Hey all,

What method do you recommend for painting locomotive wheels safely (as in without damaging any other parts of the locomotive) ?



I ask because, as you can see, Bachmann's James the Red Engine has light gray wheels and axleboxes on the tender where these should all be matte black, and I don't want to mess up my brand-new model. Black Sharpie has been recommended to me in this case, but it doesn't get in all the nooks and crannies and comes off when it's overwritten.

So I'm building a layout focused around the episode Gallant Old Engine which includes a tunnel. Can anyone provide me with approximate measurements (perhaps using Skarloey as a reference) for the model? I have been told that he will be about the size of his ERTL model, which I am a bit skeptical of, but then again I don't know anything about it; I haven't even seen Skarloey's model IRL for a size comparison.

And while we're on the subject, has Bachmann provided an exact release date for Rheneas? I have read rumors ranging anywhere from next month to January of 2018, and would like to clear things up if possible.

Hey guys. I'm laying sectional track with cork roadbed, and am getting really frustrated with nailing the track down. I've tried using a craft hammer as well as a normal-sized hammer, and both are very iffy to work with. I've dented more than one piece of track just making sure the nails are in deep enough so they don't scrape the chassis of my engines; and I've gotten plenty of nails in just enough so that they do just that, and removing them is damaging the track.

Any advice on what to do here? Would something like a tiny nail gun (such as this) work?

So I bought a bunch of code 80 track, which came with metal joiners in groups of 4. Long story short, they never disconnected evenly from their "groups" and the track doesn't connect evenly without gaps between sections or the track otherwise being laid evenly/completely straight.

I'm looking for joiners that come completely loose in boxes or bags. I see that Micro-Engineering has them for code 55 track, which I know is slightly thinner; would the joiners be compatible with my code 80 track? If not, are there other manufacturers wh make them for code 80? I am new to N scale (having switched from HO for space reasons) and could use some help in this matter

Hey there. I'm planning a layout and have only a few switches, but two are located on curves. (And yes, I realize it's breaking a "rule" of trackplanning.) What radius is the curve of the standard switches (#44861 and #44862)? Bachmann has about five or six curves of different radii, and I'd like to match that of the switches if at all possible.

Hey there everyone. Some of you may remember the Irish Railway set (#000651) from years and years ago. Since it's been long discontinued, is there a way to get parts for it?

I am planning a very small layout; I need a turntabld 5" dia. at the most (layout is on a  43x10" shelf) and there seem to be few if any built-ups/kits for a length this small.

Scratchbuilding is a last resort, if anyone could point me to a small commercially made turntable for N, that would be great. I am not an experienced modeller, and don't want to take on anything too complicated.

I guess this would be the right place to put this... here's a vid showing off my new tank engine...

Post cool train stuff you've won on eBay.

For example, I won this little number a few weeks ago.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRIANG-GWR-PANNIER-TANK-TRAIN_W0QQitemZ120177904855QQihZ002QQcategoryZ125456QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm planning on ordering a 57xx Pannier tank from Bachmann UK this holiday season. I live in the US. I'm wondering, will locos made for British currents (as their household current is different from ours) not work with power supplies and track made for US?

If it will not work on US equipment, then are there any alternatives?

I would appreciate any input.

Thanks, Tristan.