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The "N" Crowd Locked

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  • Member since
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  • From: Colorado Springs, CO
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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Monday, December 25, 2006 3:53 PM

Took advantage of the day to replace a turnout.  I had a Peco #8 that wouldn't close for the diverging route.  I believe I ballasted it poorly the first time.  Two months ago, I was fiddling with it and popped out the spring; never got it back together.  Fortunately, it would stay aligned for the main.  It did put that crossover out of commission for a while.  The turnout had been soldered to the rest of the track for continuity.  Now, if you ever have to do this yourself and you've been short-sighted enough to solder your turnout in place, this is what I did:

1.  Soak the ballast with alcohol to loosen it. 

2.  Clip the rails on the bad turnout using rail nippers.

3.  Lift out the turnout.

4.  Heat the rail joiners with a 140/100W soldering gun until you can remove them with the stub ends of the bad turnout.

5.  Slide the replacement joiners onto the remaining rails all the way past the rail end (only works with flextrack).

6.  Place the new turnout.

7.  Using needlenose pliers, slide the rail joiners back halfway so they straddle the rail joints.

8.  Solder and file.

9.  Paint.

10.  Re-ballast (and be REALLY careful around the points!!!) and weather.

11.  Enjoy!

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, December 25, 2006 3:27 PM

Jay & Mark,

That would be what I hoped, and that is how they described the SD-90. But the SD-70 just said DCC friendly.

Would the MRC sound chip fit in that sucker?

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by Adelie on Monday, December 25, 2006 3:21 PM
 NS2591 wrote:
What Kato means by DCC Friendly is That the motor is Isolated and its all ready to get a Replacement light board/Decoder
 
Jay hit the nail on the head, Chip.  The ones I have seen have a plastic clamp that holds down the lightboard/decoder and secures the electrical contact strips from the frame to the board.  Unplug the clamp, pull the old board out, put the decoder in and replace the clamp and she is converted.  I believe they also have you put a layer of kapton tape (supplied with the decoder) on an edge of the decoder to prevent any undesired electrical connections to the frame. 

- Mark

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Posted by NS2591 on Monday, December 25, 2006 2:50 PM
What Kato means by DCC Friendly is That the motor is Isolated and its all ready to get a Replacement light board/Decoder
Jay Norfolk Southern Forever!!
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, December 25, 2006 2:44 PM

Okay, what does Kato mean by "DCC Frendly" they talk about with the SD-70.

I wanted an SD-90, but they were sold out for Norfolk Southern.

 

 

 

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by TrainFreak409 on Monday, December 25, 2006 2:15 PM

Merry Christmas all!

What do you think of the newest addition to my roster? Wink [;)]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/TrainFreak409/Model%20Railroading/Thomas001R.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/TrainFreak409/Model%20Railroading/Thomas002R.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/TrainFreak409/Model%20Railroading/Thomas003R.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/TrainFreak409/Model%20Railroading/Thomas004R.jpg

He's actually not a bad little locomotive. Tomix captured the little locos presence very well. Even Annie and Clarabel. However...He only seems to have one speed...Break-neck. I'm hoping that as the motor breaks-in, it'll become more sensitive to lower voltage responses, because he's too fast for my tastes right now.

Scott - Dispatcher, Norfolk Southern

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Posted by trainfreek92 on Monday, December 25, 2006 9:51 AM
 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Merry Christmas!

Got an Atlas GP9 w/ DCC (PRR #7002).  Runs very smoothly but not a lot of muscle.

Dave, most Atlas locos run very smooth but they also dont have much power.

Running New England trains on The Maple Lead & Pine Tree Central RR from the late 50's to the early 80's in N scale
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Posted by trainfreek92 on Monday, December 25, 2006 9:50 AM
 SteamFreak wrote:

 trainfreek92 wrote:
Im going to unwrap tommorow a Guilford GP7 By Atlas, a Mec Box car, a New Haven box car, a CP ral coal car, a CN covered hopper. What are you guys getting

trainfreek, how do you know what they are before unwrapping them tomorrow? Sounds like someone's been cheatin'.Evil [}:)]

Steamfreak, Nope I no what they are because I went to the LHS and put them behind the counter so my dad could get me what I wanted.

Running New England trains on The Maple Lead & Pine Tree Central RR from the late 50's to the early 80's in N scale
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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Monday, December 25, 2006 8:41 AM

Merry Christmas!

Got an Atlas GP9 w/ DCC (PRR #7002).  Runs very smoothly but not a lot of muscle.

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 25, 2006 8:33 AM

I purchased a headband magnifier that has 4 changeable lens. Check this eBay Item. This is what I bought and it works very well.

Item number 300063630377

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Sunday, December 24, 2006 11:49 PM

I got $150 to do with what ever I wanted. Until I said I wanted a 4-4-0 with sound. My wife then told me that I had to buy clothes with the money. Sorta my fault though. I've been studying health and decided to practice what I was going to preach. I've lost 50 lbs and none of my clothes fit.

I would really rather had the engine.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by SteamFreak on Sunday, December 24, 2006 10:46 PM

 trainfreek92 wrote:
Im going to unwrap tommorow a Guilford GP7 By Atlas, a Mec Box car, a New Haven box car, a CP ral coal car, a CN covered hopper. What are you guys getting

trainfreek, how do you know what they are before unwrapping them tomorrow? Sounds like someone's been cheatin'.Evil [}:)]

  • Member since
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  • From: Mass
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Posted by trainfreek92 on Sunday, December 24, 2006 8:44 PM
So what N scale trains are you guys unwrapping tommorow. I already got a Intermountain Maine Central f3 (red) A hooker chemcals tank car by atlas, B&M box car by Atlas, b&m fkat car with trailer on it, ttx flat car. Im going to unwrap tommorow a Guilford GP7 By Atlas, a Mec Box car, a New Haven box car, a CP ral coal car, a CN covered hopper. What are you guys getting
Running New England trains on The Maple Lead & Pine Tree Central RR from the late 50's to the early 80's in N scale
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Posted by nscaler711 on Sunday, December 24, 2006 8:36 PM
Happy holidays to all n- scalers!!!!!!

Army National Guard E3
MOS 91B

I have multiple scales now
Z, N, HO, O, and G.  

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  • From: In the State of insanity!
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Posted by pcarrell on Sunday, December 24, 2006 5:23 PM

Philip
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Posted by Chuck Geiger on Sunday, December 24, 2006 2:23 PM

merry christmas and a happy n-ew year! Oranges and Sunshine from CALI!

 

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Page, AZ
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Posted by Chuck Geiger on Sunday, December 24, 2006 2:22 PM

merry christmas and a happy n-ew year!

 

 

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Posted by apartment railer on Sunday, December 24, 2006 10:07 AM
The switch from HO to N wasnt easy for me. You do loose a bit of ability to detail locos, and when you pay the same or sometimes more for rolling stock you tend to scratch your head. But when you lay out a track plan!!!! Oh boy then it was worth it. I had a 12'*12' square in HO took up a ton of room. now im on a 15'*13" L and have 3* the stuff
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Sunday, December 24, 2006 10:03 AM
 jwils1 wrote:

Chip:

Nice layout.  I like it a lot.  What radius curves are you using?

Your plan brings up another question.  I notice what might be curved industry tracks.  My question is do truck mounted couplers couple together easily on curved tracks?  How about uncoupling?  I assume that magnets won't fit the curve but do pics work?

Thanks.

The curves are minimum 15". I don't know the answer to how well the couplers work. I've never even held a throttle on an N-scale track. I have no idea what that section will look like. I just threw the track in there so it wasn't a bare spot. I'm putting in a turnout then planning the town when I can set little cutout dolls to represent buildings and houses.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by SteamFreak on Sunday, December 24, 2006 9:49 AM
 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Actually the Bachmann drivers weren't out of quarter with respect to their axles...  Instead one set of drivers had been installed in the journals about one notch on the gear out of alignment with respect to the other drivers on the same side, causing the valve gear to almost, but not quite, bind with each revolution.  That's a far easier problem to fix than the actual quartering.

I sold off all my HO at a train show before switching to N.  It was painful at first, but suddenly I had a fistful of cash I could take over to the N scale tables.  Suddenly it was like having a full palette of paints and a blank canvas!

OK -- I think what you're saying is that each driver is geared so that the side rods are just along for the ride, which is the best way to build a steamer, btw, but if you have a driver installed one tooth out of alignment, it binds. I had a Trix N scale 0-6-0 years ago and found that out quickly when I reassembled it.

I actually have your freight station pic as wallpaper right now, and it looks really good even tho it's stretched a bit. Not so long ago I could instantly pick out an N scale featured layout in one of the magazines due to 3 foot high rail, or dodgy looking handrails, but those aren't dead giveaways anymore. The tiny delrin details are incredible.

 Still, as my name shows I'm a steam fanatic first, last, and always, and a big part of the thrill for me is watching the locomotion, and Walschaerts valve gear just isn't the same in N. And I just bought the HO Proto 1000 A&B C-Liner set in Pennsy Brunswick Green. Really nice! Big Smile [:D] Wish they made the Sharks.

Btw, also have my cat-wisker T-shirts in Brunswick and Tuscan - darn they look sharp!

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Posted by jwils1 on Sunday, December 24, 2006 9:45 AM

Chip:

Nice layout.  I like it a lot.  What radius curves are you using?

Your plan brings up another question.  I notice what might be curved industry tracks.  My question is do truck mounted couplers couple together easily on curved tracks?  How about uncoupling?  I assume that magnets won't fit the curve but do pics work?

Jerry

Rio Grande vs. Santa Fe.....the battle is over but the glory remains!

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Sunday, December 24, 2006 8:46 AM
 SteamFreak wrote:

 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Try soldering parts that tiny.  OUCH!Black Eye [B)]

As a refugee from the watch industry I understand the frustration, and highly recommend investing in a good quality loupe for anyone who hasn't done so. It's a great help in HO (and my vision is still 20/20), but an absolute necessity in N.

 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Seriously, a lot of threads have gotten "cranky" lately.  Must be holiday stress.  Never understood that stress until I had kids!Whistling [:-^]

I've been noticing the same thing, but I couldn't resist after your HO crack. It's that most wonderful time of the year... Angel [angel]

By the way Dave, you mentioned somewhere that you had to requarter one of your Bachmann steamers, and it got me wondering -- do they use the same plastic axle arrangement as on their HO locos? Not a sensible thing to do, especially in N without keying them in some way.

And fantastic pics as well. It's enough to make this apartment dweller wonder about the possibilities, though it would have to be preceded by the HO eBay blowout sale (Oy!). I was impressed with the performance of the N scale locos (both steam & diesel) that I saw at the Greenberg show, but I still like something with a little more heft to it.

Nelson

Actually the Bachmann drivers weren't out of quarter with respect to their axles...  Instead one set of drivers had been installed in the journals about one notch on the gear out of alignment with respect to the other drivers on the same side, causing the valve gear to almost, but not quite, bind with each revolution.  That's a far easier problem to fix than the actual quartering.

I sold off all my HO at a train show before switching to N.  It was painful at first, but suddenly I had a fistful of cash I could take over to the N scale tables.  Suddenly it was like having a full palette of paints and a blank canvas!

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

  • Member since
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Posted by SteamFreak on Sunday, December 24, 2006 7:52 AM

 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Try soldering parts that tiny.  OUCH!Black Eye [B)]

As a refugee from the watch industry I understand the frustration, and highly recommend investing in a good quality loupe for anyone who hasn't done so. It's a great help in HO (and my vision is still 20/20), but an absolute necessity in N.

 Dave Vollmer wrote:

Seriously, a lot of threads have gotten "cranky" lately.  Must be holiday stress.  Never understood that stress until I had kids!Whistling [:-^]

I've been noticing the same thing, but I couldn't resist after your HO crack. It's that most wonderful time of the year... Angel [angel]

By the way Dave, you mentioned somewhere that you had to requarter one of your Bachmann steamers, and it got me wondering -- do they use the same plastic axle arrangement as on their HO locos? Not a sensible thing to do, especially in N without keying them in some way.

And fantastic pics as well. It's enough to make this apartment dweller wonder about the possibilities, though it would have to be preceded by the HO eBay blowout sale (Oy!). I was impressed with the performance of the N scale locos (both steam & diesel) that I saw at the Greenberg show, but I still like something with a little more heft to it.

Nelson

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Posted by SpaceMouse on Sunday, December 24, 2006 1:01 AM

I like the Christmas card as well.

Guys, I've gone through 4 very different drafts and have come up with something you can start nit-picking. Please come give me comments. (got through the posts o get to the fourth.)

Click here.

http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/984780/ShowPost.aspx#984780

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
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Posted by Mailman56701 on Saturday, December 23, 2006 9:40 PM
 pcarrell wrote:

Hey Dave,

I have something for you!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Very cool Philip, but maybe green up the wreath; take the words "Merry Christmas" out and it looks a bit like a death announcement :)
"Realism is overrated"
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Posted by tgindy on Saturday, December 23, 2006 9:21 PM

TO: "pcarroll"

That PRR JPG makes an awesome piece of wallpaper.

Simply load it into your Irfanview, go to resize image, take off the preserve aspect ratio, tap 1024x768 pixels, and save to a new file name.

And a Pennsy Christmas to you, too! 

Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Saturday, December 23, 2006 9:18 PM
 pcarrell wrote:

Hey Dave,

I have something for you!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thanks!

Yep...  Even NY Central fans have to admit the Pennsy was a class act!

Then came MERGER...  which sounds like "murder!"

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Saturday, December 23, 2006 9:10 PM

Not eactly...  The Pennsy, N&W, and Long Island RR (owned by PRR) used monochrome (single-color) position light signals.  N&W (in whom Pennsy owned controlling stock) kept their monochrome PL signals until the 1960s, when PRR lost control of the N&W.  N&W then switched to color position lights like the B&O.  The aspects (clear, approach, stop) were the same but Pennsy used all amber bulbs instead of CPLs.

So, pre-1960s N&W signals exactly like Pennsy (all amber); post-1960's N&W like B&O (color).

Now, you ask, why do some of my pictures show red bulbs?

Some PRR PLs controlled via an interlocking plant used two horizontal red bulbs instead of the customary three horizontal amber bulbs (see the PL for the spur toward the back) to indicate "absolute stop."  Ordinarily, a plain old stop indication can sometimes mean stop and then proceed (unless the PL has no number or has a lower bulb), but absolute stop means stay stopped until the signal aspect changes.

NJ International makes my Pennsy PLs in N scale.  I think at one time they made B&O CPLs.  The B&O CPLs have no center light.

Good luck!

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by NS2591 on Saturday, December 23, 2006 7:08 PM
Dave do you use PRR CPLs on your layout, and If you do who Makes them, I've heard that PRR and N&W CPLs are almost indenticle and I'd like to use CPLs on my layout instead of those stupid looking Upside down traffic LightsDead [xx(]
Jay Norfolk Southern Forever!!
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  • From: columbia mo
  • 194 posts
Posted by nscaler711 on Saturday, December 23, 2006 12:34 PM
Thats to cool!

Army National Guard E3
MOS 91B

I have multiple scales now
Z, N, HO, O, and G.  

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