Never liked uncoupling magnets and never will...however: the December 2008 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman had an interesting article on uncoupling magnets using small button units. I like to use the never-fail skewer method so I didn't really read the article all that closely. Try to get a copy of the magazine and see if it fits your needs. I hope this helps.

I have been using skewers for years and have found that is the only [reliable] way to go. You don't need to sand or reshape. Follow EBTBOB's suggestion as to rotation. I have "neutered" all my couplers by snipping off those ridiculous looking trip pins...with skewers you don't need them. A bag of skewers from Big Lots or Wally World will last you a lifetime and are cheap. Regarding Kadee magnetic uncoupling ramps: I recently made the claim that those uncoupling ramps/magnets (or whatever they are called) do not work reliably. Whilst at a large club operating session I personally observed several operators complaining about those magnets. I am not a big fan of Kadee couplers and I gave up on delayed uncoupling years ago. I understand MTH has a process by which one can uncouple cars, anywhere on the layout, remotely via their DCS system...now that would be cool...too bad that doesn't work with DCC.

You would think that having a cat in the house would send the mice packing...that isn't necessarily so. Some years ago we used to live in upstate NY and played host to every field mouse (or deer mouse) in the county - when the weather turned cold. Our uninvited guests would invade the cellar; but rarely got into our living space. At the time we had 4 cats - all good mousers. Either the cats couldn't catch a significant number of mice OR they were simply overwhelmed by the onslaught. We covered the usual bases by putting mouse/rat poison in inaccessable (for the cats) places which helped - but did not end our troubles. Finally I resorted to spreading moth balls around the cellar and, voila, the mice found other winter quarters. Unfortunately you do not want your house/train room stinking of moth balls...but they do work. Fortunately we have not had a mouse problem in Alabama.

Cats rule while dogs drool.

Wow, interesting shots...almost surreal. The pictures have almost an ethereal quality about them...spooky! I like. Thanks for sharing.
###Ray

It seems, to me MrJim, that you have covered all the bases with the uncooperative engine. I store my engines (2-Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0s and an Atlas MP15DC) all winter in an unheated garage and they all run in the spring. I do routinely clean the wheels; but I don't do it all that often (ah, the beauty of starting off with clean rails and metal wheels).

I had a problem programming my 4-4-0s (DCC/sound) and the suggestion of a poster on this board or the MR board was to purchase a Soundtraxx programming booster and attach it to a dedicated programming track. I did what was suggested and - voila - the engine accepted my programming commands without a problem. This is somewhat different than your problem as each of my engines ran fine (except they were both on the default address of 003).

We hate to see you throw good money after bad so I would suggest you take (send?) the engine off for repair by a qualified shop. I know, I know...you hate to spend the money to find out that the original problem was simple and could have been rectified by you. The saving grace is that you would then have an engine that runs! Good luck on this: been there - done that.

Quote from: Yampa Bob on December 09, 2008, 09:30:09 PM
Athearn/Roundhouse offers 34' Overtons and 50' Overlands, both with clerestory roofs, that look great behind a vintage locomotive. The distributor is Horizon Hobbies, you might check their site for current availability.

I have 2 sets of each, the quality is very good, although lacking a bit in detail.

Model Power/Mantua has a line of vintage cars, but delivery is sporadic. I had some of their cars on back order for over a year and finally cancelled the order.

Thanks for the suggestion Yampa Bob. I have a Roundhouse/MDC set of 34' Overton cars that I have painted and lettered for the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut RR. Years ago you used to be able to purchase an interior kit for these cars...but no longer. I haven't had adequate chance to examine the Mantua cars although they look much more "toy-like" than the Roundhouse units. AHM and IHC used to produce some fairly good old time cars...alas they are also in the past.

An earlier post (from the Bach-man) indicated that he would "pass it on" to the powers that be. Given the scarcity of products, in this era, Bachmann might have a good product line on their hands (especially if they produce cars as good as their American 4-4-0s). Again thanks and I'll take a closer look at your Mantua suggestion.

Bach-man,

Thanks for taking the time to pass on my suggestion. It seems there is a market niche that might prove profitable. I love those Spectrum 4-4-0s!! How about a Mogul to match? [Are we ever satisfied?]

Regards,
Ray

EBTnut,

You are probably correct...there simply isn't enough interest (read: customers) to make production of late 19th century trains worthwhile. Perhaps I should be thankful that Bachmann was willing to introduce a well-made and reliable 4-4-0. I can live with the fact that the Bachmann Spectrum American locomotive was actually produced after the turn of the century. I guess I just find the 1880s to be an exciting time of railroading in the U.S. Small, light and beautiful engines pulling short mixed trains (frequently) through the bucolic countryside of the times...iron rails and iron men. Thanks for replying...now I'll go tear the trucks off that Bachmann gondola.

Ray

I have just completed my 8th (or is it the 9th?) Bachmann Old West gondola (Item # 43-1025-01) and am again wondering why the major suppliers don't offer rolling stock of this era. Installing coupler/coupler boxes, new trucks, brake wheel, paint, decals, and weathering proves you can make a purse out of a sow's ear (albeit a cheap one). I find myself "haunting" model railroad shows and eBay to obtain rolling stock that should be readily available...on par with the quality of steam/diesel kits. Bachmann already has given us their excellent American 4-4-0s (I have two...and Mr. Bachmann how about offering some of the earlier woodburning engines with sound and DCC?).

Yes, there are craftsman kits on the market that portray this time period (LaBelle, BTS among others); but these are craftsman kits that require skill and considerable time. All the structures, on my layout, are of the wooden - craftsman - variety so I am well acquainted with this skill level. Why should I look in Model Railroader and see a fair number of truss-rod cars for HOn3 and virtually none for HO? I was informed that HOn3 cars cannot be added to my fleet by virtue of adding HO trucks because the entire car is scaled differently...rats!

Mr. Bachmann: You already have the dies and molds for these cars...why not upgrade them and offer them again? Roundhouse/MDC/Horizon Hobbies: why did you discontinue making kits for this time period? Accurail, Bowser, Walthers: don't we have enough 40' box cars and reefers?

Thanks for letting me "let off steam"...as you can tell this is one of my pet peeves. Now I guess I will have to assemble that BTS flatcar I've been moving to the bottom of the pile.

Absolutely fantastic video! I must have watch the first one at least 3 times...you certainly know you way around G-scale. Here in upstate NY (circa 1899) we use vast amounts of cheap labor to accomplish the same thing. I would love to see what your layout looks like in summer. Thank you for sharing.

Quote from: az2rail on November 29, 2008, 06:15:18 PM
Here is a calculator.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~trains/rrsoft.htm

I hope that linked.

Bruce

Hey Bruce,

Thanks for the heads up on that website. The scale speed calculator works greatI I will look at the other neat things the website contains when time permits.

Ray

I see the problem from another angle...that of a part-time vendor at train shows. Take a moment to look on eBay or some other website and you will see that the selling price of many rr items is taking a dive. One can assume that the condition of our economy has affected a downward direction in model value. I personally know of a half-dozen vendors who have left the business because they can't make enough profit to make the ever increasing overhead manageable. (For the life of me, I can't fathom the stress your LHS owner must endure.) I make a point of observing what train show attendees are carrying as they wander through the aisles. Unfortunately many of us attend model railroad shows to "rub shoulders with other members of the brotherhood" and not necessarily to buy...resulting in lots of attendees carrying next to nothing. As a vendor, I understand that there is a difference between what we want and what we can afford.  As more and more vendors drop out of the scene; shows will gradually get smaller and fewer in number...who suffers then?

Of course all this reinforces the old adage: You can tell the men from the boys by the price of their toys.

Don't bail on DCC because of this little glitch. I have an Atlas MP15DC that I was able to program on the main without any trouble at all (trust me...if it can be screwed up...). My Bachmann 4-4-0s (DCC/sound) were a very different story. I tried, like you, to program on the main and got nowhere. That is where the Bachmann forum came in handy. An experienced poster said I needed a Soundtrax power booster and a separate programming track. I purchased the power booster (model PTB-100) from a model railroad discounter ('seems like I paid $50...but it could have been less), and installed a programing track. Everything worked well the first time! I would say the programming booster was a good investment as I am anticipating Bachmann producing a turn-of-the-century Mogul which will (undoubtedly) need programming. DCC is one of the best things that has happened to the hobby...hang in there. Cheers.

Wow...and I thought it was just me! Extreme Trains (Show #1) was OK...not great, just OK. Where did they get that host? He [supposedly] was a conductor on a 1:1 railroad. If he were my conductor I would request a drug test. Really: is he the most appropriate host History could find? There were some great train shots (let's face it...trains aren't all that common on TV). I will force myself to endure the rest of the series I guess. Ditto on the amount of commercials. Has anyone timed how many minutes the show ran (excluding the commercials)...was it over a half-hour? Maybe this will lead to more train-related shows (like a remake of the Saturday morning classic Casey Jones). Keep the faith.

Quote from: Terry Toenges on November 13, 2008, 10:37:39 AM
My mistake. It was 29 cars. Here's a pic of a plain old Bachmann old time 4-4-0 pulling the string of cars. The front half is headed up a 2% grade.

Terry that is quite a number of cars for a 4-4-0 to pull (plus up a 2% grade). The prototype engines rarely pulled more than 10 or 12 cars at one time. It was because of this that railroads gradually went to larger engines (Moguls, Ten-wheelers and Consolidations). I'd say you have one heck of a locomotive there!