Okay: Since i dont know , where can i get those "itty bitty" Phillips screws preferably in a bulk pack to mount the couplers??  Also is there such a thing as a switch de-coupler piece ect, so if i want to park cars on a siding i can disconect themfrom the power circuit till i decide to use them??

UhhHuh The Crown Royal Train, i recently purchased is kinda the wifes, she encouraged me to buy it, and she's guilty of saying get it for the grandson to pass along to him So there ya go vern

Good evening: I went to my eye surgeon today in oklahoma city, afterwards went to the whistle stop train store, warning to all in okc dont go there!! all im going to say. went out to hobby lobby big one, and could not, i say vern could not pass on a deal. got 2 full dcc locos, 3 or 4 cars, assorted circle track, and the bachman digital power pack/controller on sale  for 135.00. they are getting out of the bussines on bachman trains.this was 50% off their retail ;)yeah i know shouldnt have but the grandson wanted it he told me so before i left town he saw it in the newspapaer. he's 2 & 1/2 thats what i told my wife!!! course i wound up buying her dinner at the famous cattleman's in the stockyards any way somebody looking for good deal on clearance on bachmantrain sets might check their local Hobby Lobby.

To mabloddhound: That was what i was looking for , someone that could tell me whether or not mdf is stabe.My local lowes sells it  in 3/4 only for 34.95 4x8 sheet. They have agreed to cut to my dimensions 2 pieces 6' x 21/2' at considerably less than cost of full sheet.they take the leftover or waste pieces and have a rack for those wanting the smaller pieces. i just wanted something that was more stable than conventional plywood. As i have learned in a matter of couple of weeks, 1x2" plywood isnt cutting it.I had the plywood on hand so no great loss. but it is starting to curl up at the corners. it is on 2 banquet tables in my den in a temp controlled environment , admittedly the air is very dry here this time of the yr in southwest oklahoma.so figured go to mdf put a seale on it put matt on top and go from there and should be good to go?

hey: Apparently thecouplers are lets say the economy model they putonthe train kits you see at hobby lobby. No springs. so will be changing all my couplers from here onout to something a little beefier

HI: the suggestio of using dowels to line up edges and carriage bolts, thanks i hadnt thought of that!! using a coating or sealer on board another thanks, the foam under the matt, i will try later, as of now not looking at contouring but will later and sure i will have to ask many questions on that one as i am a newbie!! basically right now what i have is  a6'x5' board with oval lay out for the little guy. this week will be in okc, and theres a hobby shop there, says he has just about everything in stock, so will get the grass matt, some 22 dgree curves, a couple of flat cars, and then working on an inner oval for my train to run with the litle guys seperately. i just purchase a complete set 5 units (Crown royal colors and logos) ya know paw has to have his own train And as always I want to thank every one who responds to my sometimes strange questions, its nice on my end

HEY: The reason i have it set up on 2 tables is i can get under it very easy at my age, and can seperate or slide the 2 apart down the middle if need be, just break the track at each end. my wiring what little i will need to do for any add ons at this time will be under the matt. the electrical will run off a seperate power supply 12 volt at 5 amps max, and go into a seperate very small swith box,thins such as lighting ,motion objects will  be controlled at this point. the locos at this time all are dc, and will run off the standar power pack by bachman. we are nt ready for the  dcc stuff yet, as my little engineer is 2&1/2 and our financial officer says our train co is on a limited budget,she did say maybe warren buffet might loan us some of his train money>(B N S F) Since my last name starts with a B and I am real partial to the katy line (family connection) I am going to name mine the (B K P B ) line( Burns Katy Po Boy) line

HI: went and done it this weekend, purchased a complete set "Crown Royal " logos and painted co colors.got the loco, passenger car,center flow hopper car,box car and caboose!! yeah i know kinda frivolous, but just caught my eye he grandson has his set, and now i have mine going to set up parallell tracks to his so we can both run at same time

i have the boards on 2 large steel leg folding tables which measure 6' x 21/2 ' with heavy grade plastic tops. the kind you see at banquets and such. so pretty stable as far as can tell. set up in one corner of my den for the little one. the finished pieceof plywood not warping as bad, but the rough plain piece really starting to turn up at corners. so thinking go to 3/4 mdf and try your idea put a sealer onit. thanks.

HI: I put my set on 1/2 inch nice finished plywood . it consists of 2 pieces 6' x 21/2 foot with snug fit between center lines. but have noticed over last few days a little curling at corners. was considering going to 3/4 mdf. was told by lowes it wont warp like plywood? any body out there have any experience with mdf??

Hi daxdog: You might try "thefavoritespot" out of denton texas.they are on line. I bought track from them at a deep reduction as it was out of a  broken case lot. they advertise these deals all the time.good folks to do bussiness with.

HI: Seeking possible info on a "CROWN ROYAL" ho train set that  carries the co logos and colors. Might any body recall this and who made it??

TO NARROW MINDED: We have something in common,my grand father Burns worked for katy line all his life, started as a gandy dancer,worked his way to fireman,got a 10 cent raise said he was making big money 25 or 50 cents a day then, then worked his way up to conductor, got really big raise 1.00 a day, but  said he was living good life no more shovelling coal Iknow he moved my grandmother a lot  to various railroad camps during the time,according to her. She was a little 5 foot cherokee, and he was a scots man, and they had 10 kids 5 boys  5 girls, I can recall a lot  of stories from both of them, I personally dont know how they survived back then had to be a hard life, but my granny,always put it this way"we were happy and didnt know or have good enough sense to know we had a hard life and were po folks. maybe we and our children should look at that, we dont have it so bad after alll

Thank you ,thank you ray. From what i could gather, i came upwith the same or near conclusions as to manufacturer and time period. Unfortunately original owner of this unique little piece had lost the original box Have determined through very carefull experimentation that it is inded dc, and will operate at approx 6 volts smoothly. None of the components have any markings numbers ect, and nohing else on the unit other thn made in taiwan republic of china.It is in excellent shape no cracks fading ect so think i got lucky at 3$30.00 shipping included.? I have decided i am going to power it and any other dc devices with a medium power supply by pyramid 12 volts at 5 amp max, and am considering adding a 6 volt regulator in feed line to this device. Once again ray thank youfor your time andresearch very considerate of you. Please jump in on any of my comments your advice and opinions are welcom as any one else that wishes to do so

hey: i really like you guys,make it interesting yep i bluindered should have known better here The radar tower in question doesnt really emit signal, it is a nice little scale tower with control building, and the antenna on top goes round and round andround ::)going to use it for my re- creation of air base near me(altus, ok) Any way have learned it was produced in late 50's in limited supply,and was able to scoop it up for $30.00 in class a working order. my 2&1/2 yr old grandsons dad is in air force in afganistan right now, but every time i turn it on he say daddy's working right now and it makes him happy to see it on the layout. we are building the airport currently, so my partner in crime and little engineer and i are having a blast. Any way thanks to all of you great guys who have responded, and i must say you make me feel real comfortable here