Okay, what's the arcane secret to installing a brand new set of Davenport drivers?
Apparently merely getting the gears on the correct side and engaged with the quartering properly lined up isn't good enough.
After multiple tries all we get is no revolution to one revolution then the axles jam.
Transmission runs fine without axles in, so it probably isn't something with the internal gearing.
I've been doing model trains for four decades, I should be getting this right by the seventh try, ya know.
IMG_2717_50 by ,

Having a technical difficulty, without Flash support, can't download pdf catalog; Flash no longer supports Vista 64bit, only 32 bit.

And unless my Social Security Disability income suddenly triples, buying a new computer isn't an option.

Sunday afternoon at our model RR club I had the impulse to pull out a binder of 1940s and 1950s Model Railroader magazines. There is something way, way, cool every 5th to 10th page.

November 1949 issue editorial on page 17, by John Page, "Sound - A New Challenge"
Used my camera to take a 'spy shot' of the page, and the last paragraph, to save it for my reference.

Quote"Good railroad sound effects would be a fascinating auxiliary to any pike. If they are possible at moderate cost, the time may come when a "silent" pike will be as outdated and "flat" as the silent movie today. But if sound is worth having at all, it's worth doing right, and that's going to take suitable recordings and more "know-how" on the subject than we have at present.
Who has more ideas to keep the ball rolling?"

Interesting, development of the feature was being plotted over six decades back.

Also on page was commentary on standardizing couplers at that time and why it was not yet time in the history of coupler development to do so. Author was of a mind that universal acceptance by modelers of a future coupler was what should be the agency which set that eventual standard.

Hey Y'all;
Been making some modifications to Big Hauler train set track - something to which a slight misquote of Hamlet may be applicable, "Though this be method, there is yet madness to it."

Making some feeder connections from wiring and plugs stripped from Christmas light reels purchased for stripping the LED from. They do make an observable difference on the large loop.

And ...

Trying my luck at creating track sections with insulating gaps. Am doing 2 straights and 2 curves.
Reinforced stringers under rails toward one end of piece. Sawed through both rails. Inserted sheet plastic to fill gap. Am adding imitation fishplates to outside of rail to help stabilize it.

Second step is to add headblocks from ties either side of block by gutting out one end of tie each side of gap, adding 6 inch piece of 1/4 by 1/4 basswood, then coming up with some way to mount an appropriately sized double pole, single throw, toggle switch where on a turnout the switchstand would be.

For now, the feeder wires provide power, plug it in for power, unplug to cut power. Kind of a what I'd call a trailer park redneck tech level method, but hey, it works for now  

My track is currently at our model train club set up on floor under HO modular layout's yards. Track is classic oval with cutoff at one end. What I want to do is be able to park a train on either inner our outer track, shut off that track; then turn on other track, and run other train, rinse and repeat as desired.

Theoretically, this will get you to a 10 picture - edit, now 15, I think -  album of the project, and my hairy little "helper", who knew model trains were a spectator sport,  on Flickr https://flic.kr/s/aHsktynbLL

Having seen several times over the decades how RRs would sometimes put boards through truss rod turnbuckles to prevent the vibrations from running loosening them I finally got around to doing that to my Bachmann freight cars - all 6 of them, 3 reefers, 1 box, 2 gons.

Photo is the 3 reefers and 1 box, from a kit Robbie Hanson gave to the cause, down at model train club.

Wood is 1/16 thick basswood cut 3/16 wide. Friction fit, hopefully, holds them in. We shall see.



Oh, wood is stained with either, I forget which, strong tone or dark tone, "Quickshade" gaming figure shading wash from Army Painter. 

And, yes, I have this thing about painting the wheels a hue close to the body. No, I don't know why I began doing that. However, as an added bonus at no extra charge, there is little doubt which cars are mine! Box will be, (hopefully will be) getting metal wheels in August.

Let's see, how many freight cars do I have? The 6 Bachmann cars. And 5 which I'm slowly poking along at scratchbuilding out of balsa and basswood, 4 box and one flat. Have about 7 cardboard 15in by 3.25in tubes a friend brought home from his job at grocery store, plan is to get trucks and turn them in to tank cars. Shrink wrap for the meat department or something was what they came from. None of my scratchbuilds are going to be run in the rain, but since I don't have my own garden railway anyway ...

Hey Y'all;

Added that cab to tender hinged deck, which I forget the technical name for, to a couple Big Hauler 4-6-0.
Design was intended to be simple, sturdy, mostly, and made from what was on hand.
How about we let the photos tell the story.
Except the photos don't tell that I did this in the single digit counted on one hand a.m. hours.
I don't know for sure where it sits as for strictly prototypical height attached to cab: I put it where I liked the angle, sloped but close to level.
Then again, what, on a Big Hauler is strictly to a prototype anyway.

Hey Y'all;
Forrest Scott Wood in Boonville, Missouri, here. A long ago interest in the Minneapolis & Saint Louis Ry has re-awaken.
What I had wanted to do way back in the 1980s was to make a model of M&StL loco number 545 as on page 91 of Model Railroader's Cyclopedia Volume 2, Diesel Locomotives. To that end a pair of second hand FT A-units have recently been acquired.

And Microscale has decals for the really pretty green and yellow livery.

One has a dead motor.
Which inspired this crazy scheme ...
... to re-motor them with can motors with flywheels.
Has anyone tried to?
Anyone have any ideas to toss in the hat?

While photo in book is of an A-B-A set drawbar-ed together, "selective compression" is going to be utilized to create a mere A-A set in order to look decent on a smaller layout.

Yesterday I took my PRR 0-6-0 to model train club to work on and run; was probably the first time in at least a year, maybe two, or more, that the loco had seen daylight.
Took it out of the tackle box insert thing I keep it in - and - found the eccentric crank on one side to be broken.
Whaaaaaaaaat

How did that happen? When did that happen?
and I can't imagine how it would have happened in there

but, yeah, that ain't gonna run like that


Looks like I'm going to have to write and send a letter - parts sheet makes zero mention of the eccentric crank's existence, http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/50601.pdf Or even which subassembly it would be attached to, the wheels, from which it can be unbolted; or, the cylinder and valve gear part, which it is riveted to the link from, which in turn is riveted to the cylinder and valve gear part.

All I really need to have is a new crank and a rivet, I can do the riveting work myself.

At end of last month I bought direct from Bachmann via Shopatron a #62301 GP30 EMD demonstrator - direct current only, Non-DCC version.

Yesterday at swap meet I bought an older one of same from days when body just snapped on instead of screwing on; and circuit board was attached to shell instead of frame.

The secondhand old #62301 has flywheels, brand new direct from Bachmann does not - why?

I am disappointed by that.

Hey gang;

Am wanting 6 pieces indoor straight, anyone have some to sell?

later
Forrest

Okay, can no longer resist asking.
Theoretical release dates for Katy GP40 and GM&O GP30?

Looked at various distributors' websites and they didn't have info.

Think that just became Kathy's Christmas 
(yes, Kathy has trains and likes the Katy, women are odd about things like that)
(actually, women are odd about a lot of things, but that's a discussion for a whole 'nother 55 gazillion gig of bandwidth)

Is it going to be red or green?

That info isn't provided on catalog page http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=4303

While we've been talking LED headlights on a couple other threads; 

Have a DCC ready with 8 pin socket 2-10-2 by IHC: while working on the Bachmann 0-6-0 for me, and John's old AHM RS-2, and another LED h/l job for Kathy, cut off the 2-10-2's apparently 12v rated "dim bulb" incandescent headlight bulb and after 20 minutes of playing with LED and resistors there was no "let there be light" moment.

Even hooked an un-resisted LED to the wires and nope, nothing, no light, no blowout.

Am baffled as to why a 12v light bulb works on the circuit but a 1.5V LED stays dark no matter which pole is attached to which side of the headlight bulb wires.

It wasn't a bad LED, it is the one now in the 0-6-0.

Y'all have any ideas?

thanks again
Forrest

Hey Jonathan 
Earlier tonight, well, technically yesterday now, had an inspiration how to wire LED headlight to regular DC 0-6-0.
Had boiler shell off to get at cab roof screw when those recesses top center of frame caught my eye. They have holes. Hole go all the way through. Hmm, wonder ... could there be, in that pile of odd screws in the coupler parts tray ... ?

Turned out there was -
Have no idea what size the screws are or where they came from, but they were able to be carefully worked in to the holes in 0-6-0 frame, cutting threads as they went.
With that being a huge gamble -- some very inconvenient things could have gone wrong.


And of utmost importance, they did not meet in the middle


After a bit of brainstorming it was determined that some copper eye bolt detail parts would make good connectors. A bit of cutting and soldering later, and we have


Cut notch behind headlight mount for wires to pass through in to boiler


And now, yes now, it dawns on me that some important parts were forgotten in the photography 
Will fill in later.
3mm LED came from battery powered warm white Christmas mini light string.
And no, I haven't a clue what its ratings are.
Headlight detail was freed from boiler by careful employment of fine tooth razor saw.
Back was drilled by hand with pin vise then countersunk to fit lip of LED.
While I was at it, numberboards were drilled out too.
Also glued some steel shot inside domes.

I have never installed a decoder before.
And as far as known, here in our little population 8200 farming burg, no one else has either.

Just got a Bachmann No. 44915 decoder to try to hook up to a DC 44 tonner. Chose that decoder based on Bachmann's current pdf for DCC version http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/62201.pdf which shows decoder as item N4915#X0005 - figure N4915 and 44915 are close to being same thing. (are you sure that decoder really fits in there?)

Got the EZ Command system late last year, or early this year, forget which.  

Looks like may be decoder hookup points along near side of DC circuit board.
So, how do I do this?
Definitely going to have to solder individual wires since board has no NMRA 8-pin plug.
Neither the loco nor the decoder have item-specific hookup info.

Mr. Bach-man, my Christmas gift engine has one axle splitting and at both ends.



Took body off Western Maryland 44-tonner on the 30th to allow access for repainting engineer figure, and for painting wheels to look grubby and rusty, and saw one of the white nylon axle gear parts splitting at each end. Don't know about the other axles.

I'd rather just get the parts and replace them myself than return engine - been wanting it for a year - and now that it's here I am not letting go of it!  

Oh, probably ought to relay that it is the current DCC On Board 44 tonner mechanism with one motor mounted in frame.

Received this for Christmas http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=1199 Photo shows #3796 but model I have is #3798. Found several photos of the real #3798 so I'm now a very happy camper

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=234153

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=141729

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=292709

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=118987

Next thing to do is go through Walthers catalog looking for detailing parts from Detail Associates and Details West; starting with snowplow, bell, and windshield wipers.

These Microscale decals have some of the small stenciling not on factory paint.
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=87-130&Category_Code=WM&Product_Count=4

Half the fun with these, for me, is getting a basic model and fixing it up.

Hey Y'all;

Nothing like DCC GP-40s & a 44 Tonner for Christmas.

Parents are in town for Christmas and plotted with Mike, owner of LHS, without my knowledge  
When they got in town the called him and asked if he knew and locos I might want.
He told them about the Chessie System GP-40 and Western Maryland 44 Tonner I'd started on lay away and the red & white Western Maryland GP-40 still on the shelf I had commented on wanting.

Mom & Dad paid off the layaway and bought the WM unit.

Nice Christmas, eh  

I have for them a G scale Durango and Silverton passenger set I'm doing some extra detailing on.

Toy train for each other - is that Christmas or what!

& now it needs a caboose, something like this maybe
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=3809

QuoteThis is the HO Scale Western Maryland Northeast Steel Caboose (#1816)
                   from the Bachmann® Silver Series®.
                      Suitable for Ages 14 & Older.

Or the

QuoteHO RTR Eastern 4-Window Caboose, Chessie/WM#901803
by Athearn

Or both  

Hey y'all;

Another DCC question.
Earlier today at LHS put a deposit on a GE 44-tonner in Western Maryland paint.
Think it is item BAC-80043, did not note it to bring home.

It is a non-DCC model in the Spectrum line from a couple years back.
Or at lest I didn't see the DCC logo on the packaging or paperwork.

What would be involved in making it DCC - might it be as simple as a board be ordered from Bachmann and screwed in in one evening?

And now it is time to quit multitasking and focus on finishing getting dinner cooked.
And what do ya know, timer just went off.

later,
FSWood

Was kind of limited to buying what I wanted cross-indexed with what was there and on sale.

Just came home with item #60708 Western Maryland GP-35, DCC On Board.

Want to run it m.u. with Chessie System GP-38-2 item #61705 which was purchased a couple years ago and has no DCC board.

They have really different starting currents and that has to change. They are going to run DC on home RR.
And also run on modular RR layout for new club: layout can be switched from DC or DCC.

1.) is there a DCC board to get to retrofit to the GP-38-2 so it will draw same current as DCC GP-35?
2.) can the DCC board be removed from the GP-35?

My health is a mess and I just don't want to screw with the complexities of DCC.

I need some help from someone who knows about those things because I sure don't.