John:

The dimensions for Bachmann's Large Scale brass track are found here:

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=255_467_646

Model RR track radius is always measured to the centerline of the track.

Note that the page referenced above gives the curved track dimensions as DIAMETER. Be certain to divide by two for the radius.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

QuoteLewis Polk:

. . . That's it in a nutshell. 13 years later it's still working.

And 6 years later Mr. Polk & Co. are out of business. Seems his idea of goofy gauge / scale combinations didn't work as well as he suggested.

Before a bunch of you jump on my comment, let me say that:

1. I DO NOT believe the scale / gauge combination Aristocraft chose was totally responsible for their demise, but it certainly didn't help. I have a reasonably large collection of LS trains, but not one piece from Aristocraft. In my case, it is largely because their scale / gauge ratio is incorrect and incompatible with my desire to have a model railroad rather than a collection of toy trains.

2. I absolutely defend anyone's right to run whatever scale / gauge combination they want.

The model train hobby has always tended to move from 'anything goes,' toward a recognition of scale / gauge and equipment combinations that are reasonably accurate. Equipment that is reasonably accurate in scale and gauge does not mean less sales to those who don't care, but it will increase sales to the scale modelers who do care.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: Dave on August 20, 2013, 06:13:08 PM
Well, I for one, would be interested in seeing your list of 2-5 thousand models of Narrow gauge Locomotives
that Bachmann might consider Modelling.
   I thought this Forum was for people to express their ideas on topics of interest, not to be told they are utterly
ridiculous.

                  Dave

Michael Koch, in his book, "Shay, Titan of the Timber" lists 3354 Shay locomotives and 34 Willamette locomotives. I'm not going to sit down and go through the entire list, but on the two random pages I did count, something over a third were narrow gauge. That would imply that there were well over 1000 narrow gauge Shays alone!

Now add all the other types of narrow gauge geared locomotives, rod locomotives and internal combustion locomotives around the world and the statement of 2000 to 5000 narrow gauge locomotives would seem to be very probable.

What about this is ". . . utterly ridiculous?

Happy (Well Researched) RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: Jerrys HO on August 05, 2013, 09:27:27 PM
Sorry guy's, I was not trying to make him a hero just trying to get a point across to Andrew that it was a historic moment and that is why modelers wish to model the ole #382.
Gosh you nit pickers pick everything apart.

Jerry

Jerrys HO: Thanks for starting the Casey Jones discussion. It has made me go review several resources for the Casey Jones story, and also to talk to a couple of RR fan & historian friends. Great renewal of the story in my mind.

Far from other posters 'picking everything apart,' I think you brought up an "historic moment" that has elicited a number of responses that have (so far) been very civil and presented the Casey Jones story as what it is: An important piece of Americana, whether one believes Mr. Jones was a hero or a just a bad driver. 

Jerry

Great offering!

Good price point!

Also, I'm certain the aftermarket providers will have a field day with this.

Happy 0n30 RRing,

Jerry

If a single car or engine is picking a point, you might find that the back to back wheel spacing is incorrect. Use a good quality wheel & track gauge to check the back to back wheel spacing, then adjust the wheels accordingly.

You can get wheel & track gauges from the NMRA (See: https://www.nmrastores.com/Public_Store/product_info.php?products_id=53&osCsid=uf8t9v10e7skmr640ovdo1utd4)

--OR--

From tool houses such as Micro Mark (See: http://www.micromark.com/nmra-gage-ho-scale,7530.html).

These gauges have the ability to help diagnose points, flangeways and other track and switch problems in addition to wheel standards. It is pretty much impossible to work on wheels and track without such a gauge.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

As Loco Bill wrote, you probably have a NOS (New Old Stock) unit.

With the exception of the erly trucks, there is nothing "iffy" about the quality of your Shay. Mine is equipped with battery power and continues to be one of the most used locomotives on my RR.

Get the new trucks, carefully replace them and enjoy!

Happy RRing,

Jerry

cowboyup:

In addition to the advice above, I would suggest that rather than beginning by buying a starter set or some individual items based on what is easily available, you should consider what your short & long term interests are.

Some examples: What era do you want to model? Old time, golden age of RRing, or modern (or don't care)? Do you like steam engines or diesel engines or both? Do you want freight operations, passenger operations, or both? Do you envision trains running through a scenic landscape with scale bridges, buildings, towns, and doing switching operations, or are you more interested in simply letting your trains run around a circle with little human input?

Are you interested in accurate scale models, or does that matter? Narrow gauge or standard gauge models? American or foreign prototypes? The choices are nearly infinite, and the answers can be anything from 'I want to model the (insert RR name) as it existed at 10:30am on the 16th of June in 1934' to 'I really don't care.' BTW, most of us are somewhere in between.

Defining your goals, then purchasing with those goals in mind will help get and keep your interest, while making the significant monetary investment really count.

As Chuck N wrote, there are really no, or very limited starter sets that have on-board battery with radio control. That is a matter of picking the engine(s) you want to run, selecting an R/C system, and doing the install. There are numerous professional installers who can assist you if you find those task beyond your skill sets.

Also be aware that starter 'sets' almost universally come with track that is limited to indoor use, and is of the smallest radius that LS trains can traverse. If your interest in is old time logging and mining RRs, the radius is not a severe limitation, but if your interest is in more modern (and therefore larger) steam and diesel engines, you will quickly find that the small radius track is unusable.

Find a local club or group. There are several LS internet groups where experienced model RRs hang out. Here are links to a couple of my favorites:

Large Scale Central:
http://www.largescalecentral.com/

My Large Scale:
http://www.mylargescale.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Join the discussion forums there and introduce yourself. Lots and lots of advice and information there: Some of it actually useful!! 

Now, to satisfy your immediate craving to see a LS train run, it is really hard to beat Bachmann's LS starter sets. The 4-6-0 steam engine has been in production for well over ten years, with continuous improvements made. The latest versions are really bullet proof and will provide lots of fun while you are pondering the above points!!

Hope This Helps, & Happy (LS) RRing,

Jerry

You need to tell us what you mean by "burning out."

Bachmann power packs have an internal 'circuit breaker' that trips on overload, then automatically resets a short time after the electrical overload is removed. Is this breaker tripping? Is it not resetting?

Have you checked for a short circuit (or at least a low resistance path) across the track? A really cheap (less than $10) volt-ohm meter from Harbor Freight will prove to be a useful tool in troubleshooting your trains.

Additionally, the power packs that come with starter sets are usually pretty marginal. They supply just enough power to run the set they are packaged with. After the breaker has tripped a few times, it will start tripping at lower and lower outputs. Are you running more than the engine and train that came with the set? If so, you probably need a larger power pack.

The above are just some basics. If you give us more information, we can probably give you more focused help.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: jbrock27 on June 13, 2013, 07:13:00 PM
So JerryB except for our different use of the terms "cogging" and "surging", looks to me you are describing the problem the same way I did.    How magical.

"Cogging" is the common description of a motor's performance. It is usually noticed in two pole (DC) motors with a three segment armature. When operating at very low speeds, cogging is noticed by an engine making small 'jerks' along LEVEL track. It does not induce what is commonly called surging.

"Surging" is the common name for the problem of slack running in and out when a train is going downgrade. RichG and others already covered this above.

Cogging and surging are no more the same than fire and water, but I am certain (from the tone of your follow up posts) that you are not interested in this. Fine with me, but you might consider that calling fire water might get someone hurt, just like calling surging cogging might mislead someone looking for a solution.

In fact, the real solution might be in the decoder or its settings. Hard to tell long distance.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: jbrock27 on June 13, 2013, 04:31:45 PM
From this very Forum Re: "Cogging"
sd24b
     Re: Max slopes for new HO engines?
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2012, 11:00:27 AM »   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4% is pretty steep.  However, 2 or 3 diesels should be able to handle your train lengths.  Not sure on your steam.   6 axle diesels generally pull better than 4.  What I have found to be a small problem is not working trains upgrade but going down grade.  Some engines suffer from cogging.  the weight of the train pushes against the engine forcing the worm gear forward.  Shouldn't affect you unless you're running longer trains.     Phil

You were part of that discussion Rich:

richg

    Re: Max slopes for new HO engines?
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2012, 05:44:44 PM »   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take a look at the below link. Layouts for different scales but some may offer an idea. You can scale some up or down to the scale you want.

http://www.thortrains.net/

Rich

Forum replies or not, the OP's described problem is definitely NOT termed "cogging." As richg wrote, "Cogging is the armature resistance to turning because of the interaction between the magnets and motor coils."

The OP's described problem is normally termed 'surging' and is usually caused by the interaction of a worm & worm gear. It shows up on steep down hill sections because the force of the train pushes against the locomotive and drive mechanism such that the motor is acting as a brake. The slack between the worm gear and the worm runs in and out, causing a surging action.

There is really no simple solution, but things to check are the mesh between the worm and worm gear. Making them mesh closer will lessen the possibility of surging by eliminating the 'space' that is allowing the surges. You can check this by turning the wheels by hand while watching the motor shaft. Another thing to look for is the amount of end play in the motor shaft. That can also cause surging. Putting washers on the motor shaft to minimize the end play is usually possible.

Putting retainers to add drag to the train in the form of springs on wheel sets can also help, but that adds drag when going uphill.

Lessening the grade is probably the best solution, but not always possible.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: railtwister on June 04, 2013, 09:29:20 AM
Why the big aversion to opening a Yahoo account and joining the On30 Conspiracy at YahooGroups?

Absolutely no aversion to Yahoo on my part! I have had a Yahoo account for many, many years, and am an active member of groups in a large number of interest areas including model & prototype railroading, recreational vehicles & camping, aviation, machinery, etc. etc.

The problem with some of the 0n30 groups, including the one mentioned above, is that they are run as closed, private clubs. I have applied for membership to several of these groups several times and am always turned down. In one recent case (not the 0n30 Conspiracy), the "permanent" turn down notice was sent back within minutes of my submitting an application. There is no way a moderator or list owner actually reviewed my application (limited to 200 characters) and turned it down. I truly believe it was from an automated response. These groups are not interested in gaining members.

That is clearly the right of the list owners. It just winds up being very hard when an 'outsider' wants to see some of the work of these (seemingly closed minded) experts. Actually, the 0n30 Conspiracy doesn't even allow reading of posts unless one is a member.

Happy (Willing to Share) RRing,

Jerry

Quote from: mudhen on June 04, 2013, 04:56:48 PM
What would they be in G-scale... Just a best guess is what I am after.  

No guessing required. Just divide the prototype dimension by the scale.

232' is 11' 5" in F-Scale (1:20.3). Note that is radius! The diameter is twice that or 22' 10".

Also note that Kevin gave the radius for a turning track. I'm not an expert on Colorado narrow gauge operations, but most RRs run their locomotives very slowly on small radius tracks such as those in yards and on reversing loops. Much less chance of putting a locomotive on the ground.

The mainline probably uses somewhat larger curvatures.

As to the switches, a #8.5 switch is a #8.5 switch regardless of the scale.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

All Bachmann trains in the "Big Hauler" line are nominally 1:22 or 1:24.

The "Spectrum" line engines are all quite accurate 1:20.3.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

M1FredQ:

"Railsounds" is a trademarked name owned by Lionel LLC. Here is a link to the trademark information:

http://www.markhound.com/trademark/search/co6pcXu1k

I assume you are using the word "Railsounds" to describe some unknown sound system that is in the locomotives you have. That is confusing to all, as the real Railsounds system needs a special Railsounds controller (again from Lionel or a Lionel compatible supplier) to operate. Railsounds units are most often factory installed in 0-scale Lionel equipment. Although a small possibility, it is unlikely that the sound systems in your large scale locomotives are actually Lionel Railsounds units.

Bachmann's off the shelf controllers will not operate a Railsounds unit. Most if not all non-Lionel power supplies / controllers will NOT operate the Railsounds sound units.

You need to open the locomotives and find out what sound system they are actually equipped with, then find a control system that is compatible with your actual sound systems.

Hope this helps.

Happy RRing,

Jerry