Here is a LONG list of diesel locomotive classifications:

ALCO - America Locomotive Company
BBC - Brown Boveri Company, now ABB, Switzerland 
BLH - Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation
BLW - Baldwin Locomotive Works
Budd - Budd Company 
EMC - Electro Motive Corporation
EMD - Electro Motive Division
EMD - Electro Motive Diesel 
F-M - Fairbanks-Morse
GE - General Electric
GM - General Motors
IS - Ingalls Shipbuilding Company 
KM - Krauss-Maffei  Aktiengesellschaft, Germany 
L-H - Lima-Hamilton
MLW - Montreal Locomotive Works
RailPower - RailPower Technologies Corporation   
SIG - Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, Switzerland 
UA - United Aircraft, Surface Transportation System of Sikorsky Aircraft Division 
WS - Werkspoor N.V. Amsterdam, Netherlands

4S - 4-axles Switcher
A unit - Cab Unit   
AA - Motorcar A-unit
AB - Motorcar B-unit
AC - Alternating Current
AMD - Amtrak Diesel
AS - ?
B - 2-axles
B unit - Cabless Booster Unit
BL - Branch Line
C - Century (Alco)
C - 3-axles (GE)
C - Cummins (EMD)
CFA - Cab unit Freight  A-unit
CFB - Cabless unit Freight B-unit
CPA - Cab unit Passenger  A-unit
CPB - Cabless unit Passenger  B-unit
DD35B - 8-axles (D-D) using SD35 components B-unit
DDA40X - 8-axles (D-D) A-unit using SD40 components
DL - Dual Service
DR - Diesel Road unit
DRS - Diesel Road Switcher
DRS6-4-15 - 6-axles 4 powered 1,500 Horsepower
DS - Diesel Switcher
DT - Diesel Transfer
E - Eighteen-Hundred Horsepower
Erie - Built at the plant in Erie, PA (F-M)
F - Freight
FL - Freight with special third rail electric pick-up
FP - Freight-Passenger
FT - Freight Twenty-seven-Hundred Horsepower
GP - General Purpose
H - Hood unit
H10-44 - Hood unit, Thousand Horsepower 4-axles 4 powered
HH - High Hood
I - Insulated Cab
LTW - Lightweight Train   
M - Montreal-designed
M - North America Wide Cab, DC current   
MAC - North America Wide Cab, AC current
MP - Multipurpose
NC - Nine-Hundred Horsepower, Cast Frame
NW - Nine-Hundred Horsepower, Welded Frame
PH - Elongated Frame, Steam Generator
RAm - Locomotive with speed over 110 km/h (R), train composition with 1. class coach (A), diesel engine (m)
RDC - Rail Diesel Car   
RF16 - Road Freight 1,600 Horsepower
RS - Road Switcher
RSC - Road Switcher 6-axle, 4 powered (A1A)
RSD - Road Switcher 6-axles
S - Switcher
SC - Six-Hundred Horsepower, Cast Frame
SD - Special Duty
SDP - Special Duty Passenger
SW - Six-Hundred Horsepower, Welded Frame
SW - Switcher (after HP increased over 600 HP)
SW1 - Switcher Version 1
SW900 - Switcher 900 Horsepower
TR - Transfer
U - Universal
VO - ? 
W - Wide Cab

And I am sure there are many many many more........

On the notion of track.  There are many many many different companies that make outdoor quality track.  USA Trains, LGB, Aristo-craft, Accucraft, Piko, Sunset Valley, Llagas, etc.  Bachmann track is okay, if you are going to have an indoor layout.  Picking what the company and type of track is pretty much how much do you want to pay for it.  Some companies and types are more expensive than others.  And, like said, the locomotives and rolling stock are okay to run outside.  They can withstand the elements.  It is a good idea not to keep them outside, however.

Quote from: Jim Banner on November 03, 2007, 07:07:45 PM
Most failures of plugs and sockets are contact failures with tin plated contacts.  Repair is to unplug board and then plug it back in.  With gold plated pins, this almost never happens, even after repeated insertions and withdrawls (property of gold.)  Harder to deal with is an overheated socket pin which can happen when an accidental short meets an unfused battery pack.  This type of failure can be repaired by by-passing the pin with a piece of wire but does involve that dreaded process - soldering.  How do you repair a broken screw in a screw terminal?  Or a screw terminal that burns away from not being tightened enough?

So, if the board fails and it is not the board being seated wrong, your screwed.  Ever try to fix a computer curcuit board (that is seated properly) ?  You can't (been there done that, never going back).  This plug-and-pray board would be similar.

That is completely pointless.  Then again, they do want either showing their "contirbution" (like you said) or money!!!

Here is what I can see:
Showing contirbution - NMRA
Money - Ames

Quote from: Jim Banner on October 30, 2007, 10:33:41 AM

Quote from: zubi on October 30, 2007, 06:21:37 AM
Plug and pray, Zubi

For the technically disinclined, that might be better than "wire-and-weep."

Think about this:
wire-and-weep.  It fails, you can find and fix your problem.
Plug-and-play.  It fails, your screwed!

So, for me, I would rather wire-and-weep!!!!

Quote from: calenelson on October 30, 2007, 07:06:44 PM
If it ain't broke, don't fix it! 

Precisely!!!!!!!

The "Ames Socket" is a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very BAD idea.  ( Sorry, had to get my point across )

Hey Bachmann, here is a very easy thing to do with the "Ames Socket", cross it out, like so "Ames Socket".

If I every buy an engine that has an Ames style socket, the first thing I will do is rip it out, smash it up, and send it back in pieces!

Quote from: Tom Lapointe on October 20, 2007, 02:27:42 PM
(A) you virtually have to CRASH the cars to couple    

Not really.  I have had my engine (with Bachmann couplers) couple to cars (with Bachmann couplers) at a crawl many many times.  Now true I do have to slam them together sometimes, but then again so do the prototypes.

They should re-issue the Climax.  If they do, I would buy one.....when I get the money to do so.

From what I read earlier, was that you could get #455 with lettering (don't know which herald) or just the green boiler version of #455 with no lettering.  That is all I know.

That might have changed

Man, I wish Bachmann would sell the new sprung trucks separate.  Just love the way they look.   Anyone else agree....

I have heared about diluting Elmers before.  Is there a reason like the glue "eating" away the roadbed, or is it looks?

But, thank you to both of you!

Do it in 1:20.3.  It would add some variety.

So, I have a layout a friend built.  I would like to re-ballest it as it has had little up-keep since it was build, but I don't know what glue I am suppose to use.  It is foam/cork roadbed.  Would normal Elmers type glue work or no .  Any comments are appreciated.

I got the same problem with my Bach 4-4-0.  I am going to try to add some weight to it, as soon as I get some time.  But, I think that could be the problem.