My Bachmann Plus Consolidation 2-8-0 steam engine and tender had a smoke unit. It was a nice effect, but it would smell funny after a while, and then I eventually removed it when I learned the smoke would be bad for the track. Pretty simple to remove on this model actually.

Quote from: Doneldon on June 18, 2014, 02:05:23 PM

wiley-

I'm pretty sure that these still constitute the full breadth of the steel alloy line. I suppose there was too little interest in the steel track once the better looking and better performing nickel-silver track came along.
                                                             -- D

Yup, that's pretty much all they have for the steel line. Bachmann figured more model railroaders would want to use the nickel-silver versions for building layouts (I don't blame them; nickel-silver does perform better, and it's got a huge variety of track lengths and configurations that make it ideal for elaborate tabletop layouts.)
I even seem to recall hearing a rumor Bachmann would soon only sell the steel track in their train sets and no longer offer it separately.

Quote from: jward on June 26, 2014, 08:06:12 AM
i've noticed you have a tendency to take shortcuts. it is better to do it right the first time. learn how to solder, and you won't have problems with your decoder install.

It actually worked for me. I just need to let the wire glue set after applying it for an hour or two, and it bonds it pretty well. I plan to also do this installation by that method as well...
http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Life_Like/Proto_1000_F3A_alternate/Proto_1000_F3A_alternate.html
(I got a second ATSF Proto 1000 F3A locomotive, with a different road number.)

But besides that, time for some more updates!


TYCO Operating Pipe Loader (second version, made from 1982 to 1993.)


TYCO Machine Shop building. This was manufactured by Pola in Germany, and for a while after the TYCO train line's demise, IHC offered it. (TYCO sold it from 1977 to 1992.)


Three trains, rearin' and ready to go! The Bachmann Plus Consolidation steam locomotive is analog, and thus is on the isolated siding. The other two locomotives pictured are DCC-equipped, as you may know by now.


I also bought one of those Life-Like SceneMaster "Scene Essentials" sets, the farm one, to enhance the small farm on my layout. Only problem is, nowhere to put the crops!


The school has let out for the summer! I will probably temporarily disconnect the light until September (unless they decide to keep them on during the day to protect from burglary, or if fix-ups or renovations are occurring!)


Two kids preparing to camp out in their backyard. (The family dog came to join too!)


Overview from another angle.

Here's a neat accessory from Life-Like...

Operating gravel unloader. Back when it was released in the 1970s, it was called "Bob's Dumping Station." Today Life-Like only includes this in their "Freightline U.S.A." train set.
Uniquely, the "gravel" that came with it is bits of REAL gravel! Talk about authenticity...

I also performed a DCC hardwire upgrade on my Walthers Trainline BNSF Dash 8-40BW...

Progress photo. In lieu of a soldering iron, I used "Wire Glue," as I learned that it's a good solder substitute from some model railroaders.


I used a TCS T1 decoder, since this locomotive comes with a reversing headlight. Works pretty well, too, but the electrical contact is a little funny. But it was like that when I got it. I guess the wheels need extensive cleaning...
I programmed it as "6" on the E-Z Command controller. My other DCC locomotives are numbered "2," "4" and "5", which brings up to four DCC locos in my roster now!
I will be getting another T1 decoder to install in my Amtrak Dash 8 locomotive, as well as a TCS MC2 decoder to put in my second Proto 1000 F3A locomotive. (I will assign it the same address as my other Proto 1000 F3A, if I ever want to do a double-header unit.)


Current overview.

Life-Like Car Wash building. Atlas now offers this, but I went with the Life-Like version as it was a cheaper buy


Walthers Trainline GP9M locomotive. It may not look totally realistic, but I like it because it kind of has a 1970s/1980s feel to it, but with a much better motor and drive (the exterior kind of reminds me of TYCO's old Santa Fe GP20.)


And here's a more "prototypical" Walthers Trainline locomotive. Note how this Dash 8-40BW has "SANTA FE" on the front but "BNSF" on the sides. This is supposed to represent an ex-ATSF "Superfleet" locomotive that had been updated to reflect the BNSF merger by simply painting over "Santa Fe" on the sides with "BNSF." (Sometimes the front would have its' logo updated as well.) Some railfans refer to these as the "Fakebonnets," and some locomotives like this are still in use today.
This is somewhat more upscale than the GP9M; it has a reversing headlight and a dual-flywheel motor. I plan to install a TCS T1 decoder in it to upgrade it to DCC.
I will say this: I'm a little miffed off at how Walthers discontinued the Dash 8-40BWs in the early 2000s. They may not have been as well-detailed as Bachmann, Atlas or Athearn's upscale equivalents (the detail is more similar to a current lower-end Bachmann model), but they are great runners, and a decent affordable way to have "modern" diesel power on your layout that would work with 18-radius curves (if I'm not mistaken, the Dash 8-40B and Amtrak's Dash 8-32BWH are the only eight-wheeled locomotives in GE's Dash series.)




Now I am running three trains on my layout! Since the BNSF Dash 8-40BW is not DCC-equipped yet, I park that train on my isolated siding when not in use.

As some of you might know, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Bachmann's E-Z Track. While it was not the world's first roadbed track (Marklin and Kato made their own way back when), but it was still new and innovative to the North American HO train market.

(sorry about the low resolution)
It was ideal for floor-based train layouts or playing, but could also be used for tabletop layouts if needed be.
Back when it came out, it was more limited. Only with steel rails and black roadbed (as steel was still commonly used in train set track back then), and only available in full 18" or 22" radius curves, 9" and 3" straights, standard left and right remote turnouts, non-prototypical bumpers and 90 and 30-degree crossings, and that was it. I think around maybe 1997 or 1998, the nickel-silver version was introduced, along with a much wider variety of track configurations and sizes. This version of E-Z Track was more ideal for tabletop layouts, and still is today. (I've seen a number of online E-Z track layouts that can be rather elaborate!)

It proved to be very successful. Even Athearn and Walthers wanted in, and they began including the track with their train sets (though the Athearn sets appropriately come with the nickel-silver version, and the Walthers TrainLine sets typically include the steel track.) Some other companies like Atlas, Life-Like, MTH and Model Power came out with their own roadbed tracks to compete. Model Power's was discontinued after a while, due to a lawsuit from Bachmann, as their Lock-It track system was apparently designed to connect to E-Z Track, and I imagine Bachmann didn't want a rival company's track to be able to connect to their own without the need of cutting or adapters. Though the others had their own innovation in some way (Atlas's True-Track had a removable roadbed and Code-83 rails, Life-Like's Power-Loc could connect without the need of rail joiners, etc.)

I remember with Robert Schleicher's "The HO Model Railroading Handbook," the initial 1979, 1983 and 1992 editions only mention traditional HO track, so the 1998 edition had extensive new content added to reflect the roadbed track, along with other newer stuff like DCC, the use of a foam base instead of plywood, etc. There's even a nice 7x8 layout showcased in the book that uses weathered nickel-silver E-Z track!

Any comments?

Is it this one?

Available in Reading, Great Northern and Santa Fe roadnames. It was pretty nicely detailed, but it did have that crummy old-style pancake motor...

In 1992, they upgraded it with a better-quality can motor with a worm gear flywheel, and a metal chassis and all-wheel drive, and released it in the Bachmann Plus line. Even the tender had a metal wheelset installed! I have one of those...

Pretty nice runner, but it does have that loose axle as mentioned (I've seen a couple other older Bachmann steam engines like that too.) I'm keeping it as a DC-only locomotive that I'll run from time to time on my layout. I also removed the smoke unit, as I learned that the smoke would be bad for the tracks on a DCC system...

Some more updates...

Got another Center St. series building kit for the layout:

The Miracle Furniture Company store! This one is branded by TYCO, and has a small hole in the bottom so I can feed a light bulb through it (I'm thinking of illuminating the interior.)


Did some weathering to the TYCO Piggyback loader/unloader. It did make it appear a bit more realistic...


The school is still in session for two more weeks, after which it will let out for summer vacation! (I will temporarily remove the school bus, and move the figures to different parts of the layout, until September.)


New motive power meets old! (Both are Bachmann, for those who don't know already.) That Bachmann Plus Consolidation steam engine I will probably not bother to install DCC in, as it doesn't even have any wiring!

Quote from: Jhanecker2 on June 05, 2014, 06:38:01 PM
It must also be said the Tyco  trains  were engineered  to the level of toys  and not to the level of  model railroad equipment .

Also keep in mind, Bachmann's trains used to be like that as well. In the 1970s and 1980s, Bachmann and TYCO products could be considered a joke compared to higher-quality stuff from Athearn, Atlas, Walthers, etc. (No surprise, since Bachmann and TYCO used to dominate the consumer HO model train market during that period!) Fortunately, Bachmann then came out with the Spectrum line, and then the Plus and Silver Series, and then they updated their base line with better-quality motors and bodies to make their locomotives less toy-like (though I do have a newer BNSF caboose that does have the old-style plastic wheels.)

But why don't you save the whole "French troops" thing for PMs or something, guys? 

Life-Like Hotel building. This has been available since 1980. I bought the kit new from Walthers!


A.H.M./TYCO Pizza Hut building!


A nice shot of the town section of the layout.


Getting in some more Amtrak action!

OK, I will leave it as it is. But anyway, here's a few more updates...


Wild deer are now on the layout, too!



TYCO Lighted Factory building from the 1970s.


Nice shot of a couple of my trains from the control panel. Both of them are Bachmann locomotives!


Action overview with the factory on the layout.

OK, so I removed the smoke unit from the Consolidation, due to the advice I've gotten that smoke and HO DCC do not mix (even though the track is nickel-silver, it's better not to take chances.) I also did a bit of cleaning and lubing. BUT, the wheels are a little lose, and that can make for some inconsistent electrical contact. It was like this when I got it. I remember the old version of the Consolidation from the '70s and '80s had this problem, along with the older pancake-motor USRA 0-6-0 steam locomotive. Anyone have advice for this?

It also looks like it would be very tricky to put DCC in it anyways; I may just keep it as a non-DCC locomotive and park it on that isolated siding when not in use on my layout. But I plan to upgrade my Walthers TrainLine locomotives next, since they are rather easy in terms of hardwire DCC upgrades. (Was that their intention?)
Currently I have three DCC-equipped locomotives: the Bachmann BNSF GP40-2 that came with the E-Z Command controls, a Bachmann Santa Fe Warbonnet FT-A, and my Life-Like Proto 1000 Santa Fe F3-A (blue/yellow colors.) Not a bad start, if I say so myself.

I tried experimenting with an elevated track on my layout...



While an interesting concept, it was rather cumbersome to try and fit on the layout anyways. I may revive it for any future layouts...


I have now connected the two spurs to the rest of the track! One of them is electrically-isolated, using an Atlas Connector switch, terminal joiner and plastic insulating joiner. This way I can park a non-DCC locomotive on the layout with ease.



Current overview.

I will also be getting another decoder to upgrade one of my Walthers TrainLine locomotives (the TCS T1.)

Quote from: rogertra on May 18, 2014, 12:42:10 AM
A siding or a spur?  There is a major difference.

A siding is double connected and serves as a meeting place for trains and is named in the timetable.  It is a "running line".

A spur is a single connected track that serves an industry or as a single ended track in a yard.  It is not a "running line".

Sometimes the source I'd read would refer a spur to a "siding," and then the above type would be a "passing siding."
But what I am planning to make is a spur (the electrically-isolated one.)

Quote from: Doneldon on May 17, 2014, 07:23:46 PM
For clarification, I'm sure that Joe meant "Leaving a non-DCC equipped loco idling will burn out the motor eventually since it will overheat."i] Eventually [/i]should probably be interpreted as pretty soon.
                                                                   -- D

Yeah, that's what I figured. This is why I typically don't leave non-DCC locomotives on the layout, particularly now that I have three DCC-equipped locos to play with. BUT, I will have one of my sidings electrically isolated, so I can turn the power to it off and on, making it easy to park a non-DCC locomotive there! (I will be using an Atlas Connector, terminal rail joiner and insulated plastic joiner for this trick.)