You can also get them direct from Walthers: http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=433-21314  Currently on sale for $3.59.

They can also be used to transition to other brands of track installed on cork roadbed.

Len

The good news is you don't have to move any pins around. The Lionel FT O-Gauge Trainsition Piece (6-12040) has the pins, and the AIRRB Trainsition Track doesn't. Just plug them together and your good to go!

Len

You're using the wrong plaster. This is what the Woodland Scenics site says about Mold-A-Scene plaster:

QuoteMold-A-Scene is a plaster material that can be shaped like modeling clay, but sets like plaster, without a mold.

Woodland Scenics Plaster Cloth has hydrocal plaster on it. Want you want for filling voids and smoothing things out is their C1201 Hydrocal Casting Plaster. If the Plaster Cloth has dried, spray it with a bit of water before using the hydrocal to fill voids and smooth things out.

Len

Also, are the wheels on the loco clean? Odds are if the track is dirty, so are the loco wheels. Especially if they came with the layout.

RibbonRail makes a nice loco cradle, or you can make one with a shoe box and towel. Put the loco in the cradel with the wheels up, touch a couple of wires from a DC transformer to the wheels, and while they're spinning lightly hold an eraser or Brite-Boy against them.

While you're at it, make sure the loco's been properly lubed and there are no loose wire connections.

Len

Walthers currently has the HO Herpa (Roco) AH-64 Apache in stock, item 326-741668. Horizon Hobbies has the Huey Gunship (1/100) in stock, item MDP56011. The Model Power is slightly undersize, but "close enough", as the saying goes.

Len

If you cut the plug off the end of the green wire/green extenstion cable you can use the Atlas #56 switch control button. They are available from Atlas, Walthers, Horizon Hobbies, and a bunch of other places on line.

The center wire from the cable goes to the center screw, the outside wires to the outside screws. If the direction of throw is backwards, just flip the outside wires. Using the Atlas control buttons also makes it very easy to wire two switches to one controller for a crossover.

Len

Another one caught in the "designed for DCC layouts" #6 Crossover trap... 

When is Bachmann going to:

a. Offer these things with gaps already cut so they can be used in DC layouts out of the box? It's a lot easier to tie the two sides together for DCC than going the other way.

b. If no changes are planned, at least clearly label the outside of the box, "FOR DCC LAYOUTS ONLY" in large type to warn the unwary?

c. If no changes are planned, at least include clear instructions to modify them for DC layouts IN THE BOX?

This issue has been going on since these things were first released, and it does impact LHS's that have to deal with the product returns of "defective" crossovers when customers with DC layouts run into this issue. It's long past time for Bachmann to address it.

Len

The best thing I've found for applying Scenic Cement to ballast is one of those blunt "syringes" you can get from the pharmacist for giving young kids liquid medicine. Put some Scenic Cement in a bowl, load the "syringe", and apply to the ballast.

Len

Yes, the Con-Cor cars handle 18in radius very well. The under body isn't completely accurate, but it allows enough swing to the trucks to let them get around the 18in curves.

One caveat though, if you have any 'S' curves include a straight section at least as long as one car between the curves that make up the 'S'. Otherwise the trucks on connecting cars will be trying to swing in opposite directions at the same time, and at least one of them will probably jump the track.

Len

There is one thing you have to watch with the Walthers 85ft Amtrak cars, they are 24in radius, minimum.

When they first came out the boxes were marked 22in radius minimum, but they had problems with even with 22in curves. So the next run the boxes were marked 24in radius minimum, and they work fine on 24in curves.

Being able to handle 18in radius curves is the the one big thing going for the Con-Cor, IHC (if you can find them), and Athearn passenger cars. And by replacing the wheels with Intermountain 36in metal wheels, it's very easy to add a Miniatronics (Walthers: 475-100YCL01) light kit to the Con-Cor  cars.

Len

Jim,

Predates the 1880's by a few hundred years, but maybe you could load up with a 'Davinci Ornithopter' some enterprising nut, er..., inventor is trying to make work!

Or possibly an 1843 'Steampunk' airplane (see article at: http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Steampunk-Airplane-from-the-1800s) that someone plans to improve on with a more powerful engine and actually get off the ground.

Note: We played around with the design of this thing back when I was in engineering school, and my hair was still brown. It could have flown, it was just underpowered.

Len

Yes, that F40PH should work fine with your EZ-Command system.

From the description is sounds like MRC did a special deal with Walthers Trainline to get a bunch of those locos and put their decoders in them as some kind of promotional deal.
The loco is a good one, just don't forget to lube it periodically per the instructions. Can't say one way or the other about the MRC decoder without knowing specifically which one they installed.

It's best to break in the Trainline locos by running them forward for 1/2hr or so, then run them in reverse for the same time. Change the speed after 10 minutes or so while doing this. They're very smooth runners once broken in.

Len

For the Con-Cor cars, you might also want to look at the Walthers Trainline F40PH locos. They're not DCC ready, but it's not all that difficult to hardwire a Digitrax DH123 or TCS M1 decoder in to them. They're available in Phase-III and Phase-IV paint schemes. Once broken in, they are very rugged, very reliable runners, with enough weight to pull more passenger cars than I can fit on my layout. Even without DCC, I've been able to get mine to creep at roughly 3-ties a minute.

The item numbers are:

931-335 Amtrak F40PH (Ph-IV)
931-337 Amtrak F40PH (Ph-III) (Advance reservation, due in 15 Feb 11)

There's also a GP9m available in the correct Amtrak switcher scheme for a coach yard, and a 'never happened, but looks cool' Ph-III paint job:

931-131 Amtrack GP9m (Switcher Scheme)
931-123 Amtrack GP9m (Ph-III)

Len

Looking at the picture on the 'products' page, it would appear the track spacing is 20 degrees. Does anyone make a roundhouse, aside from the one with the Tidmouth Sheds turntable, that will line up to that?

Most of the Walthers/Faller/Vollmer roundhouses are set for 10 degrees, and the Atlas is 15 degrees. Will 'Tidmouth Sheds' be available seperately as a genereic roundhouse, or do we have a new excuse to start scratch building??

Len

Quote from: gandy dancer#1 on January 05, 2011, 12:55:39 PM
Greetings: would some one tell me what is the best motor in ho locos?? Saw one which stated 8 wheel drive, so assume2 motors? also stated it was a 5 pole, with fly wheel?? would assume thesw pull a loy of cars?? kindea like my dodge cummins 2500 up against my dodge 318??

8-wheel drive would normally be a diesel with a center mounted motor and drive shafts going to each of the wheel trucks. A 5 pole motor means it has 5 windings on the armature, giving smoother starts and operation than a 3 pole motor. Fly wheels also smooth operation, reduding jerky starts and stops.

How many cars a loco can pull varies with the weight of the loco, type of wheels on the loco, type of wheels and trucks on the cars, and the weight of the cars.

Len