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Mike/Nightshade
hoscalelarry wrote: Tom -- THANKS for letting me know about Jim @ Depot Train -- I ALWAYS shop first at Vietnam Vet owned stores -- my way of supporting fellow Vets -- and I hope all who read this do the same. Larry
Tom -- THANKS for letting me know about Jim @ Depot Train -- I ALWAYS shop first at Vietnam Vet owned stores -- my way of supporting fellow Vets -- and I hope all who read this do the same.
Larry
Larry,
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
4x8 are fun too!!! RussellRail
Hi Larry. My board is proof that the older cheap rolling stock can be made to pull well. If I had it to do over I would stick with the TYCO stuff, easyer to convert over to chassis mounted coupler box's. Bachman's you need to cut off there box, sand and level before you install a Kadee box. (I have not had good luck with the Kadee's that are made to fit the Bachmans)
You can also use the washer by Kadee make's to raise the car to get the coupler height right on the Tyco's. Just clip the washer and slip on the neck of truck. Bachmans are to thick to let the washer slip on so you have to use off set couplers. All so a good idea to have some thin plactics stock you can mount it first on the chassis when you need to lower the coupler box.
Kadee boxe's I am using have ear's on either side of the box, if you happen to use that style you will need to cut the ears off after thay are mounted. Wheels will hit the ears in a turn and cause a derail. This drove me nuts till I figured it out.
With you only having 30 cars at this point I would all so use the Proto Wheels. I on the other hand have around 115 cars now, I replaces 3 sets a week because I don't have the funds to do it all at one time. If budget is tight like mine Walthers axles work well and lot cheap than the Protos. I get 3 sets of them for $2.95 vs $6.95 for three sets of the Protos. LHS now sells them to me in bulk 20 sets for $10.00
I know most people will snear at this statment but don't sell the horn hook tuck mounted couplers short. My A line at this point are still all Horn Hooks, alxes have been up graged and bosters tuned so they roll freely. I pull a 40 car dragg with all tucked mounted couplers, that seems to be there limt but that is a good sizes train. My B line draggs a 60 car train, they are all Kadee converted.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Tom,
Thanks for your info -- as you well know, there is NEVER "to much" info you can give in this form. I like your web site for more info on the 'how to' do things. With those details -- even I can make lights, etc. without to much trouble. I sent you an e-mail and hope we can find time to get to meet one day as you say 'would be fun'.
hoscalelarry wrote:Thanks for answering so fast Ne06874 -- Guess I did learn something reading all you guys had to say on here I'm almost embarsed to say I have a "hodge podge" of roling stock -- some Bachmann, some Life Like and some Model Power -- all 40 to 50 Foot mostly box cars and cattle cars.
Thanks for answering so fast Ne06874 -- Guess I did learn something reading all you guys had to say on here
I'm almost embarsed to say I have a "hodge podge" of roling stock -- some Bachmann, some Life Like and some Model Power -- all 40 to 50 Foot mostly box cars and cattle cars.
Personally, I would go with the Kadees or if another brand go with one that has a coil spring to close the knuckle. The plastic lever type if parked with the knuckles bound together will take the "spring" out og the plastic lever and the knuckle will no longer close. I went with metal wheels for there weight and the fact, as mentioned earlier, that they help keep the rails clean. I've found the Intermountain brand of wheelsets fits most snap-in trucks good enough that the wheels will stay in the truck. I use a small drill bit to remove some material from the journal in the axle fits too tight. They make a too called a truck tuner to do this, but the drill bit works OK for me. One manufacturer makes wheelsets with different length axles that will fit trucks with to wide a span between journals. Tweet
One thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned. If you are replacing couplers on loco's or rolling stock that has metal frames, you may want to use the Bachmann EZ Mate couplers because they are plastic. The metal Kadee's may give you some electrical problems when using DCC and doing consists.
There are two different qualities of EZ Mate couplers available that are comparable to the Kadee #5's. The cheap version uses a plastic lever to close the coupler. The better version is just like the Kadee's that uses a metal spring to close the coupler.
I bought a 25 pair package of EZ Mate couplers, Bachmann #78125, for $17. online.
I use Kadee's on most of my rolling stock, but when the coupler mounts to metal I like the plastic ones.
You can also find Kadee's in a 20 pair pack online for around $20. The draft gear boxes are also available in 10 pairs on a tree for about $2 - $3.
Bill
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
A BIG thank you to you guys that have answered and showen me I'm 'thinking right'. And thanks 'Mister Beasley' for reminding me I'll need to find the drills & taps and get then to the spot where I can use em.
After I get started I'm also planning on setting up a web site to show all of you how I'm doing and be asking for help in some areas. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT AND ONCE AGAIN "THANKS"
I also started with old equipment - cars with horn-hooks and plastic wheels. I made a pact with myself to keep the horn-hooks off the layout, and so far I've converted about half my rolling stock. With stuff that old, pretty much every car requires an attack with a cutting wheel to remove the old coupler pocket, and then a drill-and-tap to make way for a screw to hold the new one on. So, it's a bit of a chore. If your stuff is new enough, you may be able to just drop in Kadees with minimal effort. Either way, it's the right thing to do.
I'm still mostly running with plastic wheels. I've converted some by just replacing the wheels, and others wouldn't behave until I replaced the entire truck set.
If your locomotives are still running well on DC, you can probably just add decoders to make them DCC engines. You may have to electrically "isolate" the motors from the frames, depending on the design of the loco. I only had one out of about 10 engines that made the transition, but mine were all from the early 1960's, so you've got a better chance. New engines sure are nice, though.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
When you convert, forget about buying the little packs of wheels and couplers. Kadee sells bulk packs of #5s. Although, the bulk packs don't come with any coupler boxes. Ask you LHS about bulk packs of wheels. Mine sells 100 packs of Intermountain wheels for $65.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
I've been reading all you fine folks have had to say for about a year now. One third of my layout wood is here and walls are going up. All rolling stock and everything is from late '70's still in boxes.
(1) My problem is that I read that there is no longer BRASS RAILS for the track -- did I read this right?? I plan on going DCC once I get started & decide which one of the two final plans I am going to build.
(2)Another question is -- should I convert everything to the KADEE couplers and get metal wheels for cars -- I've got less then 30 right now.
Time is "on my side" to do this right as I feel it'll take thhis winter to do this 'first phase' of "my empire". By the way -- I'm doing H O scale in a 12 foot by 30 foot room, around the wall, so that is like 74 total feet long table top, leaveing the 5 foor door open. I have 12 gauge wire for power bus and 20 gauge for leeds from track to buss.
Thank you all in advance for answering these questions.