Dear Friends
I'm new to model railroading and don't have a real layout yet. My almost-three-year-old son is the true rail fan.
The only electric train we have is a Thomas O-gauge set from Lionel, but the model railroad we're going to build will be in HO scale because of its cost and space benefits compared to O scale.
We don't have any HO items yet. No locomotives, rollingstock, track, accessories, or related items.
We do, however, have five or six of ExactRail's new P-S 7315 waffle boxcars (Southern) on their way to us.
Thank you very much for the education!
--Jaddie
Jaddie What's the little curved thing on the couplers of HO locos and rollingstock? I don't think O-scale stuff has the little curved thing.
"The little curved thing" is a trip pin that is used with magnetic operations. When the coupling stops over a magnet installed under or beside the tracks, the pins cause the couplers to open. If you slightly pull one car away from the other, and then push it towards to uncoupled car, it allows the train to push the uncoupled car without re-coupling, which is useful when setting out cars on sidings. This is the famous "delayed-action" feature.
(There is also a special wand that can used for magnetic uncoupling, but you aren't using delayed uncoupling, a skewer or a thin screwdriver works just as well.)
Kadee Quality Products explains how their couplers work here.
Jaddie When assembling a track where do rail joiners go? Between all sections? Only with flex track?
Rail joiners go between each section, whether sectional track or flex track.
Flex track has to be held down with tacks or glue to maintain its shape. (You can't just curve the track and set it on the table.) Moreover, as the track is curved, one rail will become longer than the other and have to be trimmed. For long curves, it's best to solder the sections together as the track is laid.
Jaddie I'd like for my son's model railroad to be configured so that trains can't collide with one another due to switch operation. What part(s) do I need to create a safety net? An occupancy detector?
I am assuming that you are using traditional DC wiring. (I know little of Digital Command Control (DCC), and leave that subject to others.)
Two trains on the same track at the same time cannot be independently controlled. Multiple trains will run in the same direction, start and stop at the same time, and a faster unit will eventually bump the rear of the slower.
If one wants to operate multiple trains under separate control, the layout has to be divided into electrical sections called "blocks". Each block is wired to a switch that can be multiple power packs. As the operator runs his train from block to block, he selects the power pack for his locomotive. When "Block 1" is switched to power pack "A", an operator using power pack "B" can't be selected. This pretty much precludes the possibility of collisions.
When you get to the level where trains are automated, and require detection systems to prevent collisions, you're dealing with something a lot more complicated than the typical beginner's layout.
I hope this helps.
Dan
Jaddie 1) I noticed that ModelTrainStuff.com has Atlas's new Branchline passenger kits on sale for US$15 each. That sounds like a bargain to me. But I'm so new to this that I don't know if it's a bargain or not. Is it? I can't find the specification for minimum radius for these cars on Atlas's site. Should I assume 24"? 2) What's the little curved thing on the couplers of HO locos and rollingstock? I don't think O-scale stuff has the little curved thing. 3) When assembling a track where do rail joiners go? Between all sections? Only with flex track? 4) I'd like for my son's model railroad to be configured so that trains can't collide with one another due to switch operation. What part(s) do I need to create a safety net? An occupancy detector? 5) We bought a Woodland Scenics grass mat to go under the new table we built for my son's Fisher-Price Zip Zoom Logging Adventure set. Which adhesive do you recommend for laying a grass mat? The instructions specify "mat cement," which we don't have. If mat cement is the most appropriate adhesive, I'll get some, but I thought I'd get a suggestion from you guys first.
Hello!!!
1) At least 24" would a good minimum radius for those cars. At 15 bucks, they are about as good of a price as I have seen.
2) The "curved thing" is called a trip-pin. On magnetic couplers, it is what causes the magnetic uncoupling and enables you to uncouple cars with diaphrams. They also represent the "air hoses".
3) The rail joiners go between all pieces of track regardless of the type of track. They aline adjoining tracks and pass on the power from one to another. However, some modelers, such as Andy Sperandeo, do not trust any electrical conductivity to them and give feeders to each individual piece of track. Most times this is not needed.
4) I would simply make sure the switches are lined in the right direction. However, if you really wanted to, there are auto-throw switch machines which will line them in the correct direction for you if you forget.
5) I have no experience with this, but whatever does the job right is what you need
Hope this answers your questions.
sfb
Glad to hear your son is a buddiing model railroader. Now lets see if I can answer a question or two for you.
First, to see if a deal is a deal, I check several online stores Modeltrainstuff is very competitive, but that's not to say that their prices can't be beat. However, it does look like a good deal to me.
The little curved pieces under the couplers are for magnetic uncoupling. You can use either perminantly installed magnets or electro magnets. They also look like air hoses on the prototype. A few folks take them off, most leave them regardless of how they uncouple. The looks and possibly a slight increase in resale value.
Rail joiners are used at the end of every piece of track, both sides. They are electrical connections as well as for keeping the rails aligned. Because they will spread over time, most perminant layouts solder them in to insure good contact. You will also use insulated rail joiners to seperate sections of track. How you set them up depends on whether you are in DC or DCC. A good book on wiring will help you out in many aspects of wiring, blocks, power districts and reverse loops.
To keep trains from colliding from operator error??? I'm not sure. It depends on how complex a track plan you have. I have not used occupancy detectors, so am not familiar with their capabilities.
I think you will find that most folks don't use grass mats. Any I have seen are to uniform in color to look realistic except for pieces cut for lawns, ball fields, golf courses or maybe a recently mowed hay field. It's usually concidered less expensive to paint your "earth" color and sprinkle on some various colors and textures of ground foam. I do plan on using a section of one that was given to me to cover the hinges on my lift up, when I get to that stage of building. The one hinge cover I have seen was made from an old piece of carpet, painted and with scenic material added. I plan to add various scenic materials to hide the solid color of the mat. As for mat cement, I've not heard of it, maybe something like 3M's spray adhesive would work. Hopefully, someone else will know.
Have fun,
Richard
Holdon, slow down, take a breather. Did I read that right, the son is 3? I'll be honset, I'd stick with the Fisher Price and the wooden train sect for a while. This coming from a kid who had the Bachmann EZtrack under his bed. I loved my first loco, it was Bachmann General, and a real trooper. It didn't however survuve fmy always carrying it around when I was that age. If you do go into HO, look at Bachmann, and Athearn for engines, and Athearn and Accurail make good starter cars. Forget the Branchline kits, or shove thme in a back closet, if that layoput is for him. if it's for you and him to watch, then their fine. Here's why: Those Branchline kits are involved. There's a lot of small pieces that can fall apart if not assembled properly, and I'd go so fgar as to call them hard. 1-5, I've gine them a 3/5 or a 4. That's not for a three year old. When you assemble track, it;s generally considered good idea to solder your joints, the joiners are just a good guide tool. Do leave some small gaps for expanding room though.
-Morgan
$15 is the best price I've seen for Branchline passenger car kits. They are very fine and detailed models, and for that reason, I agree that they're not good for a 3-year-old. The complexity and detail of the kits, in my opinion, is too great for anyone under 14 (or 12 if you're a mechanical genius). If you want passenger cars, I would suggest starting with Athearn. They're simple and robust.
Will you be the one handling the ExactRail cars? They're also very highly detailed like the Branchline cars, and small parts can be easily damaged or broken off. Special care must be taken with high-end products such as these. I would again recommend Athearn cars (lower priced Ready-To-Roll) if your son will be handling them.
What sort of locomotives will you be wanting? If you let us know, we can help to point you in the right direction (what's good, what to avoid, etc.).
As for track, I would recommend Atlas. Their products are good quality and trains run smoothly around them. All of my track is Atlas, and I almost never have derailments as long as everything is in working order. They sell both regular track (sectional and flex) and sectional snap-track with a plastic roadbed.
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We just went through this discussion with you on why HO is not the best choice for a 3 year old, didn't we? http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/192810.aspx
Regarding the grass mat. I would not bother its too uniform and you will find yourself covering most of it up anyway as I have done with track, ballast trees ground cover roads etc.
Joe Staten Island West
One thing I just remembered that you might want to consider is that a boy's interest can change quite a bit at his age.
As an example, my brother liked trains when he was that little. He had a few toy train sets which kept his interest for a while, and he got an HO Bachmann set for Christmas when he was 3 (which still works surprisingly well to this day), but it was only a year or two later when he pretty much lost all interest and focused on other things. The toy trains are gone, and he's since given me his Bachmann set.
Another example is my cousin's son. He was a huge truck and train fanatic, and I gave him an HO set when he was 4. He actually handled it very well, and he and his dad had a great time with it. I don't know how much interest he has left, but his focus seems to have switched more to "Transformers" in the past couple years (can hardly blame him though. They're cool toys).
I myself wasn't too interested in trains for a few years. I had more fun with the Nintendo and Sega Genesis games, and Legos and K'Nex building toys. What brought me back to trains was my fascination with mechanics and things powered by electricity (and a $5 train set from a garage sale).
If the trains are mainly for your son, you might not want to invest quite so much into them yet. Definitely have fun as long as he's interested, but he might find other things to be more to his liking in the next few years. If his love of trains is still solid when he's 8 or 9, that's when I would suggest investing more on HO trains for him. I'm just trying to give some helpful suggestions for you.
Thank you very, very much for your replies.
I'm now more knowledgeable because of your answers, and I sincerely appreciate your help.
Dan, we're going to use DCC and begin with the Digitrax Zephyr. We'll probably start with one or two MTH SD70s and maybe a steamer.
The grass mat is going under a Thomas track. We've already bought it. The track is sitting on plywood right now.
Thanks again, fellas!
Dear Darth
Yes, I'll be the one handling the ExactRail cars. My son will handle them only under careful supervision.
We plan to start out with one or two DCC-controlled MTH SD70s and maybe a steamer, and we plan to use Atlas Code 83 track.
We've changed our original track plan drastically because my father-in-law and I decided to put the track along one wall of our basement photography studio. The plan has gone from being three loops to being a long strip with two return curves (one reversing) at each end. One return curve will be scenic and the other will be sort of hidden on some shelves behind our studio's backdrops.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Darth Santa Fe Another example is my cousin's son. He was a huge truck and train fanatic, and I gave him an HO set when he was 4. He actually handled it very well, and he and his dad had a great time with it. I don't know how much interest he has left, but his focus seems to have switched more to "Transformers" in the past couple years (can hardly blame him though. They're cool toys).
Psst. Hey Darth, pass this photo along if he still likes trains. And tell him the "Minicons" are not bad for HO scale...
Dear V8
We subscribe to Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains, and O-Gauge Railroading. We also enjoy the free and wonderful Model Railroad Hobbyist. And I can't leave out the official Thomas & Friends magazine.
Books we've purchased include Building Model Railroad Benchwork, 101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders, and Track Planning for Realistic Operation.
DVDs we've purchased include the four-disc O-Gauge Railroading layout visits collection and, most recently, Dave Frary's Easy Scenery from Start to Finish.
This hobby is costing a small fortune and we haven't even ventured out of the starting gate.
Jaddie Dear Darth \We plan to start out with one or two DCC-controlled MTH SD70s and maybe a steamer, and we plan to use Atlas Code 83 track. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. --Jaddie
\We plan to start out with one or two DCC-controlled MTH SD70s and maybe a steamer, and we plan to use Atlas Code 83 track.
Dear Morgan
Unless we learn new information, we plan to use MTH's Proto-Sound 3 decoders with a Digitrax Zephyr. Supposedly, the Proto-Sound 3 decoder is compatible with DCC. I understand that they sometimes lose their addresses.
The Bachmann HO Thomas the Tank Engine set is rugged enough for 3 year old handling. My 4 year old grandson has been abusing one for 2 years without hurting it a bit.
He has the wooden set, too. He plays with both. He only runs the HO set under supervision but that is only because he is running it on my miniature world. He has his own UT4 throttle. Yes, as a matter of fact I did convert it to DCC.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Dear Dave
If it doesn't consume too much of your time, would you please share how you converted the Thomas engine to DCC?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDSbVQgVfec
Or you can buy one already converted from Alex at DCC Train in Cincinnati, OH.
http://www.dcctrain.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=2762&catid=
Boy, oh, boy! Thank you!
I'm not sure my hands are steady enough for such precise soldering, but I'm willing to give it a try.
Jaddie Dear Morgan Unless we learn new information, we plan to use MTH's Proto-Sound 3 decoders with a Digitrax Zephyr. Supposedly, the Proto-Sound 3 decoder is compatible with DCC. I understand that they sometimes lose their addresses. --Jaddie
Cool, you're already informed on that point then. Good for you! I'm personally a proponent of the DCC ready locos, all the looks and none of the potential risks, but by that same token I've not seen that many issue with the SD70s. Not as many as the steamers, at any rate.