Recent content by gringo

thanks guys- i'll prolly go the sandpaper route, but I might experiment with the wiring too!

Hi guys and gals, I have 3 Peco Code 55 turnouts that refuse to get with the program; I'll clean he h#ll out of them, they'll work for a bit, and then the engines start to sputter and stop, even as much as 10 minutes later. All of my other turnouts work fine, but not these 3. They're driving...

I used Peco Code 55 track, except for the two diamonds, which are Atlas code 80. They mate perfectly with the Peco track, so I didn't have to modify them any. For roadbed, I used the Woodland Scenics instant roadbed, and I think some AMI instant roadbed. Everything is held down with Woodland...

Yeah, saw the "hose" and not "house", but you beat me to it... too late to fix now! Damn the typos, full steam ahead!!! anyway, here's another gap question. Do I need to cut gaps anywhere along these diamonds? They're the Atlas kind, so I don't think they're power routing. At least, they...

Thanks guys! It took only forever to finally get it to this point- amazing how crazy life can get. Anyway, I'm hoping to have some trains running shortly- I really like my MP15 switcher (in the BRC colors, one of my favorite railroads). Amazingly sweet machine! Of course, with the...

Finally got around to finishing the trackwork- now comes the wiring part! After months of virtual standstill, an upcoming house sale has finally opened up some time to get my trains running- I figure it would be a nice addition for some open house walk throughs. As you can see, I took the...

Hey guys- What's the difference between the regular Peco switch motor (PE-PL10), the one with the extended pin (PE-PL10E) or the high performance (PE-PL10-W) machines? I'm going to need 2 of these in my hidden staging yard- I haven't laid the track yet, so I'm thinking the extended pin...

Anyone got a copy of the Carolina Central on Xtrack CAD?

Thanks for the responses, guys! For the record, I've got a Nissan 240SX, and I'm driving it from Miami to Chicago- I'd consider racking it on the roof, except that my roof is tiny! Probably easiest just to tear up the track and trash the benchwork- I can always make a better one next time!

I didn't get any farther than laying some track- there's no plaster or anything else sticking out. So it's the size of a door, maybe 7 inches thick. I could just pull out all the track and start over, but I'd rather not...

I have to move, and I can pack everything into my car, save for my layout. It's door sized- any ideas on how to ship it? Post office? Or maybe some trucking company (thinking they can just add it to an existing load or something). Just looking for the cheapest way to ship- timeliness of...

Actually, the thing was planned to be put on a door, but then I just made a frame out of 1x2's and glued a 2" peice of pink styrofoam on top. I can tell you this much: I was many things in previous lives, but a carpenter, never! But I got the thing to stand- actually fairly pleased with the...

Having been out of the country for the past few months, I FINALLY had an opportunity to start construction on my new layout- a representation of 2 of my favorite railroads; the Belt Railway of Chicago and Chicago South Shore & South Bend. The bottom half of the layout is a representation of...

I just looked at the CN site- not quite what I'm looking for. What I'm looking for is more of a road-atlas type deal, with the railroad lines depicted on them, with ownership. So that I could easily figure out where to go to watch CSS&SB trains, or BRC, or IHB, or EJ&E. Kinda like a railfan's...

Does anyone know where one can find current maps of the chicago area depicting the various railroads, and who operates them? Tried googling it, but didn't find what I was looking for. Thanks!