Looking for Starter Advice

[Run the Town]

Hi ya'll.  New to the forum and am interested in starting a "real train layout".  I have several scales and types of manufacturers but am really wanting to get my garden railroad up and going.

To start with, I bought a Bachmann Big Hauler Pennsylvanian.  Marked at $299, discounted to $177 and purchased for $117 at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon.

I know not the best set, but will do as a starter.  I have a VERY large back yard and want to get started as soon as the snow clears.  I live in Northern Oklahoma and do have a winter so will go with brass track as it is much cheaper than SS.      Good idea, or bad already?  I know the actual maufacturers website is ALWAYS more so any suggestions for SS track?

I later want to upgrade to or add a USA Rio Grande or an Aristo craft Santa Fe Locomotive.

Well, just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.  Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks, Barry

[altterrain]

Welcome Barry.

My thoughts on track - If you're going to be using track power, stainless is the way to go. Less cleaning (basically just cleaning the dirt off) and trains run much smoother on it even if it conducts electricity less well than brass. I have heard this from several old timer sources who have both stainless and brass. The price difference between brass and stainless is about 20% discounted retail. I don't know anyone personally who is starting out fresh going with brass. If you're going with battery/RC power, go with aluminum track. It holds up just fine outdoors and will save you much dough.

Your Bachmann set is a fine starter set but it brings into question the mish mosh of "G scale". Your Big Hauler set is 1:22.5 scale with G track representing about a 3 foot narrow gauge track. The correct 3 foot ng scale is 1:20.3 found in the Bachmann Spectrum line and a few others. Most of the Aristo and USA trains are 1:29 scale with G track representing 4'-8 1/2" standard gauge track though the correct standard gauge scale is 1:32. Confused yet? Some reading on the subject -

http://www.btcomm.com/trains/primer/whyscale/whyscal.htm#scalegauge 

http://www.lsceverything.com/index.php?title=Who_makes_which_scale

http://www.btcomm.com/trains/

Click on my signature below to see how I started last year.

 -Brian 

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

My advice is to start looking around this place, thats how I learned alot.

[two tone]

Hi Barry I would recomend LGB or Peco track very robust and as you say you have a very big yard I would recomend that your turnouts are electric that way you do not have to run round the yard changing your turn outs. I control my layout with the train engineer all my turn outs are controlled with one unit as is the train my layout has been down 5 yrs+ and I have not had any prolems.    Hope this helps

[jhsimpson62]

Barry, Having had 2 garden railways one with brass and currently using ss, I would recommend ss if at all possible. Saves lots of time. A simple once over with a Scotch-brite pad just to knock the dust/dirt off compaired to buffing to get rid of the oxidation on the brass. I have the same Pennsy Bachmann Big Hauler as well as their 2-8-0 Connie and 38 ton Shay which are true 1:20.3. Most people who visit don't notice the difference in size, but they might if you were to mix the Pennsy with a 1:29 or 1:32. Normally Astrocraft has a buy 4 get 1 free sale on their track in February or March followed by the same deal on switches. Get digging and have fun. Jack

[Capt Bob Johnson]

My first outdoor G venture was with brass track in a Christmas display, and I had to clean track daily; sometimes twice in damp weather!   When I started my big layout I went SS and have never regretted it!   I've since changed over to using all Split jaw clamps rather than messing with those @#$%^%$%^#& little screws that come with the track joiners.

I think it's well worth the extra 20% to have the SS track!

[Run the Town]

Thanks to all that have provided input.  I value your experience.  I found a local hobby shop that will order the ss track at his cost.  Sounds great to me.

He also said there was a local guy that runs his G scale engines on remote controls and all are battery powered ( they are were track powered until he converted them) since they do not pull that much juice, a battery pack will run about 4 hours or so.  He said he done the wiring himself.  Anyone heard of this method?

 

Do you all leave your setups exposed year around, ie. track buildings etc.?  Thanks again, Barry

[Run the Town]

Brian, thanks so much for all the info.  I love your setup.  Thanks for blogging that.    Barry

[Anonymous]

 I value your experience.  I found a local hobby shop that will order the ss track at his cost. 

He also said there was a local guy that runs his G scale engines on remote controls and all are battery powered ( they are were track powered until he converted them) since they do not pull that much juice, a battery pack will run about 4 hours or so.  He said he done the wiring himself.  Anyone heard of this method?

Do you all leave your setups exposed year around, ie. track buildings etc.? 

Some local shop owners will let you have them at there cost! Now that said, always check the internet on the lowest price too. Not to say the guys a cheat just CYA. I to have a local guy but there more into smaller trains and it is just me that they know of in 1 county. So he lets me slide with discounts.

Battery power/RC is good to, have quick charge battery waiting pop it in and take the other to the charger and pop, off you go again cruzing down the rails! Quick change. And yes people do the wiring themselves, my self right now wiring one for track power.

Track is left out side all year but if you wish you can bring your buildings in if you wanted.

Toad

 

[sawdust]

Hi Barry,

Did you escape the Ice storm? 

I started my RR with a early generation Big Hauler (#49) in 1986, after a couple of years I packed it up.  Couldn't keep the track clean too many trees.  Three years ago I started again in another location and added Air Wire 900 and used 12 volt gel cell (app $14.00) the best thing I ever did.  I have converted several other to R/C and added Phoenix sound, and use 14 volt battery packs.  I have extra packs, they recharge fast enough to never be down. My favorite in my LGB Mogul.  I use LGB track most of it was bought back in 1986

Allen from windy west Texas

 

PS I think Santa is bring a 3 truck Shay

[Run the Town]

Hi Allen, thanks for all the great knowledge.  (You too TOAD) and may Santo Bless you with that Shay.  News flash, just bought an AristoCraft F1 ABA Pennsylvania PRR Tuscan Red 5 stripe each with dual motors. 

Any suggestions on how to make those RC?  I still am not to clear on that battery conversion concept so if someone could email me more info or link it here, much graditude to ya.

 

We did escape the ice storms; as in NOT losing power but we did get the rain, then ice, then rain etc.  Roads are clear, grass and fields still iced over.  Over 1 million people lost power in OKC area.  My area was devistated in 2002 like that, so much thanks be to God on a no repeat there. Ha!

If I convert to RC do I still need to go SS track or can I get away with brass?  Thanks, Barry

[altterrain]

Thanks Barry. I have been dabbling a bit with battery/RC. I just set up my second battery/RC trailer car using an Aristo 27mHz Train Engineer. Your new (hopefully the newest editions) locos will have a track/battery power switch and MU plugs at each end. This makes it really simple. Hook the locos together, flip to battery, hook up the trailer car, and away you go. I did my latest battery car (no pics yet) similarly to this - Power Car - 4th Generation
by Paul Norton

I not running multi loco lash ups with mine so I'm just using NiMH packs from http://www.all-battery.com/. This is a pic of my first trailer car using a RCS (http://www.rcs-rc.com/) RC system -

Battery power does have it pluses. I love to bring a traveling loco and train to other layouts without worrying about what type of power is running there. I can also run it in addition to track powered locos on my layout. Minuses - far more expensive, you have to keep those battery packs charged, no lights on your passenger cars unless you wire them and then they can eat up the batteries, and you can't run smoke as that really eats up the batteries.

 -Brian

[Run the Town]

Brian, so did you actually order yours from Australia or was is it sold around the US?

I did alot of reading on those links and because of my VERY limited experience, I am to say the least, LOST beyond belief. Ha!  I can run all 3 locos from one set up right if they are all attached together?

Thanks for your help, patience etc.  Barry

If it is easier to email me then please do.  [e-mail]

[altterrain]

There are a few RCS dealers in the states. The two that I know are

Don Sweet (in PA) -  http://www.remotecontrolthrottles.com/

and Dave Goodson (aka Curmudgeon in NV) - http://dnkgoods.home.mindspring.com/index.html

Don stopped by my place a few months ago and hooked up the new 9 amp RCS system in a trailer car to my E-8 and ran it for awhile. You would need a big unit to run the six motors though Aristo motors are pretty efficient and you probably could get by with the 6 amp unit. I have heard mostly good things about Airwire systems but they are also more $$. The RCS unit has good range, reaction time and a nice small transmitter. Big downsides of using the Aristo TE is the slow reaction time and so-so range. Your battery mileage will vary. You want batteries in the range of 16.8 to 22 volts and at least 3000 mAh (milli Amp hours - the battery capacity). sub C size batteries seem to be the best for weight / capacity trade off and can be quick charged (unlike AAs). Many battery packs made are of two smaller packs (eg - 2 - 9v => 18v ) wired in series and many use cordless tool batteries. Yes, its all pretty confusing and I'm still a bit of a newbie to all this.

-Brian 

[Run the Town]

Thanks Brian.  I was actually looking online auction house tonight at the Aristo unit.  I contacted Don via his website and asked for the unit and all needed for my setup, cost etc.

Can't wait to get some track down. Ha!  Barry

[Run the Town]

Still looking around for the best RC unit.  I have not found any alluminum track so am really looking at the brass.  Called and got a few quotes today for the 36" and the 60" Aristo craft brass. 

From ya'alls experience, what should I go with, the longer pieces the better?  Thanks, Barry

[SNOWSHOE]

I am also getting started into this hobbie.  I ended up with brass myself (SS was a little too expensive for me) I eneded up going with the Aristo 6.5 dia (A little cheaper than the 8Ft- but I dont have any plans on running anything larger than the Annie) I wanted to go with the Aristo deal buy 4 get one free but I cant afford all that at once, I have to get a little at a time.  I figure by May or so I should have what I need in track. I am trying to do this the most affordable way for me.  If I went with the best I would never have trains running outdoors.  

 

I also read all the talk about converting into a batterie power.  I am also cluesless about it.  I have the Bachmann Big Hauler 4-6-0.  Would I be able to convert that into batterie/RC.  If so, is it easy to do and what am I looking at in price lowest to highest.  Again I am trying to do this the most cost effective for me.  Would I be better off buying an engine that is already batterie powered/RC?  Thanks for all the help this site has been very helpful. 

[altterrain]

If you are trying to run a garden railway inexpensively, battery/rc is not for you. The cheapest set up (the Aristo TE in a trailer car) will still run you a minimum of $200. Installing your own system in the loco around $300, more to have it installed. You can do it yourself if you do your homework, feel comfortable with electronics and are handy with a soldering iron. There really aren't any over the counter battery/RC locos available outside the more toy than model train Bachmann RC ten wheelers, New Bright, Lionel, etc. These have plastic wheels designed to run on plastic track with no real pulling power.

-Brian 

[altterrain]

Still looking around for the best RC unit.  I have not found any alluminum track so am really looking at the brass.  Called and got a few quotes today for the 36" and the 60" Aristo craft brass. 

From ya'alls experience, what should I go with, the longer pieces the better?  Thanks, Barry

I like the longer pieces. I used sectional curves and five foot straights on my layout. The longer track means less track joints. The problem with the five foot straights is the shipping. It considered oversized by UPS. Aristo came out with 4 1/2 foots straights to get around this. Look for them if you can. Aluminum track is available from places like this - http://www.svrronline.com/TrackandRail.html 

 -Brian

[Run the Town]

Brian , I just got offered (not on here) a "Basic Engineer" ART -5480.  I believe it is a 2 amp.  New, comes with transmitter, reciever, wires and power supply.

 

Whats anyone's thoughts?  Thanks for the help.  Barry

[altterrain]

I have heard of a few guys adapting the basic TE to battery RC use. The biggest problem with it is that it had very limited range, maybe 20 feet if you're lucky. Also, two amps is plenty for a small loco and maybe one two trucked, two axle Aristo diesel but definitely not three.

-Brian 

[Run the Town]

Again thanks, just the knowledge I needed.  How is the Airwire 900?  Sorry for all the questions guys, just trying to get on the right track.  Barry

[altterrain]

I have heard Airwire is the best and most expensive. Its a very popular choice with the boys in the club. So much so, frequencies had to be assigned for our get togethers.

-Brian 

[Run the Town]

I am so excited; I just bought 12- 3 bay coal hoppers.  I guess I am settling the age old question; whats the scheme or theme of your layout.  I live near a carbon plant and also a Nitrogen plant.  I am getting fired up big time.  I got them at less than $28 a car.  How did I do? 

 

I have been putting alot of thought into this next statement;  why is there not alot, if any, any grafetti(grapheti) how ever it is spelled cars out there?  It is realistic enough so I will also be purchasing an airbrush kit soon to do my own. 

Do I have the bug or what?  Barry

[altterrain]

Sounds like a good deal. Are these the Aristo ones? If so, they probaby have the plastic wheels. You will want to swap in metal wheels eventually for three reasons - they will run better with the lower center of gravity, the plastic wheels can leave a residue on your track and you get that authentic clickety-clack sound when you run your train.

I like the SanVal wheels. He (Al Kramer) sells them on eBay for around $45 + S&H for 10 pairs (enough for 5 cars). When you win an auction you can email him and ask to buy two or three sets at that price and they will usually oblige (great service).

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-PAIRS-BLACK-METAL-WHEELS-FOR-LGB-USA-BACH_W0QQitemZ360005044518QQihZ023QQcategoryZ4149QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

-Brian 

[Run the Town]

Brian if, you are saying plastic wheels to me; no my cars all have metal. 

Don contacted me today as well and got me all squared away with the RC battery gear list for my F1 ABA.  Thanks again, Barry

[Run the Town]

Hey guys, if I knew how to post pictures, I would add pics. of my recent purchases of 3 engines and 17 cars.  Can you believe the cost of track just skyrocketed?  Man solid aluminum looks better all the time. Ha!  Hope all had a great Christmas.  Barry

[Run the Town]

Allen, did you get the Shay????  Barry