Teen Model Railroad Place January 2010

[green_elite_cab]

 Tyler has been dealt with...  permanently.

 actually, i have no clue,  i'm just checking in.    Nice work guys, i really gotta get my projects rolling. 

[r.y.a.n]

i wish i can find someone who would do that with me

[IVRW]

I think your best bet would be to search ebay or gomotorbids. You came just a little too late. There was just a massive track transfer from Tyler to Joe. To all the regulars, where is Tyler?

[r.y.a.n]

i was just wondering where i can find cheap prices track. i am in desperate need of switches and turnouts

[IVRW]

r.y.a.n

i wish someone was modeling On30 with me.... i need help

Well Ryan, what do you need help with? The only difference between scales is size, from there its mostly the same. So, what do you need help with?

[ns3010]

I think you meant to go here... 

WCfan

Time for a new place... http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/168244/1847989.aspx#1847989

[r.y.a.n]

i wish someone was modeling On30 with me.... i need help

[WCfan]

Time for a new place... http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/168244/1847989.aspx#1847989

[IVRW]

Tyler, I thought I had a short circuit bur for all I knew, the locos didnt go. I had proceeded to test every component, Locos, track, bus system, DCC system, and power supply, but I cleaned the track a little, and I heard my first chuff chuff chuff in years.

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah...dirty track makes your train not go...but we all thought you meant a short circuit! Dirty track does not cause short circuits.

[IVRW]

Oops, I forgot to tell you. I am in the Stanford "Education Program for Gifted Youth," an early admittance online webinar Program. I am one of 82 students world wide hand picked for this aggressive program. 3 of my 5 classes have 4 30 min. recorded lectures, 1 has 2 lectures, and the last is plain old math. So yeah, you put it very adequately, "A billion papers due weekly."

[ns3010]

Geez, a billion papers due WEEKLY?!?!?!?

For every class we have a (school required) research paper. And teachers can give us other papers as well.

And I see you mentioned turning papers in at midnight. Just curious, does your school use TurnItIn???

[IVRW]

You haven't heard the half of it. Every week on Fri, I have a Bio Paper due at midnight. Mon-Thur I have Latin due at 5. At the end of every unit (1-3 weeks) I have a philosophy paper. Algebra is due every week on Sun. And finally, in Textual Analysis and Argumentation, (for now at least) I have an assignment due before every class on Tue and Thur. Its amazing I ever get and Model Railroading done. Also, looking at this schedule, its easy to understand why I became a Model Railroader.

[ns3010]

Dang, 4 papers!

I have:
Spanish due a week from tomorrow (3 pages minimum, and I'm at 3, but I'm not done yet)
Chem due March 10 (5 pages on the effects of tanning, both real and artificial, which I haven't started...)
Algebra due March 10 (I'm using my Chem paper, because I can, and I dont' wanna write an extra paper)
History due TBA (don't have any details on this yet).

So I also have 4, but I'm only writing 3. One is almost done, one I haven't even started, and one I don't even know when it's due...

[IVRW]

I hear ya Joe. Same thing with me. I got 4 papers due next week. I am piled with lectures as well. There is never enough time in the world. Anyway. I went with dad to the basement tonight, and we "fixed" the electrical problem. Tyler, you said dirty track couldn't cause electrical problems, but it was the problem, the track was so dirty power wasn't reaching the locos. I also tried my New Digitrax controller tonight. AMAZING! Also, I got clearance from dad to tear out an unnecessary section. Ill post pictures soon, and I will promise that there will be much fewer than in WPF, which BTW, I am very sorry about.

[ns3010]

Yeah, and who was the one who funded the business cars

Well, the lumber has been transported from my dad's office to the garage. But my mom said that I can't start on the layout until I finish my spanish paper, but I'm almost done. So once that's taken care of, I can finish cleaning up both areas and rearrange the furniture, then I can start building. This week's REALLY busy (I have hockey M, W, F, and Sat), so who knows how much time I'll actually have.

[Anonymous]

I'll post the photos of the freight cars I got at the Springfield train show (I only got 3 because the white elephant tables didn't have many with metal wheels), but the WRS purchased two new business cars! Adding a long-shank coupler to one car helped with most of the problems (the diaphragms were having problems on a few of the tighter turns) but I still have a bit of tuneup to do to my track and the cars' trucks before they're ready for service. And I still need to decal them.

[ns3010]

Hmmm, I don't really feel like saying something about N and then having to go back and bold-ify all those N's and HO's, so Imma just gonna say this:
HO is superior to all other scales.

John, dirty track will absolutely not short out the track. The only time my track has ever shorted out was if I accidentally dropped something metal across the rails, or if a metal wheel derails and touches the frog of a turnout.

Tyler, that's REALLY cool! I wish I could do something like that. Unfortunately, I don't know a whole lot about computers (I know how to use them, and have a somewhat-above-basic-knowledge, but nothing like that. But senior year, I really want to take Web Design, which should be really neat.

Speaking of track, I'm going to have a lot of track (thanks, Tyler!) that I can't do anything with... I have no layout to put it on, but whatever. Maybe I can get started on benchwork soon (this upcoming week, maybe?)?

[Anonymous]

IVRW

Also recently, I have been thinking of taking out a section of track, and I will proceed to do so unless my dad says no. While all of that is going on, I have been trying to troubleshoot electrical problems. On that matter, do any of you know if very dirty track can cause shorts?

 

Heheh...I have quite a lot of experience with taking out track to re-lay it...

Dirty track will not cause shorts. It will cause the locomotives to lose power and stop. Trust me: my track used to be extremely dirty before I covered the ceiling with plastic sheeting, and the only shorts I had was when my amazing track derailed the trains or my locomotives picked the point.

Anyway, back in the modern smooth-running WRS, I've been programming my own software to dispatch trains! If it wasn't just a digital magnet board where the track sections changed colors when you clicked on them, I'd put it online so you could all try your hand at dispatching my railroad!

[IVRW]

Some Model Railroaders get analysis paralysis, but right now I am getting Nalysis paralysis from all these tiny trains. I actually like trains I can see without a microscope.

But Nyway, I finally bit a bullet and worked on fixing the scenery. Recently, I had problems with seams showing behind the scenery. Last night I went down stairs and tried to see what I could do. I first tried to smooth everything with several grades of sanding block, but all pulled the little foam balls out and made it look ever worse than before. Then, I broke out my lat remaining supply of plaster cloth, and repaired the damage. Happy with the result, I have now decided to use plaster to cover everything.

Also recently, I have been thinking of taking out a section of track, and I will proceed to do so unless my dad says no. While all of that is going on, I have been trying to troubleshoot electrical problems. On that matter, do any of you know if very dirty track can cause shorts? Also, another question: How do you post the emocons?!? I cant seem to do it! (I feel a little embarrassed Im saying this). Until then, Happy Model Railroading

[Packers#1]

 Tyler, souNds like a good plaN. caN't really follow it right Now as my braiN is about half-dead from rugby though, lol! Those cars will defiNitely help out in operatioN. aNd my way freight oN my layout is about seveN cars or so (if I'm rememberiNg correctly).

Joe, Normal scale works excelleNtly for getting a good operatioNal layout in aNy space

[ns3010]

Tyler, that sounds like it would be much better. Maybe, you could have the CCRR transfer job run from WRJ staging to Lebanon around the same time that CDWJ leaves Concord staging? The crew from LE-2 could operate the CCRR job, since they wouldn't be running simultaneously.

And what's this about Nsane scale? Maybe for a 4x4 layout. However, Obviously, HO is much better, IMHO...

[Anonymous]

So I made an operational breakthrough today! Before this, local LE-2 left at the very beginning of the session with cars the through freights dropped off the day before. If LE-2 had to wait until cars from both Concord and White River Jct. were dropped off to depart, it would still be switching a half-hour after the rest of the trains had finished their runs. Therefore I had the local run with cars from the previous day.

But, If I stage the cars from WRJ headed to Concord in Lebanon Yard before the session starts, as if the Claremont-Concord transfer dropped off the cars before the session, the local can depart as soon as CDWJ arrives in the yard to drop off local cars. CDWJ will still take WRJ-bound cars there, but it will return light engine to Lebanon Yard, pick up the Concord-bound cars from the CCRR transfer job and the previous day's local, and depart for Concord.

The total gain from all this is that I save the entire extra local consist (about 8 cars) that can then go into making the through freights longer, adding cars to the local, and providing more cars to pick up. Right now the through freights jumped from 5 to 7 cars...not a big gain but the visual effect is much better!

[Guilford Guy]

TrainManTy

Guilford Guy

You disappoint me Tyler... N is 1:160...

 

Whoops! I knew it was 1:160, but somehow I typed 1:116...

Twice.

[Anonymous]

Guilford Guy

You disappoint me Tyler... N is 1:160...

 

Whoops! I knew it was 1:160, but somehow I typed 1:116...

[Guilford Guy]

You disappoint me Tyler... N is 1:160...

[Anonymous]

Some simple translations so you don't get confused: HO and N are scales; the size of the trains and everything else in your world. In HO scale everything is 87 times smaller than the real thing, and N scale is about twice as small at 116 times smaller. Fine modeling is possible in both scales even if you're not a genius (or David K. Smith ) but is a bit easier in HO.

N scale gets you more "stuff" for your layout size than HO, but HO is easier to get running smoothly because the equipment weighs so much more and therefore tracks easier. And the momentum of the heavier equipment helps carry it across dead spots in the track.

And 1:1 scale is our way of talking about the real thing. 1:48 is O scale (Lionel trains), 1:87 is HO scale, 1:116 is N scale, and 1:220 is Z scale (now THAT is tough!).

[IVRW]

Packers#1

And remember, you could be Horribly Oversized, or you could be Normal

Thats exactly what I get from the N scale division of the OT&W club. So a few basics. First You could have Honerable Obligations to the hobby, or you could play with Nanno trains.
. Okay, on the matter of layout planning, have at least 2 spots for expansion, so you are not always constrained to you first creation and can add to it. I personally think you would do very well if you had the book, available from Kalmbach, called "HO Railroad from start to finish." Trust me, buy it. It has everything you need to know to build your first RR. There is also another way to learn all that stuff, and it is also my chosen method: completely geek out on the subject buying every book Kalmbach has to offer, getting a magazine every time you go to a book store until you subscribe, and immerse yourself in the forums so completely that before you even start your first layout, you know more than a Master Model Railroader could ever hope to know.

Here is what I have to offer in scale:

Do you want to run trains? Do you want to simply create a little town? Can you not work too good with your hands? Do you want moderate operational aspects: HO Scale

Do you want plenty of operation? Do you want scenery that dwarfs trains? Do you work good with insanely small things: N scale

Do you want a locomotive so expensive you cant even afford a layout: 1:1 scale

[Packers#1]

TrainManTy

I agree with what Joe said about a 4x4 layout. In N scale it might be possible to do something besides a circle (Sawyer?) but in HO you'd have a hard time even fitting a switch into your plan. I'd go for a 4x8 - almost all modelers start that way and some never build bigger either because of space/money or because they like that size. Check out a book of track plans or look in Model Railroader and find one you like.

 

I'm Sawyer (the one Tyler's talking abt), and welcome to the forums! 4x4 in N scale is essentially having a space of 8x8 in HO scale; n scale is about half the size of HO. A pretty good looking layout can be had in 2x4 feet in n scale, and if you have 4x4 feet you've basically got yourself set up to have a nice layout. I can't speak much to anything right now as I'm a bit tired, but if you're thinking about n scale track, code 80 or code 55 are the most prevalent in n scale. if you go with code 80, painting it tones the size down a bit, and any piece of rolling stock will run on it. code 55 is smaller and older rolling stock won't work because their flanges are too deep. Peco code 55 is popular, but I use Atlas code 55; I really love Atlas products. In fact, i'd recomend picking up an atlas engine as your first n scale engine, or maybe a Kato. HO I can't speak of.

But anyways, back on the subject of n scale, this website has a LOT of good small trackplans; they would at least give you a starting point for your own n scale idea. And remember, you could be Horribly Oversized, or you could be Normal