Wow, the side gear information was a complete eye opener. I haven't seen but a couple real steam trains but I'm completely fascinated by all the hoses, gears and moving parts. I'm trying to arrange for a little excursion in hopes to see one that really works and moves. The thing that catches my attention is that all these parts have to be important otherwise I don't believe they would put it on there. A real mechanical marvel.

Thanks!

I don't know what I was thinking. I have LGB 15000 circular track. I believe this makes it 5' diameter.

Are these Shay engines good for smaller radius tracks? I looked this train up online and it has some very interesting moving parts. Very exciting to see it in operation. I've never seen anything like it. I wonder if it would work with 5' radius turns.

Thank you,

Wow, all very great information and photos. Wonderful ideas for me. Thanks so very much all 

This is great stuff.

Thank you, so it is ok for the bell pull string to rub on the big stack part then?

Hello everyone,

I was thinking of adding a little detail to my 4-6-0 anniversary bumble bee. I see from old photos that there was rope from the bell to the driver's compartment. The photos look like the rope would come from the bell handle/arm back to the work station but when I lay out a string to simulate that, there's a large stack thing (I do not know what this is) that is in the way.

I also see that on top of this large stack there is what looks like a whistle I was also thinking about adding a little detail by adding the control for this as well.

Has anyone tried this? I wonder if some parts because of scale are larger and maybe this can't be done. Just tinkering, nothing lost if this is a bad idea.


Thank you!

That is a great photo!

Thanks very much.

OK, that does make sense. I wasn't sure what the driver would do at night in the dark if he had to read or do something like turn knobs or levers and that sort of thing if maybe they had lights inside.

Thank you all :-)

I think I know what you're talking about. Mine when new only had a few hours of run time and the brass bearing/carrier bit was turning inside the plastic section and was chewing up the plastic. Eventually it made quite a bit of noise and became rather floppy. I sent it back because it was still under warranty. The shipping is quite expensive. When the train came back it didn't have the metal gears and didn't have the newer front truck.

I was told that this was how they fixed the newer trains and that it would run very well for a very long time. I was told that regular lubrication was essential. This evening I took the replacement train off the track for lubrication. It's been running nicely and quietly for a month or so. The plastic is being worn down and there is plastic inside again. I am worried that this won't last.

My estimation is that after about 4 returns for repairs I would have paid for a new train in shipping. I very much like the train but I worry about the durability. I run mine inside only and I have a very simple track. I don't run it fast. I have one passenger car and one caboose. It is also a 4-6-0 anniversary.

That is VERY neat 

Hello all,

I've recently added a nice little 5 volt regulator and LED lighting to my side marker lamps and the inside of my large caboose. It looks a little odd running at night in the dark. I was wondering if in the real world is there a light in the driver's compartment of the engine? If this is something that is in the real train, has anyone found a nice clean way to add a light to the model? I'm quite handy with electronics that's not the issue, I was wonder if there's a simple and clean path between the pickups in the bottom of the train leading up to the driver's compartment.

Thanks very much and have a great evening :-)

Hello everyone,

I'm considering expanding my setup just a little. It was suggested to me to consider a second engine and I'm looking into this. I'm looking at a smaller porter type locomotive. I would like to expand my track just a little to have a place to park the train(s) when not in use. I'm looking at a track plan as shown below.

The question I have is how to have two trains on the track without both of them moving when power is applied. I would like to have one running the circle while the other is parked off on the side. I don't have the DCC set up...it's just analog DC. I don't know exactly how the track switches work and if they also switch power. If they do switch power, could I apply my power from the transformer in the main circle and then when the switches for the particular turn out is applied then would power also be routed in that direction as well?

As a little side project, I've ordered a computer controlled relay interface module. I plan to connect it up to my PC and remotely control the switches :-) wish me luck and thanks very much for any comments or advice.

I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to see one of these things in action. That would be some sort of major event for sure.   

Oh, ok...I see. Very interesting indeed. Thank you!

Hello all,

I recently noticed that on the front of my 4-6-0 engine and on the back of the coal car there are these angular bars that span the width of the train. They flip up and down but I can't for the life of me figure out what purpose they serve. Any idea what these were used for in the days when these trains were in service?


Thanks!