 AM
If Hornby is a British company like I suspect it is, even if it transforms it down to a useable voltage for H.O, you may have a problem or two with the power control and using DCC or some other command control system.
The USA and Europe use differant types of electrical power. The USA uses 60 hertz or cycles and Europe uses 50 hertz or cycles. Normal running without DCC should not be affected. It is only when you get into electronic control systems that it matters what your cycle frequency is.
To make long story short; use stuff made for the USA and not some other country.

Lee F.

Perhaps, Lee, you have not read ShadowMonk's profile and are unaware that he lives in Sheffield which is in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.  Yes, his Hornby system is British and whether used in the UK or on this side of the pond, must have the correct voltage to operate.  But being designed for 50 Hz, it would care not a whit if operated on 60 Hz.  In general, it is only when we try to operate our 60 Hz North American electronics on the 50 Hz power used in most of the rest of the world that we have problems.

Bottom line, ShadowMonk, is you can connect your Hornby unit to E-Z Track and run trains to your heart's content.

Jim

Quote from: richg on February 07, 2012, 07:56:14 PM
The EZ Command has a full wave bridge rectifier that converts the AC to DC with about a 1.4 Volt drop.
I see a couple other brands of DCC controllers that specify about 16 VDC or about 18 VAC input.
Some boosters are like that.
Some companies are attempting to make their equipment sort of universal you might say. Operates on DC or AC.
Not a problem if you are technically oriented and have a multimeter to confirm readings.

Rich

What other companies are doing does not mean that the E-Z Command can be operated on dc.  The problem is the rating of the bridge rectifier.  A bridge rectifier rated at 1 amp can safely deliver 1 amp if fed by ac.  With ac, the two pairs of 1/2 amp diodes share the load by working on alternate half cycles.  The same bridge rectifier can safely deliver only about 1/2 amp if fed by dc.   With dc, only one pair of the 1/2 amp diodes works all the time.  The other pair works not at all.

Electronic units, such as DCC boosters, that are designed to operate from ac or dc have to have bridge rectifiers rated for twice the current compared to those in units designed for ac only operation.  Can any of us assure southwind that the bridge rectifiers in E-Z Commands were designed for dc use?  Unfortunately, it takes more than a multimeter and being technically oriented to tell for sure.

I can, however, assure southwind that a wall transformer rated at 18 volts, 1 amp, 50 Hz output will operate his E-Z Command quite satisfactorily.  While not all electronics designed for 60 Hz operation will work properly on 50 Hz, the E-Z Command was designed to operate on both.

Jim

Be careful with universal power supplies.  They are almost always dc output.  I have yet to see a specification for running an E-Z Command from a dc input.

Jim

Any bi-directional drive train that includes a worm and pinion speed reduction has to include something to control end play at both ends of the worm gear shaft.  This is because the worm pushes the shaft one way in forward and the other way in reverse.  I suspect that the worm gear shaft in your 2-8-0 is moving too far in reverse, letting the drive belt or cogged pulley rub against something, probably the locomotive frame.  You can confirm this by gently pushing the locomotive in reverse while it is slowly moving itself in reverse.  If this reduces/eliminates the grinding, you can be all but certain the problem is as described above.

Repair is to either move the cogged pulley along the shaft or remove any projections on the frame that the belt or pulley can rub on.

Jim

Locomotives that are not DCC ready can still have decoders installed.  It is just a bit more work.  Usually, it involves insolating the motor terminals from the locomotive frame which in many cases is used as one of the connections from the wheels to the motor.  Sometimes it means cutting, grinding or milling away some of the frame to make room for a decoder but that is usually in N-scale or smaller.

Jim

I see running both on the same layout as a temporary measure until you can convert all your locomotives to DCC.  Your alternative to having two electrically isolated layouts, one for dc and the other for DCC is also an excellent solution.

Jim

The short answer is: E-Z Command basic - yes.  E-Z Command Dynamis - no.

The longer answer applies when using a DCC system that can run dc trains:  If running dc locomotives on DCC power, do not leave the locomotives stopped on a powered track or they may over heat.  The noise produced by dc locomotives on DCC powered rails comes from the motor armatures being shaken back and forth by the alternating current of the DCC.  This is what can over heat the motors to the point of permanent failure even in stopped locomotives.  If the locomotives are moving, the motors draw air through themselves which reduces the amount of heat produced.

While most dc locomotives will run on DCC power, do not expect them to pull as many cars as on dc.  They are able to pull as many cars on DCC power but the combined heating of pulling cars plus using DCC power to do so can also over heat the motors to the point of permanent failure.  Reducing the number of cars helps prevent this over heating.

Jim

Quote from: jonathan on February 02, 2012, 10:32:21 AM

Bright Red has been interpreted as a rusty red oxide and/or a Pinkish Orange depending on which shop painted the equipment, whether it be the prototype or modeler.

After watching the few color film records and viewing the very few color photographs available, I believe the shades are open for personal preference.

Reds have historically been problematic.  They tended to fade in sunlight.  That is why there were few if any red automobiles before 1950.  I still remember the bright red Renault a friend bought in about 1958.  Within a couple of years, it had faded to that Pinkish Orange colour jonathan mentioned.  I suspect the apparent lack of standardization in reds at that time may have been caused by cars in different stages of fading.  It does not help that colour photos also tend to fade and change colours with time.  And the black and white film of the time was just as bad.  The orthochromatic film then in use showed red as black because it had no sensitivity to red light.

Jim

Quote from: PiedmontRR on February 05, 2012, 08:03:22 PM
yeah like Central Vermont.  Looks like they ripped that off.

I am not sure who you think ripped off whom but you must remember that CN owned the Central Vermont at the time they gave them the CV noodle.  It was a change of corporate image and they both abandoned the earlier corporate image of the railways' names on a maple leaf background.

Jim

Was this the answer in question?

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,18795.msg151330.html#msg151330

I thought the explanation by Jerrys H0 gave a good reason why the registration card alone is not enough.  As far as $.44 per item, why not put several warranty cards in the same envelope and save a few bucks?  Or if the warranty card has no time limit for submission, then just send it in with the item you want repaired (along with proof of purchase) and save both you and Bachmann Industries a few bucks each?  If the warranty card must be sent in within so many days of purchase, you might  consider attaching a copy of the proof of purchase to the warranty card and sending them both in the same envelope.  This would effectively give you a backup copy of the proof of purchase.

Sorry I do not have more information on warranty service.  I rarely if ever send in the warranty cards as I can usually fix an item for less than the cost of shipping it from Canada.

Jim