Recent content by dsfraser

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    Intresting signs

    Geez, Glen. 1000th post? You're as bad as me, we need to spend more time modelling. Cheers Scott Fraser Calgary
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    Boy Do I Need Help

    Torpedo, if you read it carefully, I say that for DC operation, you need to split the layout into isolated, insulated blocks. Afterwards, when moving to DCC, these blocks are redundant and can be merged. MadHatter makes a good point — nothing ever works as planned, and being able to isolate...
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    Boy Do I Need Help

    To begin with, DC and DCC are fundamentally incompatible. DC is Direct Current. DCC is Alternating Current. If you put an ocilloscope across the track, DC i a flat line where DCC is a classic sine wave. Those systems that suggest you can run a DC locomotive on a DCC circuit do so by breaking the...
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    How to solder wires to track (3 hands?)

    I solder the bus to the track connectors, with stranded wire, then assemble the track and pin it (before nailing) with pushpins. Flux your track and joiners before assembling. Affix heatsinks (I use beefy steel clamps) 1/2" outboard of the track connectors. Heat the joint and touch the solder to...
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    Addicted to Geeps?

    tetters, if you have your layout "planned", then address your locomotive acquisitions to your specific area. CP, at that time, were buying locomotives from GMD, CLC and MLW, all in roughtly the same power class. The GPs lasted longest, but during the grey/maroon era were mainly used on the...
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    Consist, how long?---

    And that's the determining factor — your layout, your hobby. I've seen 150 empty grain hoppers in one train — add three or four locomotives, and that's 90' in HO scale. It's also $4000 worth of Intermountain kits, twice that if you go RTR. There comes a time when you have to go for effect rather...
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    Proto 2000 HO freight car kits

    You guys need to know about stretching sprues! Get a short candle, and light it. Find a length of sprue, maybe 3" long, without any gates. Twirl it about 1" above the flame until it starts to get soft, then remove it and pull it apart, gently. The faster you pull the finer the filament. With...
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    Flex Track

    Just remember, please, when using a Dremel cutoff wheel, wear eye protection. The wee bits of metal can be very nasty in the eye, but if the wheel shatters (which they do) a shard in the wrong place will do major damage. Cheers Scott Fraser Calgary
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    HO v. N

    I like HO because I like to detail models. I find N just too small. My eyes cross trying to apply N-scale grabs. I like N because it allows for longer trains and larger curves in the the same space. It's all about perspective. If you have lots of room, lots of room, go with HO. If you like...
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    foam

    I haven't any photos — I still live on a piece of plywood — but i have done some landscaping (terraforming?) on a large club layout in town. Basically, the slope runs from one level to the next, up to 12" in height, with wooden benchwork for the track runs. Overlength strips of cardboard...
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    foam

    Just a cautionary word — foam is very flammable. If it catches fire, it melts and produces it's own accelerant, burns like a bomb, and generates copious amounts of very toxic gasses. I refuse to use foam. It's easy, it's cheap, but it's not far removed from storing gasoline indoors. Plaster...
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    Total newb questions...

    You've had good responses so far. And your Mum is right, BTW. Tap into your family knowledge base while you can — build relationships, learn what you can, and create bonds. That's priceless. For everything else there is MasterCard. There's not I can add except to reinforce the noise-deadening...
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    Loco prices, online vs LHS

    Support your local hobby shop. e-tailers are making it harder and harder for them to stay alive. They have rent to pay, or else property taxes, interest on the inventory they carry, and payroll for the people who help you sort it out. The few dollars more you might pay for a locomotive help...
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    HO scale vehicle license plate decals

    Yeah, but at $2 per state it's not that expensive. Cheers
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    HO scale vehicle license plate decals

    Why reinvent the wheel? http://www.jbot.ca/decal-list.shtml Cheers
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