Quote from: BaltoOhioRRfan on November 07, 2007, 06:11:20 PM
I work around model trains all day long 

???How do you "work" around (model) trains?? Tell the truth!! You're paid to PLAY all day, aren't you!
                                                                                              Ernie

 ;DIs it better than "GOO GONE"? Wes (OLD FORT TRAINS, OLD FORT, nc) recommended that to me years ago, and it has worked GREAT... except that the bottle will soon be empty and need to be replaced. Does this that you are recommending have any parts or use anything that would need replacing?
                                                                                                  THANX!!
                                                                                                     Ernie

Quote from: SteamGene on November 07, 2007, 10:05:06 AM
One of the benefits of the Atlas switch is that it doesn't need any special wiring.  It routes the power to  both the straight and divering routes  Somebody else will need to help with the Peco,  The Atlas remote switch machines are wired to the AC terminals of your power pack.  What most people do is to use the Atlas switch control and run the wires from the switch machine to the control, hook them up in parallel, and then wire one end of the control panel to the power pack.
If you want to be able to give or take power from a siding you will need the following:
buss wire (larger size - 12-14 gauge)
feeder wire (smaller size -16-18 gauge)
electrical switches to turn power off and on to the sidings.
Run the buss wire around your layout.  I'm assuming it's a loop.  Drop feeder wires where you want to power your track.  If you have a 4x8, I'd recommend one feeder close to your power pack and one feeder opposite it.  Your mainline, unless it's large enough to need blocks, doesn't need power switches.  Your sidings do.  So mount an on-off switch (and Atlas makes these too) where you want to power your siding or yard track.  Run the feeder wire to the switch and then from the switch to the track.  You will need to insulate the siding or yard track from the mainline, normally right at the turnout.  Atlas makes insulated joiners.  Don't install them with your wife or kids around because they WILL make you say words you shouldn't. 
This is fairly simplified and assumes you can access all of your track easily. 
Gene

MANY THANX!!, GENE!!
However, to clarify, are you saying that I don't need to use the insulators with the ATLAS switches, except in the yard, or on a particular track that I don't want to power at a given time?
                                                                             THANX!!
                                                                               Ernie

Wes, of OLD FORT TRAIN SHOP, OLD FORT, NC, gave me 3 PECO switches and one ATLAS, then at a train show in WAYNESVILLE, NC, we bought a box ($50) with about 15 ATLAS switches (plus some cars and a couple of engines and a lot of track. It had to be a REAL good deal for my wife to let me spend that much!!) Most of the ATLASES are remote. The PECOES could be, but they don't have the machine.
                                                                                             THANX!!
                                                                                               Ernie

The main reason that I asked this question, on this forum, was so that I wouldn't have to buy the book! ???Being financially handicapped makes enjoying even the simplest of life's pleasures strained and stressful!!(My wife thinks the bills have to be paid FIRST!! Can you imagine??)
It looks like, though, I'll have to either buy the book or hope there's one in the local library!!
                                                                                             THANX!!
                                                                                                 Ernie

  Isn't it "calendArs"?
What do TRUCK DRIVERS do?(See the cartoon in MODEL RAILROADER/ DECEMBER/ PAGE 48 - VERY APPROPRIATE!!)
                                                                                             THANX!!
                                                                                               Ernie
                                                                                 Hendersonville, NC

THANK YOU, Jim! (Of 58 viewers, yours was the only reply??)
Yes, I do mean "turnouts", and I'm doing DC. I'd not even thought of multiple trains, until you mentioned it, but I'd really like that. I'm still confused as to how to wire it, though.If I do the multiple trains, that would require separate (power) switches, too, wouldn't it? Perhaps I'd do better to use two seperate tracks?
                                                                                        THANX!!
                                                                                           Ernie
                                                                              Hendersonville, NC

I've searched the INTERNET, and from the diagrams that I've seen, and the writing that I've read, it seems that you simply run some "bus wires" under the track, with "feeder wires" every once in a while, to the track, thereby powering the track. If this is the case, then what is the purpose of the "insulators"? Couldn't you just run the wires without the "insulators"?
                                                                                                THANX!!
                                                                                                  Ernie
                                                                                         Hendersonville, NC

Okay. How do you wire a switch without causing a short, then, how do you repower the isolated track?
                                                                                      THANX!!
                                                                                        Ernie
                                                                            Hendersonville, NC

GREETINGS!!  Well, I'm back from Kentucky (only to go back again, tomorrow!!). I had really hoped that Mr. B would have commented, but, I guess no such luck! I guess Friday, I'll make my final decision as to what to do, but I really hope that Mr. B will address this situation with some cold, hard facts!!
                                                                                    THANX!!
                                                                                      Ernie
                                                                              Hendersonville, NC

 ::)So, you're saying that, no matter how perturbed she may get, it's still best to call to see what's available to swap for?                                                                                      THANX!!
                                                                                        Ernie
p.s.     I'm leaving now, on my run to Kentucky! Be back tomorrow evening!!
                                                                                           ECD [/i]

THANX, GENE!! Now, I've got some more questions!
     If the engine that you like is being produced in DCC, can you still get your train replaced with it in NON-DCC? Also, how much more does it cost to "upgrade" your replaced engine in "SPECTRUM"?(I know this can be done, because a friend did it, but I don't know how much it cost!) Can you change the complete engine? (As in changing your "A" to a "B"?) Can you change an engine for a GANDY DANCER", or "HIGH RAILER"?
                                                                                                  THANX!!
                                                                                                     Ernie

Well, today, I stopped in, going east, and parked at the "CHAMBER of COMMERCE-WELCOME to OLD FORT" sign. There was plenty of room for a "big truck", but it required walking about twice as far as the space on the westbound side. (It's STILL worth the walk, though!!)
                                                                                               THANX!!
                                                                                                 Ernie
                                                                                      Hendersonville, NC

DUH!! I wist not that there were an "online catalog"!! How do I access it?
                                                                                                 THANX!!
                                                                                                   Ernie

MR. B, Please! The last time that I sent in some engines for repair, I was told that they were non-repairable, and would be replaced (at a cost of $10./each).The lady said that I could change roadnames, if I so desired, but only to a roadname that was in production at that time. When I asked what roadnames were available, she sounded a bit perturbed and "put out", but she went and checked.
I have three engines that I am planning to send in for repairs; if these engines require replacement, can you tell me what engines are in production so that I might change roadnames, and how much longer these will be in production? A friend told me that "BOSTON & MAINE" is in production at this time. (I'd really like one of those!) Is that true?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
                                                                                  Ernie
                                                                      Hendersonville, NC