Recent content by tillsbury

Lots of good advice there, certainly. What's interesting is that you have quickly learnt what I discovered from experiences outside the model railroad hobby -- if you get the best stuff you'll have fewer problems. I researched things on the net first, but mainly to find out the best prices on...

Yes, you can certainly do this. I believe the best parts are the Kato tender wheelsets, which you can buy as spare parts and substitute on to your tender. These are properly insulated at the centres. A couple of strips of phosphor bronze appropriately placed can then take power from these --...

If that's Bachmann EZtrack then you deserve a medal -- the ballasting and weathering is a super job and you wouldn't ever know... Charles

Think carefully before taking the trouble to replace trucks with new trucks and couplers. For maximum reliability (particularly reversing, and when using automatic uncoupling), and maximum realism, you may want to go to body-mounted MT couplers (normally 1015's?). In which case, you can use...

Probably don't get the one that's cheapest! Never works anywhere in life... I use the Radio Super Chief, couldn't find any handheld to touch it for controlling multiple trains. Not many others in fact have simultaneous control for two, even. I use a Zephyr for my test track on the...

Has anyone modified a loco to be a track cleaner? It occurred to me that it must be possible to modify the pull-off tanks to incorporate a piece of masonite/hardboard (I think that's what you mean). That way, you don't have to drag a track cleaning or arbitrary box car about, particularly when...

Sometimes I wonder what the point is commenting on these forums, since no-one seems to read anything anyway...

Hee hee! Good point. I suppose you could always have the loco service tracks switchable, or on another block that you could isolate in one go. I have the loco 'service track' switchable, so that a hidden switch flicks it from standard DCC to be the programming track. That way I can run it...

That's right. The old-fashioned way with DC was to have sidings that turned off and on depending on which way certain turnouts are set. Obviously that's not so sensible when they're runarounds! With DCC you don't need to worry about that at all. You have all the track live, then you can...

Powering a shelf layout Hopefully this might help. Here's the layout of my workbench shelf layout, which I have on a shelf for testing locos and rolling stock. It has a runaround. All you do is power the 'front' and 'back' rails of each piece of track, and make sure that each rail is powered...

Electrofrogs are far better, but they subsequently invented insulfrog turnouts to make wiring simple DC layouts completely idiot-proof. When you're using DC it's all completely different, and if you want the layout to run nicely you will need to think while installing electrofrog turnouts...

Yes they do, but more so. I happen to use Peco switches, but the basic premise applies to any switch. First, I use a very fine piece of copper wire soldered from the (movable) point, to the fixed part of the point, then to the outside rail (obviously soldering on the non-wheel side of each...

And I would also vote that you seriously consider using electrofrogs and DCC. The hobby wouldn't be half as good if it weren't for these, along with MT body-mounted couplers for hands-off uncoupling. Finally, make sure you get the best of the best engines, because particularly at slow speeds...

Errr I thought they'd broken down, which is of course why there's no lights :-) And there's a crease in the sky... Charles

If you buy the Peco rail joiners, some of the packs have a stack of replacement ties in them. Some packs don't, at the same price. I ransack my LHS for the joiner packs with replacement ties in them when I see them :-)) Charles