I have become fairly proficient in replacing parts and repairing  HO and N locomotives (fairly minor stuff, like changing out engines, running gear, couplers and soldering repair).

What I have trouble with, is diagnosing problems.

What are (or where is) a good source)for routine/basic engine diagnosis?  

For instance, I have a Spectrum Dash 40 N scale Loco.

It quit running during break in (it's DCC ready but I'm running it on analog/DC), no headlight, no movement, no nada.

A few days later, I had it on my layout to re test, it still wouldn't power up, until another loco accidently crossed over the blocked section of the spur it was on, and it suddenly powered up, and ran perfectly AS LONG AS ANOTHER LOCO WAS ON THE SAME BLOCK.

So, absolutely no power when on a track alone, but if another DC loco is on with it, it powers up and runs smoothly.


No idea what to make of this.  (There is no track or power supply problem, it's the locomotive)

Thank you

 

Quote from: uncbob on February 05, 2012, 11:07:01 PM
Mine is in my sig

UNCBob, that is a neat site.  Love the (no offense) cheesy train musical score, and that is a pretty layout.

Duck under, eh?

Thank you. 

Quote from: Sirtales on February 06, 2012, 05:39:10 PM
I managed to get that far, but what I wanted to know was how do I hook up all 4 switch tracks with the wiring they supply?

You connect the switch boxes to each other, you only need one red wire from one box to transformer.

The directions should illustrate that, I think (I started my whole foray into N Scale with the track pack)

Just acquired one, unused.

DCC ready? Will it run on analog?

What needs to be done to get it running on DCC?

Big sucker, my first six axle loco on my setup.  Very pretty (a CSX), nicely done.

Thanks guys.

Why would they do this?  I understand not. 

Oh well, it is fixed.

Thank you

I have the 44558 # 4 turnout, and the ez track will not connect to it, there is no cut out of the roadbed, so the pieces won't fit.

What is the deal with this?

Thanks,

GoCanes

Quote from: florynow on February 04, 2012, 10:29:31 PM
There's a few photos several years old of the Midland Western in the Yahoo LRMRG Group photo files under "Midland Western".

Here is a link to them.  The Arkansas, Texas and Southern is another short line that interchanges with the Midland Western in Midland.  Its engines sometimes go out on the MW.  PF

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LRMRG/photos/album/1962964877/pic/1529633843/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc

Cool.   I thought about doing an Arkansas line at first (The Fayetteville and Tahlequah  Central or something)

Quote from: jettrainfan on February 02, 2012, 11:19:13 AM
War bonnet is the famous ATSF scheme of a chrome white, red and yellow

Blue bonnet is the ATSF freight scheme of blue and yellow

Peach fuzz is a BNSF unit that seems to have a bright orange (more like a faded orange) that is like the earlier paint scheme of BNSF, but you can easily tell the difference if they were side by side.

BN executives are the BNSF SD80macs (correct me if wrong) that are ex. BN units from the early 90s with a green BNSF on the side.

CSX stealth is a gray body with blue lettering

CSX YN1 is like stealth, but has a lighter gray, and has a yellow nose plus yellow lettering.

CSX YN2 has the yellow nose, still light gray, but some of the parts are blue as well (SD40-2s, AC4400s, almost any freight loco CSX owned)

CSX YN3, also known as "dark future" paint has a yellow nose, yellow lettering and the rest of the body is blue.

NS has 2 differnt paint schemes, one plain and the other is a "horse head" whichis like the name, it has a horse head with the paint.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, I've been to berea and heard these names reffered to (and I use them myself) so I think they're the offical names.

As I'm doing CSX, I thank you for this post 

Quote from: GN.2-6-8-0 on February 01, 2012, 12:27:23 PM
Next day did my N&W crummy,,note the windows were not masked.....they would accumulate the same dirt as the car body also it helps hide the lack of interior details.

Now that's some good stuff. 

Maybe a couple streaks of dirt/grime sloping down the roof in places?

Sounds fun.   I am having a difficult time mastering the real names (Milwaukee Road Orange vs Seaboard Orange, for instance)

3 foot is SO much better than a 2" table  width, with anything more than 24" increasingly better.  (ie 28" WAY BETTER, 30" WAY, WAY BETTER, 36" INFINATELY BETTER)

Squeeze out some more room, and go bigger   

Quote from: rogertra on January 30, 2012, 09:58:08 PM

Quote from: GoCanes on January 30, 2012, 01:44:35 PM
Just thought of it,   let's see some pics of these homebrewed paint schemes and locos

Mine are all in my sig.

Very cool

Quote from: Steve Magee on January 31, 2012, 08:26:28 PM
Another variation on a theme as given by Desertdweller is to use a VERY dry brush technique over all of the car. Choose as similar a colour from Floquil/Scalecoat/Pollyscale (or whatever) and - I repeat, using a VERY dry brush - scrub it over the car. Direction of brushing doesnt seem to matter that much.

To get that VERY dry brush, dip the end of the brush tip into the paint, then scrub it onto a clean paper towel or clean rag until it looks like its all gone. Then apply it to the model.

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust

That's how I usually do it