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Hi Steve, This is off topic, but just wanted you to know that there's another former Blind Bay person on this website. We lived on Blind Bay road near the Schuswap Marina with Grandma Clyde Archer. She had one of those Lionel trains in the basement and that was how I got attracted to model...

I am also interested in purchasing uncoupling magnets and changing all the standard black plastic couplers which come with the rolling stock on most starter sets. I am not aware of how the magnetic un-couplers on the market for HO scale work, but was hoping that someone could advise a good...

Hi everyone, I never did upload my layout plans because even when I made the picture smaller, the finer details became invisble (I was transferring the layout pictures from the free Atlas layout planner to BMP, JPG file formats). I just wanted you to know that in the end I decided to wire the...

Hi everyone, It's been a long time since I initially posted this thread. I really hate to leave my threads un-concluded, but I have now been able to solve the problem of my locomotives surging through turnouts. I never did manage to test the situation with an amp meter like some of you...

Track diagram using a selector + 1 power pack Soory, this is a diagram of my current layout and wiring.

Hello Everyone, I have a loop within a loop setup. My inner loop has a reverse loop (I've seen it described as an 'across' on other websites). The first picture shows how it is currently configured on my layout by using one power pack + an Atlas Selector. It works fine, but means that I have...

Hi Andrew, Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated from a newbie like myself. My layout is actually a 5x10 layout and nothing has been done on the rest of the layout as far as scenery because the corner shown is my "learning corner" where I take all of your guys' hints and advice and use it...

Hello, It's been quiet a while since I've been able to do much on my model railroad. for those of you who are interested here's a picture of my progress after adding a small trackside pond and some trees. "Everything" used here including grass, water, road bed, etc was made using ideas found...

Good news. The problem was mainly with the contacts. I took the engine apart again and found out that the contacts weren't held in place firmly. They were a bit wiggly, so I used some super glue to fix them firmly to their base. Then I trimmed the contacts off so that they would brush...

I've taken apart the trucks and cleaned all the gears in a mixture of soap and water followed by alcohol and water. Then I tried running the engine again and it still jerks. However, this time I turned out the lights and observed the engine closer up and noticed that as it jerked its way along...

Charles, Thanks. The train has its engine mounted in the middle and two plastic shafts drive the forward and rear trucks. I have since been able to find out the make of it on the internet and think that it's a "Mehano" - made in Slovenia (that was the only company listing for model trains I...

I saw a thread about this somewhere, but after going through 450 threads, gave up. My layout is basically a loop within a loop. Each loop is connected by switches like in the attached diagram. When my trains go from one loop to another then there is a sudden surge forward before resuming the...

Don, Thanks for the tip. I opened the train and it looks perfectly clean around the engine can where the coils are. However, the axels are plastic and dry. Do they need oil too? When I opened up the truck box where all the gears are, I found that there was a very thick and almost sticky type...

I'm not too familiar with this forum, so wasn't sure whether it's approptiate to just start a new thread or continue from from Cookies thread which has the same topic. I have the same problem with a jerky engine although I know for a fact that it's the engine and not the track that's the...

Hi everyone, This will be my last post on this topic and I would like to thank everyone and I mean everyone for all the advice given. I was finally able to combine all your input and have finally created my first hill in colors that I can be proud of. A picture is attached. I just have to add...

Well, it's been a very long time, but I finally got to it and was able to find a suitable mixture between plaster of paris, water, and vinegar. Paper towels were also used. The attached picture is the result. I made the hill higher than originally. I would like to have a rock face (sort of what...

Hi Glen, Thanks for the grear advice. I just wished I had some time to to work on my railroad. Very busy the last month. I did try the paper towel soaked in plaster approach like some of the others suggested. Unfortunaltely it didn't work out well and i have to start from scratch. The...

Hi All, Thanks for all the really great info and tips. I did go through all the links that you've all recommended and they were all very useful. I'm going to try a light tan color over paper towels soaked in plaster over the weekend and will let you all know how that goes and we'll take it...

Hi All, Thanks for the great advice. I will attempt to upload the picture with this posting (again). The paint color/shade which I used is simply numbered 8615. I chose it from a bunch of sample cards at the store. It seems too pink after it dries. I was painting directly onto the foam straight...

This is my first genuine attempt at building a model train. I want to model mountainous/hilly terrain which is found in the Rockie Mountains of Canada, but can't seem to get the proper paint tone. I use a foam base for my hills and mountains. I've tried three different shades of acryllic paints...