the first question is how do you hook up my turnouts to my dcc controller
the second question is i have a set of ihc light weight passenger cars and i would like to add some weight to them but how much is good enoght and how do i place it
the thrid question is what is the proper order that the passenger cars shoud be in
and the last question is what are the best lights to get for passenger cars i have about 5 sets of cars and i would like to add lights to them all i have a set of spectum cars and i like they way they light up ive tryed some kits but they never work good or look good im hoping for some led kits if there are any
thanks for everybodys help and i look forword to everybodys ideas
The order of the passenger cars might/will vary from time to time and place to place. However, a "standard" might be: express box car, reefer, REA, REA storage baggage, baggage, combine, coaches, diner/dome car, Pullmans, observation.
Obviously not every passenger train has all this variety.
Modern trains run the sleepers first, then "diner," then coaches.
Your era would help.
If you have interiors, the best thing to use for extra weight would be small lead birdshot, held by Elmer's cement. You can put it on the bottom of the car and in the hidden places.
For some reason, I'm getting a brain fade, but 1 oz plus 1/2 oz per inch of car keeps bubbling up. Check NMRA standards. If I'm wrong, somebody or bodies will jump in and correct me.
Gene
any ideas on lighting ?
Rapido's Lighting Kit
http://www.rapidotrains.com/lighting.html
ive tryed them they didnt light up very bright
Dim is okay; even prototypical. If you ever rode on passenger trains back in the day, a lot of the lighting was very poor. The modern commuter RR cars and newer Amtrak equipment use flourescent lights and are much brighter than anything that ran in the glory days of passenger train railroading.
I can remember riding in a D&H coach on a school trip from Grand Central Terminal to Montreal; the lighting was so poor that it was not possible to read without straining your eyes (of course it was night time.)
Regular turnouts are powered by the AC terminals of your powerpack. I'm not sure if DCC controllers have a set of AC terminals. Since most people start out with DC they would just utilize their old controllers. Actually any 18-18 Volt AC transformer would do the job .