I'm having trouble with my 0-4-2 DCC sound equipped Porter losing electrical pickup every time it crosses my Peco electrofrog turnouts. These are On30 turnouts. The engine runs perfectly on all the regular track. It just has trouble on the turnouts. Is there a way to add electrical pickup to the trailing truck and would that help? Thanks. Pete

I can not seem to get the DCC turnouts to work with my NCE Pro system. Any suggestions Bachman or anyone else?

I'm still waiting for a Heisler too. I don't care what type is produced, I will buy it. Come on Bachmann. Get with the program. If it sold in other scales, it will sell in On30 too. Please, please, please.........
Ginz

Heisler, Heisler, Heisler! We want a Heisler.

Anybody out there listening.......please!

TheCritterCrazyGonzokid

1. What is your On30 display? Mining, or logging operations, Christmas village, Mfg. ops., or a circle around Christmas tree?

My layout is a fictional "museum/tourist" attraction set in the eastern applacian hills of what used to be a lively logging industry. The logging camp has turned into a tourist display attraction at the end of the branch line. The mainline now runs past a small ghost town, over several tall trestles and deck bridges through the forrested route to the small town and base of operation.

2 What do you have for Buildings on your layout? Scratch built, Plasticville,
Dept. 56?

All my structures are craftsman type wood kits by Bar Mills and others and a few scratch built ones as well.

3. What era does your layout represent? Civil war, turn of century, modern,
or let us know the exact date.

Time stopped on this road when the logging died out, about 1935.

4. What size and type is your layout? Shelf type , table top, walk around, 4x8, ping pong table, Etc...

The Shiloh Valley Museum Railroad is in my very cold 18' x 23' basement taking up the walls on shelves and a center island. Everything is DCC using an NCE system with Bachmann, Precision Scale and BLI locomotives, all sound equipped.
TheGinzokid

Walther's catalog for Big Trains should have the portals.
The Ginzokid

Hey guys,
I'm in Newfoundland on a DSL hook-up and have had no problems at all. Must be the local service connections.
The Ginzokid

Check out Ebay. I saw some older decoders earlier this week.
The Ginzokid

Paul,
Since you have little experience and probably a limited budget, I suggest the following. Go to the local hobby shop or craft store like Michaels and get a bottles of the following Acrylic Craft paints: Burnt Umber and Black. Then also get a can of Testors Dulcote spray finish.

You will make a wash of the balck and the burnt umber separately. For the black it is 1 teaspoon of black paint to 5 ounces of water. For the burnt umber it is 2 teaspoons of burnt umber paint to 5 ounces of water.

After you mix these washes you can use a spray bottle or a brush to apply the wash to the timber castings.

Do the burnt umber first, letting it dry for a shor time before you next apply the black wash. The casting will absorb the washes and they will become lighter as they dry. You can apply as many coats of wash as you want until you get the look you desire. Once you are satisfied and the castings are dry, spray them with the Dulcote to seal the color.

Finally apply a wash of the black again that should settle in the cracks and edges to highlight the depths. Then seal it again.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it and not that expensive.

The Ginzokid

Just being Devilish here.....

Shouldn't On3 then be renamed On36?

It is interesting to note the even the Bachmann On30 equipment in down-sized from O scale equipment. I live in a country where there was a narrow gauge line and all their equipment was undersized from the standard mainland equipment.  I'm talking Newfoundland here, where the gauge was 3'6" or 42" gauge. The standard gauge cars cam across the waters by ferry. When they arrived here, they were physically lifted off their standard gauge trucks and lowered on to 42" gauge trucks. These cars were huge compared to the narrow gauge cars of the home road. Quite a funny looking mix actually. Not all standard cars could be refitted with the smallers gauge trucks however. Clearances were a big concern of course. Most cargo was off loaded and transferred to the smaller cars.

I guess this supports the theory of no real "standard". You use what works and make do with equipment on hand.
The Kid

PS: The gauge is not on the web site but it is available by phone for $5 plus $2 s/h. The number is 800-264-9845. Just trying to help.

If anyone is looking for an On30 Gauge, Model Tech Inc. makes an On30 Clearance Gauge on the order of those from the NMRA. It is smaller than On3 clearances and mine has come in handy many times. Just go to the Model Tech Inc. web site and get yourself one.

As for the coupler problem, anyone use link and pin? That was common on the prototype.

Hi Guys,
Well I run a lot of the Bachmann On30 equipment and am very greatful that they chose to use the HO scale height and HO scale coupler size. It makes for easy conversion to change out the stock couplers, which I'm sorry to say I do not like, and substitute Kadee #5s. In case anyone did not notice, Broadway Limited Inc. chose to mount their couplers at the same HO height.

When Bachmann started this venture, my guess is it was to compliment the Dept. 56 ceramic structures, but we model railroaders found the gold mine that was On30.

I personally have every piece of Bachmann equipment available, and also the BLI locomotives which thankfully couple right up to the Bachmann rolling stock. So who cares if the coupler height and size are a bit under scale. They work and that is what matters.

Case in point is that I have built an Evergreen car kit that was designed for On3 or On30 with the exception of the coupler height. I had to shim the coupler pocket down a bit to accomodate the HO scale Kadee #5 to get it to the right height. You would never notice the difference.

So what's the fuss. Are we all rivet counters or just plain having fun model railroaders? Anyone who looks down their nose at my railroad will not be invited back.
The Kid

It's not dirty track. All my other engines run just fine. The track is clean too. It there a better electrical pick-up set-up for the railtruck? A retrofit something that anyone knows about? The poor railtruck just doesn't want to run smoothly, if at all.

The Kid

You can say that again. I want a Heisler. I love the "critters" that we have so far and a Heisler would complete the stable. With limited space for a layout, these "logging" type engines make for the perfect solution to tight radii and steep grades found on mining and logging roads. Boring? I think not. 

The Kid