David, what problem where you having with the Phoenix board specifically?  I have a P5 installed in my 38 tonner (& a 2K2 in an original Ely Thomas Lumber Co. #5 which I upgraded to the die-cast trucks).  The P5 for the most parts works fine, but I have a rather curious issue  with it in that I can't always blow the whistle, particularly on certain segments of my railroad.  The 2K2 in the older Shay has no such problems. 

                                                                                                             Tom

Hi Mr. B!

When we discussed new products a bit back at the Amherst show in Springfield, you forgot to mention the "new"  "iDavenport"!

http://youtu.be/pzhRlPI2-LM

                                                                      Tom Lapointe

If it's actually generating smoke, at least it's OK electrically (especially if you run DCC like I do, they do eventually burn out).   The smoke unit is designed to "wick" the fluid up from the reservoir; sometimes it can get clogged.    Fortunately, the "cure" is simple enough  - with the smoke unit operating, trying blowing sharply straight down the stack.  I've often found that will clear the clog, & the loco will smoke considerably better.   You may also wish to consider trying a different type of smoke fluid.    Hope that helps!    Tom

Got our advance tickets a couple of weeks ago & got our hotel reservation.  Hope to see you there, Mr. B.!     Tom Lapointe

I managed to get my 4-4-0 to operate on R1 on my old indoor layout by carefully filing the curved slot the front truck rides in slightly wider; another issue I then ran into was short circuits caused by the pilot truck wheel heads touching the cylinder head covers.  I cured that by applying a very light coating of epoxy to the cylinder heads to insulate them.  It did run then on R1 curves but was never entirely "happy"  about it. 

Work on the indoor layout was virtually stopped when I finally obtained "right-of-way  to build my outdoor layout, which has 69" radius (Aristo 11.5 foot diameter or LGB R5 equivalent)  as my mainline minimum radius, & 48" radius (LGB "R3" equivalent, 8-foot diameter) for sidings & industrial trackage.  NO issues running anything Bachmann makes on  those curves.  I've recently substantially reconfigured the old indoor layout, abandoning any pretense at keeping it looking like a "serious"  model railroad; I've  removed virtually all the R1 curves from the indoor layout, other a small oval whose use will be confined strictly to smaller equipment.  The reconfiguration is aimed at making it better suited as how it's actually been used the past several years, strictly as a storage yard & indoor test / repair track for equipment that actually runs outdoors.

                                                                                                                      Tom

Hi Mr. B!

Be looking forward to seeing you there.    Already got our advance tickets & hotel reservations made.    Just keeping my fingers crossed that Old Man Winter doesn't throw us any more "curve balls"  that weekend!  (My own attitude towards winter? "OK, the holidays are over - where's spring???"  

                                                                                                                    Tom

slmackay, I had similar problems with 2 of my older 36-ton Shays (I had both the Ely-Thomas #5 & Pardee & Curtain #11 versions).  Best bet is to just "bite the bullet"  & upgrade to the newer, metal frame trucks.  I haven't priced them recently (last time I bought them they were $109 / pair from TrainWorld), but you'll save yourself a lot of grief vs. the older trucks (I had fractured pickup housing issues on both of my older Shays).  I currently have 4 Bachmann Shays   on my roster - the 2 older 36-tonners, both now retrofitted with the metal-framed trucks, the newer "38-ton" steel-cab version, & one of the 3-truck Shays.  I have had flawless service from the metal-framed trucks    (even in such abusive service as snow plowing).     My 2-truck 38-tonner is one of my most reliable locos; only substantial problem I had with the 3-trucker was the original (relatively fragile) wiring harness between tender tank & engine (Bachmann's since beefed them up, my 3-trucker was an early one, I rewired it with telephone plugs & jacks).  They're the backbone of my freight motive power roster.    Tom

I'll second Larry's motion!    Tom

Outdoors on the "Watuppa Railway", Bachmann's 2004 version of the "Wonderland Flyer" (with the Christmas "Annie" with ver. 5 chassis & full Walschaeart's valve gear ) gets in quite a bit of running (it ran non-stop for 6 hours Christmas Eve in 28-degree  weather, no problem! ).   



Indoors, my 1958 - vintage American Flyer "S" gauge New Haven #499 Electric loco with it's freight train loops the Christmas Tree.     This was my first electric train     (I've had it since I was 5 years old!    - & my 58th birthday is only a bit over a month away!    )...





A few days ago, we did have an inch or two of snow here; most of it had melted off the railroad, but there were still a few small "drifts"    across the mainline in spots which necessitated running a "plow extra" first before the Wonderland Flyer could begin it's annual run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxLrzQGlrLc

Merry Christmas to all!  (Especially Mr. B!   Tom

@ samevans:

If the original 2-4-0 shown in the video norman posted was a little too "tarted up"  for your taste, you might prefer this one (LK&P #3, "Myrtle"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3ZM7cftBXc

For a small industrial loco, relatively "modern" looking  - a bit unusual with the combo of the almost New Haven - style arch-windowed steel cab, & the SP-style "whaleback" tender.  This was the loco I rode behind when I visited the LK&P on Maui.  As you'll note in the video - remarkably LOUD  "bark" to the exhaust (sounds more like a PRR K4s Pacific!), nice melodic chime whistle.     The LK&P burns used auto motor oil for fuel, guess they borrowed a page from SP for the tender design.  An "undec" version of this loco (perhaps available with a conventional tender as well as the rather unusual "whaleback" style) would be a good starting point if you wanted to do a "grungy" industrial loco.  It could probably be priced at the lower end of Bachmann's line, certainly wouldn't have any problems with R1 curves.  Perhaps I'm biased a bit, having witnessed it in action personally; I've considered picking up one of the older Bachmann 2-4-2's & kitbashing it into a likeness of this.  Have to dig up the video I shot of it myself, edit it & post it to YouTube one of these days.     Tom

Norm, thanks for posting that video link  .  I rode the L.K. & P. myself on a trip to Maui a few years back; loco was a different 2-4-0 with an arch-windowed steel cab (that looked like it came of a New Haven class I-4 Pacific!), relatively "modern"- looking appliances, and an SP-style "whaleback" oil tender.  All sorts of interesting hardware lying around their engine terminal area; saw what appeared to be part of a small Shay-style "T" boiler, and most interesting, the frame, cylinders, & running gear of a Mogul  (no boiler or cab), with a tender underframe behind it, all in primer coat - wonder if we'll see that running there in the future? 

I'll agree, both of these engines would be nice prototypes to see Bachmann produce  (they'd make great starter-set locos!), would easily handle R1-radius curves.  Both of them have an amazingly loud "bark"  to their exhausts, sound like much larger locos than they are.  The covered turntable at one end of the line might be nice to see available as well (could be done as an upscaled version of the old Atlas HO turntable, no pit required!).     Tom

 Hi, Mr. B!   

Happened to notice the "Featured Product" for the new HO track-cleaning car; as a future product suggestion, this might be something really useful  to us garden railroad guys! 


                                                                                                Tom

You do realize that 1:20.3 standard gauge will NOT run on regular G-gauge (45 mm.) track  (The whole point of 1:20.3 was getting accurate scale models of US 3-foot gauge equipment running on 45 mm. gauge track; LGB's original scale of 1:22.5 was to represent German meter-gauge narrow-gauge prototypes).  The gauge for 1:20.3 scale standard gauge track is 70.64mm or 2.78", which is basically 2¾".   Plan on hand-laying your own track & scratchbuilding turnouts!  

Here's a link towards what I'm referring to: http://www.pcrails.com/DualGauge/SSG.htm .

                                                                                                                           Tom

 Hi Jack,

    I wouldn't necessarily call it "recent"  (my mainline was completed @ 6 ~ 7 years ago), but my "Watuppa Railway" is an ongoing construction project.  My project for this year is to add more industries to allow train-order-style switching (producing industry > consuming industry); I'm hoping to complete a long-planned logging branch sometime this summer to justify all the logging equipment on the roster.    (Already have an LGB / Pola sawmill to deliver the logs to, just have determine a location for it outside).   A mine tipple is already in place, to get it's own  mine railroad, probably one of the new "Prospector" sets running on it's own dedicated track with an auto-reversing circuit controlling it.  A scratchbuilt steel mill is in the early planning stages as well.

    Most of the time, I am running Bachmann Spectrum & Accucraft 1:20.3 narrow-gauge prototypes; the vast majority of my locomotives are Bachmann.    Control is via DCC (NCE Powerhouse Pro 10-amp system).  I also have 3 Accucraft live-steam locos, 2 Shays & a "Ruby" 2-4-2 with tender, all fitted for RC operation.  My oldest Accucraft Shay (the 3-cylinder version) has electrically-insulated drivers, so it often operates simultaneously with the Bachmann locos running under DCC control.  Occasionally, I will switch "era", prototype & scale (freelance 1:20.3 narrow-gauge to 1950's-era New Haven RR 1:29th scale, running a USA trains NH "Merchant's Limited" streamliner pulled by Alco PA's, & an Aristo RS-3 powered NH wayfreight such as ran locally back when I was a kid).  

Here's a few pictures:











Here's also links to a couple of my YouTube videos of the railroad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXljrPCP8V8



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGdQvp43XIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP5ByDdg_CM

- A few other unique things about my railroad; it's in a city environment (older neighborhood; railroad is very visible to the neighbors - & enjoyed by them! ).  The entire railroad is built elevated @ 2 feet off the ground (both for live-steam operation, & I've also a severe knee injury @ 6 years ago - kneeling is not fun   for me.  It's a modest-sized garden railroad, mainline run is @ 160 feet (takes a Shay typically @ 5 minutes to make a full loop), total amount of trackage is @ 250 ~ 300 feet.   The first video (the one with the Mallet in it) is the most recent, shows the railroad pretty close to as it looks currently.

                                                                                      Tom

PS - Mr. B knows me as well.  (We've met at the Amhearst Railway Show in Springfield MA & the York TCA meet).  



 

Thanks for posting that information from Kadee, Peter!  Sounds like it will be worthwhile to be patient a bit. . Tom