Locos and rolling stock
WOW sound !!!
So, I braved the Black Friday crowds and ended up having a wonderful day! That is because I actually heard my very first TCS WOW sound decoder and it was amazing enough to facilitate the purchase of a new unit and dictate my next modeling project. As a kid in the late 80s, early 90s, I remember the MOP-UP pulling heavy trains out of the river valley with a combination of SD40-2s and C30-7s. What a sound and the vibration of some serious horsepower!
Now I am going to try and recreate it in HO. I hope I will have some success! and get something like this:
Alpine Railway Shops
Anyone familiar with a company called Alpine Railway Shops near Toronto that manufactured Canadian Woodchip cars? I picked up 4 kits a long time ago and put them into my save for building later box, and decided to build them over the next few weeks. Looks like an older resin kit (based on the typed xeroxed instructions), and while there are directions, they are a little skimpy in detail at times. Just wondering if anyone has some experience with building them and what pitfalls I should be looking out for or tips that can be offered.
How well does the Bachmann MTD 6 wheel switcher run
I see some of the N-scale Bachmann 6 wheel diesel switchers available fairly cheaply. They're the ones with the rapido coupler, so presumably older units. How well to they run? And how hard would it be to add a DCC decoder? Space won't be a problem, as it's going to become an HOn30 unit. It likely won't end up as a DCC unit; the HOn30 will be a tiny vignette on one corner--an interchange with the standard gauge.
Thanks!
LokSound Select Direct Decoder...
Hi guys,
I'm about ready to try out a couple of the LokSound Select Direct replacement decoders in our newly purchased Athearn RDG GP39-2's
I've chosen these over the TCS WOW Sound decoders as LokSound has the specific sound files for a GP39-2 that can be loaded, and they have the same new features as the WOW Sound with manual notching. In fact LokSound have all of the locomotive sound files for our entire roster too.
Southern Pacific Skybox ???
Gang,
I picked one of these up at the trainshow yesterday for a few bucks. I thought, "Hmmm, I'll paint and decal it and then who knows what else... It was only like $4.00." I get home and start doing some research only to find out that I do not think there was ever a decal set made for this car. I can get a lot of the decals from an old set made for 80' boxcars, but they are rare and dealers are asking a premium for essentially old and fragile decals.
Suggestion for ballast hopper modeling?
Can anyone point me to a good starting point for modeling this IAIS ballast hopper? Or even a standard (non-ballast) 2-bay hopper that'd have the right "bones"?
And while we're at it, does anyone have thoughts on the heritage of that car? I don't know why I was thinking Arkansas & Missouri, but I'm not seeing any ex-A&M cars on-line that are close.
Cheap and easy way to test LEDs?
Out of a batch of 60+ supposedly "warm white" LEDs, I've now found two that were actually much more cool white - noticeably so. I'd like to now test the remainder I have on hand so I can send back all the bad apples to the Ebay vendor who supplied them at one time for replacement. Can anyone suggest an easy, hopefully cheap way to test LEDs? I have a micrometer - can that be used? And if so, at what setting?
Problems with Atlas HH660
Hi one and all,
Well, it's taken me a while but I finally set up a test track connected to a Digitrax Zephyr. I've run a few used/old DC locos and most everything works fine but I have one big issue. The Zephyr is set to address "OO" for DC motors. The throttle is set to stop and the brake is on. Track power is off. I positioned an Atlas HH660 (Silver - new, with no decoder - never run) right out of the box onto the test track.
GP10s at Trainfest
For those who attended Trainfest last weekend I’d like to know if anyone spoke with Intermountain Railway Company about their GP10s?
Specifically, I’d like to know if they mentioned anything about how the shells will fit on the main frame. Their preproduction sample (see below) had the body riding too high on the frame and I’m wondering if they fixed that issue.
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