I have been repairing layouts for friends that have used foam roadbed. My advice is not to use it. It has no way of anchoring your ties and rail other than glue and that will not maintain gauge at all. I recommend cork or Homosote roadbed. Both are easy to use and provide a great noise barrier and will resond to temperature changes well.

I go four feet  unless on  curve for expansion joints. Very few problems as I use railjoiners at those locations that are not soldered.  I solder in other locations where a joint is required.

If you are using Woodland Scenics foam core components in your track work, Be aware that the material can settle and move over time.  (If you use it, try using cork glue to the top with the woodland Scenics glue. This is a good way to go  if you are using their foam products.

I use the 6'6" Mt. Albert ties and they look spot-on when ballasted. As I adapt Atlas switches to my trackwork, I have had no problems with them mnounted on Mt. Albert or Kappler switch ties.   I use code 100 and code 83 rail.

In Modesto, California there was a smaller icing facility next to the main line but not on it. There was one siding and then the lead for the icing platform. This was a strictly seasonal operation to ice the cars before they were spotted at the shipper for loading. The main icing was at Stockton or Fresno after loading ans shipping.

This facility could handle ten to fifteen cars at a time. There was a mogul to switch the facility and local industries.

Sjack,

Contact me directly so I can send full files with pictures. The email address is under my name.

I agree on the EBT caboose. Put some passenger car trucks under it an you have a similar Tweetsie caboose. Much better than the piece of plastic now offered. Contact me if you want to see a greatly modified Bachmann caboose that looks decent. Not hard to do at all.
It would be very nice to have the EBT/Tweesie caboose. They are large, however, remember that.

Jim Pasha
japasha@aol.com

Mr. Bachmann:
As long as everyone else asks for their favorite stuff, How about an A_B set of Western Pacfic FT's in either the original colors or the Zephyr silver-orange- black. Either version will do. The WP was one of the earilest operators of the FT along with the Santa Fe.

Matt, I don't believe you really need the PC strips. One extra step. An easier method is to use flex track and remove ties as you spike the rail to the wood ties. You can leave a few platic ties in to maintain gauge as you work.  For all the effort required, unless you absolutely have to have hand-laid, I'd use the Micro Engineering track and switches unless you need something special.  It's hard to beat the quality of those turnouts and now the track.

Having laid a nice portable layout by using Code 83 and very modified Atlas switches, I can tell you that the best bet is to use ready made whereever possible.

Spiking individually is pretty easy, I use a pin-vise with a #69 drill to predrill the ties. Makes life much easier and works quite well. Write me for more details.

Width of the locomotive should be about five inches. The turntable should be in the range of 38.5 inches to match those at Durango and Gunnison. That's sixty five feet in scale. sixty feet will work, that's 36 inches or so.

As I've said before, this is not a small locomotive in scale. Think about a standard gauge Mikado's size in 1:20.3

Outside of a few brass models, Rivarossi made a version of the Blue Goose back in the seventies It was not noted for having good running qualities as the mechanism waddled down the rails, unlike other Rivarossi offerings. I repowered with a Bowser drive and it runs well. The boiler is basically a NYC Hudson with the nose grafted on but the tender is close.

The normal Sata Fe Hudsons were big and brawny with large square tenders, unlike other Hudsons.

Jonathan,

I have flown the old cub cadet. Still the best of the light tail draggers next to the Citabria.

Today the Garden Tractor Cub Cadet is manufactured by MTD of Toledo snf csn br purchased at many hardware stores. FPT should keep to trains on the list.

Looking at the photos again, I spotted springs, coil type, on each axle between the wheel and the journal. This indicates a centering device for the outer and inner shafts. It is probably not a Klein-Linder type system but more like an Alco centering devive as used on the SP 4-10-2 and the Daylights on the lead driven axle. Those provided an inch of lateral which is a hell of a lot on a prototype loco. These look to provide about 1/4 inch from center in each direction.

I suspect that no matter how the engineers did it, the K-27 will be a fine running locomotive. I won't need a Barry's Big Trains convesion for this one.

Some KimChee could fire that Russian 4-14-4 very easily.  Jim Findlay claimed that a dose of KimChee would make you run like a demented kangaroo.

Findlay also had a mine called "It's Mine." on his layout as did a few others.

Sill, I don't think it's very likely that Bachmann would ever do a 4-12-2.  I owned the SP 4-10-2 and the club hated it. While it could pull almost everything there, the curves were just a bit too tight at 30 inches. add another inch and wheelbase and there's an even bigger problem.

The D&RGW sold two mudhens to the Mexican National Railways in 1940 or so. They were eventually converted to standard gauge.

Similar power went all over the world, Columbia, Central America and so on. Don't forget the Sumpter Valley and Uintah which had similar  locomotives.

I already have brass K-27, K-28, K-36 and K-37 locomtives. This will be a welcome addition to the fleet. Now we can do some pipe gondolas and other trains.

Great stuff, Lee and staff!!

Bernard,

The issue is having what you want. Most of us here started wanting something without having hard cash to buy it. Yeah, we all made mistakes but we got better. If Dusten really wants a train in On30 painted like the Tweetsie, he should buy and Undecorated 2-6-0 and do a minimum of painting the boiler green and the cab roof in boxcar red. Not so hard but it does take something to make the first step.
That's what this is all about, taking that step to do something you really want. We are not making fun of Dusten. If he wants more help, it's here on the list. I recall some forty seven years ago wanting a Colorado and Southern #22 in HOn3. I mowed lawns for six months to get the money and then got it. Still have it and a twin in On3.Just being satisfied with others do isn't enough sometimes.

Gene,

That picture was taken as the locomotive was on it's last run to be displayed in Pomona. UP was glad they didn't have to worry about it returning.. Great point on how big they were. The next time the UP wanted twelve drivers they bought Challengers. A better model that everyone else has done. Medium size steam is needed here. 

Dusten,

Go out an purchase a Badger spray gun and learn to paint a locomotive. It is not hard at all. Make your prototype your way. This may be a nerw experience for you but when I was young it was the only way to get the color schemes I wanted. You can do it. A little Southern Railway gree nand some boxcar red for the roof of the cab and you can have that Tweetsie locomotive you want.

Get a copy of Light Iron Digest and see what the readers are doing there. I promise that you will have fun doing it. I recall when Lee Riley was doing this at Pro Custom Hobbies.  Everyone started where you are.