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Ride on 8 3/4 gauge train

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  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: central NY
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Posted by spookytown rr on Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:51 PM

I gotta find me one of those!!

And i don't just mean the flasher!

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:59 PM

O, stupid me, thought it was G scale....

Oh yeah, who is the gal in photobucket flashing her grade crossing signals?

Ole Toad

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Posted by Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:08 PM

I do not see how it is a problem. The set was cheap enough, and I prefer the broader gauge for stabilty and the steel rail for strenght and durability.

I just need a railbender, everything else I eaither have or can easily get. 

Here is a photo of Katya the Ferret peeking from the 4-4-0's Cab.

So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 17, 2008 3:32 PM
 Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 wrote:

It was in a petting zoo in Arkansas

That's the problem.......

Ole Toad

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Posted by Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 11:06 AM

If you go to msn.com > health > Men's sexual health home > message boards > men's sexual heath, then look for a post about a painful hydrocele, with no command help,

 

that was the post I tried to put a link to. 

So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....

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Posted by Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 11:03 AM

I am aware that 7.25 and 7.5 gauge are the most common ones.

 

I do not have the shop to re-set the wheel gauge, nor do I want to regauge all of the track that I have.

Plum Cove Studios is willing to make custom power ales and trucks for me, so more cars is not an issue.


I would rather much have a more stable train than be in the "norm".

I would like to find out the history of my train a little more and who made it.

It was in a petting zoo in Arkansas, then bought by a guy in Durham, CT, then I bought it. The guy in Durham slapped paint on and let his kids cause some damage to it, like the guy's son broke the smoke stack off.

Now I am getting closer to getting it to like new and removing all traces of the old paint job and of the damage sustained.

 

So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....

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Posted by Curmudgeon on Saturday, May 17, 2008 10:38 AM

Can't get your link to work.

Annapolis, huh?

SeaHorse, SS(N) 669

Qualified SEP71

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Loudonville, NY
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Posted by Benjamin Maggi on Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:26 AM

As a new member to the Live Steam community (even if your locomotive isn't technically a steam engine) let me welcome you. Two resources that you should check out are:

This forum: The first two topics on the top apply to live steam railroads:

http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/index.php?sid=55596bcbe7d823ac337130b038c98371

and http://discoverlivesteam.com/

Also, you should know that the two scales most common for ride-on railroads in the US are 7.25" (in the Northeast, and in Europe) and 7.5" (in the rest of the US.) There are smaller ride on scales of 3.5" and 4.75" too. I mention that because you can build your own railroad to your own track gauge, but if you ever want to operate on someone else's then you will have to adapt. The scale you mention sounds like a commercial gauge, like you might find in an amusement park or something. While you are breaking down your engine, you might want to investigate bringing in the wheels the inch or so and making the train more "universal."

Then again, that it's your train. I haven't seen many topics regarding ride-on-trains in this forum because Kalmbach doesn't really have a magazine for this aspect of the hobby. Though, sometimes Model Railroader will feature an occasional article about one. I won't directly advertise other magazines that cover them here, but if you check out the links I posted you can find a wealth of information.

Have fun! (and post pictures Smile [:)])

Modeling the D&H in 1984: http://dandhcoloniemain.blogspot.com/

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Posted by Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 2:27 AM

Right now the train cannot be used as the guy I bought it from lost the key to the ignition switch, so I have to replace it.

I have been spending a fair amount of time stripping and re-painting the train as I have been recovering from an injury received on base.

Here is more on the injury:

http://boards.msn./Healthboards/thread.aspx?threadid=662623

The caboose is about 75% complete. All that is left is to wire the marker lights and install the seats and smokestack, that and a few touch ups in the paint, and then lettering.

The gondola is about 85% complete. I have some trim paint to do and then the lettering.

The loco is a sorry mess. There was a mouse nest inside the body of the loco. A lot of the bolts are rusted in place. 

The tender needs the switch replaced and new paint.

The last owner slopped on the paint over everything, making it hard to turn bolts and screws.

Due to the nature of my injuries, I cannot do any lifting to do work, so I have to wait for my wife to come home to pick stuff up for me, which is slowing progress a lot, but at least they help keep my mind off of the pain.

I am updating photobucket to try to show off my new project.

 

James 

So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....

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Posted by grandpopswalt on Saturday, May 17, 2008 1:23 AM

James,

My guess is that you'll probably have make something yourself. Pattern it after a unit designed for G gauge track, only much larger.

It's a shame that you're now starting to work on your new layout. I just moved from Deep River, CT. to northeast Ohio in April. Otherwise I would have been happy to give you hand getting your new RR running (and I'm ex-Navy (surface) too!).

 

Good luck.

Walt 

 

 

 

"You get too soon old and too late smart" - Amish origin
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Ride on 8 3/4 gauge train
Posted by Railroader_Sailor_SSN-760 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 12:34 AM

Hello,

 

I recently purchased a 8 3/4 gauge ride on train set. The train itself is really nice, it has a 4-4-0 steam loco with a tender that has a 3.5 HP motor in it a 6.5' gondola and a caboose with about 1/4 mile of track with some grade crossing sections and a bridge and 3 switches (RH, LH, and a Wye)

The track is mostly T-Channel steel with wooden ties and a couple sections of track made of C channel steel with metal ties.

I would like to know how I could get a rail bender to aid in making more curved track.

I will post photos when the restoration is closer to completion.

Thanks,

James 

So many scales, so many trains, so little time.....

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