Here at the railside, the John Bull, the Lafayette and the DeWitt Clinton run every now and again, and the crowds lov 'em. They are a pain to set up, though, with those plasic pin-and-tab couplers. I'm going to experiment some time with adapting them to something easier -- perhaps very small magnets?

Has anyone tried this?

I also have a marvelous British-made Hornby "Rocket" in OO scale. As everyone knows, but I will explain anyway sos you don't have to admit you don't know  , OO is actually 1/76 rather than 1/87, but runs on exactly the same track gauge as HO. The result is a slightly larger engine and cars, housing a really splendid motor in the engine (the Bachmann oldies  have the motive power in the tender, so they push the engine. Which works fine, except that it's so light it sometimes derails under bad circumstances). Adding a little bit of weight might help -- but not too much! The other good thing about the "Rocket" is that it has those nice European couplers. They're the kind you find on imported Hogwarts and VSOE Orient Express HO trains.

Recently, Bachmann produced a new "oldie," retooling John Bull cars and a Lafayette loco, but the drive motor is improved, and it's a good place to start if you want to get into these historical trains. They make an excellent educational tool for teaching young folks (of any age!) about the history of railroads from the 1840s to the turn of the cenetuury.

Railsider

Sounds like a job for the Supermen of Bachmann Repair Service ... a.k.a. the Wizards of Philadelphia. Probably worth giving them a call.

Is there a possibility that users of The Bach Man's Board can somehow get a link to the Repair Service?

If you bought the De Witt and the Peggy as complete Bachmann sets in a box, then each has its own DC power supply. You can mix-and-match the EZ track, of course, and add more if you like. As long as you run each on its own track, you can control them independently with as many power packs.

EZ track and the inexpensive entry-level DC power supplies are usually available at swap meets, yard sales, thrift stores and eBay. You should be able to get a couple if you don't have them from the original boxed sets.

The problem with trying to convert these historic models to DCC is that there's not much room to fit the chips in, even though the motive power is in the tenders, not the locomotives. And then you have to invest in the DCC "head-end" equipment.

If I may, my principal belly-ache about these and similar "dawn of the railroad era" models -- I love 'em and have a bunch -- is that the couplers are nearly impossible draw-bars with pins. This is, indeed, historically accurate, but jeez, Mr. Bach Man, could somebody figure out a way to do them as magnetic couplers or something that would be less frustrating while not [a] historically inaccurate and too costly? Yeah, I'm working on it, but I haven't quite solved the problem yet -- there's bound to be smarter folks someplace who can reach this goal before I do. (By the way, I have a Hornby "Rocket" in OO scale that has those clever Euro couplers, and they work just fine.)

I should also say, Thanks, wunnerful Bachmann folks, for introducing the "Pegasus," even though it's pretty much a copy of the Lafayette loco and the John Bull cars. Keep on keepin' on, guys ... "Tom Thumb"?   "Best Friend of Charleston"? We dream, you make dreams come true.

re: Jim Smith's not about hanging planes over the layout................

I built a ceiling system (difficult and tricky, bu it works at last) that pulls a length of 50-lb clear nylon fish-line over pulleys close to the ceiling (and behind the 12" lighting fascia) over my wall-hugging layout. Suspended from that is some very thin and truly invisible 4-lb test nylon line, to which I can attach planes, hot-air balloons, or whatever (including Santa's sleigh!) at will. A motor drive pulls the "skyhook" line around the layout so the planes or whatever fly overhead.

One of the nice things about this is that scale is somewhat flexible, since the planes, etc., are so far up in the air. I have several Hallmark mini ornaments in the form of historic planes that I can use. Metal-cast models, however, are too heavy and pull the main "cable" off the pulleys; the flyers have to be very light weight. 

Jeff, you're exactly right ... don't know where I got the misinformation, but I've updated my brain.

I also found out that the stature itself is 8 feet high, on a 6'8" plinth. So that would mean a mini in about the 2-inch range would do the job. The search is on.

Thanks............................................................

GD: I just checked, and there's one for sale on eBay, current price about $20. Go gogle it, dood!

Trouble-shooting suggestion: (you will need a simple Volt-Ohmmeter, a.k.a. multimeter, which you should have anyway, but can get for about $10 more or less, from a hobby shop, radio shop, hardware store or on line)  If that one car is the problem, check continuity* between all left and all right wheels ... or set it on a single piece of track and check the two rails.

*"Check continuity" is electronics-speak for reading the resistance -- using the ohm-meter section of the multimeter -- and getting a reading of zero ohms, or very close to zero. It simply means that, yes, there is a short circuit between this point and that point.

If the trucks are metal, and one of the wheelsets is reversed, the truck willl certainly become that conducting path. Look at each wheelset (that is, an axle with a wheel on each end a pointy pivots that it spins on) and you will see an insulating ring inside one wheel. All of these rings should be on the same side, left or right, so there is no short circuit.

This is quicker than sending the train back to Philadelphia, although they will fix it, you can be sure. The cost for a meter is about the same, or maybe less, than the repair charge, and you'll have the meter for future use.

Alternatively, if you are part of a local model train club (highly recommended if available!), ask one of the guys to help you.

GD, it sounds like the most logical advice you've received has been to figure out if all the "incidents" happen at the same spot on the track, maybe at two or three spots where they repeat. That would point to a small dip or hump in the track that is the cause. Check out those spots, and use a reliable straight edge, like a carpenter's torpedo level, to see it there is a problem ... and fix it. 

The 12v lamp across the track circuit of a programming track sounds like a great idea ... providing just one more bit of information to help one understand what's happening.

Perhaps this should be a standard fixture on programming tracks?

(I can't find a place to discuss communications protocol, so I'll just blurt it out)

I just rejoined not too long ago, and I get into the Board only now and then, but it's as exciting and interesting as ever. Thanks, I am sure, to the tone set by The Bach Man. But the second time I started to log in, I looked up at the bar full of places to click, and I could NOT find anything that said "log in" ... I was stuck!

Finally, in desperation, I clicked on "log out" and figured I'd have to give up.

And, wow, whaddaya know! "log out" means "go find log in" !!! After a minute or so of getting my feet back on the ground, I clicked the new "log in" that appeared after I had clicked "log out" and there I was ... ready to wreak havoc upon The Bach-Man's Board once again!

However, it occurs to me, Johann Sebastian, that this could confuse other people who are as naive and dumb as I am, but possibly not so lucky. So, may I Ask the Bach Man  if you would consider doing something to clarify that, like maybe adding a "log in" button at the top of the first screen?

Now that I know the secret code, I'm okay. But the next guy may benefit, that's all I'm sayin' .....

Thanks, Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach -Man, and keep up the good work!

Plasticville's "Town Hall" is, I'm told, modeled on Philadelphia's Independence Hall. I plan to put one on a "Historic USA" On30 layout, as its original self. I am looking for a source for the statue of Benjamin Franklin that stands in front of the building. Of course, it needs to be fairly close to O scale. Any suggestions?

Railsider

Just a short note on terminology: *transformers* change AC (house-current) to a different (usually lower) voltage, but it remains Alternating Current. HO trains use Direct Current (DC), which requires an additional step called *rectification8 to convert AC to DC.

The wrong kind of electricity will burn out motors and solid-statae boards, so it is important.

Generally, we use *transformer* to mean the low-voltage supply for O-scale ("Lionel") trains, and *power supply* for the DC supply on HO pikes. As a sidelight, most HO power supplies also have a pair of connections for AC, about 16 volts, to run accessories and lighting. Lights will run on AC or DC, as long as the voltage is correct, and most accessories, like crossing gates or motorized gadgets, are designed for 16V-AC.

Check labels and instructions carefully before you connect something, so you don't create a problem.

Railsider

Daxdog..........

By now you will have gotten things straightened out, I'm sure. I think you'll find the Wizards of Philadelphia do very good work, and will join the legions of satisfied Bachmann customers. If not, they will make good on whatever mistake they make.

Happy New Year, and Happy Rails to You!

Railsider

As you can easily see, the steel rails have BLACK ballast, and the nickel-silver has GRAY. There is also a significant difference in cost ... the steel is cheaper, so it is supplied with "sets" that you buy in a box.

As pointed out, the cheaper steel rails will rust, which produces a resistant layer between the rail and the wheel, thus delivering lower voltage to the motor. The better-grade Ni-Ag (though it actually does not contain real silver) does conduct slightly better, but not so you'd notice. Its main virtue is that it won't rust.

That said, some perfectionists actually paint their track to make it look like *real* rusted rails. So, in theory, at least, steel rails will eventuallay look more realistic  ... and as long as you clean the top surface regularly with a track-cleaning car or something like Bright Boy, you'll have a nice pike.

Mixing the two will look odd because of the colors of the roadbeds. In real life, ballast does come in different shade of gray, black and sometimes brown, but it's pretty consistent for long stretches. You would also introduce differences in voltage to the motor from one section to the next, of course.

Many builders actually paint and detail, and even add glue and fine sand, to EZ track roadbed for more realism.

In general, gray/Ni-Ag is the better stuff, but both kinds work. What you want to avoid is brass track, rare these days but often sold second-hand. It oxidizes very badly, though it looks like nice old rusty rails. Use it for display lines that you don't actually run on. This antique comes as track on fibre-plastic ties, of course.

Railsider

You can find some of that stuff on line, by Googling "souvenirs" and the city, but you may have to take the extreme step of going there on vacation and looking around in person. (Incorporate your layout as an educational museum  and deduct it from your income tax??? )

You can also Google for "architectural models," but those get awfully pricey. I did look up some drawings and photos of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago, and that might not be too hard to build from scratch: smooth lines and simple shapes.

The St. Louis Arch would be a nice challenge. My bet is that someone there has crafted it in plastic for tourist sales, if you can just figure out where to look for it.

Railsider