The EBT "doodlebug" is unique - it is the only true narrow gauge gas-electric car in the US.  All others utilized some form of mechanical transmission.  Interesting footnote - the engine in the EBT car was built by Brill in the 1920's originally as part of a competition for a U.S. Navy contract for blimp engines.  IIRC, each competitor had to produce 6 working engines for Navy evaluation.  I don't recall who got the contract, but Brill did not, and one of the engines wound up in the M-1.  Through the efforts of the Rockhill Trolley Museum, the EBT, and the Friends of the EBT, the car is still servicable. 

Note that if you are using 4x8, then 18" radius is about as big as you want.  Track radii are measured to the centerline.  Therefore, a 22" radius half-circle winds up with the edge of the track being very close to the edge of the board. 

IIRC, the BSME is having a birthday open house this weekend.  They've been around for like 70 years.

I don't recall the source right now, but rail lengths were a function of "normal" car lengths.  I believe it had to do with having all the weight of a car on one rail instead of the flexation caused by only one end at a time being on the rail.  Rail lengths were 33 feet in the late 19th century, increased to 36 feet in the early 20th, then to 39 feet as the "standard" box cars went from 30 feet to 36 feet to 40 feet.  That stayed pretty much the standard through World War 2.  Then came the introduction of CWR in quarter-mile lengths.  Interestingly, at least in one case I witnessed personally in the 1980's, the rail mill in Steelton, PA (just south of Harrisburg) produced 39 foot rails.  These were shipped about 10 miles north to Conrail's rail welding facility where the short lengths were welded into the 1/4 mile lengths for final track-laying.  Not sure how common that was elsewhere, but it was partly a function of steel mill not wanting, or able, to produce the long rails directly.

IIRC, the Richmond/Ma and Pa 4-4-0 does not have a traction tire.  The Bullfrog Snot reference is correct, however.

Note, however, that many imported cars (which likely include Bachmann) use metric rather than
American standard 2-56 screws. 

Jonathon:  OK, that sounds great.  Thanks for the quick turnaround.

Jonathon:  I know it's the wrong category, but bear with me - Re:  the USRA Mike, I believe you said there was room in the front of the boiler for more weight if you pull off the smokebox front.  Is there anything I need to be careful about in doing that, like wires to the headlight?  I ran the loco on the McKeesport club layout over the holidays and was disappointed at its pulling power on the branch that has DCC.  The grade is about 2.5 - 3% and it would only take 5 cars up the hill.  The club over-weights their rolling stock at bit, IMO, but even so, I'd like to get some more cars behind her. 

J3a - That Flicker shot looks like it might have been taken at Warrenton, VA back when we ran steam trips out of Alexandria back in the day.  Any data on the date and location?

Well, the EBT guys have had a pretty good selection of rolling stock over the years, though granted mostly as kits.  The Bachmann two-bay steel hopper car is prototype for four EBT home-built hoppers used mostly for ganister rock service.  We have had kits available in both HO and O for the steel box car, the second series wood box car, coach 8, combine 14, the steel flat car, among others.  C&BT Shops did the 3-bay steel hoppers in both HO and O styrene kits.  Blackstone has the hoppers in HO RTR.  There are more, but you get the idea.

I know some of the 4-4-0's got green paint.  Some other SR expert may comment on Ten-Wheelers.  Back in the SR's steam excursion salad days of the '70's the railroad acquired two ex-SR Consols from the ET&WNC, 630 and 722, for excursion service.  No. 722 did get the green paint job, so it's accurate to that extent.  No. 630 got, and keeps, the freight black. 

After sitting on the shelf for most of the past year, I tried to fire up my 3-truck DCC Climax on the club pike.  It ran great when I first got it.  It ran about an inch forward and locked up.  Put it in reverse, same thing.  Looks like I've got a split gear in the drive train.  Any hope for repair/replacement at this point? 

My dad spent a couple of summers while in high school working at the coaling tower just west of Warren, PA.  They would drop off 50-ton hoppers to load up the bin.  There was a powered capstan that would drag the cars by cable to the dump and the skip elevator took the coal up to the top and dropped it in.  I vaguely remember the coal tower from early visits to his parents  when I was about 4-6 years old.  The facility was on the old Pennsy main line from Erie, and was primarily used by helpers for the push up the hill to Kane.  I do remember steam on that line from that early time period.  His house was only a block from the tracks and I'd run over to the grade crossing almost every time I heard a whistle.

My first electric train was a Marx set, circa 1951/2.  It had two F-units painted for Southern Pacific.  One unit was a dummy.  There were 3 freight cars and a caboose.  I probably got it when I was about five or six.  My dad later got a tinplate station that had a horn inside to blow.  A number of years later I got an American Flyer S gauge set for a birthday present.  It came with a New Haven 4-6-2, a baggage car, coach and observation, and a figure 8 of track.  Kept that around until I made the step up to HO scale, and traded the AF set for a train board with track already down.  First HO loco was an Athearn Hi-F Pennsy F-7. 

Nominally, HO double track uses 2" center-to-center spacing.  However, with the tighter curves you need more spacing to account for the big overhang for longer equipment, especially articulated steam where only front engine pivots.  I believe the NMRA has a set of recommended practices for this, and you can look on their web site.  However, for curves in the 24 - 30" range I would use minimum track centers of 2 1/4".  Curves 30- 36" 2 1/8"; broader than that, you can usually stay with 2" centers.  If using standard Bachmann sectional track, more spacing is better.