Good afternoon.
Well it was a long day at work, and its time to relax. Not much planned today, other than sit around.
Jeff.......Good looking engine. Also nice patch job.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Coffee in an unadulterated UNION PACIFIC mug, please.
I still do not understand why the loco won't run. The new decoder w/ speaker is plugged into the same 8-pin socket as the little one it came with had been. One though was what if the new decoder (which had sounds downloaded to it prior to shipping) wasn't recognizing DCC, even though it is suppose to be dual functional??? Any of you old-timers interested in making a few $$ to make this thing work?
Rob
CederstrandI still do not understand why the loco won't run. The new decoder w/ speaker is plugged into the same 8-pin socket as the little one it came with had been. One though was what if the new decoder (which had sounds downloaded to it prior to shipping) wasn't recognizing DCC, even though it is suppose to be dual functional???
One thought, Rob....
What address are you trying to run it on??? Unless you reprogrammed the decoder, it may be on #3.... If you haven't reprogrammed it to a different address see if it runs on address 3 or whatever one THAT decoder is factory set for. ????? Other than THAT, I have no ideas without knowing what you have tried so far.
Good luck!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, we have no DCC controller to even check that out. This decoder is suppose to work on both DC & DCC, or I would not have bought it. Perhaps I should go ahead, suck it up, and buy a DCC thingamajig. I could manage buying the Digitrax Zephyr 2.5 Amp DCC Starter Set!?!?!? Rob
"Coffee please"~
Hi all... thought I'd drop by and catch up on some reading. Going over some past posts.. and also laying cork on my layout, I came across Jeff's pic.
Now Jeff, this is mighty darn nice. I tip my hat to you my friend. I also asked myself, Now why in the heck do I need some roadbed cork ? I mean this is the end result, and I do have some cork already down for sound absorbing qualities. Good show Jeff~
Now on a different note, remember two months ago a puppy came to visit.. well~, we finally figured out exactly what breed this Hound Dawg is. After several people walking by stating that this pup is a Ridgeback~
People would come right out and say "Thats a Ridgeback!" So~ my son and I looked up Ridgeback on youtube.. guess what its a Ridgeback. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di5QTtfcnck
We couldn't believe it... we all laughed. Also called an African Lion Hound omg~! I just couldn't believe how much this animal was growing. I kept asking my son "Are you sure this dog isn't part 'Great Dane'?
Yeah I know.. blurry pic. But I just couldn't imagine this pup running around with the Pitbull. The pitbull has been the 'Playful Mom' never biting.. always letting the pup have 'Her' leather chew.. this pup has been brought up in love and special attention.
I don't know if you can imagine trying to take a pic of an African Lion Hound on a full gallop.. but it ain't easy.
Why am I showing you these pics? You may ask? Well, early tomorrow morning Mr. Buddy 'Bud' Doberman will be gone on an 8 hour drive with my son.
They will both be heading back to college. 'Buddy' will be a great companion for my son. If I ever were to living by myself, I would have such an animal. Never in my life have I seen an animal so keen on every word you say. Following you around .. actually listening to you.. and being a companion. I truly mean this. So..
tomorrow morning this guy will be gone. I shall miss him, I helped raise this lil guy.
And the Husky? Well she's always be the Alpha Mom and enforces it to the 'extreme'
His favorite 'Bed'.. even though is doesn't fit him anymore. One time while he was sleeping on this thing.. well I marveled at him.. "Ah sleeping Angel" (little does he know .. I am sneaking up on him. All crouched.. 'Step by step' (hands extended out in some sinister fashion) softly speaking I am creeping up on the dog.."Oouu ha ha haaa~" And And...
That Husky comes out of nowhere all Snarling.. and teeth showing.. "Don't mess with the PUP!" Yikes! Ok.. sorry folks.. I just had to share about the pup.
Keith
CederstrandThanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, we have no DCC controller to even check that out. This decoder is suppose to work on both DC & DCC, or I would not have bought it. Perhaps I should go ahead, suck it up, and buy a DCC thingamajig. I could manage buying the Digitrax Zephyr 2.5 Amp DCC Starter Set!?!?!? Rob
Ahhhhhhhhhhh........ You are in DC! Forgot...... I would contact the maker of the decoder and see what they have to say. Could be some switch that is needing to be thrown somewhere in the decoder???
Good Evening
I was in the backyard listening to a slightly ill turbo from some EMD thingee this afternoon. I don't know exactly which EMD it was but it sure sounded like it was ready to implode---
Jeff: Love the way that ex-Onion Specific piece looks.
Keith: Do you do foster care for dogs? Those are beautiful fellows---
Chloe, I'll have a massive quadruplex burger with a tub of fries on the side please---I'll be at the window booth munchin' away here---
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
hey guys
Just a quick stop in, have had a round of huge storms come through again this afternoon. Had a little bit of water in the basement ( second time in a week ), not even enough to fill a small cup but still water after the water problems my wife and I had in our apartment we really didnt want this in the house. But they were some pretty nasty storms with large amounts of rain and wind to boot so I will just give in too mother nature on that one,lol. Kinda in a crappy mood generally I havent had a weeks holidays in a year or so, I have only had 4 weeks off in 8 years actually. so with the mood Im in mixed with the water in the basement and being burnt out just kinda on the grouchy side
Jeff that diesel is looking great, you must accomplish something everyday on the layout? sure does look good my friend
well gotta run
- Jeremy
A friend of mine has a couple of sound equipped locos he runs on DC. He has to turn the power up pretty high before they'll start moving.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
well things just get better, my mom just called and said that my Grandma has Cancer they said it is treatable so that's great news. My Girlfriend had Leukemia in 2003 ( had treatments until 2006 ) so we haven been down that road before, but at least they say its treatable in her case. what else can happen tonight???? sorry to bring the mood down in the diner guys but its one of the rare places on the net you can talk about life without inmature comments.
cheers guys
Good Evening, Chloe, I'll have the broiled salmon steak, garden veggie salad (yeah, tomatoes, onions, three of those leafy kinds, carrots, broccoli, but no cucumbers please - they make me belch), some sliced peaches and a glass of your fine Finger Lakes wine with that. Thanks, I'll wait for my dinner and catch up with *** at the booth for now.
Jeff, those UP diesels look about ready for the wash! Smooth patch job, even if you did have to wrassle them into the paint shop.
Garry, ya gotta consider - those UP units have "LOUZIANA MUD" on them; that's harder to get off of 'em!
Galaxy and/or Barry - don'tcha love how the doctors will run a dozen tests just for their 'CYA'? And then they want you back every year (or six months, or...) - like maybe they're saving up for that next vacation? Sorry if I offended any doctors in the Diner.
Rob, I for one am glad you're still around (and not being de-tarred in a local ER, either)! Quick (and good) thinking (or maybe reflexes by Barbara, as well. It's hard to tell on some cars I've had whether the parking brake is on (especially those with the push-down pedal, where it's hard to look and see if it popped up or not). Maybe on her layout you could have a steep grade and make a model of that incident to commemorate the event? Do you think the truck driver noticed you as you whizzed by? On your DCC question, I'd do a search (generally and on the Bachmann site, with preference given to the non-partyline answers) for "DCC decoder install Bachmann 2-8-0" (or variations of that). Check the decoder site for the brand you have, since they have a vested interest in your making a good go of the installation.
Allegheny - your experience with the caulk being out is just one of many variations that Mr. Murphy pulls on us. My most frequent one is that I'll be ready to paint a structure kit (have carefully cut the parts off the sprue so I can paint each color of parts separately), only to find out that a couple of the paint colors are dried up since I last used THAT color. At least the caulk you can get locally!
Johnboy, knowing this bunch of MRR novelists, don't hold your breath about it being a quick read when you get back. But enjoy your weekend!
CN Charlie - Ah, I see you addressed (no pun intended) Rob's questions on the DCC decoder. Thanks, better for someone who's done it to help him out.
No, no, no, no, Chris - you do not fall in that category - you have a job, so I'm sure THAT poster wasn't thinking of you...(right? Or does he let mere logic and facts get in the way of his stereotypes? ). Well, moving right along... I got in some odds and ends from a MRR'ing order, and it turned out that the 'firehoses' I tried ordering (two, count 'em - two packages) happened to be the straight (fixed?) ones that the fire engines have on the outsides, and NOT the flexible ones I was hoping I would be getting. Ah, well.
Keith, after looking at the size of those grown Ridgebacks in the video, I'd suggest you buy stock in a dogfood company, 'cause you your son'll be spending enough on dogfood, that he'll increase the value of their stock! That's gonna be a bit bigger than a 'lapdog', yeah. And thanks for the pics.
Jeremy, (so far as I'm concerned) no problem with talking about YOUR world in here. Adding your Grandma (and you and the rest of your family) to the list. Any chance of your getting a few days off w**k anytime soon?
I'm a few pounds lighter tonight; got the hair(s)cut earlier tonight after w**k. Will wash it tonight, and should feel much better by tomorrow a.m. Also got an email about the MRR clubroom, and the air conditioners are installed, so next Monday's meeting will be much better. Oh, on the layout tables, when we rebuilt after our last move, it was done with the capability to more easily take it apart in case of any future moves. Good thing, eh?
Looked through the Walthers Bargain Bin, but didn't find anything I couldn't live without. Saved myself a little money there.
Time for me to finish up my dinner and head for home, so I get to bed on-time or a little early tonight. On-call this weekend, but I may still take a shot at some de-cluttering around the apartment. We'll see about some pics of some kind of progress, at least by Monday.
Prayers for healing, comfort, rest, and progress toward one's dreams.
Blessings,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Deluxe Mexican Plate, please.
***Jeffrey, I wish to present you with a "Tip Of The Day" Award. Went down to the train room and cranked up the power (Tech II transformer) to over 2/3rds and anfter some assorted sound effects, the loco started moving out. Sooooo, my installation is OK after all. It does not run super smooth (tends to take off after a slow start) and the sounds don't always match what the loco is doing exactly. Perhaps it's an issue with the capacitor, as CNCharlie suggested. Hit the direction switch and heard a beautiful whistle, but control over it is poor. Think I'll go ahead and buy that Digitrax Zephyr 2.5 Amp DCC Starter Set, unless someone tells me why I shouldn't? I don't foresee ever having more than 3 DCC locos on the wife's layout at a time anyway. That is, unless I lose my mind and do that "switch to HO thing" I've been toying with. Unlikely! [I only own 1 DCC N scale loco, so I will not need one unless I start adding decoders to my fleet, which would be costly.]
***Keith, does it have the ridgeback? I'm not familiar with the specifics, but those I've seen in person have a pronounced ridge of hair growing in the opposite direction to the rest of their coat. Didn't see any in your happy-go-lucky dog there. Perhaps they develop this with age?
***Jeremy, sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hope they can help her out. Lost my mother to cancer....that was tough.
***Jim, there is NO WAY that truck driver could not have seen us FLYING by in front of his grill in a mini-van doing 55mph. He later passed us on the same road as the lanes opened up in town. He probably assumed there was an idiot at the wheel, as losing breaks is not exactly a daily occurrence. And thanks for not "wishing me to the corn field".
Did some root raking in the new pasture and discovered 2 burried small stumps and 2 large stumps. This was in a relatively small area. Not impressed with their work. Tractor make a horrendous noise so I shut it off fast (was already starting to stall). Looked underneath and discovered a large limb was pressing hard (grinding way) against the drive rod. I was fearful I'd blown something up in there. WHEW! Might be better off renting a larger tractor for this work. Area wise, barely made a dent today.
Cederstrand***Jeffrey, I wish to present you with a "Tip Of The Day" Award.
CederstrandThink I'll go ahead and buy that Digitrax Zephyr 2.5 Amp DCC Starter Set
Jeremy- Prayers for your Grandmother. And you are right, of course you are dealing with a much more caring bunch and mature, regardless of their age, here than most places on the web.
Jeff- I'm impressed with the way you got the L&A on after you weathered and it looks like it was on there first.
Rob- Interested to see how you get along with the Zephyr, I think Jeff runs it also and I've not heard him complain. I think I'll go to the Zephyr when I make the switch, like you I don't plan on running too many trains at once seeing as how I am a lone wolf here. But, for now, I will just stay DC.
Well only got the three way switch wired in the kitchen today. But you had all day, you say. Weeeeell, Mom fell again. Brenda and I are quite upstet about it this time. She fell at about 3 am and didn't call us until almost 7 am. She had her cell phone but lay on the bathroom floor for almost 4 hours because didn't want to wake us as we need our sleep. She also didn't push her Lifeline button because her front door was locked and did't want the rescue squad to eithe rbreak in or wake someone. Luckily she only cracked a couple ribs though she felt as if she broke much more. I don't know what to do with her. She can't be left alone anymore and we don't have the room for her to move in permanent. Long story but if you knew her you'd understand. We have plans, but until her house is sold can't afford much of anything.
Prayers for those in need.
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
Rob,
I was just about to suggest that you crank up the power but I see that you have already discovered that. When you run a sound decoder on DC, the power, and quite a bit, goes first to power up the sound part of the decoder and then the motion. Running sound on DC is frustrating and that is largely what sent me over to DCC. Have to say that I am glad I made the change. You might have to wait until you get DCC to get that loco to run more smoothly as you might need to change some CVs. Also check Saskatoon Railroad Modellers site as they cover the decoder install in the Consolidation and also the capacitor issue. One of the DCC gurus on the Bachmann site is a Jim Banner who belongs to the Saskatoon club.
CN Charlie
TMarshJeff- I'm impressed with the way you got the L&A on after you weathered and it looks like it was on there first.
***Jeffrey, if it isn't more complicated to use than a TV remote, then my wife might be able to run her train(s). If I get stuck trying to set things up, you know who I'll be asking for help.
***Todd, I figure my layout will remain DC for the foreseeable future. Unless I get hooked on it playing with DCC on my wife's layout!?! As for your mom falling again and what ensued, we understand. You're certainly not alone. I just stopped reporting the regular occurences is all. My wife REALLY misses her dad as he was before his first major stroke. Both her folks are a mess these days and nothing is going to improve. They are in an assisted living facility now which is where they belong. It has been a drain on us both finanacially and mentally dealing with them. Enough said. You (& mom) have our sympathies.
***CNCharlie, thanks for the tip. Will look up that Saskatoon Railroad Modellers group and do some research.
Evenin' folks!
Just stopping in for a quick cup of decaf....
Jeremy, I'll add my prayers for your Grandmother, and your whole family.
Rob, the Zepher is an excellent and expandable starter system. You can also rig it to use a DC throttle as a second controller/throttle. It would be an excellent investment. I would bet you would get hooked very quickly...... I have the Digitrax Super Chief with 3 radio throttles, and one tethered. I would never go back to DC, Never! For those who for whatever reason are sticking with DC, nothing wrong with THAT either.
Todd, good luck with your Mom! Hard times.... Been There, Done THAT! (I already worry about what would happen if I fell down the cellar stairs.)
Hope you all have a great night!
howmusRob, the Zepher is an excellent and expandable starter system. You can also rig it to use a DC throttle as a second controller/throttle. It would be an excellent investment. I would bet you would get hooked very quickly...... I have the Digitrax Super Chief with 3 radio throttles, and one tethered. I would never go back to DC, Never! For those who for whatever reason are sticking with DC, nothing wrong with THAT either.
Goooooooooooooooood *YAWN!* Evening.... large RBF please 'n thank-you.
Welp...the long day is finally just about almost done. After watching Iowa City West High's baseball team demolish the defending state champs 11-1 in 6 innings (mercy rule), I high-tailed it to the monthly school board meeting. Two hours and 45 minutes of...excruciating misery. Still gotta e-mail the new superintendent to make sure I heard what I thought I heard about closing open enrollment to one elementary due to a surge of kids already in the district, etc., etc., etc.
Tomorrow is some phone w**k trying to track some leads down/make an article or two, do the processing/writing from today's game; and see what I can make out of the aforementioned board meeting.
JIM: Yeah...I know (the TWIT). But, I didn't fit into his other categories either. IF the "fire hose" comes out to 8-12 feet long with large couplings on the ends, and about 4-6" diameter...then my friend, you have hard suction hoses. Yup, the ones hanging on the side. Depending on the district, some pumpers will have several of them, stacked up in racks. Having a few "extra" around the station is realistic too. A good flat black, or a black/rubber/tire kinda color would be a good paint choice, with chrome for the couplings on the ends. I saw a metal "fire hose" set THAT included (allegedly) some helmets, and an axe or two. It looked like some kind of industrial plant installation: a pipe/rack with a coiled up hose. I got to thinking (always dangerous to do so) THAT the hose coil could be cut off the pipe/rack. The helmets could hang on the wall next to the trucks. The axes...go on the Engines and/or Ladder Trucks. The pipe thing...into the bin of "I'll need THAT someday" stuff.
TODD: Sorry to hear about your Mom. This may not be much of a consolation...but what she did (waiting until a "civilized hour" to call for help) is extremely common. I've had patients in the midst of a full-blown heart attack tell me the crushing pain started around 0330...but "I didn't want to bother you boys." So they called us AFTER 0700, 0800, etc.
I even had one who wanted to be sure we'd gotten out of bed and had time for breakfast before she called us!!!! It's very nice, very sweet, and very thoughtful of them to do so...but it can drive you nuts. Our very best wishes to you and her.
JEFF: Those ex-UPitty geeps look like ones the CNW bought in the early 1980s (I think). One in particular became CNW 4457. It survived until the assimilation by The BORG... Uncle Pete wound up selling her off a second time.
For kicks 'n grins, here's a shot of her in '96 during the height of the Chicago and Union Pacific Northwestern days.
Good night everybody...
Chris
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
Good Morning Folks,
well, the migraine is a little better, but not yet gone. Will take all of today to get rid of THAT.
Zoe, I´ll need a strong coffee this morning, maybe that helps. Thank you.
Todd - I am sorry to hear about your Mom. I am in about the same situation with my parents, but there is little I can do, unless they want it. There is a certain kind of stubbornness in them, that can´t be battled.
Rob - I am glad that nothing happened, when the brakes of your car failed. Yikes - that´s some feeling! Happened to me about two weeks ago while doing 90 mph on the motorway. I got the brakes fixed the same day! As to sound on DC, I made the same experience with my former Athearn Genesis MP15, when running it on DC. Sound will start at about 3 V and the loco begins to roll at 7 - 8 V. You will find that running the loco on DCC will significantly enhance its performance - DC/sound is, IMHO, a somewhat foul compromise.
You all have a good day!
What do you guys use to keep two decoders separated inside a tender or engine? Is plain old electrical tape OK or should I be using one of the specialty tapes train stores sell? Thanks!
Rob - I missed out, what make your loco was. I once (in my better days) had a BLI Mikado, which had a socket for the DCC decoder and it was just a plug and play thing to install, once I had figured out, that I needed a socket in between the plug and the decoder. The socket came with the loco. The sound decoder did not need a new address.
Morning
I got a bunch of things that need done today. Found out that we got about 4" from one T'underin'boomer that stuck around for a full 4 hours and rained hard the whole time. Now we be flooded out up here. Then found out from a friend of ours who lives in the southwester part of London that they did not even get a drop of rain--they are still rainless in over a three month period.
Todd: That drove us buggy when my mother went ill. She would fall down in the middle of the night and would phone me up at 8am--"well, you need your sleep and a good breakfast" was what she would say. The only way we could deal with that was that I ended up moving in with her until she passed on in her sleep a couple of months after that---we could not find a nursing home to save our necks up here--no space....
JimRC: I'm not so averse as to start crabbing about doctor appointments at the doctor appointment but then they are used to me bellyaching anyhow-----
Zoe, I'll have a pile o' pancakes with blueberry syrup please---oh---and a barrel of coffee as well please--I'll be at the RC for a bit.
Good Morning. Coffee please. Slept in til about 6:45 today. Felt pretty good too. Soo much stuff to do and not enough time. Yard needs mowed and the back porch area is getting overgrown with weeds and what I think is a ....tree? Gotta do some things today to get Mom settled into the new Stalag, then hopefully I'll have time to do a couple of quick things out at her house before work today or this afternoon I suppose is more like it.
Jeff- I‘ve copied your decal procedure and will try it myself . That is a LOT less expensive than decal paper. Because you use glue instead of water, do you have to seal the ink in any way?
Chris- I'm sure had she not been falling so often here lately, she would have called. She is getting disgusted with this passing out and falling all the time. She feels it's really a burden on us to come running over all the time and doesn't like doing it. Or me sitting in the hospital all day when I "could be doing things I need to get done". I personally think, as does, Brenda, my aunt and several nurses, she needs to eat more. No, she is not "shutting done" as they say. Healthwise she is fine and could live anywhere from an hour to 20 years.
Welp, best get a move on. I still have to poke my head into the train room to see if it's still there. I'm jealous of you guys, well not really jealous. I'm not jealous of anybody, or envious, well maybe, no... not in a bad way. I mean I'm very happy with my life and the way it's turned out. Could be a lot worse you know. But anyway, I wish I could get to spend some more time on the layout than I do. Which actually is not at all lately. I just keep telling myself, soon. As soon as I get this done, I'll be able to have some time. Then....THAT happens. Oh well, Say-La-Vee. That there was Spanish. Betcha didn't know I speak Spanish. It's a short way of saying "whatever will be, will be. The futures not ours to see Kay, Sarah and Sarah". Fancy people pronounce Sarah, Suh-rah.
Have a Great Day!!!
TMarshJeff- I‘ve copied your decal procedure and will try it myself . That is a LOT less expensive than decal paper. Because you use glue instead of water, do you have to seal the ink in any way?
Good morning.
Just a quick stop. Got the day off, and going to do some shopping today. Maybe go by a LHS.
Hope everybody has a good day.
Jeff- No, thank you. I have copied the instructions and will try it.......well, as soon as I can. I have not had good luck with getting a smooth covering with dull cote on the decals I made so far. Though I must admit it was my first and only attempt. But at 10 dollars for a small pack of decal paper, your way is definately cheaper!
TMarshJeff- No, thank you. I have copied the instructions and will try it.......well, as soon as I can. I have not had good luck with getting a smooth covering with dull cote on the decals I made so far. Though I must admit it was my first and only attempt. But at 10 dollars for a small pack of decal paper, your way is definately cheaper!
Getting a late start, I'll take a coffee please.
I just got my first air brush, it was a birthday gift from Mom. It's just a Central Pneumatic Deluxe, but I hope it will be good enough to practice with. I also started on the Woodland Scenics - "The Scenery Kit" I don't have room for a layout yet, until we move into the new house next spring. I was tired of being a arm chair modeler, so I figured if I started building diorama's and practice my airbrushing skills, on the box full of Tyco's I picked up at yard sale for supper cheap.