wjstixBoth Athearn and Stewart sell F-units in sets with a powered A unit and dummy B unit, but I'm not sure if either offers the dummies for sale separately?? A nice thing about an A-B F-unit set like that is you can put a sound decoder in the A unit and run wires back to the B unit and fit a very large speaker in the dummy.
I have several dummy units i purchased on Ebay cheap. Some were powered units i converted to dummy.
I run a lot of DC only sound. No problem running one power unit and 1 or 2 dummies with them.
With both steam and diesel dummies you can add one in the middle or end of the train as a helper without speed matching. They run with anything on the track.
Some are also hard to find road names made years ago and now don't run well with today's equipment but do fine as dummies.
Both Athearn and Stewart sell F-units in sets with a powered A unit and dummy B unit, but I'm not sure if either offers the dummies for sale separately?? A nice thing about an A-B F-unit set like that is you can put a sound decoder in the A unit and run wires back to the B unit and fit a very large speaker in the dummy.
I have to say that reading this thread finally inspired me to get off my duff & buy a dummy unit, while they're still available. I've been meaning to do it & always just figured I'd pick one up "someday". But, they are getting tough to come by & might just go the way of the dinosaurs before much longer. I wanted an undecorated F3-B dummy to do up for my BAR passenger train. I knew Bowser still made one, so started looking online & couldn't find one anywhere! M.B.Klien didn't have any in stock, neither did Hobbylinc. Looked a couple other places & same thing. Did a search on Ebay & a Bowser F3-B Dummy, undecorated popped up! New in Box, just what I wanted, so bought it for $39.95. I only run a 3-4 car passenger consist, so my Proto F3-A shouldn't have any trouble hauling that & the B dummy.
Carl
"I could never belong to any club that would have me as a member."
Larry,
Got mine 1959. $45.00 Brand new, still have it, although it hasn't been plugged in for 35yrs.
Frank
zstripeThe super duper one to have, was the ''Golden Tri-Pak'' Frank
Seen them but,never owned one..
Of course I started building ISLs in the early 60s much to my dad's disdain since such wasn't a "real" layout.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Quote: BRAKIE:
Jim,MRC's "Golden Throttle Pack" could handle up to 5 Athearn locomotives.It was the power pack to have in the 60s.
The super duper one to have, was the ''Golden Tri-Pak''
EMD.Don Burlington Northern #24 He hasn't Nfected you yet? LOL! To be completely honest, I have taken a shine to these new N scale locomotives. My Son's Kato F units are very sweet, and his growing collection of Kato SD70ACe's in the Norfolk Southen heritage schemes are top-notch. The Kato Super Chief passenger cars have fantastic detail. In fact, I have found the level of detail on these newer N scale locomotives and rolling stock to be outstanding. Performance wise, smooth, quiet, reliable, stout. N scale has come a long way over the years . I am currently working on building a Canadian Pacific SD40-2F "Red Barn" using a Kato SD40-2 mid-production internal workings/undercarriage and Kaslo shops shell/exterior parts. Slow going but enjoyable...which is the point right. Happy modeling! Don.
Burlington Northern #24 He hasn't Nfected you yet?
He hasn't Nfected you yet?
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
Soo Line fanBack in the day, you could only run a couple of BB units on a single power pack. So, if you wanted an ABBA set, you needed a couple of dummies to keep the amp draw down.
I stand corrected. That is the more plausable explanation for the locomotive in the middle. The switching move to the engine facility is still not out of the question. If the unit is used for power distribution, however, on the prototype it could move on its own power. So much for that, I suppose.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
EMD.Don Burlington Northern #24 EMD.Don Question (pardon me if it seems rather elementary), but how difficult would it be to make your own dummy? I ask because my Son operates in N scale on DC and he has asked if we could get some unpowered locomotives for him to make an ABBA consist for his Santa Fe Super Chief (he has a powered F3A and B from Kato but would like another A and B but just doesn't have the power in his DC power pack to operate four powered locomotives). I often see damaged or fixeruppers listed on EvilBay or at train shows for fairly cheap and often wondered what it would take to simply convert them to dummy's? Happy Modeling All! Don. you'd have to pull the motor and the worm gears. Might I inquire what powerpack your son is using? He is using one of my older Tech 4 200's from when I ran DC on my HO layout (since switched to DCC). It works like a charm with two Kato F3's pulling his 8 car Kato Super Chief, but begins to waiver in performance with three powered Kato F3's and drops off significantly with four. I know that a newer power pack would probably cure this, but it's just not in the cards right now. That's why I figured a couple dummy's would do the trick. I have seen fix-er-upper Kato's for between $15 and $30ish that have motor issues. So I was just curious to see how much work it would be to buy a couple and scrap the internal workings and use them as dummy's. But...upon further reflection after reading this thread, I may be better suited to simply save up for the newer controller for him. Thanks for the input though...always appreciated ! Happy modeling! Don.
Burlington Northern #24 EMD.Don Question (pardon me if it seems rather elementary), but how difficult would it be to make your own dummy? I ask because my Son operates in N scale on DC and he has asked if we could get some unpowered locomotives for him to make an ABBA consist for his Santa Fe Super Chief (he has a powered F3A and B from Kato but would like another A and B but just doesn't have the power in his DC power pack to operate four powered locomotives). I often see damaged or fixeruppers listed on EvilBay or at train shows for fairly cheap and often wondered what it would take to simply convert them to dummy's? Happy Modeling All! Don. you'd have to pull the motor and the worm gears. Might I inquire what powerpack your son is using?
EMD.Don Question (pardon me if it seems rather elementary), but how difficult would it be to make your own dummy? I ask because my Son operates in N scale on DC and he has asked if we could get some unpowered locomotives for him to make an ABBA consist for his Santa Fe Super Chief (he has a powered F3A and B from Kato but would like another A and B but just doesn't have the power in his DC power pack to operate four powered locomotives). I often see damaged or fixeruppers listed on EvilBay or at train shows for fairly cheap and often wondered what it would take to simply convert them to dummy's? Happy Modeling All! Don.
Question (pardon me if it seems rather elementary), but how difficult would it be to make your own dummy? I ask because my Son operates in N scale on DC and he has asked if we could get some unpowered locomotives for him to make an ABBA consist for his Santa Fe Super Chief (he has a powered F3A and B from Kato but would like another A and B but just doesn't have the power in his DC power pack to operate four powered locomotives). I often see damaged or fixeruppers listed on EvilBay or at train shows for fairly cheap and often wondered what it would take to simply convert them to dummy's?
Happy Modeling All!
Don.
you'd have to pull the motor and the worm gears. Might I inquire what powerpack your son is using?
He is using one of my older Tech 4 200's from when I ran DC on my HO layout (since switched to DCC). It works like a charm with two Kato F3's pulling his 8 car Kato Super Chief, but begins to waiver in performance with three powered Kato F3's and drops off significantly with four. I know that a newer power pack would probably cure this, but it's just not in the cards right now. That's why I figured a couple dummy's would do the trick. I have seen fix-er-upper Kato's for between $15 and $30ish that have motor issues. So I was just curious to see how much work it would be to buy a couple and scrap the internal workings and use them as dummy's. But...upon further reflection after reading this thread, I may be better suited to simply save up for the newer controller for him. Thanks for the input though...always appreciated !
Happy modeling!
E-L man tomOften you will see a locomotive somewhere in the consist of a train (often somewhere near the middle) that is just being transferred.
That's not a "transfer", 99 times out of 100 that locomotive is distributed power, set in the middle of the train to ease coupler forces, among other things.
I thought the reason that was done was for "distributed braking" or something like that.
Bruce
Why dummies? Well, I have another thought about that. Often you will see a locomotive somewhere in the consist of a train (often somewhere near the middle) that is just being transferred. A dummy would be a perfect excuse to add that "transfer" locomotive to a trani's consist. It would also add just another interesting move within operations as well; switching that locomotive out of the consist and moving it to the engine facility when it gets to its destination.
The only dummies I have are som stewart F-units. I think 3 powered with added weight will be sufficient to pull most trains I can run. lol
I do like having the dummy F-units cause I can stick a really big speaker in it and it has pick-ups. I could wire them all together if I wanted to as well.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
I have a few dummys from the old BB days which i'm going to use on my new dcc layout. I'm also converting my old BB DC locomotives to dummys. My plan is to set them in the yard near the locomotive repair facility.
Rapido...all of the initial orders were for dummies and that was going to make the F9B unprofitable.
Here are a few thoughts from someone who was behind the counter of a hobby shop or two back in the days when dummy locos were still common.
First off, it did not have anything to do with being able to run multiple powered units in DC, other than the power pack limitations of the most basic train sets. Model railroaders with larger layouts have been buying or building power supplies that will run 4 unit lash ups of Athearn Blue Box locos long before I got into this hobby in 1968.
And it has even less to do with any ablity of those locos to run well together on DC. As I have explained many times on this forum, despite propaganda to the contrary, DC locos of the same brand and type run fine together, and many that are not the same brand and type can also be run MU'd or "double headed".
But, back then, if your Athearn super weighted geared F7 would haul 40 cars - which they will, and your layout only allowed you 25 car trains, but you wanted the AA or ABA look, why spend the money - an Athearn F7 dummy was only $9.95 at the time when the super geared version was $29.00?
Especially if you never really planned to run them any other way.
But even back then, lots of "more serious" modelers, with larger layouts had no use for dummys and ran all powered ABBA sets, or groups of 3-4 GP7's, or whatever with no problems. I still do - in DC - imagine that?
I have not owned a dummy loco since about 1975, can't imagine why I would want one. I think in addition to the cost issues Jason and other pointed out, there is no longer any market - or - maybe there is no market because of the cost issues?
Sheldon
All the reasons given above are probably correct. But you can still find dummies out there, I was in Phoenix this last weekend and went to a local hobby shop (amazing that there's still one alive and kicking) and he had several used ones on the shelves for sale. But I have found them in yard sales and the flea markets from time to time, however they are usually the cheap toy stuff. Once in aawhile you will get lucky and find a good one but not very often. With a little.bit of modelers licence and sme skill you can make some of the TOY stuff look pretty good .
Keep it on the high shiny stuff Neil
Surprisingly...Bowser still produces dummies in a few of their models. F's definitely...not sure about anything else. Till November I had a local source for surplus BB and got several dummies for $3 each and powered them myself for around $45 each.
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
alco_fan jecorbett One other advantage of dummies I didn't mention in the OP was you didn't have to worry about direction or polarity. In a DC layout, if you had an A-A or an A-B-A lashup, you had a problem if both A units were powered since typically the cab would be on opposite ends which means the locos would want to go in different directions. That is not true unless one of the A units was wired incorrectly in the first place. Back-to-back DC powered A units move in the same direction when DC is applied to the rails per NMRA Standard S-9. http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/s-9.html
jecorbett One other advantage of dummies I didn't mention in the OP was you didn't have to worry about direction or polarity. In a DC layout, if you had an A-A or an A-B-A lashup, you had a problem if both A units were powered since typically the cab would be on opposite ends which means the locos would want to go in different directions.
That is not true unless one of the A units was wired incorrectly in the first place. Back-to-back DC powered A units move in the same direction when DC is applied to the rails per NMRA Standard S-9.
http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/s-9.html
You are correct of course. A complete brain cramp by me.
I've been away from DC too long. What I said would be true of a DCC engine unless it was MUed to the lead engine.
jecorbettOne other advantage of dummies I didn't mention in the OP was you didn't have to worry about direction or polarity. In a DC layout, if you had an A-A or an A-B-A lashup, you had a problem if both A units were powered since typically the cab would be on opposite ends which means the locos would want to go in different directions.
I never fund a solid reason for buying a dummy since they have limited use..I always preferred the power units since I could easily put 'em to work without the need of a second unit to pull them..
I still have a BB "super power" C&O A-B-A power set in one of my storage totes.I ought to get those engines out ad use 'em during the fair.
You could do that but it could get expensive. I don't know what locos cost in N scale but I'm in HO. When my diesel fleet was mostly Athearn BB, a powered unit was around $30 and I think you could get a dummy for around $20 (1980s dollars). Now I am running high end DCC locos with sound and they typically run in the $250-$300 range. A dummy of course wouldn't need to have DCC or sound, but even a DC version of the same loco would probably be about $150. You could go to a lower end loco to convert to dummies but you would need to find one in the same roadname and preferably the same paint scheme and even then, the color shades might not match. I know its unlikely to happen, but I wish buying a factory made dummy was still an option.
One other advantage of dummies I didn't mention in the OP was you didn't have to worry about direction or polarity. In a DC layout, if you had an A-A or an A-B-A lashup, you had a problem if both A units were powered since typically the cab would be on opposite ends which means the locos would want to go in different directions. If you wanted that kind of lashup, you would need to rewire one of the A-units. With DCC of course, that isn't a problem.
Yea, Redd Foxx on Sanford & Son was always mentioning something about a big dummy he had...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.