what would you have myth busters do on your layout

[Budliner]

if you could be on tv
and have the myth busters test your layout what would you have them do
I think I would like to know how strong may grid layout would be I bet thay will have to park a truck on it to snap this baby





NICE................................................

[Fergmiester]

Myth Busters???? I don't need Myth Busters, I need Dust Busters!!!

[selector]

I'd have them prove or disprove a certain type of track cleaning. Does MAAS or Mother's Mag Polish work better than isopropyl alcohol? Will the cleaning last longer?

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I'd have them prove or disprove a certain type of track cleaning. Does MAAS or Mother's Mag Polish work better than isopropyl alcohol? Will the cleaning last longer?

I'm very interested in the answer to that one myself.. The ones who use the polish swear by it and the ones who don't say it won't work.. I'm willing to give it a try and see for myself.. I don't think the mythbusters are going to want to come to my house and clean my track [:(]..

[Anonymous]

mabey see if a loco can pull the same scale amount of weight as the prototype.

if a gp38 can pull x amount of fully loaded (type of frieght car) , can the model gp38, unmodified, pull the same amount of weight if the scale frieght cars are exactly the right weight?

GEARHEAD426
[8]

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I'd have them prove or disprove a certain type of track cleaning. Does MAAS or Mother's Mag Polish work better than isopropyl alcohol? Will the cleaning last longer?

hello
hey take it from someone that has meesed up a few brass parts if you use alchol the brass will be bone clean and we know that brass needs to have some cover over it or rust so I say that the wax will protect it
thats easy now how do I get the truck in my computer er train room

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I'd have them prove or disprove a certain type of track cleaning. Does MAAS or Mother's Mag Polish work better than isopropyl alcohol? Will the cleaning last longer?

[#ditto] I've been trying to think of an experiment to try the different types of track cleaning, but cannot come up with one that doesn't require building about 12 identical loops or back & forths.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GEARHEAD426

mabey see if a loco can pull the same scale amount of weight as the prototype.

if a gp38 can pull x amount of fully loaded (type of frieght car) , can the model gp38, unmodified, pull the same amount of weight if the scale frieght cars are exactly the right weight?

GEARHEAD426
[8]

My friend tried that, His HO GP38 wieghed 3000lbs[:0]

[Anonymous]

NOOOO WAY, i like the mythbusters, but wouldnt want them to be around my things

one time they were testing some concrete truck myth, and decided, hey lets call in the fbi, shut down a major highway, load this truck to the brim with explosives and blow it up, why, who cares?
it was the COOLEST explosion i've ever seen, it like imploded, it completly blew the truck to smitheriens, it was awesome

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GEARHEAD426

mabey see if a loco can pull the same scale amount of weight as the prototype.

GEARHEAD426
thats a great one somehow I feel the model will be busted

QUOTE: Originally posted by prr67

NOOOO WAY, i like the mythbusters, but wouldnt want them to be around my things

prr I seen that one I bet the cement was still stuck to the drum
lol

[Morpar]

MYTHBUSTERS RULES!!!! I still say the best was when they used the man-lift (cherry-picker) as a catapult. I have been thinking of modeling that, but not sure how to reset everything after the wheels break off.
I too, love to see them destroy the parts of whatever myth they are working on.

[HoosierDaddy]

I would have them determine if metal wheels really do help to keep track cleaner than plastic wheels.

HD

[cmrproducts]

Track Cleaning – going around one more time!

Here is a list of agents that I have tried over the past 20 years to clean Model railroad track. This was in a Club atmosphere as well as on my home layouts.

Remember, I tried them all!

Abrasive Materials that just cleaned the track:

Bright Boy, Lifelike Track block, Sand paper, Steel wool, Scotch Brite, Pencil Eraser, Ink Eraser, Emery Paper, Crocus Cloth, Sanding Sponge

Liquids that just cleaned the track:

Acetone [nasty], MEK [way too nasty], Alcohol, Gasoline [dangerous], Lacquer Thinner [just as dangerous], Methylene Chloride [Ambroid Pro Weld], Enamel Paint Reducer, Model Power Track Cleaner, Lifelike Track Cleaner, Any of the other model manufacturers track cleaners, Windex [didn’t work too well], Clorox, 409, CLR, Turpentine, Jim Beam, Dry Gas, Diesel Injector Cleaner, Hi Octane Gas Booster [nasty stuff], Pre Clean-O [wax & grease remover for painting car bodies], Ammonia, Segreams 7, Bleach White [tire cleaner], Windshield Washer Fluid, Resolve Carpet Cleaner.

Cleaners that left an OIL type coating on the track:

ATF, Orange Cleaner, GOO Gone, GooF Off, STP [worked for slot car wheels], WD40, CRC 5-56, CRC 2-26, LPS-1, LPS-2, LPS-3, Murphys Oil Soap, Wal Hair clipper Oil [worked about the best of all the oils], Tarnex [chemical agent], Rail Zip, Pine-Sol, Lestoil, Hydraulic Jack oil, Air tool oil, Sewing Machine Oil, Kerosene, Brake Fluid.

Cleaners that leave a SILICON coating on the track:

Rainex, Silicon Spray, Armor All

Materials that are abrasive to the track and/or leave an oily coating:

Brasso, Rubbing compound, any of the auto body heavy cleaner polishes, Chrome Cleaner [not too bad]

Lemon Pledge spray [too hard to control spray but is a wax but with little cleaning ability].

And then I finally went with regular old Silver Polish.

Does that give you any idea of the research that has been done!

Now what do all of the above do to the track. They only clean off the OIL and Dirt. Only the oil base and the Silicon based materials leave a coating on the rails and this just attracts the dirt. WHY? Because the rails are wet!

What is a wax supposed to do, besides make things look shiny? It is supposed to make the surface resist dust from sticking (Auto car bodies - so you do not have to wash it so much, Silverware so it doesn’t tarnish). I use it on my table saw surface to WHAT? Make it shiny, NO! To make the wood slide easier WHY? so I don't cut my fingers off. The saw dust does not clog up the miter gauge track etc. etc. etc.

So wouldn’t it stand to reason that if I waxed the rail heads that the dust would not stick to the rail! I do not know why I had never thought of using WAX/Polish before. Guess I was always told to CLEAN the track (the track is dirty) so that is the way we always did it.

As for the black crud on the rails after you wax the rails. It does not affect the way the trains run. You can keep polishing the rails until they are worn down to code 75 and the black will always be there. Why? I don’t know!

A lot of people do not understand about the rails having to be absolutely clean and dry. It goes back to the old school thoughts of, if you rub the rail heads and your fingers are black then it must be dirty. Most others that have visited my layout have the same thoughts. This does not preclude you from periodically going around and wipe the rails between your yearly polish jobs

Now that I think about it, this cleaning thing must have come from back in the Lionel days of steel track that you have to clean it with something, as the track is RUSTY so sand paper is the way to go!

So polish your track and you may never have to clean it again!

BOB H - Clarion, PA

[cwclark]

I'd like for them to prove that if you lick the rails with your tongue when the power is on, you will get shocked!....chuck

[pcarrell]

I'd like to see if they can prove that small steam in N scale can really be made to creep over dead frog turnouts. The manufacturers don't seem to think so, or at least if they do, they haven't bothered to do it yet!

[cmrproducts]

I'd like them to prove if Homasote will really expand and contract as much as everyone says it will!

Which wood material has the least expansion/contraction ratio (length/width/thickness) - dimentional lumber - plywood - OSB

BOB H - Clarion, PA

[Budliner]

I too was amazed at the compounds in the black crud oil dirt dust metal its like all the trains were tossed in a blender and spred on the rails
ok lets send them a letter
who wants to volunteer there layout to science
how can we get addem to put his toung on the 70 amp powerpack




K

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Budliner


how can we get addem to put his toung on the 70 amp powerpack

K

Oh that shouldn't be hard at all![:p]

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

I'd like for them to prove that if you lick the rails with your tongue when the power is on, you will get shocked!....chuck

And see if a DCC signal works on humans!

Actually I'd like to see if Myth Busters could dispell my wifes Myth of "You'll Never fini***hat Layout".
Then again I wouldn't want to see their idea of finished, especially if it involves a "Dummy"[xx(]

Fergie

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

I'd like for them to prove that if you lick the rails with your tongue when the power is on, you will get shocked!....chuck

And see if a DCC signal works on humans!

Actually I'd like to see if Myth Busters could dispell my wifes Myth of "You'll Never fini***hat Layout".
Then again I wouldn't want to see their idea of finished, especially if it involves a "Dummy"[xx(]

Fergie

Well, I can tell you that when my wife pushes the right buttons, I chuff and whistle. [:-,]

-Crandell

[Anonymous]

I'd like to have a certain Mythbuster *coughKaricough* come over and bust a few myths for me[censored][censored]

[Budliner]

lol

[ouengr]

I would also like to know the relationship between scale and prototype power for a given locomotive. I suspect that the model units are actually more powerfull when compared to many prototypes.

One thing to keep in mind is that when the overall weight of the prototype is scaled down, you need to use 1/658203 which is 1/(87*87*87). This calculation indicates that a 220,000 coal load (110T) should weigh in scale approximately 5.34 ounces. The scaling factor needs to be cubed becasue we scale in three directions.

[chutton01]

You know, there really doesn't seem to be all that many urban myths associated with model railroading (besides the perinnal hair-clipper-oil one). Sure there are different ways of doing things to achieve the same end, but nothing like running a boat with the trailer still attached, or igniting a home with bug spray or explosive decompression of a plane via a bullet hole.
Remember, on one fireworks myth (the ancient era multi-stage rocket one?), Adam stated that this was the segement of the show where they went through the service truck to find and ignite whatever would explode.

And remember, besides Kari, they once had a whole stable of cool chicks, including the kick-*** Scotty, the cute Christine (who apparently left the show for 'love' [:(] ), and the flaky but sexy Heather Joseph-Witham, an, er, professional 'folklorist'.
Now they have Grant and Tori, who are NOT eyecandy [V] (well, certainly not to me anyway, but maybe for the lady fans) - however, I bet Grant and Jamie could really kick***on layout animation and background/scenery [:)]

[easyaces]

QUOTE: Originally posted by prr67

NOOOO WAY, i like the mythbusters, but wouldnt want them to be around my things

one time they were testing some concrete truck myth, and decided, hey lets call in the fbi, shut down a major highway, load this truck to the brim with explosives and blow it up, why, who cares?
it was the COOLEST explosion i've ever seen, it like imploded, it completly blew the truck to smitheriens, it was awesome

I guess that you don't watch the news much and saw the cement truck that was blown up in Bahgdad while one of our guys was machine-gunning it!!! NOW that was a heckuva blast!!!!

[Budliner]

I missed that one too
easy



ken

[SpaceMouse]

I want them to llok at my layout and tell me what's real and what's not.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea what is meant by mythbusters. Especially since the most interesting option mentioned - scale versus "real" pulling power has nothing to do with myths. But speaking of that option, my experience with HO steam leads to the conclusion that its a bell curve: for the smallest (e.g. American 4-4-0) and the largest (say 4-8-4, 2-10-2, and articulateds), the 1:1 locos outpull the 1:87 models (modestly for the smaller, substantially for the larger), while for medium-size locos (2-8-0, light 2-10-0, equivalent), the models outpull their larger brethren.

One measured example: my brass Western Maryland H-9 Consolidation, 16 ounces including extra weight but excluding tender, can pull 18 55-ton hoppers with model coal loads up a 3% grade without slipping. The same loco was rated for ten such loads up the 3% Black Fork grade by the WM. With a load of 110,000 pounds and a light weight of 40,700 pounds, the real thing could pull 3.087 x its own weight. My model, pulling cars weighing 3.5 ounces including loads, can pull 3.938 x its own weight.

On the other hand, an N&W Y3 2-8-8-2 was rated at approximately 150 loaded USRA two-bay hoppers on level track. I don't have enough hoppers to make the test, but I guarantee you that this is two to three times what my Powerhouse metal or LifeLike P2K plastic can pull.

By the way, OUENGR, although the issue of scaling weight doesn't affect the methodology I used in my comparisons above, surely your position that weight scales to 1/87^3 is correct only for solid shapes of a uniform density?

[ouengr]

The cube root is assuming that all items would be reduced in scale proportionally to the original. This is fundemntally how we scale engineering design loads for structures that are reduced in scale. There are several ways of accomplishing the same task but the cubed reduction seems to be the most common.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rails5

I have no idea what is meant by mythbusters.

It's a TV show that tests urban legends to see if they could be possibe and therefore maybe have some basis in reality, or if they're just a hokey story that has no possibility of ever actually occuring.