Recent content by pnolan48

Bridges are not that difficult to scratch build. Most pieces are pretty standard and repetitive. With a good set of drawings and a small pile of structural shapes, it should take only a few evenings. These three didn't take very long. [/IMG]

I'd suggest a thorough cleaning and lube first. The cleaning includes removing all the oxidation from the wheels and contact points. I'd suggest 91% isopropryl alcohol and lots of elbow grease. Then put them on the track at max voltage. You'll probably have to coax them along for a few minutes...

Diesels really don't need break-in periods, although a half hour in each direction at varying speeds won't hurt a bit. Steamers in N gauge need about 20 hours of break-in to reach their full potential.

Does this include ships? I've got a lot of ships on my N scale layout.

Interesting. This is a test post with an image of three of my bridges. It worked once, but then disappeared when I tried to edit it. Let's try again. Sorry, I now have a duplicate post. I'm a newbie, so please have patience.

I'm new here, so this is really a test. Here are three of my bridges.

I'm not sure what you're looking for. I've built a number of long-span bridges. These are truss bridges of about 300-500 feet between footings. The deck on these bridges is under the arch. If you're looking for a trestle construction to span a canyon, that's a completely different bridge...

Model Power, to their credit, did fix many of the problems of the first run. Two factors against DCC, however: it still uses a 3-pole motor, which is reputed to be not so great with DCC (I haven't tried it yet myself), and the engine is reputed be fiendishly difficult to take apart and put back...

The frames not only crumble, they swell and warp fiercely over time. There was a fairly detailed discussion a while ago on the material, ZAMAC, and the tendency for impurities and improper casting temperatures, among other factors, that led to warping, swelling and, of course, crumbling. I...

Hi hemi, I've noticed your increasing proficiency with a camera! As well as the great prototype shots you track down. Now to work on your manipulation skills. . . This one, to me, is a little heavy handed, but then I have only a 500 x 375 image to go by. (I went to the Railimages site but...

Evan, I can only comment about the Atlas 4-6-2. It seems that these either ran about two feet before blowing up or lasted pretty much forever. Mine lasted a long time, until I dropped it. It ran quite well at slow speeds. A Kato JNR 2-8-2 mechanism pretty much slides right under the shell...