Give me steam locomotives or give me DEATH!
Berkshire Junction, bringing fourth the cry of the Iron Horse since 1900.
I agree with you Northwoodsflyer, having friends makes it all worthwhile, especially when they have the same interests in trains. If I really had that layout and no friends, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
Berk,
I agree with you with one alteration. I would have all the trains be American Flyer from all eras of production, and even if they weren't pristine, they would run perfectly and never have any problems. I would also have as much time as I wanted to find, aquire and operate all the things I want, and I would have good friends to come and play with me. The building would be lined with shelves that displayed all the things that wouldn't fit on the layout.
I have my overalls and Kromer ready for when steam returns too!
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Wow!!! Thank you Traindaddy!! I bow to you too!!
Berk765:
To ALL: Interesting reading. Thanks for your posts.
If I met a train Genie, I would wish I would have a layout the size of a airship hanger! And I would run prestine examples of prewar and postwar steam engines(if they looked good to me)like 726 Berks and Lionel Turbines and 700E scale Hudsons. I'd might run some modern steam locomotives as well, but not much of those real expensive ones. I'd run track through large cities, little towns, mountains, prairies, deserts, over rivers and streams, large bridges. It would be lit up with plenty of lights, and I would program the room's lighting so that every few minutes it would go from day to night, and every time it went to night all the citie's lights would turn on. And I would have plenty of roundhouses with working turntables, and engine servicing facilities for the steam engines. I would have Lionel and MTH train factories scattered throughout. The possibilities would be endless. But, then again, I would wish the steam era would have never ended and I would wish I would be a train engineer on a steam engine.
Well, traindaddy 1, if I were lucky enough to to stumble upon a Genie in a bottle, I would request that he grant me ownership of the first Triple Crown Winner since Affirmed swept the series, in 1978.
But since this is about a "Train" Genie, I would settle for something more modest: my own private, customized Pullman Car, and an E-9 and GS-4 Daylight to tow it with. Of course, full access to all onetime Southern Pacific rail, goes without saying, as does free fuel and maintenance for life. Not too much to ask for, is it...?
Brianel-
But lets STILL keep it in prospective! The FUN for me is the trains! If you take and put a control system on the surface, all it is is an alternative method to the running of the trains. I get 95% of my gratification of watching the trains operate, and would be very satisfied with JUST that. There are many, many guys that are operating in O27, and I am convinced they enjoy just as much as I do. I don't think any less of them, or want to try to persuade them to anything different.
Another, big advantage is the "friendliness" of people that this hobby draws out. Very seldom have I seen guys really get upset with one another, usually just context errors.
Again, my roots are on the carpet, with a small transformer and sectional track. Only thing different today is I've spent more money.
Life is good, can't wait to get home from work to see what I can do tonight.
Last thought, it is so marvelous to look at some of my post war stuff, and operate them with one of the new controllers, and just wonder what the design engineers would think, if they could see the products that THEY produced, and the satisfaction that they are still providing today..... some 60+ years later !!!! Now that to me is a LEGACY !! If I lost all the electronic stuff, I still would enjoy the trains, probably just as much. Sorry to ramble.
Don
I'm happy to read your first post Don. For all the generalized grumbling that "one system won't do this" and "this one won't do that" it sure sounds to me like you've got it working fine.
The digital high end of the train hobby is all Greek to me. But I know from my experience on the low end, there's almost always a way to fix or improve things. Locos that aren't suppose to be able to pull anything, can pull long trains on my layout. So one would think that same basic premise should apply to the digital higher end stuff.
I didin't read it as a flame war at all either. You've just taken one operating system and showed you can run a multitude of stuff with it, and be happy with it too... sounds good to me and the kind of thing digital control users might be interested in knowing.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
Don:
Sweet! So, are you using the special serial cable to connect between the TIU and the Legacy command base?
Regards,
John
johnandjulie13 wrote:Hello Don:Has the responsiveness improved when operating Lionel engines with the DCS remote? Do you get a speed readout with the Legacy engine?Regards,John
Hello Don:
Has the responsiveness improved when operating Lionel engines with the DCS remote? Do you get a speed readout with the Legacy engine?
John,
Responsiveness, re: Lionel Conventional engines- I had "a little" better speed control. I believe it is primarily due to controlling the voltage with the thumb wheel, providing a more graduated control, than by the Throttle on the xfmr. As compared to TMCC Cab-1 Remote or Legacy, can't see much difference. Especially when compared to having everything through just the DCS controller, and not haveing to "fuss" with two different controllers.
Regarding the Legacy Speed readout, there is a small number in the lower right corner of the display, it only displays when you are changing the speed. You kinda have to look for it, but then once you realize where it is at theres no problem. But like I say, it doesn't stay on. Maybe it will in the upgraded software that is coming.
That I owned ALL trains, of course! (Don't worry, I'd rent yours back to you real cheap! )
Seriously, I'd like to have a little backyard RR, so a Davenport 30" 0-4-0T in perfect condition, a nice pike out back, and a heaping pile of coal.
johnandjulie13 wrote:On the toy side, I would wish for the manufacturers to have open systems so that I could run all of the features of all of my trains with only one remote control.Regards,John
On the toy side, I would wish for the manufacturers to have open systems so that I could run all of the features of all of my trains with only one remote control.
Definetly don't want to start a flame war. But, I just "have to tell someone", went out to the train room last night for about 1/2 hour. It was great! Did the following with my DCS controller (4.0).
- Ran the Lionel Legacy Big Boy, just really knocks your socks off with the sound and watching the side rail action!
- Ran the MTH AC4400cw engine, taking it throught its paces, did a lot of switching (also using the hand held controller)
- Ran a pair of K-Line TMCC Cotton Belts, in a lash-up, while they were "uncoupled", wanted to see how close they were matched.
- Ran an older MPC Conventional on the mainlines switching between two tracks. (Alter voltage with the remote.)
Did all this with ONE controller. It was great. (I don't know maybe I'm doing something wrong?)
AGAIN NOT TRYING TO BRAG OR ANYTHING, ITS JUST SUCH A GREAT TIME TO BE IN THE HOBBY !!
I would wish for that the steam era didnot end so I could see the great beasts like the PRR T1 Duplex , the K-4's and the many other great engines that met the cutters torch. Matter of fact I can't wait for Strausberg to restore that camel back they have.
A conductor's job on the SOUTH BRANCH VALLEY.
I like mine 1:1 scale.
If you were to meet the "Train" Genie, what would you wish for?
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