I have a concern on installing sound to these SD40-2's.   I just received 2 of these today and was wondering how much trouble would it be to add sound!  Having never did this before, I was concerned about the installation and what problems I may encounter.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Marv

Many thanks to all of you...a GP9 is what I am now waiting for (coming in the US Mail)...oh BTW way Len, from a previous post I made...I received good advise on banking my curves especially those tight 18" #4 turnouts.  Your Pronto may not like right turns...but it could need raising up a bit.  Went into the kitchen and found an old spatula in the drawer.  I cut the blade off and then 1/4' wide pieces...they work great for inclines...hahaha...now the better half was wondering what happen to the spatula !  Ooops!

The GP7 and GP9 both have 6 axles that I know of...but before I buy into this model...what are the chances they will perform on an existing 18" turn? Has anyone had experiences with these models derailing?

Thanks D

Started with my first layout with help from an uncle when I was 11....now 63....gone through a few since then.  As I told Jim...this oil mess reminded me of an old oil field after it lost its load...hehe

I am going to try both methods (Jim's and yours) to see which works best for the dilemma I have created.  I did as you said earlier in another post...combind both a Gravel and Coal yards together....with a complete city on the other end.  This 4X8 is slowly running out of room. 

Thanks to the both of you...this is a real help for me...appreciate it much

Marv

Hello Jim

First I would never do that to a good shot of Canadian Rye    I would savor it....as for the oily track sections....I was looking at photos that were taken some years back of a coal miming company something on the scale of the New River company that many of us have.  What was interesting was an area approx 50 feet to the entrance where the Loco would rest until it was detached from the cars and was leaking oil all over the tracks and ballast.  This may have been poor maintenance on the part of the yard boys or the mechanics but it did indeed cause one heck of a mess.

The photos were black & white and I had them for a short while as they are part of a collection my oldest cousin keeps...I will see what I can do to retrieve them back so I can post them here.  All I was trying to do was replicate the scene using good ole Folgers leftovers.

Marv

I am attempting to use percolated coffee grounds as ballast in my large New River Coal yard. The color is perfect for a heavily oiled track-bed. The problem I encounter is that, since there are oils in the coffee grounds, the regular ballasting methods of applying alcohol followed by a diluted glue solution will not keep all the grounds together. After drying, when I use a vacuum to suck up the excess, some large pieces of ballast are removed. Obviously the oil effect of the coffee grounds doesn't allow for good adhesion...Scenic Cement is another failure.  What can I do to remove the oil from the grounds prior to ballasting?"

Many thanks for the info....I thought for a minute I would need to take apart the roadbed but like you said...could cause more problems that I don't need....I will just adjust the speed going into the turns to keep it all on the track
Thanks again
Marv

I have been reading this page on Superelevation  http://www.trackplanning.com/superelevation.htm  as I am wondering if there is a chance I can apply it to my existing EZ Track!  It has good information on using Styrene and other materials, sizes, etc  ... but nothing about where to apply it...must I remove the roadbed from beneath the track?

Marv

Many thanks to you both for this information.  Sorry I didn't specify the type of railroad as I didn't know which ran coal or gravel runs back then.  The theme I have developed is a combo coal & gravel industry.  Also included is a town with several shops and businesses that cater to these industries.  Space is important as this is a 4X8 that I started many months ago.  The era I wanted to use was between 1955 - 1965 as the downtown business district has many features from these years including transportation.

Once again...many thanks to both of you for your guidance....


Marv

I am a bit confused as to which types of loco's were used when the change was made from Steam to Diesel...I have been told everything from GP-20's too GP-40's on up

I am trying to keep this layout as it is called "scaled realism"  not going to throw just any loco on the track.  Appreciate the help

Marv

hmmmm...that Stoney Creek Bridge is impressive indeed but space is somewhat limited.  The era fits well going around the early 1900's and I did see the Atlas brand...but I only have 2 inches of form with an additional 1" I could build up on it giving me 3" total.  I may place a couple of fisherman in this near the shallow end but would it be a hazard placing fisherman with the noise of the trains in the same location?  At 65 I am still a bit rusty on sceanry....need to get that oil can out 

I would like to remove 2 pieces of 9" EZ Track...form a lake...then use a bridge with a shallow span, but cannot find any Bachmann Tressles or Bridges 18" in length....does Bachmann manufacture these?

Marv

Doneldon...thanks very much for your reply...I was a bit worried about voltage conflicts..

Regards
Marvin

I have a question that may have been answered before but not really sure...sorry if I missed it.  I am running 4 Bachmann HO Scale EZ Track Nickel Silver Remote Switches under DC with not too much problems....these switches are for DC.  I want to convert to DCC and wondering if I am going to get into trouble with these switches?  The switches are connected to the transformer for accessories.  Any help would be appreciated before I start this conversion.

Need some information on these turnouts.

I am using 4 E-Z Track remotes to run a double oval but the only problem is the distance from the actual switch to my board.  Are there plug-in extensions for these?  I am looking for at least a 10 foot, 3 wire green extension.

Thanks
Marvin