Dear Gene,

I always enjoy reading your input to the board.  Thanks for all your help. 

I may have found something here, though.  You said:

"You probably don't have any truck mounted couplers.  What that means is that the coupler pocket is actually attached to the truck, not the car itself."

I'm guessing that you meant to say:

----"You probably .. have .. truck mounted couplers.  What that means is that the coupler pocket is actually attached to the truck, not the car itself."----

Dear Kat,

The truck, of course, is the device that is attached under the body on a swivel mount that holds (at least) two axels and twice as many wheels.

Somewhere I have read about "3 point mounts".   One truck is mounted so that it both "swivels" and "rocks" a little.  The other truck is mounted tighter, so that it only swivels, with very little rocking motion. 

The tighter mount keeps the car body from rocking as it goes down the track, while the looser mount allows all the wheels to maintain contact on uneven track.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik     

Dear Chuck,

"LGB's (knuckle) coupler...(has) a fairly large (long with rounded bottom) trip pin that extends below the coupler.  On the top side, the pin, with a hole on top, is more reasonable looking." (The bottom of the mounting tab is nearly flush with the bottom of the 'hand'.) pg. 58.

"Bachmann's .. knuckle couplers..use a single, thin, plastic rod as a self centering spring."  (The mounting tab is fairly well vertically centered with the 'hand'.  It has a short, nearly squared off lower trip pin.) pg. 57.

Quotes from "Coupling Questions, An overview of today's knuckle couplers" by Scott Anderson, Garden Railways, August 2003, pp. 56-61. 

Words and descriptions of article photos (both in parenthesis) added for clarity.

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Sheldon,

Passenger trains use steam to heat the cars.  Could dynamic braking energy supplement the heat to the steam boiler?

How about using the generated electricity to refine aluminum?  (Be the first kid on the block with a model aluminum refinery in your model locomotive.  Look Ma, no dynamic brakes!)

Assuming perfect conversion of energy (no friction or resistive losses), you would recover the same amount of energy coming down the hill (kenetic energy) as you put in to raising the weight to the top of the hill (potential energy).  The weight of the batteries or other storage devices in a loco would just add traction, which, from what I've heard, is not a bad thing. 

So, would the friction and resistive losses, material costs and complexity of maintenance still overshadow any gains in efficiency?   Hmm.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear All,

I can't believe that someone hasn't invented a system of storing a (diesel-electric powered) train's dynamic braking energy instead of dissipating it as heat.  What a waste.   

How about charging a bank of batteries, spinning up a large flywheel, or compressing some air?  Any other suggestions?  (Would compressing a spring be too dangerous?..)

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Brian,

http://www.nmra.org/standards/s-8.html

Actually, 2" is a little tight at 26"R, according to the NMRA.  You might consider building "psuedo-easements" if you have the room.  Bachmann makes things easy by manufacturing all their larger (26"R +) curves in 18 degree sections.   

Outer curve: start with one section of 35.5"R, then continue with 28"R sections until the next to the last curve, then end the curve with a 35.5"R section. 

Inner curve: start with one 33.25"R section, then 26"R sections, then end with a 33.25"R section.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear smittyjesse,

It depends on your track configuration.

For an oval with 4 straights on each side,  10 short clips and 10 long clips.

Max short clips needed: 12 for plain circle.

Max long clips needed: 16 (plus 4 short) for a "near circle" with alternating curves and straights,  (curve, straight, curve, curve, straight) X 4.

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear smittyjesse,

I assume you are talking about the plastic clips that hold adjacent track sections together, not the "power pack to track" electrical connector.

Remind us how many straights and how many curves come with the set, please.

Thanks.   

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

Dear Jack,

Thanks for the kind words. 

I'm lurking, but less often, and mostly in the "general discussion" area, sometimes working my way down into the scales.   I have less time these days to generate new topics and replies. 

A couple of interesting things.  Both John Armstrong and Frank Ellison ran 2 rail O scale with an outside 3rd rail, similar to prototype subway systems. 

Frank died in 1964, so the Kalmbach Index "hits" after that are either reprints of his articles, or talking about him, his "Delta Lines" layout,  or his other contributions to the hobby. (Grammar?)

My Large Scale "Big Haulers History" list is kind of on hold for now, since I don't have a current computer copy of it.  I may still have an early marked-up printout somewhere....

Jack, since the topic is "Help my memory", could you please remind me of your older "handles", what scale(s) you model in and perhaps your location.... e-mail me if you wish.

Again, thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear All,

Here is a link to the Kalmbach magazine index searching for Frank Ellison's articles:

http://www.index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=%22ellison%2C+frank%22&MAG=ANY

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Kevin,

I have to give credit to Google on this one, with the help of your "2-10-2" clue.

1. Patagonia, Argentina
2. 75 cm
3. Late 1990's (1997?)

As far as I can deduce, the picture is of RFIRT (Ramal Ferro Industrial Rio Turbio) 107 with 116's tender.

http://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/ldp/rfirt/santafes.htm

A very nice map of the line is shown about 2/3 of the way down on this web page:

http://www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk/9_frameset.html

I yield to anyone else that wants to make another entry. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Mark,

What is (or will be) the length of your longest piece of rolling stock or loco?

Thanks. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Lanny and Roger,

Great pic and explanation. 

Do ya think that the engineer and conductor had their seat belts on?  What a ride, eh?

Can anyone talk about rock slide safety issues?  For instance, do railroads detect slides in a slide prone areas, signaling trains to stop?  Could the rumbling of an engine/train trigger a slide (on top of itself)?

Thanks. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear Robert,

Do you recall the year (or approximate year) of the issue with the alien on the cover?

My all time favorite is Warren Buffet's HO scale Wisconsin Central, April 2001.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Bill,

If you have access to back issues of train magazines, the Kalmbach Magazine Index is invaluable.  I searched MR for "benchwork", and the articles that you are looking for are probably on the third or fourth (most recent) page of hits. 

http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=BENCHWORK+MR&sort=A&output=3&view=75

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik