What's your best toy train money making idea, never before tried?

[trigtrax]

Since I actually manufacture stuff for the hobby I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

For one of your comments:
CNC milled windows for prototypical passenger car sides.
There's currently a used CNC Mill on Ebay for $28,000. Of course you'ld have to program it for each prototypical window frame.. But as far as a money maker how many window frames would you need to sell before you "break even" for just the cost of this mill?

How about a graduated trestle set that has a breaking system on the downgrade so the train will run down at the same speed as it went up.
I used to make a product called Trigger Trax. It was basicly a set/reset type of AC Flip-Flop. By placing it's sensors on the top and bottom of a graduated trestle you could switch between two variable transformers set at different voltages. This provided increased power for climbing the trestle and decreased power on the way down. I stopped making this device when TMCC came out, as these type engines operate at constant AC voltage and depend on FM Pulses to change speeds.
You now have both TMCC and DCS systems out there compounding the problem of "automatic" train control even more. I have, in fact, worked out the electronics to reproduce the device to work with TMCC command bases, but DCS is proprietary, and I'd need to reverse engineer it's software to start. I won't go there. [xx(]. But you can see how even a simple idea can become very complicated very quickly.[:D]

[cnw1995]

We need a model of a McKeen Motor Car -

[FJ and G]

That's pretty cool, Doug,

How abouts a gyroscope-balanced 1-rail railcar? Several of these systems were in operations. I know of one in Ireland and 1 in Malaysia. I think there were several others.



and for 2- or 3-rail operation, what about a bicycle. Unsure where the engine would go (perhaps in his body) or perhaps a windup key on his back?

[FJ and G]

QUOTE: Originally posted by traindaddy1

How about a graduated trestle set that has a breaking system on the downgrade so the train will run down at the same speed as it went up. (Sorry, if this is available, I have not seen it) Thanks for asking.

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He's onto something here. Let me elaborate on the idea, but take it in a different direction.

Make a 4X6 pre-fab'd layout using the same idea but using resistors to slow down the train going steeply down inside a mountain tunnel, then going uphill. You know, the disappearing train layout that amazes people, developed by Lionel in the 50s. Perhaps 1 or 2 sidings or passing track and gantry crane added. Could be 100% conventional using 027 and a small train.

[Brutus]

Okay - how about O gauge old time trains, like the John Bull, Layafette, DeWitt Clinton sets that Bachman put out in HO a while back?

[Anonymous]

Yeah more Monorails.

What a model of the old, old Pnuematic Subway proposed for under New York City. A section was built. There was to be a live Piano player in the stations. Really classy. Part of this was even found a couple years back under Broadway. Patent images of this used to line the wallpaper of Subway Sub Shops until recently. A real working model would be more fun than any helecopter cars. Whoosh...... there goes the express.

The McKeen is very nice and ran on several roads.

Old time trains would be great. I'll take almost any of the Wooden replicas in the B&O Museum. A coulple miles up the road from MTH HQ. A Grasshopper would give a Shay a run for it's money as far a wierd flailing goes.

[traindaddy1]

Trigtrax - FJ and G: I really enjoyed reading your comments and everyone's ideas.

[1688torpedo]

Doug - A company by the name of Rich-Art did make a McKeen Car in Standard Gauge a while ago. There may be one on ebay? While we're at it. A Model of the Delaware
& Hudson Gravity Railroad in Northeastern Pennsylvania from the 1800s. That would be interesting. Take Care.