Quote from: Doneldon on July 11, 2010, 02:37:34 AM
Blackie-

The 1:20.3 gauge is often referred to as F-gauge.

                                      -- D

A slight correction:

That actually should say that 1:20.3 scale is referred to by the NMRA as F scale.

Gauge is the distance between the rails. Bachmann and most of what are commonly referred to as large scale trains run on 45mm or ~1.75" gauge tracks.

Scale is the proportional relationship of the model to the prototype. That scale is 1:20.32 for 3' narrow gauge models such as produced by Bachmann and other manufacturers.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Dave:

Thanks for the report!

I am just installing the last of the EAZE Air controls I have in stock, and hope to build a new wye and siding this summer, so will need some additional ones.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Kris:

As Jim has recommended, I also would not use either 'real' water nor glycerin on an indoor small scale layout.

While real water would seem to have some merits, it is difficult (read impossible) to contain and scenic around, is subject to stagnation and growing ugly biologics, and (most of all) does not look like prototype water. It just does not scale down as one would hope.

All materials, such as glycerins, that remain liquid or semi-liquid have the same kinds of problems. Imagine a pond, lake or stream with some semi-liquid material that winds up leaking, covered in dust, or being contaminated with some growing material. And, yes, glycerins are a hazard if they are subjected to fire. Having a house fire is a small risk, but I wouldn't want to expose my family to unnecessary chemical hazards in the event of one.

Instead, I would suggest you study what materials are commonly used on layouts and select from them. As an example, Googling "model railroad water" produced 3,240,000 hits!! The first page of results contained several great sites that either discuss various water modeling solutions, advertise commercial products or lead to people's layouts that have water features. For a couple of examples, see:

Ten Ways To Model Water at: http://www.aglasshalffull.org/article-model-water.html

--and--

Woodland Scenics at: http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/index.cfm

Hope this helps,

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Dave:

The owner, Stretch Manly closed C&OCRR late last year. Reports say he suffered some medical problems and that the current economy was tough enough that he couldn't stay open. Too bad, as Stretch was a great supplier.

There have been a couple of announcements that he might reopen, but that seems to be wishful thinking for the moment.

Most of the products he represented are available through other suppliers or direct from the manufacturers.

Stretch is also the owner and manufacturer of the EAZE Air line and has recently announced that those fine pneumatic switch machines will continue to be available. Very recently, RLD Hobbies http://rldhobbies.com/ have announced that they are now dealers for EAZE Air and for Llagas Creek track. Only headers with no information on their website at the moment, but use the link to get their contact phone number or email address, and give them a call.

Let us know what Robbie at RLD says about the EAZE Air availability.

Quote from: Kris Everett on June 27, 2010, 09:01:45 AM
what do codes have to do with track?

"Code" in railroad modeling is the height of the rail in thousands of an inch:

Code 100 is 0.100" tall
Code 83 is 0.083" tall
Code 75 is 0.075" tall
Etc.

Prototype U.S. rail size is specified by the weight of a yard (36") of rail, where in modeling we use the height (or code) of the rail for specifying size.

Here is a link to some tables that show the height of various weights of prototype rail versus model rail height:

http://urbaneagle.com/data/RRrailsizes.html

The table shows that the very heaviest rail used in North America was 155 pounds / yard. In H0, that is equivalent to a rail height of 0.092", or somewhat less than the most commonly used code 100 rail!

Look down the linked page for comparisons in various scales.

Hope this helps.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Beautiful work jonathan!! Your use of the vertical space (especially) is superb!

It's one thing to make a few trees or some 'shrubbery.' The integration of that 'greenery' into the total scene is really where the art comes to reality.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: ABC on June 21, 2010, 11:56:56 AM

Quote from: JerryB on June 21, 2010, 11:31:19 AM
ABC's repeat suggestion to use a traction enhancing material  on the wheels will not help your problem.

I'm just a bit confused, I've never recommended bullfrog snot on this forum, did you perhaps confuse me with someone else?

ABC:

WHOOPS! My Bad. I apologize for the erroneous inclusion!

I confused two similar posts without reviewing either of them. Fixed now.

And your suggestion to use Bullfrog Snot is right on if the problem is spinning drivers. That doesn't appear to be the case here, thus my comment.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

petdrus:

ABC's suggestion to use a traction enhancing material (Bullfrog Snot, found at http://www.bullfrogsnot.com/) on the wheels will not help your problem.

If as you reported, the wheels stop rather than spin, it is obvious that something is wrong in the electrical / motor / gear train area rather than suffering a traction problem. The fact that another of your Bachmann locomotives appears to exhibit the same behavior is also interesting.

Some possibilities are drive train cleanliness, lubrication, DCC programming or output issues, a defective motor, gear train, or DCC board.

I am not an expert on DCC equipped H0 locomotives, but perhaps someone who is (Jim Banner?) will come along and provide some trouble shooting advice.

I hope someone here is able to help beyond our guesses.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

I don't understand why you need the gear ratio for the locomotive. Certainly any motor you choose will have different voltage vs shaft speed (RPMs) than the locomotive's motor and the proposed  'helper car' will have different diameter wheels than the locomotive. Since the need is to match the linear distance traveled by the locomotive and the 'helper car' at the same voltage, those two factors make the gear ratio of the original locomotive irrelevant.

Your 4-8-4 should be able to handle a reasonably sized consist, especially using large radius (~22" and larger) curves, and fairly level track (<2% or <1 in 50 grades). In addition to the suggestions made in the above posts, what is your ruling gradient? How many cars are you trying to pull? Also, have you serviced all the cars to ensure that they are free rolling? A pass with a truck bearing reaming tool followed by a puff of graphite lubricant in each axle bearing can make a world of difference.

If the above suggestions don't provide the operation you are looking for, then adding a powered helper might be in order. You could start by determining the voltage vs speed ratio for the locomotive when it is operating under load. Using the diameter of the wheels on the proposed  'helper car,' determine what axle speed (RPMs) will provide a close match, then work out a motor plus gearbox ratio that will give something close to that axle speed. You mention 'chipping' the helper car, so I assume you are using DCC. If that is the case, the final match can be made by programming the DCC as Jonathan suggested.

Hope this helps,

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Brad:

There will be lots of tributes to Art Linkletter, but most will be of the "He started this, he did that . . ." variety. Your personal story rates at the very top!

Thank you for sharing that experience and history with us. We know that many lives were touched by this man, but to hear from one of his 'kids' so many years later is the best.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Rogertra, All:

This sounds like it could be an important resource for anyone considering the Dynamis (TM) system.

Who produced and paid for the DVD? Was it Bachmann UK, British Railway Modeling, or Bachmann's Asian overseers? I wonder why something like this (especially if produced by B'mann) wouldn't be available on the internet? Perhaps because of the file size? But isn't most of this just text? Was it positive about the Dynamis System?.

I suggest that your veiled 'attack' on Garden Railways is kind of unfair. Every producer has a right to payment for their efforts, and Garden Railways, in my opinion, is a leader in providing lots of free internet content, while still rewarding their paying customers (ie: subscribers) with 'premium'  content.

Do you have an objection to registering on a site that proides lots of useful content without demanding that you subscribe? You did that here in order to post.

Of course, this comes from a very long-time Garden Railways & Kalmbach Magazines (paying) subscriber.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

ps: Going to be interesting to see what Bachmann's U.S. rep's reply to this thread.

Quote from: Steve Stockham on May 05, 2010, 08:07:48 AM
  Another thing to remember about Bachmann track is that it only comes in 1 foot straight sections and 4 foot radius (R1) curves. This makes for a very tight turn! The track is strictly indoors and doesn't mate with anybody else's.

Not quite accurate:

Bachmann's curved track is the same as LGB R1, but it is 2' radius, not 4' radius.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Bruce:

I used lots of capacitance discharge switch machine power supplies when I was in H0. I don't remember the brand of the manufactured ones, but I also built many of them on perf. board.

Googling "capacitance discharge switch machine" produces something over 26,000 hits, with lots of the first pages being directly on point. Some plans to build, and some manufactured units.

As just one example, here is a link to some plans:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CircuitIndex.html#30

Lots more similar available.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

You definitely need to get an NMRA-type track & wheel gauge. It will allow you to determine whether the track / switch is the problem or if the wheels are out of gauge. They are available directly from the NMRA (you don't have to be a member) or for a higher price, from Micro-Mark.

NMRA H0 scale standards gauge ($12 for non-members):
https://www.nmrastores.com/Public_Store/product_info.php?products_id=53&osCsid=64mlpf1r7hipclej3mv22psq64

Micro-Mark H0 scale standards gauge ($18.50):
http://www.micromark.com/NMRA-GAGE-HO-SCALE,7530.html?sc=WGB&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=GoogleBase

For more information on getting your RR to work well including track & wheel tuneup, see the NMRA's beginners pages at:
http://www.nmra.org/beginner/

Look at this article on troubleshooting derailments:
http://www.nmra.org/beginner/derailments.html

Generally speaking, if only one piece of rolling stock derails, it is an out of gauge situation with the wheels on that piece of rolling stock. If several pieces of rolling stock derail at a single point, it is the fault of the switch or track work at that point. Application of a track & wheel gauge will save you a lot of time, as well as the frustration of changing something (like the turnout) without solving the problem.

One other thought: Have you checked to see that the turnout is level, along with the rest of the track on the approach and departure. Vertical 'kinks' can also produce derailments on various equipment.

If you determine it is the turnout, you probably need to file the points or bend them a little further to get good operation. Exchanging the turnout without really identifying the problem usually isn't very productive.

Hope this helps.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Stan Cedarleaf's Cedarleaf Custom Railroad Decals website is found at:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/StanCedarleaf/WebPageDecals/CustomDecalsx.html

You specified decals, but another lettering option is cut vinyl. This material can be used directly, or can be made for stenciling. Del Tapparo provides the service to make vinyl lettering. Del's G Scale Graphics website is found at:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/DelTapparo/

Del also makes great control systems.

Happy RRing,

Jerry