I don't think your Crossovers are the problem... I have a 9 Track Yard on my Layout & have each track wired on both sides of the switches even though my switches are PECO Insul Frog's... I wanted to make sure my Loco's run through the switches with no problems...& I think your other problem is with your EZ TRACK I am assuming your using a Re Railer  to power up your Track I would DITCH the current setup your using & wire you layout Direct & use a Transformer... If it was me I would Solder @ least 4 power leads to the main part of Layout & WIRE Both sides of your switches... & You should have no Running problems... MY Layout is 16ft long by 6ft wide.. & I wired my layout for DCC & believe I did my lead's every 2 -3 foot apart & all my switches in my yard are wired on both sides & each track is wired too.. Might be a little over kill on wiring but MY LOCO"S RUN SMOOTHLY with NO ISSUES....

Wow pretty cool... I only watched a few seconds of vid... I got the ligst of it... I wonder though how many cars he had on the track.. & seemed to be running loco pretty fast...

If you still have the paid slip from the store I would return item & get another one with direction's... That would be your easiest bet..

Quote from: richg on March 11, 2014, 09:10:14 PM
Read about both a lot. Looking forward to this area in June with girlfriend who is from the area.
Lots of railroad history.from what I have read over the years.
Horseshoe curve is a must see.
Found many websites.
Been to Scranton twice and Strasburg twice.

Rich

Rich .... I have been to Horseshoe curve on 1 Trip myself in May last year for a weekend & being from the other end of PA I live in Bethlehem home of the Lehigh Valley Railroad & about 4 - 3/4 HR drive to Horseshoe curve for me... You will be amazed of The power that comes through the curve is awesome. & the Loco shops are really awesome too... I try to go Rail Fanning to this area in the summer months 1 time each year.. But  I am in the process of building a Model Railroad Layout myself "witch a lot of you already know that" I will not be planning & trips this Summer because I want to finish my Layout this summer I just passed the 70% complete mark... LOL... Rich Bring a lot of Film & have your cam recorder handy you will get a lot of video's... & ENJOY YOUR TRIP

Quote from: atrain on March 08, 2014, 08:33:33 AM
Im looking to add a dcc with sound first generation Alco diesel to my engine fleet.  I see Bachmann has several to choose from.  Do the sounds include starting and stopping the engine?  And do they provide the realistic 'warble' Alco engines were infamous for?

Also you might want to check out decoders from tsunami & digitrax.. As well before choosing a DCC loco from Bachmann..

Quote from: leadsleader on March 07, 2014, 02:00:55 PM
I have 2 f7 a and b units that I purchased several years ago. from the get go when I ran them there was a clicking noise as they run around the track. I tried to figure it out and narrowed it down to the gears in the trucks. I sent them into bauchman and for the first few times run fine.  the noise has returned and is very loud. when I switch directions it changes pitch or dulls down.  does anyone have a cure?

I would try lubing the Gears on the Trucks the Grease might be dried up... I would try that...

Quote from: jbrock27 on March 06, 2014, 12:15:41 PM
dwd, re: your Athearn RTR locos: to my knowledge, they should not have any wires or connections factory installed for DCC conversion.  It would be very easy to do, if you so chose down the road.  Lots of YouTube and internet information out there on how to accomplish that by isolating the motor from the frame.
The shell should be very easy to remove to gain access to the inside.  Did yours come with a blow up diagram?  What models are your Athearn RTRs?  Removing couplers to replace should be as easy as loosening a screw or popping off a coupler cover, depending on the model.  Same with the trucks, you should be able to easily pry off the plastic clip at the bottom of each truck, with a small screw driver.  If unsure how to approach this, there are pics and vids out on in the internet on how to get them off.  Once off, it is easy to lube the gears (with grease I would recommend, plastic compatible) and the lube will carry to the worm gears.  If you wanted to lube the worm gears directly, it is easy enough to pry off their covers, but you need to get the shell off.  Any questions, feel free to ask.  I hoped this helped.  I still run DC too

tmb, I have never heard of Bachmann Silver Series locos, but have Silver Series rolling stock.  They make some very nice rolling stock for reasonable prices.

Jbrock - Thanks I just assumed it was from that line up... I Stand Corrected... & learned something new today LOL & I agree Bachmann's Silver Series stuff of rolling stock are pretty good & there rolling stock run's well on my layout I have about 12-15 pieces of Bachmann's Silver Series Rolling Stock I use with no problems 90% of my rolling stock is Walters Mainline Ready to Run...

Quote from: dwdrummer on March 05, 2014, 10:02:48 PM
I have been operating my HO layout for over 45 years. I've used Athearn Ready to Roll engines exclusively. Lately I've come to notice the Bachmann line of fine Ready to Run GP40-2 engines in the CSX Dark Future paint scheme.
What I'd like to know from the other modelers that use Bachmann diesels out there is if Athearn and Bachmann are compatible if used together, whether in 2,3 or 4 engines coupled together.
I'm very impressed with the paint and numbers on your engines, but before making purchases to compliment my CSX GP38-2 & GP40-2 fleet I would like to know if they are compatible. ( multiple units coupled together)
I still run the locomotives with a DC power pack and purchasing anything with sound etc is just not for me. I'll stay old school.
Looking for answers if possible out there and a thank you to all those who reply to my questions.
Thank you,

dwdrummer -  Personally I use Walters Mainline Ready to Run Loco's on my layout.. But I recently got a Bachmann LOCO this past Christmas
Its From Bachmann's Sliver Series of product lineup.. It was a UP - GP-38-2 Second Generation #2024... DCC Ready "NO Sound"... I will admit NOT ever owning a Bachmann Loco I was very amazed on how good this LOCO ran on my Layout right out of the Bachmann Box.. Now with an Updated DCC Sound & Decoder from tsunami & fully weathered it is one of my Favorite Loco's to run Now... & my Bachmann Loco has no problems running with my Walters Loco's coupled up with each other... & as a matter of fact a few of my Model railroad buddies Can't believe my UP Loco is a Bachmann... Yes said honestly they thought is was a Walters...

& to be honest with you dwdrummer - DCC is the way to go today... when I 1st started building my layout 2 -1/2 years ago I was just going to go with regular DC & throw in a transformer & hook my track power up to my layout.. But after seeing my friends layout I was amazed on the Sounds I was hearing from the Loco's & from there I never looked back & it was DCC & sound in the locos all the way for me.....

Quote from: Desertdweller on March 05, 2014, 12:34:28 PM
TMB,

I think you have made the right decision.  I can't say you were paying too much..after all, he charged what someone (you) was willing to pay.

You will find that airbrushing is not really difficult.  It is quite rewarding, because you can see the immediate effects of your work.

I weather most all of my equipment to some degree, generally using acrylics applied with a brush.  The key here is "dry brushing".

Woody,

Yellow paint presents two problems:

First, yellow paint tends to be translucent.  To get good coverage over another paint job can require a thick layer of paint if you are unwilling to put on an opaque sub-coat first.  Spray application works better than brushing, but it really needs to be applied over a primer coat of light gray or white.

Secondly (and this from someone who has done a lot of repainting of models into UP colors), a lot of yellows are not straight yellow.  They often tend toward orange when freshly applied.  This means they have had red pigment added.  As the equipment sets in the sunshine, the red gradually fades out, leaving a markedly paler yellow.  This won't happen on model trains that are not left in the sunlight.  So, unless you are looking at equipment fresh from the paint shop, the UP equipment you see will be all different shades of yellow.

Les

Les... I do agree with you I was paying a good amount of cash to have my Rolling Stock weathered... 1 Reason I decided to get my own Airbrush equipment & paints.....

& now about the Color Yellow every one is talking about

I think Yellow is a nice color to use & could be used in a mix of other colors in a weathering process... Pigments of any color I think go hand to hand & if you have a quality paint from a good manufacturer & co you should without any worries always get a good quality paint job no matter the color your using

I just starting Airbrushing Myself on undecorated bodies getting a feel for airbrushing.... After paying my local hobby shop Airbrushing guy $25.00 for Light weathering 1 Color & NOT including painting to wheel trucks "BODY ONLY OF CAR"... & $ 40.00 full weathering up to 3 colors... EACH... if you brought in 4 or more Rolling Stock to weather @ the same time the hobby shop would knock off $ 5.00 to total bill.... & on average from Drop off to Pickup it was taking on average 8-12 days before they would call me to tell me there done & ready for pickup... I asked the Hobby Shop MGR 1 day why it takes so long for the guy to paint & weather rolling stock he said his painter work's another fulltime job & only paints for the Hobby Shop on weekend's SAT & SUN from 10AM to 2PM..... So I had enough with the long wait's & decided to buy an Airbrush Starter Kit / Airbrush Compressor / some airbrush paints / & watch some YouTube Vid's on Airbrushing / & bought a few undecorated bodies / I plain on giving it a shot this weekend... Although I don't expect a perfect job my 1st go @ it but with practice I am sure I will get it down... & after some practice run's on undecorated bodies then I'll do a few of my rolling stock from my layout..... after I get a little experence

Quote from: SCHOOLBUSLEO on March 04, 2014, 05:03:23 PM
Thanks for a reply. No, I did not pull the decoder & put an adapter in place. I have 3 other loco's that run on dcc & dc without doing that exercise. I assumed that this didnt either. You know what they say about assuming . I will need to get an adaptor & try your suggestion. I will let you know how it went. Thanks again for your time.

Make sure all of your connection's in your Loco are soldered good & making good contact... Also if your other Loco's are running OK.. Your Track could be dirty & not allowing proper electrical current pickup.. I clean my Track daily on my layout... Being my layout is in the basement with exposed joists the dust from walking around upstairs drops dust onto my layout. I plan on installing drop ceiling tiles soon that will solve a lot of dust issues... But in ALL having a clean track is #1 a lot of people post on hear saying there Loco's run & stop... & can tell you from experience if you have a properly running Loco "ANY LOCO FOR THAT MATTER" & a CLEAN TRACK" there NO reason WHY a Loco should not run  ALL 5 OF MY LOCOS RUN FLAWLESSLY with no running issues....

I have a bachmann DCC equipped loco.. no sound just DCC ready.. " got it as a christmas gift this year " its Bachmann's Silver Series Loco UP #2024.  Well anyway the loco ran OK out of box.. But in all honestly & not trying to offend anyone but Bachmann's decoders are Not the best.. & to mention I Buy a lot of bachmann sliver series rolling stock & that product line is very decent & works well on my layout & of course weathered up.... But anyway I changed out the decoder to a tsunami.. Decoder & actually use both products in my 5 locos & think tsunami and digitrax are the best on the market today for people running DCC locos..  Dont get me wrong I love the bachmann loco I have it runs great on my layout with the upgraded DCC & SOUND DECODER.. + think instead of trying to reprogramming CV's I would get a tsunami or digitrax one... I think you will have better luck....

Thanks Joe... I will jump on Walters web sight during my lunch break & check it out... If they will work I will go that route.. Thanks again....

Hi everyone... I need a little help

I want to detail up my GP-20 Short Nose Loco.. "I am pretty sure its a GP-20"... I was looking @ my local Hobby Shop to get the hand rails along side the cab "I am missing them on the left side of the Cab" must of got broken from in & out of Storage before I got my layout built.. I also want the MU hoses wiper blades the hole 9 yards in extra details I can put on the Loco OR MAINLY WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE WHEN IT WAS IN SERVICE... where would be a good outlet to obtain these items.. I looked on Bachmann's part's section of the store I could not find them. Thanks for any help everyone...

Quote from: jward on March 04, 2014, 01:16:15 AM

Quote from: trainmainbrian on March 03, 2014, 08:55:43 AM

The 1st GEN GP-38's EMD had them equipped with 12 CYL engines.. & the Railroads complained they lacked in mainline power & where mainly used in short run local delivery services.. Then EMD put out the GP-38-2.. Second Generation & it received 2 thumbs up from Railroad's across the Country with it's bigger power plant & NOW could be used for mainline service & the article I read said a lot of GP-38-2 are still in use TODAY witch...  UP..... still has in there fleet & uses this LOCO Today for there Short line delivery routes & some Yard Switching as well....

that is not accurate at all. all gp38s had the same 16 cylinder engine. without turbo. a 16 cylinder engine with a turbo is a gp40.  the 12 cylinder engines were primarily used in switchers like the sw1500 and mp15. with turbo, they were used in gp39s and gp39-2s, which were slightly more powerful than a gp38. all of the above were considered second generation locomotives.

JWARD.... THANK YOU very much for the accurate INFO... I STAND TOTALY CORRECTED & RETRACT MY PREVIOUS STATEMENT... I did a search on ASK.COM..... being an AVID Model Railroader I want to have accurate info & as well reply with accurate info as well.. Again THANK YOU...

the primary differences between the gp38 and the gp38-2 were the use of an alternator instead of a dc generator and solid state circuitry in the dash 2s. the horsepower output remained the same.

wherever you are getting this info from, they don't know what they are talking about.