You'll want to strip the shell first, as any lettering, even though it is very thin, will show through the paint. I'd reccommend Castrol Super Clean. I tried it for the first time on a P2K tender and had a clean, paint and lettering  free tender in a couple hours.

For applying paint I'd reccommend an airbrush. Brush painting, no matter how well done always leaves marks and covers up details. I always use a laquer or enamal  based paint for my base colours and then detail and weather with acrylics. If you make a mistake with weathering you can remove the paint ussually without harming the base colours.

brad

The Shay has a pin connector I used a Digitrax dZ163 decoder, I think.... If you go on the Digitrax site you can look up decoders by engine application.

brad

Former race car driver and race commentator Sam Posey has a beautiful steam era layout. I have an MRCfrom the 80's with Gary Coleman on the cover, he worked at Caboose Hobbies part time.

brad

Rich,

  You have a cracked gear, a CRONIC problem on 2-10-2s I sent mine back for a new one also. Click on the service link @ the bottom of the home page and give service a call. You'll talk to a very nice lady who's name escapes me and she'll give you shipping directions.

brad

PS One of the side gears stripped on my Shay last week, looks like it'll be going in for service too. I thought I got one that had good gears, guess not

Segmaster,

   Try your LHS or a train show swap meet to find a used power pack. You could always try the internet auction site. If there is a local club talk to them to see if anyone has one for sale. I purchased 3 at our annual show for a buck. They were train set stuff but good enough to power lights and turnouts.

Good hunting, brad

I had trains as a kid, a simple 4X8 double track loop with some buildings and sawdust ground cover. Then I started building military models and spent thousands of dollars and hours on that. The only problem was, even though I built highly detailed and rather large diaramas, nothing moved. I knew my days as a military modeler were at an end when I started kitbashing German WWII armoured cars into futuristic fighting vehicles alla Mad Max.

For me going back to trains was easy, a lot more could be done in the same amount of space, AND things moved like the real things. That's one of the greatest attractions I have to steam engines, I can see them working and some day I'll be hearing them run on my layout also.

brad

   I agree with Jim, numbers really don't mean much. I know guys with over 600 cars and 150+ locos that sit in boxes. For me it's quality and how well they run. I'd rather have 20 cars that run perfectly and run all the time than 200 mediocre cars that sit in boxes most of the time, which is why I'm about to sell off a bunch of my older Rivirossi, Athearn and B-mann passenger cars and replace them with fewer Rapido cars.

     In time, everyone accumulates more than they can use

brad

Andy, you wont be disappointed, I have 3 first run CN models and they run perfectly. I also have a P2K 2-8-8-2 that runs like a dream.

brad

There is different spacing  in the tabs that go into the floor on each fish belly plate, you may have them reversed so they wont seat all the way and stick up higher than they're supposed to preventing the trucks from fitting right. I've built over 40 and never had a problem. They are a tight fit.

brad

Quote from: Lorne on July 03, 2007, 11:48:05 PM

Quote from: brad on July 03, 2007, 09:13:12 AM
Lorne, That would put you some where between Saskatoon and Grande Praiire?

brad

You're a good guesser, Brad. I'm in Grande Prairie.

Looks like we've got another Albertan with us. Good to see you here Twolfe. Looks like you, me, and Sid are all gonna have to get together sometime.

I lived in Dawson Creek in the early 70's just a good stones throw from you. Also lived in Calgary in 70-72.

brad

One word of advice is to seal the cardboard with either paint, glue, shellac or what have you. I used cardboard found in gasket sets to separate the head gaskets in the package which is the same as used in cereal boxes. After about 2 weeks all the roofs I used it for warped and I had to redo them.

brad

Lorne, That would put you some where between Saskatoon and Grande Praiire?

brad

Pulling upgrade around a curve is the hardest thing a loco has to contend with. make sure all you rolling srock is free wheeling and the trucks swing propperly. Clean your track with a good cleaner. Mine will pull 7 40' cars up a 2% grade on a regular basis.

  "Y'all ain't from around here are ya" a phrase we heard often in the South during a trip we made from Saskatoon to Vero Beach, Florida when we stopped to eat.   St. Louis, Council Bluffs, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Jacksonville, 6600  miles in 6 days, what a trip.

brad

P.S I know Shirley too

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Eh

brad