my weathering job there...

when you can just put down your modeler's glue, paint brushes and soldering guns
and say

WELL


im done...

and when your "done" with your layout, you just play with the trains?

(my point is)
i don't think your ever done with layout's keep finding new things to do.
i think if you just said your done, you'd get kind of bored after a few days of driving the trains in a circle...
has anyone ever hit a point when they said there done?

i have a feeling the times are changing,
the kid's ask for train set's less 
and the "original" model fans are... dare i say it
getting... even more elderly.   

technology might get  better... maybe more digital trains with the digital age... more reliable things.
model trains shows are still largely attended.
Mostly by family's with 5 year olds

Can anyone tell me what they think the possible future could bring?


But in my perspective, it looks like model railroading is a dieing hobby.
i honestly hope not 
and how is Bachmann's  stock doing?

is it possible to make your own?
i know it looks kind of cheap
but im dieing to use the smoke unit on my 0-6-0

what chemicals i would need to buy...

i have a 4/8 layout... a dc set
with 3 dc trains
and i have 2 dc bachmann power packs i hooked up and i was wondering how many lights can it power?  Undecided
because i have 4 small lights i want to power with a bachmann steam sound station i bought on ebay
even though the instructions say you should only put one accesory into each,
will it be enough to power it and run 1 train?
yes call me unprofessional...

Fyi ill put some pictures of the layout within the week.  : Tongue

i have a 4/8 layout... a dc set
with 3 dc trains
and i have 2 dc bachmann power packs i hooked up and i was wondering how many lights can it power? 
because i have 4 small lights i want to power with a bachmann steam sound station i bought on ebay
even though the instructions say you should only put one accesory into each,
will it be enough to power it and run 1 train?


Fyi ill put some pictures of the layout within the week.  :

i saw one of those on ebay for a really cheap price and i was wondering
would it work with e-z track and bachmann trains...
so does it?
does it have to do with some sort of NMRA compliant system?
is it?

i know for a fact that ho and on30
trains fit on the same size track...
i have some basic questions ive wondered about their comparison

does 0n-30 need more electrical draw than ho?

if i were to buy 0n30 rolling stock and ho rolling stock
would their couplers fit together?

if i bought some on30 scenery (if there is such thing)
and ho scenery
(such as houses and trees)
would i be able to tell the difference in the layout?

does the spectrum line have only ho? or does it have 0n-30?

and ive seen charts http://64.251.10.24/~worldofw/shoptlc/images/Information/Scale.gif

and it seems that on-30 are larger than ho
and i have heard the word "narrow gauge" used with it
what does that mean
and how do they fit on the same track?


Thanks
just wondering  :    

but how do the trains run even if the track is not finished?
should'nt be a complete circuit in order to run?
or am i missing something
probbably am because they do...
does it have something to do with the ac and dc electrics?

I sent in my bachmann spectrum loco last week for a small part problem
i am Extremley happy on what the've done
they sent me
an entireley new train
i was asstonished when it came
didn't "need" to be replaced
but gee im just happy that the bachmann co. is so generous
Thanks Bachmann!

i had a warranty on my spectrum 2-8-0 loco ( the award winning one)
and it had some part of it break
a plug of some sort in between the loco and the tender
warranty is still good so i sent it out to bachmann's service department
does anyone know how long it will take to return?

call me impatient...
-summertrainz

well i have my layout all set up...
trees... houses... grass... spectrum trains thundering down the line..
now i need to make more realism
boxcars... Look too new
any advice on how to weather them?
sand them down slightly?
throw dirt powdered dirt on them?
my basic ideas
how do you do it with out buying boxcars with that something like that already done?

this may be a bit off topic for this board
but does the cow catcher commonly on the front of steam locomotives...
did it push cows off the rails?
because i was wondering if it didnt have that, could it derail the train if it was a 4-4-0? or 0-6-0?
because i was playing railroad tycoon 3 on my pc and a consolidation 2-8-0 loco on the game was designed with red (stuff) on the cowcatcher.
which brought me to my curious question.
did they hit the cows if they did'nt get off the tracks?

im just curious
why are these little plastic houses SO expensive
between 10-100 dollars...

any other plastic things you can get free can mc.donalds..

i was removing my tender from my dcc 2-8-0 loco and i might have broken the connector...
im not sure
there connected by wires with little plastic plugs
does the protruding metal parts come out of the connector or the board?
they are in the connector
my thought is that it's suppose to be in the connector...
but also that makes me nervous is that they are not going in together
(the board and the connector)
it seems to have slots that the metal protrusions go into...
but they dont seem to go in
they are very small parts
my question is
is it my fault that i cant get it in or can some one show me a diagram of the connector and the tender board
usually they fit easily
i just want to know to repeat.
is the metal protrusions on the plug or the board
i had a concern that the metal "things"
got stuck in the plug from sudden pulling
or not
i dont want to send it out for warrenty  if its not broken
thanks
-summertrainz

i accidently bought the spectrum line "union pacific" line
and im modeling northern new jersey...
thats thousands of miles apart...
so.... is there a way to remove it?...
with some sort of cleaner...
can some one help?

heh train lovers   

i don't have a big layout compared to others
(5/9)
but i had some of my tracks oxidize witch i now know and i had to buy a new set.
and now i have everything set up
i want to put some conductive oil on the tracks
so i take some of my liquid i have lying around and instead of manually wiping the entire tracks/ i decided to make a temporary cleaning car.
the first rolling stock i fitted i rubber banded a piece of that soft packing material. not styrofoam but... that soft stuff... it cleaned off dust and such.
the other car i fitted i put some conductive thick liquid on the plastic wheels and i quickly put it on and connected it to my loco and made it drive around
i put my finger on the tracks and i felt a smooth liquid
it worked! it first dusted and then oiled the tracks
and the rolling stock isn't permanently bonded to the cleaning mechanism.


is this a good way? or does anybody have a better idea

New poll here
i would like to know
1.when did you first have intrest in trains and what was your first model train set,
2. Who has a 4/8 board/ half/all their basement or their entire house devoted to trains?

1.i like trains since i was about 4 when i saw them at a trains show.
my first model train set was a life like set with a mix of bachmann with hook couplers. (still have it mixed in with my other new ones)
2. i have a 4/8 bored. i'm 12 so i guess i'm in model "training"

i have been working with bachmann trains for a while
until i found in my attic in a mis labled  box...
life like and bachmann trains from the 90's
some broken "primitive"functions locomotives (a small motor in the front)
with a price tag of 30$ at the time.
some track and a beyond repair transformer
the trains fit on the track
thats all good
but they have different couplers
http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/pics/921410.jpg
http://www.trains.com/mrr/objects/images/mr_abc_8-02_hocouplers_07.jpg
and they break away from each other easily
the life like and the bachmann in the 90's had the same couplers and they stay together and the "e-z couplers have a hard time staying on with them
and i have limited funds so i cant "smash em with a hammer"
its sentimental value from my childhood
is there a way i can have them fit together?

the switches which ive been switching by hand
to i plug them into a transformer?
or something?
the two i bought are not switching connected to the dc controller which probbly isnt how it works
what do i need?