Hey Bill,
From the sounds of things I think you might be right.  The Magnum is pretty old and was only used for an HO scale layout years back.  Even then I was running up to 4 locos per line and it was doing the same to me then.  As you said, it's probably going bad.  If I remember correctly, I think Bachmann discontinued it a few years back.  I'll go ahead and see about looking for a 5 amp or higher controller.  Hopefully get up and going again sometime.

-Rusty

Hey Mr. Bach-Man,
I just received my large scale tar tanker today and I must say it's definitely a great model.  Since I run my Thomas stock with other large scale Bachmann products, I have to use the low coupler position extension to allow the models to be compatible with everything else I have.  Sadly when I opened up the packaging I found that there is an extra pair of the high coupler position pieces instead of the low ones.  That being said, I can't change out the couplers on my tar tanker.  Is there any way I can send back the coupler bag without having to send back the entire model?  The bag containing the coupler and position pieces is still sealed and hasn't been opened.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey everyone,
I've been into G scale for some time now and recently I've had an issue with my speed controller.  My first set was the Bachmann large scale Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel set and even though it comes with a controller, I preferred using the Bachmann Spectrum Magnum controller.  This year I added 2 more engines to my collection and found that the Magnum controller is presenting me with a problem.  The problem I'm running into is that when I go to power 2 trains the controller will pop and shuts down for several minutes.  The same thing will happen even if I'm running 1 train sometimes.  Here's a list of the models that I have.

Thomas The Tank Engine
Percy The Green Engine
James The Red Engine
Emily The Green Engine
LGB 2090
Bachmann 0-4-0 Side Tank Porter
Bachmann 4-6-0 Locomotive

My question is, does the Magnum controller have the capability to run the engines that I have?  If not, what controller should I be using?  As an added note, I have also upgraded to Bachmann brass track this year and at this time am using the old power connector that was made for the steel alloy track.  Any help would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Well from what everyone is saying, it should work.  I think I'll go ahead and snatch it up.

-Rusty

Hey guys,
Recently I had a guy offer me a great deal on the Bachmann 0-4-0 Side Tank Porter locomotive.  The model I'm referring to is this one right here.

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=255_433_708&products_id=5317

While its a model I'd like to have, all my large scale models run on DC power and the Porter details say that it is DCC ready.  I know that Bachmann also has products that are DCC on board and these products will run on DC power as well as DCC.  Basically what I want to know is does DCC ready mean the model has the DCC on board or is the locomotive strictly DCC only?  Any help would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Well, I sent an email to Cornell University and here is the reply they gave me.

"Dear Rusty,
Yes, the PDF you mentioned notes three items for the Kinzua River Viaduct: blueprints, "details of connections," and a general elevation plan.

These are all in the Cooper Bridge Plan Collection (#4709). If it's just measurements you need, I may be able to write those down for you.  If you would like to have copies of the actual plans than you are welcome to request scans of any or all of this material. Please keep in mind that these are all oversize items, and so will incur the pricing for oversize items which is $45/per scan.

At this link, you'll find instructions on how to request reproductions, information about policies, and a link to pricing information:  http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/find/reproductions.html

Please keep in mind that due to high demand and the precautions required for scanning rare material, the time-frame for processing reproductions is currently *3-4 weeks.*

Please feel free to let me know what you would prefer and we'll get you started.

Sincerely,
Marcie Farwell"

The question now is where do I go from here?  At $45 each for a scan and the fact that I'm still not sure if I'm going to attempt a structure of this size in S gauge, I'm not really sure what to do.  Measurements are all I really need, but where do I start when I basically need damn near everything?  Any suggestions?

Hey thanks, Len! Actually was trying to find blueprints for the structure and didn't even know where to start in terms of finding any.

Quote from: Skarloey Railway on October 17, 2015, 07:34:43 AM
If you're modelling the width of the valley you might want to do a costing on the number of trees you'll need.

If I build the bridge, it's going to be 19.31" at the widest point on the tallest tower.  If I were to build a table for it, I'd be shooting for 3' wide.  That would limit the number of trees I need.  However, there's no point in building a layout I don't even have a bridge for so it's not a big concern for me right now.  One thing at a time.

Back on the topic of building the bridge though guys, I'm a little stumped on the overall measurements of the bridge.  So far I know the length, height, and how wide the tallest tower was at the base, but I have no clue about some of the other measurements that I need.  Anyone know where I might go about finding measurements?

If you ever get the chance, check out American Models.  Their basically the only S gauge manufacture out there that makes decent stuff.  I've actually bought S gauge track from them and seen their complete line of locomotives and rolling stock.  I'll go ahead and post a link.

http://americanmodels.com/

Quote from: jward on October 11, 2015, 11:55:09 AM
such a massive bridge will not look right built to scale. cutting the height to about 12-18" and length to under 6 feet will still give the massive effect without completely overpowering everything else.

True that scaling it down a bit would make the task of building it easier, but while it may work for some people, it won't for me.  I think keeping it to scale would be the best thing because when it's done, it would be quite a sight.  I've always been quite particular about the work I do and although I do see your point of scaling it down, I just feel like I'd be taking a shortcut on the build.

Quote from: Skarloey Railway on October 11, 2015, 01:28:41 PM
With that much repetition of parts I'd be tempted to look into either getting the components etched in brass or, the modern equivalent, 3d printed.

But as others have said, a degree of selective compression will be needed in S scale. Or you could model it in N scale, which will bring it down to a manageable 12' in length and 2' feet high. 

In terms of using brass, that's not really a bad idea and I actually thought about it before using styrene.  The only problem I'm seeing with it is soldering which I've never really considered myself to be any good at.  Gluing styrene feels like the better route for me, but I have to admit that if I had the skills, I would definitely build the bridge in brass.

Quote from: doctorwayne on October 11, 2015, 05:41:24 PM
Rusty, while I applaud your desire to build the model completely to-scale, I think that you should consider how useful or practical it might be when finished.  Another consideration is the fact that all of the towers appear to be similar except for their height - after you've built the first one or two, your main challenge will be to fight off the boredom. 
I'd love to see a scaled-down version in S scale, with a suitable looking steamer trundling across it pulling a period-appropriate train (freight or passenger), all set in lush Autumn forest scenery, as in the photos.  That, I think, would provide more of a total challenge for you and, when done, a more useful and, for viewers, interesting model.

True that building the towers would be a tedious job, but difficult things do take time.  My plan was to start out with the tallest towers (being towers 10 and 11) and then work to the second tallest (towers 12 and 9) and so on.  What I'm saying is that I'd be making pieces for 2 similar towers which would save some time.  I'm guessing the bridge would have towers of the exact same size on each end.  That's just my opinion though, so I really can't say that for sure.

My plans for now would be just to build the bridge itself, then maybe next year look into building a modular layout for it to sit on.  As I've said before, it's going to be a fair bit larger than my workshop, so I'll have to be able to dismantle everything especially for transporting it to shows and events.  And I agree with you, an autumn forest scenery would be the best look I think.  The main issue would be getting the locomotives and rolling stock.  As I have already found out with just the small railroad I have now on my 1:64 scale display, S gauge model trains are quite expensive.

Hey thanks.  I've actually seen plastruct before at my local hobby shop, but couldn't remember what it was called.  Just looked through the catalog and saw a few things that look like they'll work for what I'm doing.  Didn't really want to build the bridge from scratch because of how much time it would take, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.  I think I'll check to see what the hobby shop has next time I'm there and see about getting some materials to start building the towers first.  Thanks again for your help.

Hey there,
Thanks for the reply.  I'll look into this and see what I find.

-Rusty

Hey there,
Kind of been out of the model railroading hobby for some time now.  I used to model in HO scale years back, but took up building custom 1:64 scale trucks, tractors, buildings, ETC back in 2011 and been doing it since.  I've also built a few 1:64 scale displays which are pretty much the same as model train layouts.  For those who are not familiar with 1:64 scale, it's basically the same size as S gauge.

Onto the main subject of this topic however, I've set myself a challenge of trying to build a tall steel viaduct.  The one I'm referring too is the Kinzua Bridge in Pennsylvania.  I've supplied a few photos of the bridge I'm referring to.






Now I'm planning to build the bridge in 1:64 scale (or S gauge if you prefer) and I'm trying to figure out if there is a kit available that I can maybe modify or if I have to build it all custom.  In real life the bridge measured 2,052' long and stood 301' high.  Now based on my math that means the bridge should be 348 3/4" long and 56 1/2" tall.  Based on that math, it will be a fair bit bigger than my workshop.

I've looked through several websites and can't seem to find any kits that would seem to work for what I'm doing.  I'm not sure if it's possible to modify an HO scale viaduct or an O gauge one.  About the closest thing I can find in terms of viaduct kits is from stevesdepot.com.  I've also searched around online to see if there's maybe evergreen that might have the same patent maybe (not sure if that's the right word?) as the bridge?

So pretty much what I'm asking is does anyone out there know where I can find a kit to build the viaduct that would still make it fit in with 1:64 scale or do I need to completely build it all from scratch?  Personally I don't think anyone has ever attempted structures of this size in model railroading, so it has me a bit nervous of trying it myself.  Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty