As it so happens, I'm cleaning out some of my Bachmann G things and have a Columbia. The body and all are in great shape. The gears, however, aren't. Nice looking engine on the smaller side, which, in prototype, they were. The Columbia has an interesting history.

It's available for the cost of postage/shipping. I'm not about to quibble over value. We're downsizing and getting ready to go full timing in our motorhome in 20 months.

Calenelson, would you mind contacting me off-list about your Tweetsie photos and interest?

bnsonger@me.com

Apparently you were around Banner Elk/Boone this summer. I have an interest in ET&WNC for the layout I'm working on in the front yard.

Byron

OK, Kevin, enough with the showing off. It makes me slobber all over the keyboard. The drool factor is significant. It also makes me think I need to just stick with teaching music appreciation the rest of my life in spite of the extreme boredom it cause semester after semester. However, if I didn't appreciate art I wouldn't have the problem. 

By the way, your documentation on myLargescale.com is awesome. You write well, model well and do a great job setting up your own photos.

Thanks, again, for sharing your experience and expertise.

Byron

Loco Bill,

Got it. Have read it twice. Yes, the best around with photos to help those that are graphically appreciative.

His response here and that article make a great combination.

I've grabbed it, messaged it, printed it, and stuck it in the GR issue.

Byron

Kevin,

As always, an informative and complete response.

One writer to another -- I know it took time, thought and attention to detail (now where is that photo I want to insert?)

One comment, in the event you mix a little more sauce with this and it winds up in somewhere else: Going from photo 1 to 2 bent my mind a bit when you said something about the same locomotive. That word, same, is the trick. I do believe you mean same model.

Again. Most excellent. This and the August 09 Garden Railways article certainly help the "scale-challenge newcomer". Knowing where to look and how to look for the other things that turn you train into a work of art is most helpful.

I guess if I could go back and read six years worth of GR, look at everything there is at Family Garden Trains, keep up with Buck the Wonder Dog and events on the Cleveland, Delphos, & St. Louis Railway blog, and exhume a few ancestors I might begin to be as intelligent as you and a few others on this forum. But, at 62, there just aren't enough hours in the day to do that and get in the yard, too. I'm just grateful I've figured out what direction to head.

If the stimulus money keeps coming in one day things here in West Mitford and over at Victorian Crossing will start to look more like a worthy stop for the ET&WNC. All I have to do is get the crew to move a little more rock and I'll have a chance at getting the attention of the Board. I'm sure they'll want me to build a business case and promise to complete the trestle.

Byron

calenelson said: If you are leaning towards 1:20.3 here is a Great Fn3 Blog (notice links on left):
http://120pointme.blogspot.com/

Thanks. The links on the left are most helpful.

Other questions, as posted, remain.

Byron

(In the event that the Bach Man reads this I'll start by saying that I'm a Bachmann fan and am looking forward to more products from them in spite of the less-than-realistic MSRPs).

So, here I am. Another new convert to large scale modeling. As a lot of others, I jumped in because of the entry level on the Big Haulers line. Now that I'm in, I find that the scale is different. In spite of that I see that some modelers tend to mix things up a bit. Still, I'm wondering two things for which I'm seeking an opinion or two.

How far should one go in mixing the two Bachmann scales? Does it really look OK to have some Big Haulers cars behind a Spectrum locomotive?

Where do you get the other things to make the layouts look somewhat realistic; you know, building, vehicles and people? What scales do you look for? I see a lot of 1:24 but not much of anything else unless it's 1:18 or 1:32 (which would be totally inappropriate)?

Since Bachmann can't make everything, do you have other lines you consider worthy? What are their scales?

How would you rate the difference in details, etc. between an Anniversary Big Hauler and some of the Spectrum products that are currently being offered? Is there a difference in gears and motors or just looks?

Some thoughts from those of you with experience would be nice. (I hope I'm not asking for a book).

Byron

Nathan,

You state that you and your dad "happen to use the NCE 10 amp system with mostly Bachmann locomotives.  Even if we have lighting in our passenger cars and running 3 to 5 trains we tend to stay under 6 amps."

Can you tell me more about this. Off the board would be OK (bnsonger@mac.com

I can assure you, anything that takes you an hour to do will take me about two.

I prefer to keep the track powered and stay with DCC with all it's benefits and limitations and benefits.

I also plan to run extra feed points along the track as necessary. Do you have a guideline as to how many feet of track to consider for extra feeds? I'm using Aristo's stainless steel.

Thanks, in advance, for a possible response.

Political observation: It seems that NMRA has a ways to go in getting DCC into a more tightly defined specification. Until that happens model railroading isn't being helped much. It would seem there should be some basic things that DCC does and standard plug-in architecture being on of them.

Where would we be if a standards committee hadn't gotten together and developed a Wi-Fi standard. Or how about the way HTML is handled. For that matter, there was Java and then Java according to different publishers. Finally, the Java camp realized that chaos was getting everyone nowhere.

Yes, there can be deviations but within a good, broad scope, the terminology ought to mean something.

So, from what I read, every locomotive is DCC Ready if you know how to hook up and wire things yourself.

Marketing hype. I do hate it. I'm just glad I've learned to see through it. (Back when I was in charge of purchasing for a small computer retailer the sales folks used to hate to see me -- I tended to keep them honest.)

Thanks for the responses. I'm seeing that this whole mess of controlling trains is really a consumer's choice with little real guidance to go on unless you know where to look and how to decide. It isn't for a novice, which is a shame because that's one of the decisions one would make early on. For instance, I read Kevin's nice review of the new Revolution in Garden Railways. I found it interesting that Revolution will not do some things that DCC is capable of but does have some features where DCC seems to be lacking. But, you can't mix and match. It's one or the other unless your pockets are as deep as an artesian well.

Byron

P.S. You guys on here are great. I've been on several forums and discussion boards and this one is top notch.

Dear on30gn15,

Send me an email off the discussion board and we can work something out. I have extra locomotive parts and willing to let go of a car. Shucks, I'll even swap out the drum for normal railing from the combine so you have a passenger car. The car, by the way, has metal wheels and knuckle couplers. I'm not a fan of hook-and-loop.

My email is in my profile. But, for the sake of making it handy I'll provide it here.
mailto: bnsonger@mac.com

Byron

She's looking good.

I assume you'll post some photos of the work on the engine after your modifications are made. That plate between the engine and tender makes sense as do the other modifications you're planning. Some real nice wood in that tender would look nice.

So, where the heck are the passengers?

Changing the roof out looks great.

Need another V&T car? I'm considering messing up one out of my set since the engine bit the dust. That leaves one for another life at another place. (Two cars are too short anyway).

Byron

Kevin,

Again, your response is greatly appreciated.

I had heard that DCC wasn't so great for use in large scale -- OK for HO and the like but not great for large scale or outdoor use. You're helping me see the light.

I had been curious about Aristo-Craft's Revolution but, again, couldn't seem to get past the sales oriented language to really understand it's place in the scheme of things. It sure has gotten lots of hype. Sometime, as you know, hype is just what it is, hyperbola in type -- a couple of curves thrown at the reader to confuse the reader.

One more thing, if you don't mind. What do you mean when you say "battery power". Are you saying that the controller is battery powered and that the engine receives constant DC over the rail and that a receiver in the engine/tender is awaiting instructions with regard to throttle and sounds? Or, are you saying that the entire operation is battery powered -- moving the engine off of rail power to battery.

Personally, I'd rather avoid batteries if possible. You know, they're always dead or being charged when you want them most, not that lack of planning has anything to do with it.

Byron

I'm looking for some clarification of what "DCC Ready" really means.

The reason I state it this way is due to my background. As a computer systems engineer I learned a long time ago that those who speak in marketing terms use ambiguous terms intentionally. I think "DCC Ready" is a case in point.

I'm rather new to DCC and it's implications in large scale. To my novice mind it is just plain confusing. I've done a search of DCC and came across some interesting discussion here but, to tell the truth, they leave me confused.

Back to my computer background. When I was in sales I would tell people if you want Apple, buy Apple stuff. If you want IBM, buy IBM stuff. Why? Because you really have to know your stuff when you go mixing and matching. Of course, that was back in the 1980's.

I know that, in theory, DCC is pretty standardized. DCC should work across brands. I also know that (layman's terms here) you need a "decoder" in a locomotive and a "controller" tied into the rails to control individual units. By Bachmann stating "DCC Ready" means one of two things to me: Decoder needed or decoder onboard and controller required. Those two issues can be miles apart.

So, to help, here are some questions.

Does Bachmann include a decoder with the Mogul and Consolidation engines?

If not, whose decoders (for placement in the engine) are compatible?

Does Bachmann make such a decoder?

Will the EZ Command with 5 Amp Booster work well? If not, what is required for satisfactory operation?

One final question. Is another technology for controlling multiple engines on the same track better? (I realize this may muddy the water a bit but I believe those of you who think independently understand.)

In other words, I want these engines running on about 200 feet of track in my garden railroad. Is my dog in the wrong hunt or my engine on the wrong track?

Byron

I've thought of that. It would leaving things looking unbalanced unless I added another digit to wind up with "151". I don't know if ET&WNC had a box car numbered 151. For sure, it would be less work. If I did that I'd want to keep the purists away, which my happen anyway.

The font the numeral is in does look rather common. I'll have to get some of those dry transfer letters and give it some thought. I think I'll try lifting the number first. I need the experience.

Byron

Kevin,

I sent an email offlist. Thanks for the lead on the railroad font. As you can tell, I'm new at this.

Byron