Correction to typo --  746 watts = 1 horsepower.

Further:

Appliances in the US are sold by Amperage, which is the heating effect.

Whereas electric fires in Europe are sold by Amperage for the amount of heat they will provide: appliances with motors are sold by wattage for the amount of work they will do.

Another difference in the national psychies!

Jim,

We had the discussion about "50 feet out, and 50 feet back" constituting a ring main, whereby the belt n' bracers approach would give twice the current to hold the voltage.

A household hedge trimmer or electric drill will gradually burn out on very long extension leads of insufficient gauge, as will a loco, where the loss of voltage drives the amperage(current) up to meet the wattage of the motor.

Watts are amps' x volts, move one and you inversely move the other to meet the work load on the motor, the wattage being drawn. (476 watts = 1 HP)

Have I got it right?

Regards

This string has boiled-down to a HOOT.

The local MRC for PECO staff is Axminster MRC. Their layout in a private garage is/was of US practice, on Santa Fe etc. - all US manufacture locos and rolling stock.

They are not going to be buying someone elses trackwork for it - and there is/was a lot of it!

Peco have "Universal Code 100" where the flange heights are greater.

I agree, NMRA have taken the cudgel to DCC. Bachmann have initially entered the market on the back of Lenz with their accredited manufacture; although they have gone elsewhere for Dynamis. I think if Hornby are to be in the DCC market, they should submit to NMRA Standards for DCC.

From my e-mail - TODAY

"Hornby has promised to send us their system for conformance testing. To date, we have not received their unit.

Didrik Voss, MMR
Manager, C&I Group
Manager, S&C Dept
NMRA"

Mark (The Damien),

I wish to echo your sentiments.

NSW has several cities. Are you in a population, or out on your own to share your interests?

The internet has brought the greatest of all social interactions. Often the elderly are trapped in lonleyness to live out their days. Retirement has been revitalised by the contact now available through the internet.

SO, DON'T MEET ANY STRANGE SHIELAS ON THE INTERNET !!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this "back to back" issue had merit, then I too would have problems running OO UK Hornby/Bachmann/Mainline/Dapol on US/European HO specific points/turnouts, and that has not been my experience.

David has it. While NMRA is growing in esteem, I think NMRA is far from perfect in bringing togther standards "Internationally"

In 1946 my dad bought me a TRIX HO out of a Toy Shop window layout in Northampton. It was made pre-war and was tinplate. It was also "course scale", as was Hornby "Duble O" sic.

HO itself has had very rough beginnings, and for the NMRA to rule "National Standards" - that is all that it is.

Europe has MOROP. 220v, 50 cycles, and bayonet fittings, and a multiplicity of "National" interests that make their conventions "International".

Mark,

I see you argue for OO on HO track to conform to the NMRA for HO.

It is 4mm, not 3.5, and the NMRA clearance standards on lineside/platforms/curves will also be out of whack.

Just how flexible are these standards?

Mark,

OO is a compromise, where the development of "Toy Trains" has been an evolving process to one of "Model Railways/Railroad"

You appear to me to be well vested in these matters. I think it is only fair that you disclose your interest if it goes beyond this forum.

It is all well and fine for NMRA to rule on HO, but they have not ruled for OO running on 16.5mm track.

Finescale 4mm OO runs on 18.83mm.

Regards
Stewart

Bill:

Fred Dibnah was "a remarkable man - engineer, steeplejack, artist, craftsman, steam enthusiast, inventor and storyteller."

The BBC did a program on him bringing down an industrial brick chimney, and it was the storyteller in him that caught the audience for more. Over the years all the other sides of him came out - including divorce and meeting-up with the new girlfriend. He died in 2004 and 1000's turned up to line his funeral route in Bolton. The archtypical rascal.

His steam interest was in Road Rollers and fairground engines.

There are BBC DVD's of his series, and I have asked Netflix to list them.

I have about 20 UK locos, and with a new layout in the build I thought I would also convert my stock to DCC and have simplied wiring. I am not interested in sound.

I found I bought into the wrong deal with the EZ Command Controller because it would not program CV's

Everything is on hold until I move from "EZ" to something else, or we get more than "vapour" about Dynamis.

PBS do not network everything they do. Ours is still in the "Travel-logs for the State, and Cooking Shows" stage - after 40 years.

We are however getting "Last of the Summer Wine" - AGAIN, from the grave!

With the old ringing bells in telephones, the voltage could jump to 80v on the line, don't know what amperage, must have been low for the gauge of wire.

Does anyone have experience with whitemetal casting?

Since the changes 50/50 solder with the melt point around 400f is no longer available because of the regs. getting lead out of things.

Let's get it together!

David(UK):

Funny isn't it, that PECO is generally recognized as an exceptional quality product line for points and trackwork - and it isn't for derailments.

We Brit's think the same thing too!