Help Need HO Scale Steam Locomotive that steams and whistles

[Martha]

Well didn't get very far tonight with all I had planned, spent most of the night just playing with Prairie. I have wanted since I got her to try and figure out how to add some train sound effects just for the heck of it and not spend a fortune on anything so I came up with a small hand held recorder, found some sound effects on line for free and this is what I came up with right now.

http://youtu.be/Oe98pvtF0Qs

I will hang on to both power packs just in case. I'm keeping it 2/3 or less throttle only because I am so afraid she will go flying off into la la land and crash and burn on the floor! Is VAC the same as Volts? that word VAC is on the power pack and was just curious.

After tearing up the old track and track bed, the platform is looking a little rough around the edges so before I adhere the EZ track down I am going to resurface the platform. Its a fast and easy thing to do. White paint, popcorn texture powder and water. You get snow. I have learned using paint, just flat paint it doesn't get powdering after it dries.

Not sure what to do about ballast, since everything else is snowy the track will stand out a bit. I am going to experiment two ways. the sand/gravel mix I have made up already and the material I use on the platform. I am only doing the edges of it right now. and I am going to take a very long time doing it, don't want anything to interfere with the new track. I also tried my tunnel and it won't fit. there isn't enough space for it to rest on the foam behind the track. I think I have solved the problem by just adding a small ledge for it to rest on. Should work, if not Plan B

Thanks all.

[Irbricksceo]

VAC is Volts AC. DO NOT Connect the AC terminals to the track. This will burn out your Locomotive. Use only the VDC terminals.

[Martha]

thanks Irbricksceo, I won't use the AC side for anything, not even for lights. It affects how the DC side works so I will only use the DC side for my track.
thanks for your input.

[Doneldon]

Martha-

The track material makes no difference. It's the same electricity regardless of whether it is made of brass, nickel-silver or steel alloy. No, the voltage out of the power pack is not steady; it is variable. That's why the rightness of your lights and the speed of your loco increase as you turn up the power.

I agree 100% with Jim's endorsement of MRC power packs. They are the best by far and I'm sure that it would be hard to find very many people would attempt to dispute that opinion. That said, I have a box full of power packs and wall warts. I don't have any surplus MRC packs but I'd be happy to send you one if you'll pay the postage. I will be at an Elderhostel beginning on Sunday but I can drop it in the mail Saturday morning if you send your address in a private message. (You don't want that all over the Inet.)



Jim-

If you look at the embossed labeling on the pack in Martha's photo you will see that it is labeled with 17 volts output. It looks to me like the packs that were shipped with Bachmann's large scale train sets. My concern is that these packs do put out17 volts because the large scale trains would run poorly if there was only 12 volts in the rails. I'm aware that we control speed by varying the voltage to our trains and my worry is that a 17-volt pack on full speed would damage Martha's equipment. She already has some blown lights, if you go back to one of her earlier posts. That's why I intimated that the pack could be used safely as long as it isn't turned all of the way up.
                                                                            -- D

[jbrock27]

Doc, I don't know why you are insisting the power pack is for large scale trains, bc it clearly is not.  It was packed in a box marked HO, HO is clearly embossed on it (if you look at it), it is Model 6607 sold for years by Bachmann to be used with HO trains, they all indicate 17 volts DC on them.  GOOGLE it, as RichieG would suggest and you will see THAT IT IS AN HO POWER PACK-HELLO.

You are not usually one to create confusion and concern, so I don't know why you seem bent on doing that on this thread, where a couple of times you have not been keeping straight what has been going on.  After what Martha has gone through to get this all finally up and running, I don't know why you would plant the suggestion that she go spend more money when she does not have to.  Not everyone can afford the Jaguar, Doc.

If you don't have any MRC power packs to send her, which is a very sweet offer on your part, what are you going to send her that is any better than what she's got now??

I don't know what blown lights you are referring to.  I don't see or recall her mentioning that bc of the power pack.  Is it possible she did that before she learned the difference between what gets connect to AC and what gets connected to DC and not bc of anything wrong with her 6607s?

Martha , going slow with the speed is better, more "realistic" if you will than running at the highest speed.  Your safe with what you have, don't get unecessarily concerned when there is not reason to be.  You can use your other power pack to run things other than the train, making sure you are connecting to the right place-AC or DC depending on which kind of current you need.

[Jerrys HO]

OH and as someone here said....
When in doubt a multi meter could be used to check it out .

[jbrock27]

One could certainly do that, but it's not necessary.  Unless you are the paranoid type.

[jward]

are you sure the 17 volts is not 17 va or voltamps? 17 va would be about right for an older train set type power pack. and would mean an output of about 1.25 amps @ 12 volts.

[jbrock27]

I am not sure whom you asking the question of Jeff,  but I am shocked you do not know or recognize this pack.  "Output: 17 VDC" 
GOOGLE/Internet  is your best friend, ya know.  It does not matter at this point anyway and why is this still a subject of interest?  The whole matter of it is rather pedantic.  Not sure why I just took the time even to post this

[Irbricksceo]

I'll settle this so that we can get back to other issues that martha may have should they arise (though I hope they don't)

I dug out My old 6607, not QUITE as old (probably 2003-2005, came from the original Harry Potter Bman Sett) and Measured it with a multimeter. The AC terminal held at about 19.6VAC. The DC terminal with the throttle at 100 in either direction was averaging at 16.8VDC. That said, I used this pack reliably with DC and DCC locomotives before swapping to DCC earlier this year (a testament to it's reliance when compared to the 4403 or whatever pack that burns out easier.) I used it on 0-6-0's (like hers) 2-10-0, 2-8-2, 2-8-0, f7,gp40, f40, and many many more. The 17VDC is correct but not harmful to the locomotive. Higher than I expected? Yes. But it has been proven to work.

I've heard that MRC packs are good but I say we go with the addage If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[jward]

i've seen them but never used them. I used mrc from the mid 70s until I converted to dcc. one of those would have been a huge step back for me. I see no reversing switch. am I correct in assuming that they had a rheostat set up for a center off position, with speed increasing as you turned the knob to either side, and direction dependent on which direction you turned the knob?

[Martha]

Fellows!!! I appreciate all you're doing for me. Doc I appreciated your offer, at this time I will decline the offer. I am keeping the power box I have for now, I am going slow with the power, might turn it up a bit to get the smoke stack coil hot to get smoke but any other time it's slow going. Her job is to go nice and easy around town, Spread cheer as the by standers notice the holiday colored cars and wrapped boxes shes pulling behind her. Debate can go on if you all like, but my power box is staying. Now lets move on to what else I've been up to today.

Today was a busy one for Jamestown. I found just the perfect tape to decorated the cars. They are all different and pretty. I haven't decided what I want to do to the caboose, I think it will be lighted,







I wired longer leads from the track joiners to the power box. I soldered the two lengths together and then shrink wrapped them nicely. put on u shaped ends to screw into power pack. Shrink wrapped the also.



I put on u shaped ends to screw onto power pack. Shrink wrapped them also.





then I moved onto the platform itself. It was beat up, faded out, old looking surface so I mixed up my concoction of popcorn ceiling texture and white paint globed/rolled it on the whole thing..



Tomorrow clearing a path for the tracks, gluing them down (I think) and then looking into ballast.

[Irbricksceo]

Looking Great! Keep up the good work.

[jbrock27]

It's laughable there has been further discussion about the 6607 (guess what I had to say about it was not adequate) but Brick, thanks so much for "settling" and confirming for what all but a few of us, already knew and were certain of.  And, for granting us permission to move on; hope everyone takes it to heart.

Good job Martha on the solder joint!  It is easy for you now, no?   And I really like the decorated cars.  My son had asked me about running "Christmas" cars around the tree this year, after I bought EZ track to use around the tree.  Is it hard to remove the tape you used?

The "u shaped" thing, looks like what is called a "ring connector" that has been modified by having the top of the ring cut away.  Very clever if you did that yourself.  They do sell "fork connectors" that are already made like that and perform the same purpose.

[Martha]

The u Shape was out of necessity. Seems I had every other size/color with the fork except the size I needed. Common sense told me to just snip part of it out, just enough to go around the screw. The screws do not come out completely don't ya know. I would had rather have a bit small connector but I didn't. It works just great for what I need it to do. Shrink tubing is another one of those genius ideas someone had.

Tape, I found them at the Dollar Tree Dollar store, not sure if they have them where you live, just happened to spot them hanging near the xmas stuff.  I don't think the narrow tape will be hard to remove, to be honest it seems to be lifting off already but it's not a permanent fix that I was going for any how, The snowman is cheap duct tape from the same store, it's nothing like the real deal duct tape so I think it might come off okay. Last year I wrapped the box car in Christmas wrapping paper and it worked great. Simple ribbon and bows taped on would work just as well too. I have seen the narrow tape at Walmart as well, just not sure where I seen it, probably by the wrapping paper area. 

I managed to glue down the foam board and the track. I had to stop and actually do some house cleaning, it looked like the Bachmann train layout factory had taken over. Boxes and old track and lights not yet set up, wood scraps, soldering stuff, glue stuff, ballast stuff, scraped off old platform stuff. You name it it was every where. Unfortunately I don't have a large enough place to just have a room for this so, it is pretty much taken over the living room area. At least now I have a place for company to sit after cleaning up.

Ballast is still in the near future.

The new surface I did last night came out better than ever. Very pleased with it.

I think it is only up from here, a little at time and before I know it Jamestown 2014 will be unveiled!