I am getting really frustrated with the available structures in HO scale today.  Why is it all the structures being marketed are over 75 years old.  I have been trying all week to find some modern day professional or office buildings like the one below, and cannot find ONE!




I realize model railroading covers periods back to the 1800's, but why doesn't it also cover today's conditions as well.  It's just as unrealistic as a diesel pulling into an 1890 mining town as a steam engine pulling a freight load into current day Atlanta, but what about railroads modeled after current conditions.  I can picture the Tropicana Juice Train with 2-3 AC6000 diesels cruising through cities where all the buildings are from the 1950's era, which is pretty much what I am up against.  Today's cities do not look like the cities of the 50's.

Don't get me wrong, the older architecture has it's place in railroading, and a very much larger place than modern architecture, but one would think there would be at least some structures reproducing today's environment.

All the manufacturer's are striving to reproduce locomotives with the finest detail that are running on the roads today, but practically no one is making today's buildings.  I did find one company who is starting to make current day structure, but he has a very nice but very limited variety as of yet.  Nothing in 2-4 stories with modern construction materials, solar fixed pane windows, etc.

Some like these:






















If any one knows of a company providing either the structures or the parts to make modern structures, please share them with me.

Quote from: ChrisS on January 22, 2013, 11:42:23 PM
Why is it so hard to actually get service? I'm curious. I have spent a small fortune on Bachmann on30 items. 9 locomotives and 32 cars....... And if I had to go through what some of these folks do, I'd publicly loose it

What is even more disturbing is that this is NOT the first thread on this issue, in fact there have been many threads on this issue.  The last one I recall, just "went away", like it was sensored or something.  I was one of many who posted a comment there and several days later went back to review if any more had come of the issue which was posted, and the thread was totally gone.  I even did a search of all of my posts and it was not there.  Hopefully, the person who started the thread was the one who removed it.

Most of you know that I am about 9 months new to DCC, and have not had a DC layout for over 55 years now.

I understand block control as it applies to DC, but not to DCC.  How does block control benefit DCC, how can Block control let you know where your trains are and why would you need it.

Jerry, Jerry,

Always the hard way !!!

Time your engine in feet per second.

There are 3600 seconds in an hour.  So, 1 ft / sec times 3600 sec = 3600 ft/hr.  Multiply your speed in ft/sec times 3600 to get your speed in ft/hr.  There are 5280 feet in 1 mile.  Divide your speed in feet / hr by 5280 feet/mile to get your speed in mph.

If your engine is traveling at 1 foot per second,

1 ft/sec times 3600 sec/hr is 3600 ft/hr.  3600 ft/hr divided by 5280 ft/mile is .6182 mph.



4 ft in 3 sec = 4/3=1.33 ft/sec times 3600 sec/hr = 4800 ft/hr divided by 5280 ft/mile = .91 mph.


This gives real world speed.  To get scale speed, multiply your real world speed by 87 (HO is 1/87th scale).

.91 real mph * 87 scale = 79.17 scale mph.

Quote from: Hunt on January 05, 2013, 10:56:38 PM
Track code is rail height in thousandths of an inch.
Code 100 (.100")
Code 83 (.083")
Code 70 (.070")
Bachmann HO track is code 100

Imagine from Model Railroader Magazine

From the illustration, it seems the code variations are not only in height, but also in width at the base.  Does a conversion rail joiner also have a width change in addition to the height adjustment to go from Code 83 to Code 100, or do they just use the Code 100 joiner width for both sections?

I really like it, and yes, it does work.  Some have said it is expensive, but you get about enough to do 100 locomotives.  Can't see them packaging it in smaller containers for that much less, as the cost of the containers would be high.  Just watch where you use it.  Don't cover all the drive wheels if they are your main electrical pickup.  I find it works best on the rear drivers if you don't put it on all of them.  Don't stop rotating the wheels until it is dry, or you will not have even distribution around the wheel.

This 4-4-0 could not pull one car up a grade, and after it pulled 22 without any problems.  That was with BFS on all the drivers.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bullfrog+snot&mid=40E3E7AC85C763877D4B40E3E7AC85C763877D4B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE2


More videos.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bullfrog+snot&qpvt=bullfrog+snot&FORM=VQFRML


After you use it and find it pulls more cars, don't go wild and start pulling 60 cars as you may overload the motor/gears in your locomotive.  Use it for better traction, but don't get stupid!

Quote from: pjf on January 01, 2013, 05:49:56 PM
I think the drawings from jward are created on Anyrail and I am using it also. I am amazed, 25 years ago AutoCad was selling for around $4000. This software Anyrail is probably more powerfull than the first version of AutoCad.

I used AutoCAD 25 years ago and yes, Anyrail is far better than AutoCAD was back then.  In fact, for the purposes we use it for, it is better than AutoCAD is right now!

Don't cut any tracks.  Bachmann sells an Assorted Track Pack that contains (2) 3/4" track segments, (2) 1" track segments, (2) 1.1/4" track segments, and (2) 1.1/2" track segments.  They also sell cards with 2" track segments and 2.1/4" track segments.  This will solve your problem nicely.  They also make 22" half sections, 18" half sections, 18" 1/3 sections and many others.  So far, I have not run into any condition I could not solve using these pieces.

Sometimes you may need to get creative.  1.1/2" + 2" = 3.1/2",   2" + 3" = 5",     1.1/4 + 3" = 4.1/4",   2" + 2" + 3" = 7", ect.

Another thing you may have noticed is that the coupler that came out had an extremely small pin hole, and the one that went back in had a hole over three times the size.  Normally you would insert a round spacer that Kadee sells to adjust for the hole size, but he didn't even do that.  What a mess!

Another option, if this is not a problem with you, is to convert one or two cars over to knuckle couplers on only one side, and use it as a conversion car.  If you viewed the video of our Christmas layout on youtube, the center train, which has the Christmas freight cars, is just that.  The engines have knuckle couplers, the first box car has a knucke coupler on the front and a horn hook on the rear and the rest of the train is horn hook couplers.  The tank car (which it displayed that it was full of egg nog!) had knuckle couplers, but were a quick changeout to convert to horn hook, as I wanted it near the rear of the train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7f7VUhL7Gs&feature=youtu.be

Wow, I've been going through that for a while now, and from what I have found, there are about as many different horn hook coupler configurations as China has rice (do they still do rice?).

Kadee does have some description pages, videos and a really good selection of coupler conversion kits with a good description of how to do it.  If you get lucky and the whisker coupler will work, either the Kadee or the E-Z Mate will work, but if you need a coupler with some endurance, I hate to say it, but the Kadee steel couplers have it all over any plastic coupler.

Some only require a collar to increase the size of the center hole to where a Kadee or EZ Mate will fit right in.  Others require more, and some you just cut off the existing truck mounted coupler and install a new draft box.

One advantage with Kadee is they do have offset high and offset low couplers if you have a need to raise or lower the coupler height to get it to match the correct gauge height without shimming or shaving the car.

For me, I really evaluate the value of the car in relation to the cost and difficulty and success of converting.  If it's a quick conversion, that's OK, but if it takes a lot of customizing, I need to convert it from plastic to steel wheels and it is a very common car to start with, some I just put on EBay and sell it, then put that money into another car I don't need to invest a fortune into with the possibility of it not working right in the end.

Some cars I really like enough to go through the cost and work and keep.  Pretty much your call.  I would identify the exact coupler mount I have to deal with, then check out the info on the Kadee sight and look for videos on youtube.com, that's pretty much what I've been doing.

Hope it helps some, good luck.

Quote from: Jerrys HO on December 26, 2012, 09:58:32 AM
rb and bal

Very nice video's.

rb what radius is your outside run. You probably answered this in one of your other threads but I feel lazy today.

Jerry

Jerry,

Outside radius is 22", center is 18" and inside is 15".

Here is a inexperienced try at a video of our layout operating.  Still decosating with small details and we have not installed the skirts, but that was done the next day.  I was really surprised at how much the EM1 bogged down on the 2% slope, but as I found and posted in one of my earlier threads, it is pulling 5 large cars up a 2% curved slope.  All three factors, the cars, the slope and the curve combined really puts a load on the locomotive, but we are content that it cannot travel any faster or someone may try it and I would really hate to see it leave the tracks on a curve!  The small 0-6-0 tanker is not the Bachmann I was having trouble with, but is an 0-6-0 Manta with sound that pulls like crazy.   Plan on getting 2-3 more of the open seat excursion cars for that train soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7f7VUhL7Gs&feature=youtu.be

Can you turn the lights on and off?  Normally, even if the engine is not selected, the sound will come on as soon as the track is powered up, but the lights can't be controlled unless the engine is selected.  If the lights are controllable, the engine is selected and you don't have motor control or a motor.  If the lights just stay on, back to finding the problem.