Help Need HO Scale Steam Locomotive that steams and whistles

[jbrock27]

You're welcome Martha.

I realize the glue goes between the track but I know I will get some of it by accident on the rails.

I knew that you were aware of all of that which is why a mentioned some clean up might be needed.  I hope no one thought I was somehow implying the tops of the rails get ballasted

From what I recall, you don't have any "switches" (turnouts) on your layout to be concerned with, do you?

What brand soldering iron do you have?  Here are some more tips:  I clean the tip of my iron when hot by wiping it on either a damp sponge or a copper mesh scourer/scrubby like you find for 3 for $1.00 in a dollar store.  I put the scrubby in a cleaned out plastic container (like an old butter tub) and carefully w/o touching the plastic, rub the tip in the mesh.  This takes off old solder and cleans the tip.  Also, after cleaning the tip and before putting the iron away, I put some solder on the tip.  When it cools off, it protects the tip.  When I am soldering, I like to have some solder on the tip first as I have found this to be the easier method to solder than trying to use one hand to hold the solder and the other to hold the soldering pencil while trying to direct everything on my "work".

Doc , thank you for the info on the different ballasts.  I am taking notes.   

[jward]

. Jward, you said "on ballast presoaked with alcohol applied with an eyedropper" not sure what you are staying, you use the eye dropper with alcohol and drop the alcohol on to the track bed first? the one youtube showed using alcohol in a spray bottle and spraying the heck out of it first, is that what you are saying?

I apply the alcohol directly to the ballast with the eyedropper, one drop at a time. it is a bit more tedious than a spray bottle, but I've had much better results with the eyedropper.

[Martha]

Doneldon you have thrown me for a loop. "Just remember to turn the burner off when you aren't using it or it will burn out". Where the heck is the on/off switch for the burner? I have looked on both engine and coal car and don't see any switch? Perhaps this is an old model one that doesn't have it? All I see is the stack where I put the drops of oil in and what looks like a tiny coil in the stack that would heat up and create the smoke.
AND while I am on the the subject, how do I attach the engine to the coal car (or is it called a tender?). The car has a fix L shaped hook at one end and the typical C shaped hook with a tiny wire under that C shaped hook, the engine at the rear does not have any C shaped hook or hole for the fixed L shaped hook to attach to. There is a lip on the back of the engine that I assumed is how the two connect, use the fixed L shaped under the lio of the engine. Just seems odd there is no definitive way I see to connect the two. Also why is there a little wire on the bottom side of the C shaped hook? None of the cars I have have that little extra wire.

Soldering gun - it is a Voltage Pro 30 watt soldering iron. comes with a 5/32 fine point tip. It did come with a sponge to clean it but no flux. I was asked about what one I have. I did know to solder the outside rails but still working on getting nice clean solders.

My layout is tight. One reason why I am having problems getting the track to lay right. I wish I had gave myself a little more wiggle room on the layout but it is what it is or wish I had known more of track layout prior to all I have done so far. Given second chance I would use only flex track, but there is no second chance on this one so I will make it work. Soldering the joints will help a lot to keep it together.

Ballast - Once again Doneldon master mind of model railroading layout gave me some outstanding ideas for the ballast on my layout. I already went and tracked down my silver glitter to mix in with white sand (store bought kind) and I will finely crush up some blue or aqua glass beads I have and add it to the mix. white, sparkling, hints of blue/aqua/silver "ice" will look bitchin on that track bed, I can see it already. I don't mean to discount any information ANY of YOU that have given me advice, tips, opinions, Doneldon just hit the nail on the head for my particular layout. I have used sparkling nail polish on some of the edges of the homes and tree tips to give that extra little sparkle you get from that icy cold frozen snow.

I want to be sure I am getting mixtures right. Glue/water 50/50 mix. Alcohol/water/dish soap mix 25/75 with a drop of soap mix. There are plenty of how to vids out there to explain how they do it. I have seen guys do the inside track first, others do outside edges first or do both at the same time. I plan on doing the farthermost outside edge, that would be the inside of my oval track first then maybe the inside on ties then the outside edge which would be the outside edge of the oval track. Doing it this way in my head I am not reaching over something I already did and disturbing it. I will also work in small sections. It is a straight oval track, meaning I have no turn outs, tunnels, BRIDGES or cattle crossings, just a little hump to go over my stream. The tunnel I have I made and is removable for storage purposes.

[Martha]

A couple of you have suggested "jonathan, he of the b&o steam engines, would be the one to ask about lighting. he has extensive experience with this" How do I reach him? I am going to need advice fairly soon on the matter (lighting) and hope he or someone else can direct me towards a more suitable set up then I have now. Thanks.

[Irbricksceo]

He'll probably see this soon and chime in but search his name in the search section on the forums.

Here are some of his to get you started:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,26352.0.html

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,22213.0.html

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,21690.0.html

[Irbricksceo]

Also, In regards to your questions about the locomotive:

Older 0-6-0's Didn't have the switch, in fact, I've never seen one in person, but pre-DCC ones didnt that I know of. Anyway, You can remove it (the coil, you got theat right) By removing the shell or, at the risk of damage, yanking it out with thin pliers. That said, I'll be honest, I ran a few 0-6-0's around on my layout something like 6 years ago, before I moved and sold off most of my equipment (and subsequently upgraded to better locos) and they ran fine w/o oil, even without removing the coil.

The tender does in fact connect by putting that L shaped plastic post in the Lip at the back of the Locomotive. The other side, the "C" as you said is the coupler to the Cars. The wire beneath is a trip pin. It is used for uncoupling with magnetic systems and as a crude representation of brake hoses. I'm suppressed to hear your other cars don't have them, I've only seen one coupler of that type that didn't.

[Doneldon]

Martha-

Look behind the smokebox door for the smoker switch. That's the round piece on the very front of the locomotive. On locos which have a switch there you'll see that one of the "bolts" is actually a moving catch. Move that and the door will swing open.

The L-shaped bar is what physically connects the tender and loco. The fixture which looks like an almost closed fist at the rear end of the tender is the coupler for your train. The wire underneath sort of simulates the brake line which runs the length of the train but it is also functional. Knuckle couplers use the curved wire (which is ferrous metal) to operate the coupler jaw for uncoupling. An undertrack or on-the-ties magnet pulls the curved wire to the side, opening the coupler jaws. However, as long as a train is moving there is enough of a connection between the tiny ridges on the moving jaws of the coupler to keep the train together. If you stop the train over the uncoupler it will pull the jaws far enough that the train will uncouple at that point. The newest (as in for the last few decades) knuckle couplers have a feature called "delayed uncoupling." That means that the jaws will open to uncouple and stay open if the locomotive moves its part of the train away just a scotsch. Then the engine can back up and push the uncoupled part of the train without recoupling the whole train. This is a real help when switching cars into sidings or at a yard. This feature has nothing for you since you have a display layout without the intricacies of switching. In fact, you really don't need uncoupling at all. You can separate your cars by hand if you are careful so you don't twist or damage the couplers. You will find some cars on the used market without the coupler trip pins (the curved wires on the coupler) because the owner felt he had better luck with his couplers without the pins. A few model rails remove the factory curved wire and replace it with a short, straight wire. These often look like a piece of a safety pin and they are another example of a modeler attempting to improve on the original design.

NB: The coupler on the front of your Prairie is a "dummy coupler," meaning it is for looks, not function. It is possible to do a transplant with a real coupler but it is quite a project on this loco and it's not something you need for your layout. I would be surprised to hear that you want to pull your trains around with the engine going backwards and tender first.

Your soldering iron should work for you just fine. Others have given you some good ideas and I won't repeat them. I will urge you to use your sponge, dampener so you have something to clean slag and excess solder off of the tip when it gets fouled. That crud is an excellent thermal insulator. While it will leave the tip hot enough to give you a burn you won't fail to notice, it won't be hot enough to heat your solder or the pieces to be joined enough for quick soldering. That means you'll hold the iron on the place you are soldering too long which will heat things to the point that they'll damage adjacent plastic parts and still not make the joint. Flux will help your solder flow and stick to the parts to be soldered. Use ONLY non-acid flux. It will often be labeled rosin flux. The real key in soldering is having perfectly clean parts to be soldered and a clean soldering tip. "Clean" means there is no foreign material and no oxidation. You can clean the surfaces to be joined with a file, sandpaper, coarse eraser, wire brush or fiberglass pen. Coat the clean surfaces with a tiny dab or drop of flux to protect the clean surface from oxidizing when it gets hot, and then add a bit of solder to both pieces. That's called "tinning." Then touch your iron to one of the pieces (not the solder) and the metals will heat up quickly and join. Remove the iron and wait a few seconds for the solder to cool. If it's shiny, congratulations, you have a sound joint. If it is dull, do over as it won't last. You may hear people call this a "cold joint."

I'm glad to hear that my sparkle ballast will work for you. You also mentioned using glitter fingernail polish. That's a great idea for an ice effect since it is both shiny and glittery. Craft stores also have both white and clear acrylic with glitter or the more opalescent specks which do a bang-up job of looking like snow and ice. I expect those materials are a lot cheaper than nail polish. Anyway, they are great for adding snow or ice on the eaves of buildings, icicles and the snow that accumulates on trains running during a snowstorm.

You are making great progress. So much so that I'm noticing how little I get done!
                                                                                                                           -- D

[Martha]

Layout at a stand still. I can't wrap my mind around that little hump I am adding! Wish I hadn't ripped it out but I wanted to add track bed and ballast, you understand, keep improving, adding stuff as you go type thing. So while my mind is not on it I am sharing my youtube again. I changed to a new channel that will be for my crafts/train stuff. Some how my videos ended up in the company's youtube channel and well, not cool. So here it is.

http://youtu.be/7wdmazwRBZg

you can search me martha jamestown 2014 also, that should get you to it.

I hope Jonathon sees it or reads this as after seeing some of his post/photos Holy Cow he is inventive. I like taking something and turning it into something totally different and he did just that with his lamp post. AND he used some terminology I'd used "spring thingy thing"

Okay so I might of lied about that hump thing. As I sit here typing I can look over and see the poor half built thing just waiting to get completed

Oh another sad thing. I guess my soldering really messed things up as now there is little to no power to the tracks. I noticed globs of solder on the rails which even I know is a no no.  So that is another project. Taking all the track and removing any solder that might be stuck on it, clean it up and practice soldering on scrap track first. Then solder the track. Always a learning adventure in this hobby.

[Doneldon]

Martha-

Jamestown is charming. I would be very proud of it if it were mine and I think you should
be, also. I hate to rush the season but Happy Holidays to you, too!
                                                                                                     -- D

[jbrock27]

I wondered why the first video I watched of Jamestown appeared to sponsored by a pest control company

Sorry to hear about the solder on the track.  That would not likely be the direct cause of little to no power on the track.  There is something else going on there.  Do you have an OHM meter?

Back to the solder on the track.  This sometimes happens.  How much is there?  Can you post a video of that?  Sometimes it helps a lot use a magnifier when soldering the track, makes it easier to see. 
To help you with the problem of the solder on top of the track:  If there is not a lot, you may be able to get it off by using a track cleaning block.  That would be the first thing to try.   #2 is tricky but possible: put heat sinks in place on either side of the rail where the "blob" is and heat up the blob of solder with your soldering pencil till you melt it-you then may be able to wipe it up with a rag while it is liquefied.  The danger being you melt ties in the process.  Or, you can do the same thing, but take a piece of wire that has multi strands, have some flux paste already on it and touch it to the melted solder-this may transition the unwanted solder to the scrap piece of wire and off the rail. 
Another resort, far down the list is to take a small file and file off the unwanted solder.  The downside to this is unwanted scratching of the surface of the rail, which means dirt gets in the scratches, meaning extra cleaning for those rails.
Last alternative I can think of at the moment is, it is always good to have scrap pieces of sectional track on hand for "custom fits" if they become necessary. Put those "blobed" up pieces aside, and get a pair of  Xuron Track Cutters.  These are terrific for cutting sections of brass or nickel track.  You can cut off the piece/section of track that has the blob on it and save the "good" section for future track laying.  Just trying to come up with some options here.
One other thing to keep in mind, if you did not know already-always a bad idea to continue to work on the layout when tired or frustrated.  I have found this just leads to additional or worsening problems. Better to put it aside and come another time when fresh. 

[Martha]

Another weekend spent on the layout. At least this weekend I seemed to have gotten someplace! I glued down the track bed and tried to be lazy and glue the track down as well without soldering the joints. The little solder I had managed on some of the tracks I was blaming for it possibly not working when in fact it was the joints that had separated during the glue down process (or drying process). I pulled up 95% of the track to redo. This time I took the time to go buy some flux paste (red faced to admit I tried doing the soldering without it) and well ....... I have some pretty nice solders or I think they are. I happen to have a sanding block and lightly used it to sand off any solder that got on the top side of the track. The joints I have completed, I can run my finger over the top of tracks and not feel the joints. It feels like one continuous track. I only got 1/4 of it done but now feel good about what I am doing. I was able to get "Prairie" going long enough even pulling a few cars to puff some smoke! Oh she is going to be so darn cool once this is all said and done, I am working on also taping steam loco sound effects to fit in with this layout, just to make it kind of cutesy if or when people stop by to see it.

Note about cars I have, none of them have that little wire below the coupler, just a hard plastic L shaped below it. I think this set I got was around the 70's or 80's when it came out, not sure but it appears old from the boxes and literature that came with it. No matter, they connect, stay together except that darn little red caboose, 50/50 if it will stay on the track, any ideas why? Its so short coupler kind of like a trailer you tow that is short, harder to back up with it, can jack knife very easy. Seen enough of that fun watching novices at the marinas. Seems by the time it gets to the curves it is ready to derail. I could eliminate it but come on, all trains needs a caboose!

Once solder is done, ballast is next. I found at Michaels, granulated sand. it looks similar to a fine/med sand combo from Woodlands Scenics. I got it in white, dug out my coffee mill, something I never used for coffee grinding, and threw in some glass beads, different blues, aquas and some white opalescence ground some fine and some medium, toss them in the bowl of sand, mixed in some silver glitter and I will have one wintery ballast effect.  Can't wait to get to that project.

After that will be the lighting. Everything I have is LED in some form. Most of the stuff is for Christmas villages by lemax or dept 56. They are the ones I would like to control better. they use an adapter to run the power and I did rewire everything with small quick disconnects but there are still so many things spliced together run here and there and one thing I hate is wires showing. I can't eliminate all the wires obviously some are strings of lights but the other wires have to be hidden and easily disconnected once break down of this village happens. I'm sure Jonathon with be hearing from me!

Well better get back to work. Just wanted to give an update. Only 80 days to Thanksgiving, that is when I start all my Christmas decorating. Jamestown I would like done by mid October so I can enjoy it longer.

[jbrock27]

Re: caboose.  If it has the same couplers as you describe (horn hook couplers aka: X2Fs) it may also have ABS plastic wheels/wheel sets and these easily get out of kilter or get "chipped" along the edge/flange of the wheel.  They are made of what is considered to be inexpensive plastic material.  These wheels can also get out of "gauge"-too wide or too narrow.  You can only really properly check them for that problem with a wheel gauge.  Does it derail both going forward and backing up?  Also, is it only a problem when going around curves?  If so, it may not have enough "swivel" in one or both of the trucks and as a result, can't negotiate the curves.  Are the couplers attached to the trucks (where the wheels are mounted)?  Are they the horn hook kind you describe?  

[Martha]

re: caboose- they are plastic cheap o wheels. I will check to see if they are damaged, usually happens on the curves and it does seem to be the back set. I have other sets I can change out, ones that probably are in better shape. Thanks for the info will let you know if that was the problem or not. I had the same problem last year and I actually added some weight to it and it seemed to help, probably just help the wheels stay on track a little better. Going to give a look see now. Thanks!

[Doneldon]

Martha-

Sometimes there is a warp in a plastic wheel which isn't very noticeable. That can cause derailments, too. Also check the weight of your caboose. It should weigh one ounce plus one-half ounce for each inch of length. Insufficient weight is a common cause of cars not holding the rails. This is especially true for cars at the end of a train and even moreso when backing.
                                                                                                                    -- D

[jbrock27]

You're welcome!