Probably, I'm pulling this all from memory, I'm setting up a layout this summer, and the last time I've seen all these old cars was 1999 roughly. And we have a little New York Central 2-6-2, which takes 18", even a few 15" curves, if my memory serves me correctly.  Its actually a perfect little engine.............And the diesels I own, have no trouble getting around 18", they are just classic Bachmann 4-axle Union Pacific Diesels.  I was going to buy some 22" track this summer, but our local hobby store is going out of business, and instead of track I snagged a Bachmann Spectrum J-class brand new, with auxilary tender for $99.99.......I just couldn't resist an engine being marked down $70 dollars.  If I was allowed I was going to buy the Arthean Genesis Big Boy they had marked down to $259.....even if I couldn't really run it...Could you imagine that on a 18"

Didn't see your post there, sorry about that!  And of course it doesn't look good, but it still works.  I have a handful of smaller locomotives, and have these two for pure fun, so looks aren't really a problem.  I'm not a big passenger fan, and my box cars are all about 50' with about four being 65', but I wouldn't dare run the huge box cars with the Northerns.  I could just see the ends of the tender and cars colliding as they take on the curves......  

I guess the looks really are what counts but when your a kid who can only afford SO much track, and is still having issues trying to convert all of the old bachmann couplers on my rolling stock and engines to the new one, the 18" and about 8 pieces of flex track (as far as turning goes), suffices.  Typically I hide the 18" curves, throwing them towards the back of the layout and/or hiding them behind/in a mountain, but I can't imagine a huge freight car on a 15" curve.  That must be painful to watch.

Wait a minute.......my Bachmann Niagara makes 18" turns perfectly, and so does my J-class.  I don't normally put them on 18" curves, but when they go on the 18" curves, they run smoothly, with no issues........Should I be having trouble with the 18" curves? Or are they capable? (maybe I just got lucky  )

Considering my love of the Newyorkcentral, I model the system in up state new york in fall, during the era when the niagara's were the kings of the rails.  I currently am short on motive power due to most of my items being so out dated and destroyed from six year old me.  But I currently have an old 2-6-2 praire, and a bachmann niagara, gorgeous engine!  My railroad is still in the planning stages, but I hope to make it one to show off the steamers, and use the landscape of my area to my advantage, its an L shaped layout, should be a fun project.

My high school is a one hundred year old building just waiting to be modeled.  In my layout i am going to pretty much make a scale model of our main street area.  There is a double track mainline and at the back of the layout on a slight hill will be the high school.  I am building a scale model using everything i got, i have taken scale measurements and i am using google earth aswell to give me a top view perspective. I have never built a model from scratch before. Any tips?

Also in the back almost as a tribute i am putting my marching band out on the field.  I am a big of fan of my trumpet as trains so i want to combine them.  I have my drill charts from which i am accurately going to place the figures. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this kind of a set up.  Does anybody know of any companies that make the figures or should i hand paint them nd make little instruments. If it helps our band has around 120 people.

Thanks in advance,
      NYCgirl

okay my niagara does have DCC on board but i am testing with a conventional power pack
my prairie is a DC and i tried both the dc and ac just incase the ppl messed up the lettering, both failed, i replaced the feeder wires no response at all from either locomotives

For Christmas, i recieved a New York Central Niagara and a bunch of track to add to my layout. i put the niagara on a long straight tht is seperate from the layout(DC) and turned on my controller.  The tender's light turned on, but the rest of the locomotive wont turn on its lights or move at all.  I am currently using bachmann easy track. All of the track connections look secure.
I tried my little prairie and it ran for a couple of minutes, but after tht only the smoke and lights worked.  Am i messing up the track wiring?
any help or tips to getting it to run would be greatly appreciated

thanks for your advice i normally consult the website you listed
but if anyone has any other advice it would be greatly appreciated

Every year i set up my 20 year old lionel PRR 4-4-2 engine, and matching Broadway Limited cars around the tree.  We have porcelain houses that are put on top of the baby grand we have in our living roon.  This year i am setting up an HO layout around the houses. 
There are quite a bit of buildings and one large station.  We use a snow "blanket".  The track i am going to use is bachmann extrack so that the snow is away from the track and doesnt get into any points.
I have a 2-6-2 prairie and a variety of short cars, plus a dummy big boy that i am going to set up, the big boy is a kit and therefore track radius is not a problem. 
I was curious to see if anyone had any good track plans or if a circle would be best.  Also is there any tips for the snow as to keep it out of the tracks?
(Any radius that a small 2-6-2 prairie and 40ft boxcars can handle is fine)

i am 14 and i am building a layout but i am constrained by space as everyone is i have only 5x10 that pictured layout would be a dream just i would base it on the New York Central

i am a huge train fan, and was looking foward to this show,
but the guy is so annoying the engineers on both the bnsf and ns trains looked like they wanted to shoot him. also the mtv camera thing is annoying. it is a cool show its just needs a better narrator/host

i cant believe they built this loco
its gorgeous and now i have a desire to go to the UK to see this thing in action!!




if they can build this they can build a niagara or J3a hudson

i personally want them to do the cog railways's locomotives, the challenger, Clark's trading post's climax, or that brand new loco that was just built for mainline use


and for the website it takes some time but if you follow the link it is pretty simple to put up your idea, i put this one up as a post like you do here

imagine getting a look at the climax at clark's or the challenger, it makes me want to get a J3a or niagara custom built if i win the lottery, even if i cant get trackage rights 

i think that servicing and running a steam locomotive would be a perfect idea for the show dirty jobs on discovery channel

what are your thoughts

i am trying to get the idea out there so if you agree log on to http://www.discoverychannel.com and head to the dirty jobs
if we annoy them with enough posts we might get our wish and knowing the show they might get all of us train fans a look on how they run our favorite steam locomotives such as...

UP Challenger
UP FEF
Sante Fe's 4-8-4

please help

does anyone know of any manufacters that have these:

4-4-6-4 PRR crestline loco

OR A


6-4-4-6

in HO i love these locomotives especially the 4-4-6-4 even though i model the New York Central i want one