Thanks Don and Jim! That Allan site is perfect, exactly what I was looking for!

I recently picked up a bunch of Walthers Shinora turnouts for the expansion of my layout and have a question pertaining to their use on a DC system. I already have Peco insulfrog turnouts installed and the one thing I like about those the most is the fact that the electrical current will only go to the track for which the points are connected to. Now is it possible to modify the Shinora turnouts in the same fashion so I can use the turnout itself as a quick alternative to power a siding from the main line?

Nevermind I found it. As it turns out it was the 2 screws hidden underneath the trucks after all. I discovered this after breaking the rear truck off while trying to pull the shell off. So now my simple lubrication job on a brand new engine resulted in a non functioning piece of crap. I've had better reliability with my ancient "lower quality" engines.

Edit: After a cooler head prevailed, I was able to re-solder a broken wire, reassemble the truck, and restore the loco to working order on the mainline. However I'm still not happy with the vague directions.

I was looking forward to MSTS 2 as the previews for it looked amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-KmNNRLLO0

How sad that Microsoft shut down their game studio (no more Flight Simulator either).

I don't know of any good general model railroading forums so I have to ask this here. I've got a Proto 2000 GP38-2 (Life-Like) and for the life of me I can't figure out how to get the shell off to lubricate the gears and what not.

The instructions say to "remove the coupler boxes" so I did that and then to "remove the two black screws as shown in the chassis diagram." Of course they couldn't just tell you or mark in the diagram specifically which two screws to remove as there are 6 on the underside of the chassis and 2 of which you can't get at with the trucks being in the way. I'm at a loss so can anyone assist me on the matter?

Alright so I've had this question on my mind for some time now and figured some here might be able to weigh in on the matter. Why is it that trains around the world are so drastically different (as opposed to a globally uniform system in air travel for obvious reasons)?

It seems since the era of steam, when there were still considerable discernible differences, trains both diesel and electric alike have evolved into very different looking beasts. Being born and raised in the good ole US of A myself, I'm partial to what we've got over here (and being from the Northeast I really like the diesel and more recently the influx of electric trains we have here), but after watching videos online, seeing photos in mags/etc, and seeing the Marklin setup at the NMRA convention in Hartford showcasing Euro trains, it's just been on my mind of why the drastic differences?

I've read on certain sites that Bachmann will improve some of the details on its Acela Express set. Now is there any truth to this?

I ask only because I'm in the position to purchase a new Acela set for a considerably good price but am trying to decide whether or not it would be better to wait for the updated set to be released (if there is going to be one). My main concern with the current set is the extremely delicate drawbar system.

So is there going to be an updated set released? And if so, when can we expect it? Or should I just go with what's already available? Thanks!

I don't think this has been posted on the board, but it's definitely a special report all who read this board should see!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC8VzVmNPOI

Thanks for the fantastic info fellas! This is exactly what I was looking for in every aspect!

I've got a question, why did Amtrak not feel the need to have Bombardier equip its Acela Express fleet's power cars and HHP-8's with rooftop strobes like their AEM-7's, metroliner cab cars, and (former) F40's, etc?

Upon returning to this ever-so-seemingly-increasingly-complicated hobby, I've been reading this board a lot as well as researching other arenas but have come to the conclusion that the Kadee #5 coupler seems to be the most popular and reliable on the market.

Most of my loco's and rolling stock still have the old school horn-hook couplers as they are mostly old school themselves. Recently, I've purchased some new loco's/rolling stock and instead of converting their knuckle couplers back to horn-hook, I've decided to begin converting my fleet to all knuckles.

Now my first experience with the actual Kadee #5's came with my first Walther's Amfleet that comes stock with them. One end seems to be fine, but the other needs adjusting as it's hanging too low and the trip pin is too low as well. My question is how exactly do you adjust the coupler height for these? I would assume it's more involved than simply tightening or loosening the draft box screws as that has yielded little result.

I've also got some Bachmann Amfleet's on the way as well and it seems the recommended action for those is to drop in a #148 in the stock draft box. But I'm not sure of where exactly they place on the Kadee conversion list (http://www.kadee.com/conv/holist.pdf), I would assume "Passenger Cars 85'?"

This is a topic that comes up regularly it seems but I was hoping for some general advice on choosing, adjusting, and recommendation. Thanks!

Hey all, thanks again to those who pointed me in the right direction for proper ballasting! I'll get some pics up once I finish!

Anyhoo, onto my next question which is lubricating. Now after reading up on the subject on the board I've come to learn that WD40 is a big no-no in model railroading (thankfully discovering this before grabbing a can from the garage and going to town on all of my equipment!) and that Labelle 108? is the recommended oil.

After a trip to my local hobby shop, all they had in stock for Labelle was 107 or a kit which had 107, 102, and 106 grease. So I opted for the kit and just want to make sure that the directions with the kit are correct in that 102 is for the closed gear boxes/sealed workings, the 106 is for worm gears/exposed gear boxes, and it doesn't say what the 107 is for.

Most of you probably have migraines after reading my novice questions but I just want to be sure and not ruin any of my equipment! Thanks!

Thanks pdlethbridge! That is the best instruction for ballasting I've seen yet!

Ah the pre-soak with just water and dishwasher liquid detergent solved my woes! Many thanks!

Alright so I've searched the forum and read up on the methods of properly ballasting track but am having the most difficult time carrying out the action myself. I just recently have returned to this wonderful hobby after about a 10 year break and never had a true layout but merely a train set on a 4x8 table with no roadbed and/or ballast.

So I ripped up all my old snap track, picked up some new code 100 flex track (I know, I know... 83 will be my next step), mapped out a simple double track oval, laid my cork roadbed, spiked down the new track, and have begun laying the medium ballast. But there lies the problem...

After searching through this forum on ballasting and uncovering a few old "Model Railroader" mags, I learned that the most popular way is to utilize 50/50 white glue and water mix with a drop of laundry detergent. Well the mixing went without incident and I poured the solvent into a spray bottle with the intention of spraying down the track/ballast then wiping the rails clean. So came problem #1: the "spray" of the spray bottle wouldn't work as the solution simply streamed out instead of a spray, so I scratched that idea and went the eye-dropper route and #2: when dropping the liquid onto the sloped edges of the tracks, it simply beaded up and rolled to the bottom of the ballast making for terrible looking track.

So now I'm sitting at my PC at a loss for what I can do as I'd like to complete what I started but am feeling pretty defeated.

Any help is appreciated and I apologize for writing a novel!