very small! don't know the actual size...

with Chinese manufacture goods, you need a plethora of philips/cross drivers and use the one that fits best.

I have a couple of sets that have about 6 different bits in various profiles and sizes.

word to the wise: don't lose them!!!

AnyRail, free demo limited to 50 track sections, or SCARM, free, software both have libraries for EZ-Track that take the guesswork out of layout planning.

Len

Can anyone tell me the type and size of screwdriver needed to undo the screws that hold the universal joints between stream engine and the trucks together.
Could my engine be so old that the two parts were riveted. I can see a brass end about 2.5 mm with a 1 mm hole in the middle. I have sourced a big set of small screwdriver bits none lock into the hole.

Hello.  Returning to model railroading after a hiatus of about 50 years.  I decided to go with N gauge so I can fit more variety into a 4x8 space, but have not been able to find anything online where there are specifically N Gauge Bachmann EZ Track layouts with a list of the track needed.  I have seen a website where KATO products are listed, but I'd like to stick with Bachmann as I used them in large part back in my younger days.

Can anyone steer me to a website that shows layouts for 4x8 (or 3x6) spaces that also includes the track list?  I've seen a few designs posted where I can't read the track part number even with magnification, so I really want a site that has a list I can print out.

Or ... do I need to go old school and buy a book that contains layouts? I'm looking to run a closed loop with 2 lines (I assume insulated connectors are still needed for track that allows trains to loop back the way they came?), and hopefully to do that one two different levels via a gradual gradient change.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide!

Sort of old news, but TrainWorld has a listing for an unannounced Bachmann Thomas item: Large Scale Christmas Thomas w/ Snowplow (91412). If the Yard Master could provide some more info on this, that'd be greatly appreciated!

PM sent I don't want to hijack this thread.

I remember Sid. He was a great modeler.  What happened to his layoutand his stuff?

Hey Ralph. The main thing to remember is this hobby is supposed to be fun, stress free and from your imagination. I started out slow, I didn't use a layout panner like a lot of people , I just wanted to create my version of what small town Saskatchewan looked like to me. Saskatchewan is the Canadian province I live in.

My dad was a station agent in a small town of 100 people, we lived in the train station as well. So I got a small town blueprint engraved in my brain. As an adult, I spent 10 years driving around this province going to every small town imaginable. I was a certified Fire Alarm Systems tech. So I would work in all the nursing homes and schools hospitals etc.

After work I would take 20 min or more cruising around the towns looking for old muscle cars etc, at the same time I would enjoy the heritage each town had to offer. Old buildings, grain elevators, seed mills warehouses gas stations. on and on.

So everything I can remember from those old towns, I try to incorporate into my layout. The rule of thumb for me is less is more, it is easier to add to the layout than to take away. I can't tell you how many times over the last 8 years, I have built buildings, and moved them around the layout. I learned never make anything permanent until it is.

My layout is 12 feet x 8 feet x 4 feet, and to be honest, it is still too small. lol

I knew I would have an industrial refinery area, a farmers area, grain elevators seed plant etc. a Main Street, a residential area, and a couple of farms. Just the common everyday things in a small town. I at least had that idea in my brain. Then one day I saw a large graveyard outside a small town, and had to add one of those. Some stuff is planned, and others are a happy accident.

My friend Sid who used to be a member of this site, was my model railroad mentor, he passed away years back. Before he died, he told me that whatever you add to your layout has to make sense, I am modelling between 1955 and 1975 somewhere in that era. I am trying to stay true to that era, at the same time it can be a bit difficult.

Bottom line what you decide to put on your layout is up to you, just make sure it makes sense.

Regards Sheldon.

Yes... worth a call unless you are not in the USA...

Quote from: Greg Elmassian on February 27, 2026, 02:59:43 PMBasic question: did you call Bachmann parts department?

No but the part was on their list as out of stock for a long time now it seems to not be there stall.
Is that Bachmann in the USA?