Quote from: SmokeyNSteamer on December 27, 2007, 03:30:56 AM
2. The PE heavyweight cars are what I call "bantamweights" or "shorties":  They are about half the length of a typical heavyweight.  To make these, take an ordinary off-the-shelf model, cut the body so the car is about 40 scale feet in length and exchange the 3-axle trucks for 2-axle trucks.  It is my theory that the decreased car length was required to compensate for the loss of two axles (a heavy, long car requires more axles to hold it up, a lighter or shorter car requires fewer!).

Doesn't MDC make shorty car kits? I have one that someone else made, and it looks alittle easier to build than to have to cut cars in half.

Quote4. Those wanting DCC/Sound equipped locos and want an accurate PE-style whistle should record a loop of the PE whistle and send it to QSI http://www.qsisolutions.com/ to have a custom sound card made.  I personally got to produce sound effects and an interactive cab for a potential release for Microsoft Train Simulator and have a sound file of the PE's whistle on my computer.  Maybe I could provide it for anyone interested.

Hope my advice helps!

Wow, I have to ask, do you have Sound files for the various electric locomotives out there, like the E44, E60MA, AEM7s, And Acela locomotives?  I try to get sound for my layout, but being a Northeast Corridor layout (which runs primarily electrics) its tough to find anything beyond a GG1 sound file.

Quote from: max (uk) on December 27, 2007, 07:52:40 AM
Dam Lionel  Do they even make any HO stuff?

They've made HO in the past, and recently they've made a Challenger and a Veranda gas turbine, but it looks like they pulled out again. I do have one of their Challengers though. Good stuff.

QuoteAnother thing. Is there ANY way at all to convert an AC tree rail engine to two rail?  If so it could be better for me to do that to the Lionel set. So i can run it with my On30. Not to keen on using 3 rail at all. Also i might be ayble to run it on the massive O gauge layout my MRC is building.

Any ideas?

It is technically possible, but then you should have bought the models in 2 rail in the first place.  In three rail (going off my set), the outside wheels are the same "polarity", and the thrid rail pick up is the other polarity.   You'd need to isolate the wheels so that your train doesn't short, which seems like more trouble than it is worth.   Then you'd have to wire it all up to the motor, and probably remove the AC equipment from the locomotive.   

Bachmann is going to love me this christmas. All but two of my model railroading items were Bachmann.

I got the remaining Acela express cars (which completed the set), as well as a pair of Amfleet I Phase II coaches and a cafe.

I ended up getting a kit to build a CNJ caboose that was the same as one i had rebuilt  in real life for my eagle scout project.   I also got an atlas Pressuraide hopper, and an alumilite casting kit, as well as a new airbrush and compressor, and thats just train stuff.

Quote from: Anthony P on December 26, 2007, 11:25:50 PM
Thanks Mr. B
also thank you for answering my message with out some people holering at me.

LOL, they didn't holer at you initially, and gave you the same answer.

However, why would you want something ready made! Half the fun in this hobby is assembling something unique, something no one else has.

you should try and find some decals for it, just to get started.

THis is what is under the tree from last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A69HErCakBk

Quote from: Conrail Quality on November 25, 2007, 10:45:08 AM
Nothing exiting here: I'll probably put up my E60CF(short, single-cab version) with some freight cars. It's the only small locomotive I have that is in working order right now (the rest being retired, worked on, or cannabalized).

is that the bachmann one, of the American GK? I'm trying to get my E60s rolling, but my decoders are giving me problems. I'll probably run my AEM7s with my Conrail U23B and GP40-2.

I also have a BLI GG1 and Lionel Challenger i like to run, on top of an O-27 lionel set.

I think he can potentially contribute now that he has had a year to grow.  give him a fresh slate.

I think you might be out of luck. I've seen several site about kitbashing them, but it looks tough. I know its been done before.

a modeler on the Conrail Cyclopedia made one

http://crcyc.railfan.net/model/steele/ste-parts.html

I think you can get a function only decoder for dummies.  You just need to know what to wire it to.  TF4s by digitrax are pretty cheap, i have some for my cab cars.

any 8-pin decoder will fit. All you need to do is take off the shell, plug it in, and then lay the decoder into the open area where the wires go from the PC board to the head lights.  There is more than enough room there.

Just remember moderation guys.  don't let them know just HOW much you enjoy trains, lol.

I went to get the three remaining regular business class cars for my HO scale Acela set, only to find that only the first class, diner, and end business class cars remained.  only one website even had them instock, let alone listed.

are they discontinued, or are they just waiting for another production run?

yeah, maybe you need to clean something. I know i have some Ancient Metroliner EMU cars, and when i ran them, the motor had EXTREME sparks, and was smoking. then again, Genesis is new, so maybe its not that old to be that bad.  Have you tried cleaning and fixing up the motor?

I think its alittle more simple. the new GP40X has plug and play, so you can use the digitrax 9-pin, or the 8 pin NMRA plug. installing the decoder will be easy

either way, you should have chosen a decoder with sufficient function outputs for the job.

At this point, its simply a matter of wiring up one ditch light to one auxillarly output (lets say the Green wire), and the other to the Purple wire.  the other end of the bulb ( or the correct end of an LED if you use those) should go to the blue wire. 

Now you have your lights hooked up.  It is now simply a programming problem. Your decoder manual will usually tell you how to do this.

the auxillary wires usually need soldering, but its pretty straight forward, nothing to complicated.  Other than the programming, it should be easy stuff, done within an hour!

as for the push pull stuff, i to am trying to get it to go for my NJ transit stuff, but i don't have the time.  Its still all programming. Remember, you can use a function only decoder in the cab car, and when you MU it, the "front" locomotive's settings go into play.   Its all possible with DCC if you know what you're doing.

good luck!

Quote from: Woody Elmore on October 22, 2007, 09:22:41 AM
For the painters out there who like to do "what if" paint schemes - what would a Pennsy E-44 look like (you could say that the Pennsy was trying one or two which they leased.)

Pennsy BOUGHT the E44. Pennsy is the reason it exists!

Quote from: Conrail Quality on October 27, 2007, 09:53:57 PM
I'm still trying to figure out what that huge Virginian electric was,

You are thinking of the Virginina EL3A boxcab.  that thing is ridiculous, its more like three engines under one road number. It has side rods to.

Quote from: r.cprmier on October 21, 2007, 06:49:38 PM
In terms of appearance, I have always liked the Westinghouse type pans on a locomotive.  I realize that Faivley pans are good and have their place, as current applications suggest.

I wasn't aware that E-44s were rectifier locomotives; for some reason, I had the impression that they were pure ac.  They did look good! 

yeah, the E44 was a upgraded E33.  However, the E44s themselves got an upgrade with the last 6 units being E44a models.  the E44a had a Silicon Diode rectifier, as opposed the the ancient (1930s tech) Ignitron rectifiers used on the E33 and early E44s.

Eventually, most E44s would be converted to E44a equipment.


This is actually why an E44 model will be tough.  There really is no set E44 configuration.   At first glance, they look all alike- Boxes with wheels. 

However, closer inspection will reveal all sorts of different of vent and louvers were used, especially along the roof line, so there could be issues with that.  i've seen all different vent arrangements, and i'm not sure which one would be best, as far as getting in all the paint jobs (Pennsy/Penn Central/ Conrail)

A Spectrum E44 might sell well.  How well did the E33 do?

Quote from: Elmore Yard on October 28, 2007, 08:54:55 AM
They were painted black and yellow, not blue and yellow as mentioned previouly.  There were no Virginian diesels or electrics painted blue and yellow.  That is Lionel fantasy.

Tom M

yeah, but you have to admit, at first glance the black on some of these locomotives looke like a dark blue, atleast in my pictures.

as far as the labeling goes, its probably better they made "CH" models anyway, since they already sell the Amfleets to go with it.  besides, they don't look that much different in the end anyway from the CPs.  The CH can also have more stuff done with it.